Cafeography
Chicago · River North

Cafés in River North

Doughnuts from a former bank vault on Franklin Street, Nicaraguan coffee in a hotel lobby on Ohio Street, and doughnut and breakfast counters open past midnight.

Photo: Dominik Gryzbon, Pexels License

River North lies north of the Chicago River, south of Division Street and west of Wabash Avenue.1 Around 1900 its factories and forges earned it the name Smokey Hollow, and after the Great Chicago Fire it filled with warehouses serving river trade; its gallery district later held the largest concentration of art galleries in the United States outside Manhattan.1

Cafés are spread across a grid of hotels, offices and galleries: Doughnut Vault on Franklin Street, Caffè Umbria at 346 N. Clark, Cafe Integral at 19 E. Ohio, Tary at 111 W. Illinois, Edie’s All Day Cafe at 675 N. Wells and, facing each other on the 700 block of Wells, OUD Coffee & Cafe and Left Coast Food.

Local tip: Doughnut Vault closes when the batch sells out and by 13:00 at the latest, so make it your first stop; Café Integral on Ohio Street is about a 15-minute walk northeast for a second coffee.

At a glance

18Cafés listed
6With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
03:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Firecakes Donuts, from 07:00 (Mon–Wed 07:00–22:00 · Thu–Sat 07:00–00:00 · Sun 07:00–22:00).
  • Closes latest: Sunny Side Up & Coffee Shoppe, until 03:00 (Mon–Fri 08:00–14:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–03:00).
  • Most listed streets: North Wells Street (2).
  • Most common features: open late (17%), bakery café (11%), card payment (6%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Chicago.

Coffee chains in River North

The Merchandise Mart and the ‘L’

The Merchandise Mart opened on May 5, 1930, as the largest building in the world, with about 4 million square feet of floor space, and it has its own Brown and Purple line station, opened the same December.2 Since 2018, Art on theMART has projected artworks onto a 2.5-acre stretch of its river facade.2

The Red Line serves the neighborhood at Grand/State and at Chicago, where the Brown and Purple lines also stop.1 Doughnut Vault and Caffè Umbria are both within a few blocks of the Merchandise Mart, and La Bodega faces Caffè Umbria across Clark Street at 355. Farther east on State Street, Cafe Cremerie at 615 N. State and L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates at 609 sit side by side.

Doughnut Vault on Franklin Street

Brendan Sodikoff opened Doughnut Vault in 2011 in a former bank vault on Franklin Street.3 It fries small batches, in flavors such as chestnut glazed and buttermilk glazed with daily specials, and closes once they sell out; a second shop, at 111 N. Canal Street in the West Loop, followed.3 The Franklin Street counter, at 401½, opens daily 07:30–13:00, so go early.

Café Integral at the Freehand

Café Integral opened in early 2015 in the lobby of the Freehand hotel at 19 E. Ohio Street, with its own street door.4 The Vega family, which owns it, has close ties with several coffee farms in Nicaragua; in 2017 all its coffee came from there and was roasted in Brooklyn, with one option each on espresso, batch brew and pour-over.4 If you stay, you take a seat and the staff bring your drink over.4

Late nights on Hubbard, Superior and Wells

Several River North counters keep late hours. Firecakes Donuts at 68 W. Hubbard Street is open from 07:00 to 22:00, and until midnight from Thursday to Saturday. Sunny Side Up & Coffee Shoppe at 42 E. Superior Street serves until 14:00 on weekdays but until 03:00 on Saturday and Sunday nights.

On Wells Street, Left Coast Food at 717 serves until 21:00 every day and OUD Coffee & Cafe across the street until 19:00. Tary, at 111 W. Illinois Street, has Wi-Fi.

Sources

  1. River North, Chicago, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Merchandise Mart, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. At Doughnut Vault, heaven has a hole in it (February 22, 2019), Convene, PCMA, accessed October 2026
  4. Café Integral, Chicago (Brian Williams, February 6, 2017), Brian’s Coffee Spot, accessed October 2026
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In River North, also browse: Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Open late

FAQ

River North cafés: questions

What is Doughnut Vault in River North, Chicago?

Doughnut Vault is a small doughnut shop that Brendan Sodikoff opened in 2011 in a former bank vault on Franklin Street. It fries small batches in flavors such as chestnut glazed and buttermilk glazed, plus daily specials, and closes when they sell out. The counter at 401½ N. Franklin Street opens daily 07:30–13:00.

Where can you drink Nicaraguan coffee in River North, Chicago?

Café Integral, in the lobby of the Freehand hotel at 19 E. Ohio Street, opened in early 2015. Its owners, the Vega family, have close ties with several coffee farms in Nicaragua, and the café serves espresso, batch brew and pour-over. If you stay, the staff bring your drink to your seat.

Which River North cafés in Chicago are open late at night?

Firecakes Donuts at 68 W. Hubbard Street stays open until midnight from Thursday to Saturday and until 22:00 on other nights. Sunny Side Up & Coffee Shoppe at 42 E. Superior Street serves until 03:00 on Saturday and Sunday nights. Left Coast Food at 717 N. Wells Street is open until 21:00 daily.

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