The Ugly Mug Cafe is located in West Town/Noble Square at 1458 West Chicago Avenue. The cafe tends to get pretty busy but has a nice friendly atmosphere. I went on a cold winter day and really just wanted a cup of tea. So I tried two. The King Crimson and 333. At first, standing at the counter I couldn’t find the tea menu, searching through cramped chalkboard writing of all the coffee options, and different blackboards with food menus. Eventually I just asked and found out if I had only looked down, on the counter there was a laminated menu with the tea options. Everything my friends and I ordered came automatically in cute little mugs, some chips and cracked but still working nonetheless. My friend ordered their ButterScotch Latte which she enjoyed, and they have a pretty interesting coffee menu with items such as PB& J lattes or Nutella, or even cinnamon coconut. Sadly I’m not a coffee person.
The King Crimson tea I ordered was a hibiscus tea blend with rosehips, lemon grass, licorice root, and citrus. It took me most of the cup to figure out what it reminded me of, which was a slight flavoring of pickles. Not exactly what I go for when I’m trying tea, but it wasn’t terrible. In contrast I loved the 333 which I added some honey to. The 333 is a blend of rosehips, chamomile, and peppermint. It was very soothing.
I didn’t try any of the food, but bowls of cereal seemed to be rather popular as well as the sandwiches. A lot of people seemed to be there doing work, either interviewing or working on their computers. Like Sip, they too have a printer set up so you can print out work that you may need. Their bathroom is also somewhat awkwardly placed, seeing as you have to walk past where the workers are/somewhat into the kitchen set to find it since it’s in the back. But over all I enjoyed the atmosphere, the mix of mugs and that it was a comfortable place to sit and talk.