Loba Pastry + Coffee
3600 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL
Crema's Take
“Loba is a craft-focused espresso bar that treats pastries as seriously as their coffee, with signature creations like their celebrated mole chocolate croissant that balances bold spices and chocolate without veering into excessive sweetness. The team prioritizes the coffee experience over cafe culture, moving lines efficiently while maintaining genuine hospitality—they'll take time to guide you through pastry options on your first visit, then get you out the door with something memorable. This is a place where both the lamination of a croissant and the pull of an espresso shot matter equally, making it feel genuinely appreciated by people who understand what goes into both.”
What to expect
Google Reviews
Cafes like this one are often under appreciated. I value a cafe that puts their craft and customer coffee experience over being a local co-working hangout — Loba does just that. I love the no frills coffee selection with the addition of a few seasonal drinks. I ordered the Moonflower Latte and the Loba Cappuccino to go. If I lived in the area I’d be a regular. Thanks for the experience Loba!
Came here on a Sunday at around 9:30am and there was a line but moved quickly. We ordered their mole croissant which had such a good balance of chocolate with the spices. The lamination of the croissant was also great! Also got the latte with corn milk although I didn’t taste much of the corn. Great cute cafe and would def recommend!
This place is the best pastry shop in the area. Everything is so unique, service is quick, and the coffee is tasty. They come up with the most unique combinations of items and most of the time you will never see the same thing twice. The flavor combos might not be for everyone but even if you don’t love the item you got you have to agree that they are each a work of art, incredibly creative, and just plain fun! Highly suggest everyone to try at least once. Be warned that it is a very small space with limited seating so I would suggest getting your order to go!
I went to Loba at 10am on Halloween (Friday). I was surprised that there was a line of about 15-20 people inside! The line did move efficiently, and they had a stainless steel refillable water station for the fold waiting in line. I love the dust ability aspect of the coffee shop- reuse able stainless steel cups for water, perfectly steamed milk temp so no additional sleeve needed. It’s a very small and cute coffee shop. The tables were all being used- some for eating and chatting, others drinking lattes and reading books. I also love how the pastries are being brought out as they are ready. They must’ve changed to 3-4x different kinds of pastries as I was waiting in line. I ended up getting an array of pastries to share with my family. I purchased sourdough pumpkin strusel muffin, sourdough pineapple muffin, sourdough banana chocolate chip muffin (best muffin!). I also bought a honey crisp apple pastry, peaches and cream pineapple grout cherry danish, Cajun cheddar biscuit, and Emmie cake which is like a crispy spiced cake with seasame seeds on top. For coffee I tried the seasonal wolf spice latte and it was really good. Would totally go back. Support this sustainable, small, small business!
Great service as I asked about the different pastries since it was my first visit. The mole chocolate croissant has an incredible flavor profile and wasn't too sweet. No wait on a Monday and pastries still warm! Card only. I will definitely be back to try more.
Crema Reviews
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