Plopped into the neighborhood of Avondale is one of the newest and buzziest coffee shops to hit Chicago: Milli by Metric. Milli is the second café from Metric Coffee Co., a Certified B-Corp roaster that’s been active in Chicago since 2013. Years ago, the owners of Metric acquired the property of an old antique shop, gradually transforming the space until they deemed it ready. Now, Milli is not only a second retail outpost for Metric. It’s one of the most exciting coffee shops in Chicago.
The Interior Design
Full disclosure: I have visited Milli three times since it opened in the fall of 2025. Each time, I have come away more impressed with the menu and the interior design. In fact, I’d say that Milli is worth visiting for the space alone. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the menu is stellar. But Milli boasts an entirely new sort of indoor design, not just for Metric, but for Chicago cafés in general.
If there weren’t a big sign outside with Metric’s logo, you’d have no way of knowing that this old faded-brick building hosts a brand new coffee shop and roastery. But once you step inside, you’re greeted with bronze-colored wooden walls, a sleek coffee bar complete with Modbar espresso machines and a Poursteady, and a small amount of group seating. Bags of beans, home brewing equipment, and bottles of wine line the shelves along the walls.
This first room alone would be impressive. But it’s once you walk past the first room that you realize that Milli has two additional rooms of seating. Here there are beautiful marbled tables, a shelf of wine glasses, and both brick and wooden walls to greet you. There are tons of options for seating, yet each time I’ve visited the all three rooms have been close to full.
That capacity level speaks to the anticipation for Milli’s opening and its popularity only a few months in. No doubt some of this can be attributed to Metric’s brand recognition. Their coffee can be found at a lot of coffee shops in Chicago who keep wholesale accounts with them. But the interior design is certainly a big reason people are showing up so early in such big numbers.
The Espresso
Milli offers two espressos at any given time, the En Masse signature blend and a rotating single-origin offering. On my third visit, the single-origin was a Washed Benti Nenka from Ethiopia. The official tasting notes on this coffee are peach, lemon, and jasmine. Sure enough, I detected a tea-like flavor, with peach and raspberry on the finish. I even got a hint of savory bread, which I enjoyed. This espresso was a delightful way to start this latest visit, and I recommend it for any espresso enthusiasts out there.
The Pastries
I will be honest. I go into new coffee shops with low expectation for pastries. This is nothing against the talented bakers and bakeries that make up Chicago’s pastry scene. Rather, I expect a brand new café to 1) get their pastries from somewhere else, at least when they’re just getting started, and 2) treat the pastry menu as secondary to the beverage menu. There is nothing wrong with this approach. Pastries are a baseline expectation for café-goers, and wholesale accounts with outside bakeries are a common way for coffee shops to provide them.
But Milli came out swinging with their own in-house pastry menu and staff, led by Lou Turner, formerly of the upscale French restaurant Obelix. That level of experience is immediately apparent in the pastry menu, which boasts rich eclairs, deliciously sweet cookies, and creative takes on café staples. Each dish, just like the interior, is immaculately designed.
Thus far, I have tried two pastries. One was a double chocolate raspberry cookie, which was pleasantly chewy, juicy, and chocolatey. But the other was a savory eclair with huckleberry and a buttery cream inside. It was utterly delicious and far beyond the caliber of pastries most coffee shops can boast. You owe it to yourself to go for a pastry at Milli.
The Pour-Over
On my latest visit, after the espresso, I decided to go for something on the pour-over menu. Since it was already mid-afternoon, I made the unusual choice of opting for the decaf option, a Colombia San Agustin with official notes of lemongrass, champagne, and milk chocolate. When my name was called, I was extremely happy to see the coffee displayed inside a brown glass carafe with a lovely ceramic cup on the side, placed on a wooden plate. And to cap it off, the whole display setup came with an info card detailing the coffee’s origin and space to take notes on the back.
The Colombian decaf was delicious. I picked up some tasty floral, citrus, and milk chocolate notes, much like the official tasting notes. There was also a bit of graham cracker in there. I happily drank the whole carafe and filled out the card to my leisure. It’s rare that you get a pour-over with this level of thought put into the presentation. It was pretty, informative, and invited me to participate in tasting in a way most coffee shops simply don’t do. If you have the time to sit and enjoy a pour-over, I highly recommend getting one at Milli.
Conclusion
Despite being only a few months old, Milli by Metric is one of the most thoughtfully designed coffee shops I’ve ever visited. The coffee on the menu is delicious, the pastries are astoundingly good, and the interior design is gorgeous. The space has plentiful seating and a ton of home brewing equipment and coffee to take home. And there’s even a selection of natural wine, reflecting Metric’s plans to turn Milli into an all-day café with a wine bar in the evenings. You’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive café in Chicago.
For more coffee shop reviews, check out our write-ups of Luckycat and The Understudy in Chicago and Roy’s Station in San Jose.
Plan Your Visit to Milli by Metric
Address: 3110 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Website: https://www.milliallday.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millibymetric/