A favorite latte-stop for college students (there are three locations on the UIC campus alone), Cafe Descartes brings its beans and oatmeal downtown. Such ingredients are essential for the coffee shop's signature drink: the Oatmeal Latte. The perfect-for-breakfast concoction blends a shot of freshly-roasted espresso (all of Descartes beans are roasted daily in the cafe's Roger Park facility) with oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, honey, milk and blueberries.

If the oatmeal drink sounds a little lumpy, smooth things out with a cafe au lait or a plain ol' shot of espresso. Typical coffeehouse fare like bagels, muffins and bottled fruit juices stock the cooler, and a case of gelato provides an unexpectedly chill treat. For those who just can't fathom $4 cups of joe, be warned that prices at Descartes are comparable to those at Starbucks. The atmosphere, though, is a whole other story.