Whirlwind Coffee Company — Restaurant in Oak Park

Well, it is always challenging to find a good coffee shop when traveling. I have been in the Chicago area for six days and have tried five of the highest rated shops I could find. My standard order: the recommended pour over and a pastry.

Three shops were also roasters. Kudos to them. But roast in another space! I have home roasted for 25 years. The smell and smoke are unappealing. I don’t want to sit in a coffee shop reading and drinking coffee and have that smell permeating the air. Maybe some do.

Second, I have been surprised that many “high end” shops do not do pour overs. Whirlwind did. That is why I came. BUT, they use the natural brown Chemex filters. For anyone familiar with these (I tried them for years), it is nearly impossible to brew in them without the paper taste coming through in the coffee. They were NOT successful at Whirlwind.

The coffee is solid, not exceptional. The paper taste in the cup is off-putting. The coffee roasting smell pushed me outside. Fortunately, it was a beautiful morning. The pastry was good, not great.

I gave them four stars because parking is convenient (right out front), and I respect their efforts.

This coffee shop really is nice, but for those like me pursuing the refined coffee experience, it...

Truly excellent coffee, very reasonable prices, and warm/welcoming staff. It's honestly hard to imagine anyone not liking Whirlwind as a whole, and the fact that their roasts really are some of the best in the area just solidifies the experience.

It's admittedly coffee-lover's shop in that the drinks on offer are very much the traditional selection (e.g. cortado, flat white, macchiato, cappuccino, etc.), so if what you're after is a huge array of sugar and milk-laden coffee "beverages" a la Starbucks, this probably isn't your scene (though they do have a couple, FWIW). But unlike big chains, there's a real owner/roaster to talk shop with, and their espresso roast actually makes for a good shot (most of the time I go with a double espresso and it's sublime).

If you like good coffee, good atmosphere, and supporting a local business that treats employees well and also happens to donate all net profits to charity, well this is as...

I went here two weeks ago on my day off with my 1 1/2 year old son. I ordered a couple of coffees and some bags of coffee beans. When I was given my coffee the cup hit the receipt dispenser and hot coffee went on my 1 1/2 year olds ankle. He got second degree burns from this, as can be seen by the photo. Total accident and the employee was apologetic. Accidents happen! What was strange is that even though my son was loudly crying, no manager came out to check on him. As I already paid, the employee said she would comp my order. However, no refund was ever given. And, after emailing the location twice, no one responded. Extremely disappointing, especially because I buy coffee here often. Had I known I wouldn’t get any compensation, I would have returned everything I ordered. Instead I paid for the coffee that burned my son and then dealt with the burn for the...