Best cold brew in Chicago, IL
Cold coffee in Chicago, IL goes well beyond iced americanos. This guide covers the specialty versions: slow-steeped cold brew, nitro, flash-chilled filter and espresso tonics, and how to tell a carefully made one from a shortcut. Roasters currently counts 139 cafés in Chicago, IL, #3 in the USA.
The best cold brew in Chicago, IL starts with the same beans the café pours hot: specialty-grade single origins. The difference is the method — long, slow extraction in cold water (12–24 hours) produces a smooth, low-acid concentrate that can be served straight, over ice, with tonic, or on nitro tap.
Beyond classic cold brew, the cafés worth visiting in Chicago, IL also pour Japanese-style iced filter (brewed hot onto ice, preserving brightness) and espresso tonic (a double shot over tonic water — sharp, clean, summer-ready). Roasters surfaces which cafés are serving each.
How this guide compares
22 cities with this guide list more specialty cafés than Chicago, IL, and 121 list fewer or the same.
With 139 cafés, Chicago, IL is 109 above the 30-café line that unlocks themed guides on Roasters.
The same guide exists for New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA and San Francisco, CA and 23 more cities in the USA.
Chicago, IL is covered by 9 themed guides in total; the others are WiFi & laptops, Brunch, Open late, Quiet cafés, Running, Espresso, Filter coffee and Matcha.
For context, Chicago, IL is #3 of 931 cities in the USA by café count and holds 3% of the national listings.
Find cold brew cafés
in Chicago, IL.
All 139 cafés in Chicago, IL, on one map, with community reviews. Free on iOS and Android.
About cold brew in Chicago, IL
How much specialty coffee is there in Chicago, IL?
The community has mapped 139 cafés and roasters there, 3% of all listings in the USA.
What is an espresso tonic?
An espresso tonic is a double shot of espresso poured over tonic water and ice. Bright, sharp, and effervescent. It works best with a fruity, lighter-roasted espresso. The Roasters community flags which cafés in Chicago, IL do it well.
Where else in the USA can I use this guide?
In New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA and San Diego, CA and 22 other cities.
Where can I find the best cold brew in Chicago, IL?
Roasters maps the specialty cafés in Chicago, IL serving the best cold brew, iced filter, espresso tonics, and nitro. Open the app and filter Chicago, IL by cold brew.
Which cities rank next to Chicago, IL for cold brew?
Out of 144 cities with this guide, Vancouver (143 cafés) ranks just above and Seoul (138) just below.
