Food & Dining

Women-owned Chicago French Press opens newest location inside UChicago’s University Bookstore

Opening sign for Chicago French Press outside of the University of Chicago Bookstore — Chicago French Press opened its third brick-and-mortar location in early March, replacing the Barnes and Noble café. (Photo by Emma Rund)

Quick Takeaways

Chicago French Press, a woman-owned and operated coffee shop, has opened a new location inside the University Bookstore (970 E. 58th St.) on the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus.
Five percent of all proceeds benefit non-profit organizations in and outside of Chicago.
The shop’s third brick-and-mortar location, Chicago French Press serves coffee, tea, and grab-and-go hot bites.

There’s more than what meets the eye behind the new coffee shop inside the University Bookstore on the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus.

Chicago French Press opened its third brick-and-mortar location in early March, replacing the Barnes and Noble café at 970 E. 58th St. Now, you’ll find a woman-owned and operated small business, known for roasting its own coffee beans on site and for its mission to empower women and youth both locally and around the world.

“We want to empower young women locally,” owner and founder Kris Christian said. “And what better place to do that than on a college campus?”

Christian conceived of Chicago French Press in 2017 when she saw a need for high-quality freshly roasted coffee in Chicago. But the endeavor quickly became about much more: she sources her coffee from female coffee farmers all around the world, and intentionally partners with local women-owned businesses, including Café Tola, PHS desserts, Nemi Snacks and Tubby’s Taste.

In addition to these partnerships, 5% of all proceeds benefit non-profit organizations in and outside of Chicago, including ChiGivesBack, an organization working to empower underserved communities in the city, and The Simple Good, which empowers youth to become positive activists through art and discussion.

Interior of Chicago French Press in the University of Chicago Bookstore — The shop’s menu includes coffee and espresso drinks, tea, and decaf options. (Photo by Emma Rund)

Back to the beans: Chicago French Press houses an electric roaster on campus, which eliminates emissions from a standard gas coffee roaster. Customers can stop by for their morning coffee or purchase a bag of freshly roasted beans to take home. The University community might also be familiar with Chicago French Press, whose drip coffee and tea blends are already available at Café Logan in the Logan Center for the Arts, Market at Gordon Café at the Gordon Center for Integrative Science, and Harris Café at the Harris School of Public Policy. Coffee from Chicago French Press sitting on concrete railing in the sunshine

The shop’s menu includes coffee and espresso drinks ranging from standard coffee shop fair to unique treats, like the Snicker Cinnamon and Coconut Lavender lattes. Tea drinkers can also choose from loose-leaf tea options or a creative menu of coffee-free lattes including the Lavender Matcha and Chai City latte. Non-caffeinated options also include hot chocolate and lemonade, plus the café serves breakfast items like empanadas, hot breakfast sandwiches, cake jars, pastries, and vegan cookies daily.

At the end of the day, though, Christian said her business is “about being a conduit for a bigger change. I’m excited about the opportunity to introduce our assortment of premium coffee and tea to campus.”

Chicago French Press is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.