[D]enver-based Allegro Coffee Company opened its newest Allegro Coffee Roasters café last week inside the Whole Foods Market in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. By serving exceptional beverages and offering a craft coffee experience in Whole Foods, Allegro Coffee Roasters (ACR) seeks to provide an open, educational environment that fosters passion and community for curious coffee drinkers.
Allegro’s airy Chicago café features a Loring roaster as a functional design feature in full view of customers. ACR’s twelve micro-lot coffees, as well as an espresso blend named High Fidelity (named after the 2000 film starring John Cusack and Jack Black), are ground using a Mahlkönig K30 Vario grinder and prepared on a three-group La Marzocco Strada.
The broad menu also includes pour-overs made on the ever-sleek Modbar, BKON-brewed teas, and a small selection of taps for nitro cold-brew and beer.
ACR launched in 2014 as an offshoot of the larger Allegro Coffee Company brand. The specialty label facilitates sourcing from unique markets focused on farmer relationships and a customized roasting and café experience. Customers can see small-batch roasting in action, and enjoy coffee beverages that have been ground and brewed specifically for the bean variety.
ACR has opened four other locations since its 2014 launch. Their flagship store is in Denver, Colorado; other Whole Foods Market locations can be found in Boulder, Colorado; Berkeley, California; and Brooklyn, New York.
Allegro Coffee Roasters is located at 3201 N Ashland Avenue.
