NOW CLOSED...Formerly:
Remember how one of the best things about college was the campus coffee shop? Where you could hole up and study for seven hours for no more than the price of a cup of coffee? Where the decor was so grubby it begged you to show up in your PJs? Where the baristas were so irresistibly indifferent that you tipped them extra just so they would like you?
Now that you're waxing nostalgic, head to Filter and get your fix. Located in a prime spot at the six-cornered heart of Wicker Park, this edgy shop is crawling with tight-pants-and-mullet-sporting hipsters, sunny yogis and bookworms pounding out their latest manuscript.
Coffee drinks ($2-$5) range from the standards to gooey-sweet concoctions that the staff dreamed up, which are fun to try if only to say things like, "I'll have one Filthy Vegan Slut." Food-wise, don't miss finger-licking, veggie-friendly hangover cures like the onion-and-pepper-packed Hipster Hash, giant pancakes in heavenly flavors and the sublime veggie patty melt on toasted marble rye ($5-$10). Order at the counter, and someone will carry your food out 10 to 20 minutes later, yelling your order number above the clamor.
Light floods the room from floor-to-ceiling windows on both the Milwaukee and Damen sides. Local art with a high angst quotient adorns the exposed-brick walls, the decor gets interactive with a plasma screen that you can text messages to, and chalkboard-wall bathrooms invite you to leave your mark. No one will kick you out for sticking around too long, but they will charge you for wi-fi: $2.50/hour, $8.50/day and $21 for an unlimited monthly pass.
Reviewed By: Julia Steinberger
