The Understudy Coffee and Books

“Amazing staff, vibe, seating, drinks, ambience - perfect cafe.”

Bran★★★★★

Whenever I visit Chicago, I make it a point to start each day at The Understudy. I absolutely love the vibe, beautifully dialed in espresso, exceptional pastries, and the hallmark of the place: your brilliant, vibrant, kind staff! I genuinely wish this was my home cafe and I hope you’re around for many years to come. Thank you!

Natasha Al-Rafie★★★

This is such a cute space, pretty big inside and the book selection is great. As you can imagine they have a lot of playwright books. Several versions of Hamlet, guides to the great comet of 1812, incredible selection. The coffee shop is great too, although folks said online they had a breakfast sandwich, this is not true anymore. We came here on a Saturday morning around 10am and we were able to get a seat for three. I got a butte croissant, my child got a chocolate chip zucchini bread, and my partner got the savory cornmeal danish, it has sun dried tomatoes on top. We also got two hot cof

Kandise Le Blanc★★★★★

I hosted our engagement party at The Understudy on a Friday evening in October for around 40 people, and I genuinely could not have asked for a better experience. From the start, Jett was incredible. They helped schedule the event and functionally served as our day-of coordinator, making everything feel seamless and calm. Jett went above and beyond all night, checking in, clearing empty plates, and making sure the space flowed well. Truly the kind of person who elevates an entire event. They helped us create exactly the vibe we wanted. Warm, intimate, and celebratory. They brought out candle

Korn TH★★★★★

This is one of my favorite coffee shops. I love how it’s paired with a bookstore — good coffee, tasty pastries, and a great selection of books all in one place. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a good read with a fragrant cup of coffee in the heart of Andersonville.