Botanical Cafe Review

Author: Madeline Mahoney

Photographer: Karina Mak

Plants and cafes are two of my favorite things so when I heard about the Botanical Cafe, I knew I had to check it out. Opened in 2019, this little cafe sits on the North side of Chicago near Lincoln Square and is a little over an hour by public transportation from the University of Chicago.

Walking in, the Botanical Cafe is everything you might’ve hoped for. With mossy green walls and large windows, it feels like the perfect space for a plant shop cafe. The relatively small space houses two seating areas: a set of plush couches and comfy chairs to the left and many tables to the right. The cafe features cute plant-themed decor throughout and also many, many plants. Maybe it's because of all the dirt (inside the pots, of course!) but the Botanical Cafe is a nice break from the overly clean and streamlined designs of modern coffee shops.

We ordered a specialty French Madeleine latte and London fog. The sizes of the drinks were quite generous. The French Madeleine latte (inspired by the delicious French cakes) had a buttery flavor and was not overly sweet. The London fog (which is the combination of Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, and vanilla syrup) may have been lacking a bit of the flavor of the latte, but that is not surprising when ordering a London fog.

The Botanical cafe offers a good selection of pastries and some more substantial food options as well. We ordered the veggie bagel and a cinnamon roll croissant. The veggie bagel was an everything bagel loaded with cream cheese, mustard, spinach, tomato, avocado, and onion. The bagel was flavorful with a soft and chewy texture. The cinnamon roll croissant was quite aesthetically pleasing with its lovely cream cheese swirl and position atop an adorable cactus-covered plate. It was soft with a subtle cinnamon flavor and was the perfect size to split.

Most of the plants are housed on tables and shelves in one corner of the store. The plants included many succulents, small leafy plants, and a few bigger ones as well. (I said I like plants, not that I know their names.) If you’re looking for the lowest prices, it’s probably best to stick with Home Depot. However, the Botanical Cafe is a great place to pick up a small gift for somebody else – or yourself. I walked out with a small succulent as a gift and a single stalk of bamboo for myself. I thought the stalk of bamboo, sitting in a cup of water, was a unique offering.

I loved the concept and execution of this plant shop-cafe hybrid. I’ll certainly be returning and encourage you to check this spot out if you love plants anywhere near as much as I do.