The Lanzaga

Air-roasted coffee and a Venezuelan-leaning menu run side by side at The Lanzaga, a South-American-inspired cafe and gallery on North Broadway in Chicago's Lakeview area. Two owners pour the drinks and run the kitchen. The room reads as part art gallery, part Central Perk: warm, spacious, chic, with couches in a hangout corner, multiple tables, and an outdoor seating area when the weather earns it.

The arepas and the Cachapa are the orders that justify the trip. The Maracucho and the Plato Paisa anchor a fuller meal. The crab cake Benedict with yuca potatoes is the brunch surprise, and the French toast holds up next to it. Empanadas cover the in-between order. On the coffee side, an air-roasted Sumatra drip pairs with the food in a way that makes sense, and the espresso and latte program is solid rather than showy. Arepas with yuca fries is the order to know.

The brunch crowd fills the room on weekends. Remote workers use the weekday hours for calls when the corner couches are open. Art on the walls rotates, which gives returning customers something new to look at, and the gallery angle is real rather than decoration. The owners are visible, the staff are warm in the way independent operations still know how to be, and the room handles a date as well as a casual lunch.

The honest catch is consistency at the door. Phone and reservation handling has been a documented pain point, and recent visits suggest the shop may have intermittent closures, so check before you make the trip across town. When the shop is open and running, it's one of the more original cafes in Lakeview. When it's closed without notice, that's frustrating. Plan ahead, order the Plato Paisa, and take the air-roasted Sumatra on the side. The combination is worth the planning.