7 Best Iced Coffees In Chicago

Warm weather means two things: The return of your social life and a celebration of the city's robust iced coffee offerings. Grab a cup to perk up on summer days.

① BellyQ in West Loop

It almost feels wrong drinking Bill Kim's Vietnamese iced coffee ($4). Strong-as-hell La Colombe Pure Black meets sweetened condensed milk.

② Big Shoulders in River West

If you're lucky enough to live near the Chicago Blue line stop, you've undoubtedly spotted hordes of thirsty commuters sipping the Iced White ($4): double-strength joe and whole milk with a smattering of citrus (cleverly packed in to-go bottles).

③ Intelligentsia in Logan Square

Do coffee milkshakes ($5.75) fall under the iced coffee category? No? Too bad. Take four shots of Black Cat Classic, add Jeni's sweet cream ice cream and BAM: You're wired and fatter than you were five minutes ago.

④ Dark Matter/Star Lounge Coffee Bar in Humboldt Park

Cocoa lovers can cool down courtesy of Dark Matter's Chocolate City (on tap at Star Lounge but also available in 22 oz. bottles), a bold, nuanced blend reminiscent of fruit and flowers ($3). Drink it straight or add a splash of cream for balance.

⑤ Caffe Streets in Wicker Park

This buzzed-about shop is home to one of the few cold-brew towers in the city: The contraption cranks out pitch-perfect cups of the purest drink imaginable ($4). The fact that they now roast their own beans (operating under the name Metric) takes the experience to the next level.

⑥ La Colombe in West Loop

Arguably one of the first cold-pressed bottled coffees to take the city by storm, La Colombe's Pure Black ($3) still has our hearts. Double-filtered, then steeped in stainless steel wine tanks for 16 hours, it tastes every bit as intense as it sounds.

⑦ Heritage General Store in Lakeview

Customers love this hipster coffee haunt, and for good reason: They brew a badass, chocolaty cold-pressed coffee ($4) and sell 64 oz. growlers for junkies.