I had three espresso martinis at the Starbucks Reserve Chicago Roastery, and found the combination of caffeine and alcohol to be rather grande.

There was a lot of hype around this Starbuck’s opening, and I wanted to go, but from its opening in 2019 up until the pandemic shutdown, the lines were always around the block, day and night, night and day. Worse than that, they were at capacity inside, so they were making people wait to go in until others came out. I can assume only that it must’ve been a living hell in there.

Today, I finally ventured into this massive coffee shop (on a weekday afternoon, because I suspect there are still lines on the weekends). Found a nice crowd inside, but not so full that you’d have a hard time finding a place to sit.

Ambiance

It’s huge. I mean, it’s a physically huge space, but also huge on ambiance. Five floors of ambiance, to be exact. This space used to be a massive Crate and Barrel flagship store. Starbucks has turned it into a roastery, and yes, they’re actually roasting coffee beans on the first floor. On the second floor is a fully-fleshed-out Italian bakery where you can get all kinds of sweets and savories – much, much higher-end than anything you can get in a normal Starbucks. Totally different animal. You would not eat here merely because you thought it might be slightly healthier than Burger King. You’d actually look forward to eating here, and you’d be glad you did. The third floor is a “coffee theater.” You wouldn’t believe the stuff they’re making: pour-overs, cold brews, siphons … and they’re making it all in front of you, explaining things to you as they do. They really are performances, in which you drink the finale. The fourth floor is a bar. Yes, a bar. On the fifth floor, there’s a rooftop terrace. Through the whole thing is a atrium that runs through all floors, wrapped by a curving escalator.

If the people at Starbucks are usually friendly, the folks at this location are Disney-level friendly. That really needs to be stressed, because when you’re dealing with the public, in a place as well-trod as the Mag Mile, it takes talent and dedication to be this nice.

Interesting

I expected the experience to be interesting, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did. Although all I did was drink and eat a croissant, there seemed to be no end to the drinks – alcoholic or not – and foods that I wanted to try. I would bring an out-of-towner here in a heartbeat. I would bring a local here in two heartbeats.

The Bar

I had a flight of espresso martinis: orange cacao, mole spice, and cherry limone. The orange cacao was the most neutral of the three: not especially sweet, not especially dry … the orange was deep and caramelly, but muted and beautifully balanced with the espresso. Garnished with a delicious and delicate dried orange slice. The mole was spicy and interesting! Garnished with black sesame. The cherry-lemon was sweet and desserty without being too much. I used my croissant as a pallete cleanser between martinis.

Starbucks publishes their espresso martini recipe: one part room-temperature espresso, one part coffee liqueur, two parts vodka. They suggest you shake it exactly ten times, then vigorously strain it. Thrillist describes the Starbucks espresso martini differently, or maybe they’re saying you can order something different off the menu. I’m not sure. There are other ways to make an espresso martini. I’ll try them all and get back to you.

All you may need to do to turn a Starbucks espresso martini into the orange cacao version might be to swap in an orange-flavored vodka and add creme de cacao. How would you make the cherry? Cherry vodka and lemoncello? To make the mole, I think you might need insider secrets.

Final Thoughts

This place is awesome. I look forward to my next visit.

Starbucks Reserve Chicago Roastery

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