First Impressions
Table Of Contents
Sawada Coffee is this unique little shop located inside the Green Street Smoked Meats building off North Green Street in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. The entrance is easy to walk past, but keep your eyes peeled for a sticker-covered door. Once you enter, there is a steep staircase that leads around the corner into a space that reflects Chicago’s industrial atmosphere (I might even describe it as grungy).
The coffee shop is based around the Japanese World Latte Art Free Pour Champion… Hiroshi Sawada. Some of the organization’s founders took a trip to Japan, stumbled into Sawada’s Tokyo Cafe and were so impressed that they reached out and asked him to come train their team. He agreed, bringing a slice of Japanese expertise into one of the largest cities in the United States.
There’s even a coffee blend you can purchase (Nicknamed “Project X”) styled after Sawada’s recipe in Tokyo.
Atmosphere & Experience
The inner sanctum is a large open-concept room that contains long communal tables, skateboard decks on the walls and yellow incandescent string lights across the ceiling. The line was pretty long, and did have us waiting a while for an order. Once the order was made though, it was out within a few minutes. Very friendly staff!
While I was here, I also had to try the smoked meats from Green Street Smoked Meats. Picked up a quarter pound each of brisket, ribs, pastrami and pulled pork. By far some of the best meat I’ve ever eaten.
Austin’s Choice
The prices are pretty high here, so I tried to limit my tasting to one drink: The Military Latte. This drink is a blend of matcha, espresso, vanilla, cocoa powder, and milk. Now all matcha beverages here have the option to be made Ceremonial Grade as opposed to regular. I have never tried it in a cafe-quality drink, so I ordered that upgrade. Was it worth the memory? Totally. Would I spend $13+ on a latte again? Not likely.
Their matcha is sourced directly from Shizuoka, Japan, and you can definitely taste the difference in this from your standard cafe blend.
Additional Information
For more information about Sawada Coffee, you can check out their Instagram and website:
https://www.instagram.com/SawadaCoffee
https://www.sawadacoffee.com
Here’s the website for Green Street Smoked Meats: https://www.greenstreetmeats.com/
To see the more of the interior and experience, check out my Instagram post!
