What is the purpose of a coffee shop? I ask this question knowing there is an obvious answer: to sell coffee. But beyond the transactional aspect, what is a coffee shop designed to accomplish? Is it to act as a third space? To showcase the craft of the coffee trade? Or is it to inspire patrons to be in community with one another? For Side Practice Coffee, one of Chicago’s buzziest cafés in recent memory, the purpose of a coffee shop is baked into its name. To encourage people to pursue their “side practice.”
Founder of Side Practice, Francis Almeda, who also co-founded Drip Collective in the West Loop, certainly views the business that way. A couple of years after he opened Side Practice in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood, he told Daily Coffee News, “Having side projects or small businesses has always been a part of who I am.” Not only does Side Practice uplift small businesses, it makes a point to feature entrepreneurs who may not otherwise have an easy path to success. In the same DCN interview, he said, “It’s always been a dream of mine to open up a cafe that gave back to the community and offered a platform for entrepreneurs of color who aren’t always recognized elsewhere.”
If you visit Side Practice on the weekends, you will see exactly what he means. Entrepreneurs in food, clothing, homemade goods, and artistic fields are featured in a weekly rotation. You can always count on something new and exciting being showcased there. No small feat considering Side Practice itself is not a huge space. But it’s enough to impart a deep sense of character, craft, and community.
The Interior
Full disclosure: I have visited Side Practice many times since it opened. Sometimes it’s to check out a specific pop-up. Other times it’s just to get a reliably good cup of coffee. On my most recent visit, which fell in the middle of a week, the café was uncrowded. A slow day, like all coffee shops have. But I enjoyed my visit nonetheless. And I recommend anyone looking for a good cup of coffee in a creative space to check out Side Practice too.
If you’ve ever visited Drip Collective, or even just read about it here on this website, then the decor of Side Practice will feel familiar. The café is small but homey. The walls are lined with figurines, plants with vines stretching down, and keepsakes from other related businesses. One example was a box from Novel Pizza, another venture of Almeda’s. Like at Drip Collective, a projector is always playing something on the wall. Usually, it’s something animated, but on the day of my most recent visit they were playing footage from this year’s World Barista Championship.
The wall opposite from the “screen” was lined with a humble selection of merchandise, including shirts, hoodies, and pins. Just beneath the point of service were bags of beans for sale, all of which were from outside roasters. (Side Practice itself does not have a roastery.) I also spotted a small table with coloring books and toys for kids. Side Practice clearly orients itself to be a lived-in space oriented to family, community, and a certain cache of cool that its sister shop Drip Collective also possesses.
The Espresso
Like at all my visits, I started with an espresso. My serving included a handleless ceramic sipping cup, a small glass of sparkling water, a demitasse spoon, and, to my surprise, a sweet treat. The treat in question was an ube polvoron, a Filipino shortbread cookie with the distinctive purple hue of ube. The espresso itself had notes of Vanilla Wafer, berry, and grape soda. It was delightful. I appreciated that the sparkling water was closer to room temperature than chilled, which is how I prefer it. All in all, it was one of the most thoughtfully constructed espressos I’ve had in Chicago.
The Specialty
For my second beverage, I chose the Black Sesame Latte. This is one of Side Practice’s seasonal specialties. They offer to make the drink with either espresso or hojicha as the base. My curiosity piqued, I chose hojicha. For those who are not aware, hojicha is a Japanese roasted green tea. It usually tastes nutty, smoky, and a little bitter, especially compared to the earthiness of matcha.
As it turned out, this was an excellent choice. The flavor of the hojicha was complemented well by the black sesame flavor. That flavor was imparted by sprinkled black sesame seeds, delicately arranged on one side of the cup, no doubt to make sure that the customer can opt in or out of sipping them. Personally, I really like the satisfying bit of crunch and pop of flavor that the seeds added to the drink. The whole thing was capped off by the wonderfully sweet flavor of macadamia milk. And the barista even made a bunny as the latte art. Impressively done!
Little Manila
If Side Practice only aimed to serve excellent coffee, then they have succeeded, based on my visits. But the emphasis on entrepreneurship and the support of local craftspeople means that Side Practice is both a great coffee shop and a springboard for other businesses to thrive. One need only look at the “Little Manila” neighborhood of businesses in Ravenswood to see for themself.
Just a couple of doors down from Side Practice is Kanin, a musubi and poke bowl establishment where patrons can pick up delicious savory treats. Or they could walk over to Del Sur, a new bakery that is already making a big name for itself. Kanin and Del Sur both started out as pop-ups before their owners opened brick-and-mortar shops. These are just two examples of the kinds of AAPI-led businesses that Side Practice makes its mission to support.
Conclusion
Side Practice Coffee comes highly recommended. If you only stop in for coffee on a weekday like I did, then you will find something delicious to try. But if you want to see what the shop is really about, stop in on a weekend when a pop-up is running. Below you can find more information about Side Practice.
Plan Your Visit
Address: 5139 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Hours: 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM Every Day
Website: https://sidepracticecoffee.com/