Groundswell

July 27, 2025​

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It was HOT today. The temperature was a good 85 to 87 degrees, but the sun was bearing down on me. That made it feel like it was closer to 95. Being in the West Loop area, a host of coffee shops I visited were packed. After walking further west than usual, I found myself at Groundswell. It was a chic café with rustic vibes. The employees were quite kind as I walked in with coffee from another place, and after asking for permission, I was able to purchase some menu items from them and kept coffee from another spot (remember how every place was packed?)​​

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Groundswell has a small menu with house-made flavored syrups for your drinks. I decided to go simple and get an oat milk latte with lavender syrup. It tasted typical, but knowing that they made their syrups from scratch makes me want to visit again for a different flavor.

What sticks out to me the most is the intentiopanlly around maximizing their seating. You can infer that the business wants folks to stick around in their small groups and get work done. There are strategically placed surge protectors below the bench seating and small tables. Their download speeds are quite fast as well so you won't be running into any buffering issues or browsing speeds. 

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I recommend Groundswell if you're looking for a lowkey experience that allows you a bit more privacy and quiet-time. Support them well, as I think they'll continue growing and gathering customers as they get their name out there.