Fairgrounds Coffee

Hello Wicker Park, I’m back!!

Ever since hearing Fairgrounds was opening I have been dying to go and check it out, the basic concept is you come and they have a plethora of coffee options and roaster from all over the country to choose from.

Sounds like a great idea to me and a chance to choose a new coffee upon each visit, it could never get old! Of course like any new place that opens in Chicago there is a two month standard, what does this mean? In a nutshell it means I wait at a minimum two months before trying to visit a freshly opened restaurant. I don’t handle the hype and crowds very well. I’m all for a crowded street fest or concert outdoors, but you put me inside with a bunch of cranky impatient people, and I’ll be the first out the door. Not worth all the stress people put themselves through just to get a seat at the ‘new” trendy place. I’ll get there once the hype has died down at least a little. So in true fashion I am checking this coffee shop out four months after it has opened! Thrilled about it, I think i’m being sneaky or something, on top of that it’s on a friday morning when more people should still be at work!

I would just like you all to know, there is NO being sneakin in Chicago. HA. I laugh at myself for even thinking there was such a thing. False. No fooling the Chicago coffee cult, they flock at all hours on all days of the week.   

Anyways Fairgrounds was actually not all that bad but by no means was it as empty as I thought it was about to be. I thought I was being more clever. It was actually hard to find a place to park, we figured it wouldn’t be a problem driving out there, but Fairgrounds it right off a six way intersection where the Damen L stop is. Makes no difference what time of day it is, that intersection is always packed.

Walking up to the cafe there is some sidewalk seating and tables available which I was excited about, but unfortunately completely filled, but they were all in the sun and I can imagine trying to enjoy a cup  of coffee while being beamed by the sun. No thank you there. We were fortunate enough to grab a seat at the end of a community table inside.

Let me start by saying the interior decor is absolutely amazing, I love it. A slight rustic vibe with the wood furniture and the plush seat cushions, they also decorated by using a lot of plants! Which I love because that is how I have chosen to also decorate my apartment. There is seating along the window with tables and cushions, there is also a large community table off to the far side of the cafe. For being a coffee shop called Fairgrounds in hope to emulate a carnival feel this shop is still rather small and tight. On crowded days I could see this place quickly become a claustrophobic person’s nightmare.

Getting in line to place our order, I needed to pull to the side and digest everything they were offering. Should have know there would be plenty of coffee options but they were offering coffee flights!!!! Like when you go to wine bar and want to try all the options so they give you small samples, literally same exact concept but for coffee! I wouldn’t believe it, this was a huge curve ball that I am all over.

So of course I did a coffee flight! The flight consisted of three 8oz coffee pours, you would select from either hot or cold brew. Considering the heat outside my body was craving something cold to cool it off.

My coffee selections consisted of: Stumptown Nitro, Fairgrounds Nitro Matcha and Marin Kombucha Pinto Sage. (from right to left in picture below)

Stumptown I have seen and had before so it was in a way my safety net, I knew what I was getting with this one. Well slightly knew what I was getting, usually I just have their cold brew but I figured the nitro cold brew would just add carbonation. This is a yes and no, the Stumptown still had their very classic right chocolate flavor, but this was extremely dark and acidic coffee. It ended up being my second favorite of the three.

Fairgrounds Matcha I had to try since I was at Fairground, it seemed only fitting. Clearly by the name this was not a coffee but a tea, matcha tea to be specific and since I have had matcha at other coffee shops and I brew it myself at home I figured this had to be extra good. I was a little disappointed with the Matcha, it was very weak and tasted more like water than matcha. Not very refreshing.  

Now for the Marin Kombucha, one the name makes it sound so serious and bit intimidating. I was not sure at all what to expect with this one, it came out a tea, not cold brew. Felt a little silly for not knowing that upfront, but this was my favorite and the most refreshing tea I have ever had. It was carbonated and hit the spoke perfectly, there was a sweet yet tart flavor to it that was quite addicting. I took this tea more like a shot it was so good!

After trying the tea and really like it I had to look this one up, turns out Marin Kombucha is a tea leaf with an interesting legend.  Completely organic tea that is fermented and then oak aged to enhance the flavor and healing properties. Wish I could take a shot of this tea each morning now.

