It’s no secret that some of the best coffee shops you’ll find are small neighborhood spots. Take time to peek around your local neighborhood, and you’ll be surprised what hidden gems have been there all along. I recently visited one such neighborhood gem for the first time, Four Letter Word in Chicago.
Four Letter Word is a nearly-hidden gem of a coffee shop in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. The space is so small I almost missed it as I walked down the street to to find it. The inside may be under 500 square feet, but they make excellent use of what they have. In addition to a tasty coffee and specialty drink menu, Four Letter Word adorns its space with knick-knacks, books for sale, and a real sense of character.
The Interior
Four Letter Word originated as a coffee shop in Istanbul before expanding to a roastery and café in Chicago in 2018. You might be surprised to know that the mere 500 square feet of their Chicago location dwarfs the 150 square feet of the Istanbul location. (Both locations were featured in Sprudge’s Build-Outs when they opened.) The current layout of the space has seating for four at a bar, six at a circular table stacked with book displays, and four small standing tables. This means the café can only hold about 15 people at a time.
My first impression of the space is that it makes excellent use of a limited square footage. Besides those seating options, there are a few shelves with various books and trinkets on display. Some of the books were old copies of the Paris Review, some were photography books, some were books about Filipino food, and some appeared to be in Turkish or at the least about Turkey. A handful were even for sale. I also noticed a crate of vinyl records and a place to deposit film tucked in one of the corners.
The café has a one of those motels assortment of figurines and befitting of a small independent roaster. I’ve noticed this design ethos in other Chicago shops like Side Practice, who happens to carry Four Letter Word coffee in their store.
The Espresso
On my first visit, Four Letter Word had two espressos on offer, an Ethiopian washed and an Ecuadorian natural. I chose the Ethiopian washed and was pleasantly surprised how sweet it tasted. I detected notes of cinnamon, toffee, and red apple. In fact, it tasted more of holiday dessert than any Ethiopian coffee I’ve ever had. It was very nice, sweet without having a heavy body. I could tell that it would taste good with milk, possibly as good as it would be alone. If anything, I found the espresso a little mild. Being an Ethiopian coffee, I was waiting for a note of berry or hint of acidity that never came. Still, it was a delicious espresso.
Specialty #1 – The Meryenda
The coffee menu at Four Letter Word is small. You’ve got your classic espresso drinks, a drip, a cold coffee, a handful of tea options, and a few syrups. Nothing too complicated. For their coffee specialty, there is one option – the Meryenda. It’s a concoction made of ube, coconut cream, espresso, and oat milk. It is only served iced and there are no modifications. I always respect when a café stands firm in their recipes. And based on my experience with the Meryenda, there is no need to modify it.
When the barista served me the drink, it was clearly stratified. The espresso sat in a defined layer on top of the ube and coconut cream. My first sip was very thin-tasting, but a quick stir to mix the layers made all the difference. The Meryenda had a creamy, somewhat heavy body and was deliciously sweet. The body actually reminded me a lot of pre-mixed cereal milk, like the kind you can get from brands like Chobani nowadays. The whole thing was delightful. Each of its ingredients meshed well with the others. And I couldn’t help thinking how ingenious it was to mix together ube and coconut cream to give the drink a distinctive flavor and color.
Specialty #2 – The Kombucha
At first, I wasn’t planning on having another beverage, but my friend decided to try something a little unusual. Four Letter Word carries two kombuchas on draft. One is calamansi ginger flavored, and the barista was kind enough to give me a small sample for free along with my friend’s order. I’m usually not much of a kombucha person, but I have to say that the calamansi ginger kombucha was very good. It tasted light, acidic, a little sour. The calamansi lime flavor paired well with ginger, giving the drink a nearly medicinal flavor in the best way. The kombucha was a wonderfully summery drink, and I’m glad I got to try it.
Doughnuts from Beacon
Although Four Letter Word is too small to have its own kitchen, they do carry donuts from Beacon, a Chicago doughnut shop. I helped myself to one of their chocolate glazed doughnuts, It was tall in height, almost too tall to get a bite around. But I managed, and I found it to be a delicious doughnut. The chocolate was rich. The whole thing was filling and a perfect complement to my coffee drinks.
Conclusion
From its books and vinyl to the toy figurines that line the wall over the bar, this small space is brimming with character. Each of the drinks I tried at Four Letter Word were delicious. Even some of the items I saw on retail like instant decaf coffee and books about Filipino food were fun to find. For anyone who’s looking for a wonderfully cozy and effortlessly cool place to pick up some coffee, I highly recommend Four Letter Word.
If you’re interested in other cafés in the Chicago area, check out our reports on Hexe and Magnifico.
Plan Your Visit to Four Letter Word
Address: 3022 W Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Hours: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM Every Day
Website: https://www.4lwcoffee.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4lwcoffee