MOTW Coffee and Pastries — Restaurant in Niles Township

we visited here for the first time yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by this new cafe. i grew up in the area and i only wish we had a nice cafe to study at while in school like this one 😅. the gentlemen serving us at the counter were very polite and gave quick service. we had the strawberry matcha latte, iced yemeni chai, a chicken pot pie empanada, and a triple chocolate muffin. both the empanada and the muffin were delicious, food is served hot. i saw their food menu and wish they had cake left because they sounded delicious.

the drinks were great, it was my first time having yemeni chai and it was soo much more flavorful and spiced compared to other chais i’ve had. there’s a slight bitterness which i think comes naturally from the tea, i really liked it. my boyfriend got the strawberry matcha and he really liked it but i thought it was ok. i’m not a matcha snob by any means but their matcha is inverted compared to other matchas (strawberry milk with matcha cold foam rather than matcha latte with strawberry topping/compote). i thought the strawberry milk just tasted like nesquik so nothing fancy by any means 😅 but still good (again my bf loved it) but not my cup of tea. they’ve got a ton of other flavor lattes which i’d like to try as well as a bunch of seasonal drinks they offer. i think skokie is lucky have these new cafes pop...

I’ve been to MOTW in Skokie 6 times because I truly want to support a Palestinian/Muslim-owned business, especially since most of my family is Muslim. The coffee is usually good, (not this time I had to toss) and I’ve usually tipped and purchased extra items to show support. Unfortunately, on todays visit, I had a disappointing experience. There were three people ahead of me and one behind me, and although I had already waited over 15 minutes, the barista chose to serve everyone including the person behind me before telling me I’d “have to wait a minute.” It felt dismissive, especially since this was the one time I didn’t leave a tip (even though I still spent nearly $14, and couldn't even drink it). On top of that, as a Black customer, I left wondering if that also played a role in the way I was treated. I’m sharing this because I value what MOTW stands for, and I hope that all customers can feel equally respected...

I met Farhan (Apologies if I got that wrong, I didn’t catch it) and he rang me up for a latte! I inquired about a sesame seed latte like at Complimentary Cafe but he recommended me something else! That was very kind of him. Included with the cafe is a multi-faith prayer area towards the street side of the building! Through the hallway with the clean bathrooms, you can find art and a collection of aid and support provided to marginalized communities. There are many places to sit that caters for solo and group visits! Very cute merch and friendly baristas! They also have free wifi. I enjoyed getting to read and sit in the space and learn as well. Community is important! They have a plaque of the late Manzar Zuberi that dedicates his memory to continue providing “a place for the community to connect and make memories.” MOTW is a great spot...