I LOVED my first visit to Fairgrounds, I’ll of course have to come back to try more of their coffees, they rotate the cold brews on draft frequently so the next time I’m in the menu will be completely different. I really enjoy that aspect, keeping it fresh literally every single visit! Though I have to say after doing the flight once I don’t feel the need to try that again. I would rather commit to a full drink of something rather than just the small baby sips, but hey that’s just me.

Oh I also tried some of their food, the Seoul Bowl, which was highly recommended, so SPICY people! If you don’t like spicy food this is NOT the item to try. I think they used half a Sriracha bottle on my bowl, I was sweating just a few bites in. Didn’t try their other food, but I would probably give a baked good a try next time. Safer and I know I won’t be sweating eating it.

97 thoughts on “Fairgrounds Coffee”

  1. Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO?
    I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m
    not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share.
    Thanks!

  2. What i do not realize is actually how you’re now not actually much
    more neatly-liked than you might be now. You’re so intelligent.
    You know therefore considerably in the case of this subject, produced me personally
    believe it from a lot of various angles. Its like women and men are not fascinated except
    it’s something to accomplish with Lady gaga!
    Your individual stuffs nice. Always take care of it up!

  3. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website
    yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to construct
    my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from.
    kudos

  4. I simply couldn’t leave your website before suggesting that I extremely loved the
    usual information an individual provide to your guests?

    Is gonna be again incessantly in order to check out new posts

  5. Right now it sounds like BlogEngine is the top blogging platform available right now.
    (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
    y2yxvvfw cheap flights

  6. Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with
    my twitter group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy
    your content. Please let me know. Many thanks 32hvAj4 cheap flights

  7. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could
    add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
    I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe
    you would have some experience with something like this.
    Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog
    and I look forward to your new updates.

  8. Hi, I do think your blog could possibly be having web browser compatibility problems.
    When I look at your website in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening
    in IE, it’s got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to give you
    a quick heads up! Other than that, excellent site!

  9. Wonderful beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web site,
    how can i subscribe for a blog website? The
    account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear idea

  10. Admiring the dedication you put into your blog and
    detailed information you provide. It’s nice to
    come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed material.
    Excellent read! I’ve saved your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

  11. Sweet blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News.

    Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
    I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!

    Cheers

  12. You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this
    matter to be really something which I think I would never understand.
    It seems too complex and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

  13. Have you ever considered about including a little bit more than just
    your articles? I mean, what you say is important and all.
    But imagine if you added some great graphics or video clips to give your
    posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and video clips, this website could undeniably be one of the
    most beneficial in its niche. Superb blog!

  14. Greetings! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for
    my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding
    one? Thanks a lot!

  15. We stumbled over here by a different web page and thought I may as
    well check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following
    you. Look forward to looking into your web page again.

  16. Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice even as you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog
    web site? The account helped me a appropriate deal. I had been a little bit familiar of this
    your broadcast provided bright clear concept

  17. My developer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.

    I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
    But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on several websites for about
    a year and am concerned about switching to another platform.
    I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net.
    Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  18. This is a really good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.

    Brief but very accurate info… Many thanks for sharing this one.
    A must read post!

  19. Greetings, I believe your web site might be having web browser compatibility
    problems. When I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however,
    if opening in IE, it’s got some overlapping issues. I
    simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Besides
    that, wonderful website!

  20. Somebody necessarily lend a hand to make
    severely posts I might state. This is the first time I frequented
    your web page and up to now? I surprised with the research you made to make this actual publish amazing.

    Great process!

  21. Excellent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely wonderful.
    I really like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you are saying and the way in which you say it.
    You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it
    smart. I can’t wait to read much more from you. This is really a tremendous website.

  22. Its like you read my thoughts! You seem to know so much approximately this, such as you wrote the guide in it or something.

    I feel that you just can do with some percent to force
    the message house a bit, but other than that, that is wonderful blog.
    A fantastic read. I’ll certainly be back.

  23. Hey there! This post could not be written any better!
    Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate!
    He always kept chatting about this. I will
    forward this write-up to him. Pretty sure he will have
    a good read. Thanks for sharing!

  24. Hiya! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask.
    Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest authoring a blog
    article or vice-versa? My blog addresses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other.
    If you happen to be interested feel free to send me an e-mail.
    I look forward to hearing from you! Great blog by
    the way!

  25. Magnificent goods from you, man. I’ve consider your stuff prior
    to and you’re just extremely magnificent. I actually like what you have bought here, certainly like what
    you are saying and the way in which through which you say it.

