Swadesi Cafe

“Amazing!!! Indian spices on awesome pastries. Unique choices and nice atmosphere.”

Megan Lines

Feb 2026

“Swadesi Cafe has great fusion items and fun drinks.”

Swadesi Cafe has great fusion items and fun drinks! I got the banana cream matcha latte and loved how creamy and smooth the drink was. My friend got the salted caramel jaggery latte, which is worth trying too for coffee lovers! Overall, a pleasant ambience and great service!

khushi panchal

Feb 2026

“Absolutely blown away.”

Absolutely blown away. Having only discovered Indian cuisine a few years ago, this was easily our best experience to date. The staff is incredibly welcoming, and despite the busy, high-energy atmosphere, the place is spotless. I know people mention the prices, but for a fast-paced breakfast cafe in the Loop, the quality is well worth the hype. We had a fantastic first visit!

Greg G.

Feb 2026

“Omg everything here was amazing.”

Omg everything here was amazing! Seriously no complaints! It’s so hard to find a good matcha place here but their matcha banana cream top latte is definitely on my top list. All the pastries were delicious! I thought the butter chicken croissant would be soggy because of the filling but it was still flaky! And the gulab jamun was just chef’s kiss!! I’d definitely come back here again!

Reese

Jan 2026

“The matcha here is very good, sweet but not overly sweet.”

The matcha here is very good, sweet but not overly sweet! The bacon, egg, and cheese pastry is so delicious. Overall very good and good atmosphere.

Naz

Jan 2026

“The food , the coffee , the vibes , everything was amazing .”

The food , the coffee , the vibes , everything was amazing ! You must get their chilli cheese toast and gulab jamun croissant! Loved the banana cream matcha as well!

Subhiksha Gopal

Dec 2025

“We stopped into this cafe because it was close to Union Station, and it was great.”

We stopped into this cafe because it was close to Union Station, and it was great. Drink and food selections were unique without being overwhelming. Highly recommend the Swadesi Breakfast Sandwich and Gulab Jamun Croissant pastry. Delicious flavors all around.

Paige Roppo

Dec 2025

“Great food, awesome pastries, and high quality drinks.”

Great food, awesome pastries, and high quality drinks. They make a great real matcha! Add cream top to your drink it’s delicious!

Neluka Wije

Nov 2025

“Absolutely absolutely divine.”

Absolutely absolutely divine! This might be my favorite place I’ve tried to date in Chicago - the drinks and food both hit the spot. We ordered the chili cheese sandwich, which was the perfect balance of cheesy, crunchy, and infused with Indian flavors. I feel like this is Indian brunch done right, as someone who isn’t South Asian. I loved how many different beverages there were, all of which were a nice homage to Indian cuisine. To nobody’s surprise, it was absolutely packed on Saturday so be prepared to fight for a seat!

Zachary Zhu

Oct 2025

“As a South Asian, my people will do it every time 😩.”

As a South Asian, my people will do it every time 😩. I had the chicken tikka toastie, so so good perfect amount of crispiness and ratio of chicken to bread was perfect. I also had the Salted Jaggery Caramel Latte and Gulab Jamub Croissant. The latte was so good,I was expecting it to be more sweet than it was, but it wasn’t too sweet, and you can definitely taste a little more than a hint of Jaggery which was not to subtle and not too overpowering! And omg the croissant, it was literally magnificent, a little too sweet for me personally but the filling was really good and had pieces of gulab jamun. Overall the atmosphere was nice, aesthetic, service was good, and you can tell they put thought into the creations!

siya h

Oct 2025

“Oh my gosh!!!! This was the most incredible coffee shop I’ve ever been to. Inspired by Indian...”

Oh my gosh!!!! This was the most incredible coffee shop I’ve ever been to. Inspired by Indian flavors & brunch, this place takes the cake. I got the paneer pastry and the Salted Jaggery Caramel Latte. It was SO good. I’ve never had a latte so delicious. Plus the demographic was so diverse, it was lovely to be around.

lily isabella

Sep 2025

“Great Indian fusion place.”

Great Indian fusion place. The jaggery chocolate chip is to die for!. God it is so good, gooey, right mix of dark and milk chocolate, and the jaggery adds something unique. The samosa chaat croissant and malai custard croissant were great. The imli chutney in the samosa croissant was such a great complement to the buttery croissant base. The malai one was not too sweet, and was the right balance of creamy and nutty from the pistachio. The peanut latte was awesome too. Imma try adding peanut butter to my latte, such a good combo. It does get crowded but not too bad if you make it before 10 on most days.

Rajalaxmi Rajagopalan

Sep 2025