Cafeography
Chicago · Lincoln Park

Cafés in Lincoln Park

A 1908 Prairie School café at the free zoo, a literary coffeehouse near DePaul open until 22:00, French pastry on Webster and early coffee on Clark Street.

Photo: Federated Art, Pexels License

The neighborhood takes its name from the park, 1,208 acres along Lake Michigan that opened as Lake Park and was renamed for Abraham Lincoln in 1865; part of it began in 1843 as the City Cemetery.1 Lincoln Park Zoo, founded in 1868 and one of the oldest zoos in the United States, covers 35 acres there and charges no admission.2

Away from the lake, cafés gather on Clark Street, from Elaine’s Coffee Call at 1816 N. Clark to Firecakes Donuts at 2452 and Maison Parisienne at 2564, and on Lincoln Avenue, where Soloway Coffee, Cafe Yaya and The Bagelers Coffeehouse sit between 2275 and 2461. The streets around DePaul University add the Bourgeois Pig on Fullerton and Floriole and Olor Coffee on Webster Avenue.

Local tip: Pair the free zoo with coffee at The Patio at Café Brauer on Stockton Drive, then walk west to the Chicago History Museum’s café on Clark Street; Elaine’s Coffee Call, two blocks north of the museum, opens at 06:30.

At a glance

33Cafés listed
4With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Elaine's Coffee Call, from 06:30 (Daily 06:30–17:00).
  • Closes latest: Bourgeois Pig Cafe, until 00:00 (Mon–Tue 08:00–18:00 · Wed–Thu 08:00–23:00 · Fri–Sat 08:00–00:00 · Sun 08:00–22:00).
  • Most listed streets: North Lincoln Avenue (7), North Clark Street (4), N Clark St (4).
  • Most common features: bakery café (6%), outdoor seating (6%), indoor seating (6%).

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Coffee chains in Lincoln Park

Café Brauer and coffee inside the park

Café Brauer, at the edge of the zoo, was completed in 1908 to a design by Dwight H. Perkins and is a leading example of the Prairie School.3 The Lincoln Park Zoo Society began a US$4.2 million restoration in 1987, and the building became a Chicago Landmark on February 5, 2003.3 Its terrace, The Patio at Café Brauer, is at 2021 N. Stockton Drive, and the zoo’s own Cafe at Wild Things is at 2200 N. Cannon Drive.

The Lincoln Park Conservatory, built in stages from 1890 to 1895, is a short walk north and keeps plant displays from many climates all year.1

Clark Street and the Chicago History Museum

The Chicago History Museum, at Clark Street and North Avenue, holds the bed Lincoln died in and the clothes he and Mary Todd Lincoln wore on the night of his assassination.1 Its North and Clark Café is at 1601 N. Clark Street.

Two blocks north, Elaine’s Coffee Call at 1816 N. Clark opens daily 06:30–17:00, and Firecakes Donuts at 2452 N. Clark also opens at 06:30, Monday to Saturday, and fries until 19:00.

The Bourgeois Pig near DePaul

Mason Green opened the Bourgeois Pig in May 1993 on a small budget, with US$100 in the till for change, after working as a waiter in San Francisco.4 The café at 738 W. Fullerton Avenue, a few blocks from DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus, fills two floors with hundreds of books printed before 1960 and large portraits of Lincoln and Washington.4

Sandwiches are named after books and plays, from The Great Gatsby to The Old Man and the Sea and Hamlet.4 The Pig opens at 07:00 Monday to Saturday and 08:00 on Sunday and stays open until 22:00 every night, one of the few cafés here open into the evening.

Floriole and Webster Avenue

Floriole, at 1220 W. Webster Avenue, began as a stand at the Green City Market and grew into a bakery and café run by chef-owner Sandra Holl.5 It combines French technique with Midwestern ingredients from local farmers, and its croissants, tarts and loaves are made by hand.5 Olor Coffee is a few blocks east at 1011 W. Webster, and Soloway Coffee at 2275 N. Lincoln Avenue opens daily 07:00–17:00 with Wi-Fi and outdoor seating.

Sources

  1. Lincoln Park, Chicago, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Lincoln Park Zoo, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Café Brauer, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. The Bourgeois Pig: A ‘hog in the wall’ café makes nostalgia cool (Rose O’Keeffe, May 14, 2023), The DePaulia, accessed October 2026
  5. Floriole: Sandra Holl, chef and owner, Green City Market, accessed October 2026
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In Lincoln Park, also browse: Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Outdoor seating Open late

FAQ

Lincoln Park cafés: questions

What is Café Brauer in Lincoln Park, Chicago?

Café Brauer is a Prairie School building at the edge of Lincoln Park Zoo, completed in 1908 to a design by Dwight H. Perkins. The zoo society restored it from 1987 for US$4.2 million, and it became a Chicago Landmark in 2003. Its terrace café, The Patio at Café Brauer, is at 2021 N. Stockton Drive, and the zoo charges no admission.

Which Lincoln Park café in Chicago is open late?

The Bourgeois Pig, at 738 W. Fullerton Avenue near DePaul University, stays open until 22:00 every night. Mason Green opened it in May 1993; it fills two floors with books printed before 1960, and its sandwiches are named after books and plays such as The Great Gatsby and Hamlet.

Where is Floriole bakery in Lincoln Park, Chicago?

Floriole is at 1220 W. Webster Avenue. Chef-owner Sandra Holl started it as a stand at the Green City Market before it grew into a bakery and café, combining French technique with Midwestern ingredients from local farmers. Its croissants, tarts and loaves are made by hand.

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