Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea — Restaurant in Naperville

Truly disappointing 💯 I stopped in here for a 1st time visit since it was one of the only coffee spots open after 7pm, when I needed a midweek boost while working the evening. They weren't busy when I entered so I took the opportunity to ask a few questions.

I was happy to see an indian young lady at the counter bc my indian friends are usually kind & helpful at most places, but she must've been new bc it seemed she knew absolutely nothing about what they serve & her demeanor was like these young kids who've seemingly never had a job in their life.

I wanted to try a pumpkin drink from their seasonal menu, but I'm dairy-free so I asked if they used a pumpkin sauce or syrup & if it contained dairy... after her saying uhmmmm, she said she assumed that they use a pumpkin sauce that contains dairy. I then decided to just get an iced latte with oat milk. She asked if I wanted any flavor, & I asked what dairy-free syrup flavors they had (looking for some insight & a recommendation which is usually the standard coffee shop experience elsewhere) & she said she didnt' know. So I opted for no flavor. She didn't offer to check the syrups or anything like they do at other coffee shops.

By this time, a group had come in behind me, & she seemed to become impatient. I was already frustrated that she wasn't knowledged on anything but now I felt rushed.

I'm sensitive to certain kinds of sweeteners, so I lastly asked what kind of sweetener they used, to which she said a cane syrup, & I said that was fine & if she could make it half sweet. She then told me I could sweeten my own drink at the end of the bar & that they have sugar-free syrups but didnt know which were dairy-free. It seemed the term 'dairy-free' just made her incapable of thinking clearly & lose interest in wanting to help me. I didn't think it would be such a feat to ask to have my drink made half-sweet (which is an option on the online menu I saw afterwards, & a standard in a coffee shop setting), but apparently this staff member wasn't trained at all to do her job. Feeling inconvenienced, I told her I would just sweeten it myself.

I paid $9+ for a 32oz (I asked for a large, which I thought would be a standard large 24oz size) cup of ice & milk - I watched her fill 3/4 the cup of ice, then 3/4 the cup of oat milk with 4 shots of espresso on top. That's ridiculous. Especially considering this person made zero effort to assist me in choosing options that would fit what I was hoping for, so this was not at all worth the money.

I can get a 24oz perfectly crafted dairy-free pumpkin latte with 3 shots, made by friendly & informed baristas at my preferred coffee spot in Naperville for under $7. What is this place doing bc this experience & price was a joke.

Afterwards, I checked the online menu (which I didn't think I'd have to do considering I went in to speak to a human being paid to be educated on the products they serve, otherwise I wouldve done it beforehand) to see they had a pumpkin syrup that looks to be dairy-free, & that half-sweet is indeed an option. I felt like I had wasted my time & my hard-earned dollars, & was besides myself that was the service I had just gotten.

In the service industry if your staff cannot be trained to fully know what your offerings are, be informed & educated on dietary needs/preferances, as well as having the patience to assist & displaying initiative to ensure positive customer experiences, then they do not belong in customer-facing roles at all. What I was expecting was very simple, considering I've been to both well-known & small biz coffee shops that can accommodate what I'm looking for at affordable prices no problem, so this was extremely below par service.

I would not recommend & will not return. I wish I wouldn't have even...

I was recommended this place by a friend who said it’s the best coffee shop in Naperville—and let me tell you, it totally is! Honestly, I might even say it’s the best in the world. 💯

Their drink menu is INSANE in the best way possible. I’ve never seen such variety in any other coffee shop before. It has tons of globally inspired drinks! Matcha lovers, tea lovers, fruity drink fans, jelly-addicted girlies—this is YOUR SPOT. I had the Monster Matcha (a signature item), and it was absolutely amazing—rich, smooth, and just the right amount of sweetness. My boyfriend had another signature coffee drink (forgot the name, oops!) and he loved it too!

Of course, I couldn’t resist trying the cheesecake, and yep—you guessed it—it was DELICIOUS. My friend also recommended the Jasmine Tea with Lychee Jelly, and I’m already counting down the days until I go back to try it!

The service? 10/10. The staff was so kind and helpful when I asked about the menu—and get this—they offer samples so you can try before committing! 😱 Who does that anymore?!

The vibe was chill and cozy, not crowded at all, making it the perfect hangout spot to catch up with friends or enjoy some alone time.

I’ve truly never fallen in love with a coffee shop like this before. I’m beyond excited to go back and try more from their incredible menu. If you haven’t been, GO NOW. You won’t...

Very true to their name. Everything is very sweet. Cold brew tastes like water.

Personally the 2 stars, because they’re not really adding anything to the local downtown scene and they don’t do anything well as the other downtown cafe shop options. If you’re looking for very sweet “fancy” drinks …just go to Starbucks 2 blocks down. At least Starbucks you can customize almost every aspect - sugar level, milk level. And it’s roughly the same price for the same “style” of drink.

If you’re looking for real coffee and real tea, go to Sparrow Coffee (also only a couple blocks away). Sparrow is AMAZING and as a local coffee shop deserves the love.

If you’re looking for cakes and sweets, go across the street to the Bouchard Chocolate store, it’ll be more options and higher quality sweets than the repackaged ones here.

In terms of offering anything to the downtown scene, this corporate chain doesn’t… everything it offers is done better just a couple mins walk away for the same...