Though patrons steeped in chain coffee shops' late-night culture might think otherwise, Crenshaw's is open every day. The virtual one-man operation serves espressos, lattes, Americanos ($3-4) and Latin American house blends ($1.38-$2.08) to neighborhood commuters, then stays open most afternoons to caffeinate and feed carpooling parents and grateful freelancers. The coffee stops perking by nightfall.

The genial owner wisecracks with regulars about the stroller brigades marching past the windows and his increasingly WiFi-connected clientele, while preparing toasted egg sandwiches, PB&J, BLTs and deli meats, as listed on modest breakfast and lunch menus chalked behind the counter. Rebuses reveal ingredients of the $3.50 fruit smoothies (i.e. chocolate + banana + milk).

The little coffee shop sits just beyond the view of Bucktown's recently sold mega-condos, enjoying a scale so intimate that the stretch of sidewalk reserved for outdoor seating and the take-out window queue feels transplanted from another world.

Centerstage Reviewer: Justin Sondak