Dollop Streeterville is a cafe located in the highly-residential Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago. The cafe caters mostly to residents of the area, but is also conveniently located between two tourist attractions, the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier. Read on to learn everything you need to know about Dollop Streeterville.
Review Summary
- 12oz Coffee $2.48; 12oz Latte $4.07 (pre-tax)
- Good cafe for working with headphones
- Cafe design is average (doesn’t “wow” or disappoint)
- Lunch food ($8 sandwiches) available
- Line can move slowly in peak hours
Location and Hours
Dollop Streeterville is located at 345 E Ohio Street and is open daily from 7AM to 7PM. The location is in the first floor of The Streeter (apartment building) and is located between the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier / Ohio Street Beach on Ohio Street.
Menu and Prices
On the beverage front, Dollop offers range of coffee and tea options. Hot beverages are available in three sizes 8oz, 12oz, and 16oz, and iced beverages come in a single size. A small list of syrups are available.
Notable menu items include the Honey Cinnamon Latte, the Mexican Mocha, and the Tumeric Chai.
At the medium (12oz) size, some pre-tax prices are:
- Coffee – $2.48
- Latte – $4.07
- Honey Cinnamon Latte – $4.65
- Cold Brew (one size) – $4.07
- Tea – $3.25
The “Alt Brew Bar” offers coffee using an alternative brewing method, such as V60.
The cafe also offers a limited selection of pastries, sandwiches, and bagels. The sandwiches ($8-$9) and bagels ($6) are prepared fresh, which means you’ll need to allow a few minutes for preparation.
Cafe, Wifi, and Power
The cafe is located in the first floor of The Streeter, an apartment building, but is contained in its own space.
There is indoor seating for about 44 people and about 16 spots for outdoor seating in the summer. Most seating is at a table, including some high-top and window bar seats (good for standing).
Wifi is password protected, but the password is prominently on display. The speed clocked in at a great 58 Mbps, or twice the speed required to stream Netflix 4K.
About a dozen outlets are scattered around the cafe, with the best option being a power strip underneath the long, shared table in the middle of the cafe.
Cafe Experience
Overall Dollop Streeterville is a very enjoyable experience. The staff are friendly and competent.
The cafe itself is a little rough around the edges, which is no doubt mostly intentional. The “exposed” concept is maybe a bit dated, and the treated wood is more 2010 Starbucks than contemporary third wave.
That said, the cafe doesn’t need to be shockingly contemporary. A community board on the wall serves as a reminder that the area is primarily residential.
The cafe, with little nearby competition, serves the neighborhood–residential, young professionals, students, and a few passing tourists–well.
There is a significant amount of foot traffic during peak hours, so the cafe isn’t a particularly quiet place, but if you are looking for a place to work with some headphones on, Dollop Streeterville is a good option.
The only negative about Dollop Streeterville is the slow speed with which the line moves. Food orders in particular can slow things, as many of the items are made fresh (this is obviously nice if you’re ordering food, though).
If there are only two people working and one is occupied preparing food, the line can only progress about one person every three minutes, and it does get long. You could easily spend 15 minutes or more if the line is to the door when you arrive.
About Dollop
The Dollop chain started in Uptown in 2005 and now has 14 cafes in Chicago. They operate a roastery in conjunction with Halfwit and sell coffee beans under both brands at roughly $15 per 340 grams ($20 / lb).