We at Raj’s Coffee always appreciate when a coffee shop follows through on their aesthetic ideas. That is, cafés that structure their menus, their hours, and their interior design all around the same basic idea. Hexe Coffee Co, with the tagline of “made with dark spirits,” is one such café. Located in Chicago’s Roscoe Village neighborhood, and boasting a witchy, punk-rock design, a considered selection of coffee drinks and food items, and regular community events, Hexe is the kind of the coffee shop that knows exactly what it is and what it does best.
A Witchy, Punk Design
The first thing you may notice about Hexe is its spacious patio, which on the weekends is filled with customers and their pets. But inside, you are greeted with a very witchy, punk interior design. The walls are black, and the bags of beans features lots of tattoo-like art with skulls aplenty. Most of the details in the furnishing are either black or white. And with coffee blend names like “Painted as Monsters” and “Blood Witch,” to name a few, you get the sense that Hexe has built its aesthetic in tandem with its name.
There are other fun details to notice. The small corner that looks like it functions as an office looked vaguely like it had been plucked out of a motorcycle shop. One of my favorite details was the retail shelf in the corner near the point of service. One of the shelves was labelled “Staff Art” and featured a variety of items for purchase, presumably all made by folks who work at Hexe.
The Espresso
The shop had two espresso on offer, a “Spring Roast” composed of a Peruvian/Tanzanian blend, and a single origin dark roast called “Behemoth.” Being a bigger fan of lighter roasts, I opted for the “Spring Roast.” The espresso was served in a black demitasse cup with a matching spoon and saucer. The baristas also included a side of chilled sparkling water.
This espresso carried some strong fruity flavor with an almost winey texture. Notes of nectarine, cinnamon apple, and citrus were immediately apparent. There was also a pleasant oats-y flavor in the aftertaste. According to the packaging, this blend was a light/medium roast, and I think that anyone who gravitates to that side of the roast spectrum would enjoy this espresso. The only thing I didn’t like was that winey taste got stronger the longer the espresso sat, but then, one could just drink it faster than I did!
The Sandwich
Hexe’s food menu is robust yet simple. Besides their range of house-baked pastries – all of which looked delicious – they serve an egg & cheddar breakfast sandwich with the option to add bacon or sausage. (There is also a Thursdays-only biscuits & gravy dish.) In addition, Hexe has a small selection of lunch sandwiches, though they wait until noon to serve them.
The breakfast sandwich is cooked in house and served with a packet of strawberry preserves. I could tell that it had come fresh out of the kitchen. It was still a little hot, and the cheese looked freshly melted. The sandwich itself was delicious. The biscuit was crumbly without turning into a total mess. The egg patty was substantial and paired nicely with the cheese. The additional topping of strawberry preserves was the icing on the cake, as it provided a small hit of sweetness to an otherwise very savory dish.
The Specialty
Despite having a decent range of syrups, Hexe’s seasonal drink menu, at least on the coffee side of things, is quite modest. And by that I mean there was one single seasonal offering, the “Spring Latte.” One might unfavorably compare this menu to the long and detailed specialty menus at other coffee shops. But in my opinion, the basics come first, and any additional seasonal or specialty drinks, while fun, should be carefully considered. I would rather see strong espresso basics than endless options for specialty drinks. And as it turns out, Hexe really doesn’t need anything else, because the “Spring Latte” is absolutely delicious.
The star of the dish is the house-made orange fennel syrup. It nicely complemented the spring roast espresso and gave a strong note of sweetness throughout the drink. The combination of the milk and orange flavor even reminded a bit of a Dreamsicle. But the syrup’s citrusy flavor on the front end gave way to a slightly earthy note that I really enjoyed. I would never have thought to add fennel to a latte, but this drink proved to me that it could work. I applaud Hexe for being confident in a single delicious seasonal coffee drink.
A True All-Day Café
Many coffee shops keep longer hours simply as a way of maximizing the window of time when customers can make purchases. This is why I appreciate when a café utilizes later hours for something more purposeful. In Hexe’s case, that purpose is to double as a bar. While I have yet to visit Hexe during the evening hour, it was very cool to see that they keep a modest cocktail menu, a small selection of beers and wine, and dinner options, many of which come courtesy of neighboring businesses like Kite String Cantina.
I also spotted a list of community events they host during some of their evenings. Some of these, like the tarot card readings, fit nicely with the interior design of the shop. I get the sense that Hexe thinks carefully about how to change their menu throughout the day to be a good place to catch a bite or a drink for whenever a customer might want to stop by.
Conclusion
Hexe began as a pop-up project before becoming a brick-and-mortar store in 2019. The About section on their website reads: Managing the hurdles of the 2020 pandemic, we were able to push through, supplying jobs to local weirdos, coffee, and food to the rest of Chicago. That kind of success could only have been possible with a supportive community and neighborhood. It’s clear after visiting that Hexe has maintained that in the years since. I am eager to come back at either the morning or evening hour.
For other café recommendations, check out our write-ups on Magnifico Coffee Roasters and Side Practice.
Plan Your Visit to Hexe Coffee Co.
Address: 2000 W. Diversey Pkwy Chicago, Illinois, 60614
Hours: 7:30 AM – 8:00 PM Every Day
Website: https://www.hexecoffee.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hexecoffee/?hl=en