Restaurant Mon Aug 31 2009

Knock Box Café

Humboldt Park has a new spot for coffee in the form of Knock Box Café. Taking over the former space of Humboldt Pie at 1001 N. California Ave., Knock Box Café is warm and inviting space with plenty of room to stretch out without that feeling of sitting on top of other customers.

Knock Box serves Chicago's own Metropolis coffee brewed by knowledgeable and friendly baristas; one of the things that I tend to look for is coffee made correctly, and this place does just that. You might get a bit overwhelmed by the great smells due to the fresh baked cookies and other pastries straight from the oven, but that's a good thing. They also have sandwiches, utilizing Red Hen Bread and Boar's Head meats, so they can also serve as a lunch spot.

Of course it wouldn't be a coffee shop without free wifi, and Knock Box has that as well, making it a comfortable space to get a bit of work done.

If you are wondering about the name, after every shot of espresso pulled, the barista "knocks" the portafilter onto the knock box to dispose of the espresso grind, making way for fresh espresso and another perfect shot.

— Christian Scheuer / Comments (0)