    You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it wise.
    I cant wait to read far more from you. That is actually a
    terrific website.

  26. My brother recommended I may like this web site. He was totally right.
    This publish actually made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how
    much time I had spent for this information! Thank you!

  27. Hey there! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with us so I came to check it out.
    I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m book-marking
    and will be tweeting this to my followers! Fantastic blog and terrific style
    and design.

  28. Pretty component of content. I simply stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to claim that I acquire actually enjoyed account your weblog posts.
    Any way I will be subscribing in your augment and even I fulfillment you access persistently rapidly.

  29. Magnificent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend
    your web site, how could i subscribe for a blog web site?
    The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea

  30. Heya! I just wanted to ask if you ever have
    any issues with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of hard work due to no back up.

    Do you have any solutions to stop hackers?

  31. My developer is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP.
    I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.
    But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on various websites for about a year and
    am worried about switching to another platform.

    I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net. Is there a
    way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it?

    Any help would be really appreciated!

  32. Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
    Anyways, I’m definitely delighted I found it and
    I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!

  33. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book
    in it or something. I think that you can do with a few pics to drive
    the message home a bit, but other than that, this is magnificent blog.
    An excellent read. I will definitely be back.

  34. Greate article. Keep posting such kind of info on your blog.
    Im really impressed by your site.
    Hello there, You have done a fantastic job. I’ll certainly digg it and for my part recommend
    to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this web site.

  35. hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve definitely picked up something new from right here.
    I did however expertise several technical points using this
    web site, since I experienced to reload the web site a lot of times previous to I could get it to load properly.
    I had been wondering if your web host is OK?
    Not that I’m complaining, but slow loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and can damage your quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.
    Anyway I am adding this RSS to my e-mail and
    could look out for a lot more of your respective exciting content.
    Make sure you update this again very soon.

  36. Heya i am for the primary time here. I came across this board
    and I in finding It really helpful & it helped me out
    much. I hope to present something back and help others like you helped me.

  37. I’m really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your
    blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself?

    Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to see a great blog
    like this one nowadays.

  38. Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and
    sources back to your weblog? My blog site is in the exact same area of interest as yours
    and my visitors would genuinely benefit from some of the information you provide here.

    Please let me know if this alright with you. Thanks!

  39. I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and
    entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head.
    The issue is an issue that too few folks are speaking intelligently about.
    I am very happy that I found this in my search for something regarding
    this.

  40. obviously like your website however you need to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts.
    A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I find
    it very troublesome to inform the reality on the other hand I’ll certainly come back again.

  41. Pretty great post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog
    and wished to mention that I’ve really loved browsing your weblog posts.
    In any case I will be subscribing in your feed and I am hoping you write again soon!

  42. I just could not leave your site before suggesting that I actually enjoyed
    the usual info an individual provide for your guests?
    Is going to be back often to investigate cross-check new posts

  43. Howdy great website! Does running a blog similar to this require a great deal of work?
    I have very little knowledge of programming however I was hoping to start my own blog
    in the near future. Anyways, should you have any
    suggestions or tips for new blog owners please share. I understand this is
    off subject nevertheless I simply needed to ask.
    Appreciate it!

  44. Pretty great post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to mention that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your weblog posts.
    After all I will be subscribing to your feed and
    I hope you write once more soon!

  45. I was just seeking this info for some time. After 6 hours of continuous Googleing, finally I got it in your website. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that do not rank this type of informative websites in top of the list. Normally the top websites are full of garbage.

  46. Great blog right here! Additionally your web site lots
    up fast! What web host are you the uuse of? Can I am getting
    your associate hyperlink in your host? I wish mmy web site loaded up as fast as yours lol

    Have a look at my website – TheIndianTimes

  47. I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else experiencing
    issues with your site. It appears like some of the text
    on your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please comment and let me know
    if this is happening to them too? This may be a issue
    with my web browser because I’ve had this happen before.

    Many thanks

    Have a look at my page :: fb88

  48. Someone essentially lend a hand to make seriously articles I’d
    state. That is the very first time I frequented your website page and up to now?
    I surprised with the analysis you made to make this actual post
    extraordinary. Great job!

    Here is my web site :: w88

  49. Pingback: 1experimental

Coffee feedback