Chicago Roastery Design

A multi-sensory destination of epic proportions, the Chicago Roastery is five stories of coffee theater. Both workshop and stage, it is a three-dimensional window into the coffee journey. It’s an honor to share this immersive experience with you in Chicago.

01

First Floor

Your exploration of our largest Starbucks® starts here. Find handcrafted coffee beverages, freshly baked Princi® pastries, exclusive gifts and our rarest coffees. Before venturing up to the next stunning floor, pause a moment to witness the coffee roasting in front of you.

The Starbucks Reserve Coffee Bar in the Chicago Roastery

STARBUCKS RESERVE™ COFFEE BAR

STARBUCKS RESERVE™ COFFEE BAR

The Starbucks Reserve Coffee Bar in the Chicago Roastery

This ground-level bar and its surrounding environment were designed as an extension of Michigan Avenue—visible and inviting from the street. Here our master baristas provide an introduction to select Starbucks Reserve™ and Princi® offerings. This special spot allows our coffee to be enjoyed a few feet from where it was just freshly roasted for a truly unique experience.

Two smiling baristas behind the counter of the Scooping Bar in the Chicago Roastery

Scooping Bar

Scooping Bar

Two smiling baristas behind the counter of the Scooping Bar in the Chicago Roastery

Talk to a Coffee Master and choose a specially packaged Starbucks Reserve™ coffee roasted on-site. Hand-scooping is a tradition that’s been with us since we opened the doors of our first store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and it’s an opportunity to share our love of coffee with you—one conversation at a time.

A foreshortened view looking down at the Chicago Roastery metal cask from the fourth floor to the first floor, with both clear and metal tubes transporting coffee, and a spiral escalator and some seating visible on the different floors

Cask

Cask

A foreshortened view looking down at the Chicago Roastery metal cask from the fourth floor to the first floor, with both clear and metal tubes transporting coffee, and a spiral escalator and some seating visible on the different floors

The 56-foot cask stands as the centerpiece of the Roastery. It is a sculptural work of art that acts like a multisensory hourglass with the roasted beans as the grains of sand. The skin itself is perforated and slit to reveal views of freshly roasted coffee moving through tubes in all directions. Ride the spiral escalator as it wraps around the cask and gaze up at the ceiling emanating rays that reflect onto our centerpiece.

The Clacker Board displaying a welcome message and the name of a Starbucks Reserve coffee

Clacker Board

Clacker Board

The Clacker Board displaying a welcome message and the name of a Starbucks Reserve coffee

Affectionately referred to as the “clacker board” for the unique noise created as letters flip during operation. This is the place to look for information on what we’re roasting today—and special events that might be coming up.

The large roaster on the ground floor of the Chicago Roastery, with bags of coffee beans nearby, and a network of tubes transporting coffee beans to and from the roaster

Roaster

Roaster

The large roaster on the ground floor of the Chicago Roastery, with bags of coffee beans nearby, and a network of tubes transporting coffee beans to and from the roaster

Our locally fabricated, custom roaster allows us to unlock the enormous potential for flavor in every Starbucks Reserve™ coffee. Watch our master roasters ply their craft—and feel free to ask them questions as they work.

Display tables with a variety of products, including coffee, drinkware, brewing equipment and apparel, plus a mannequin and whiskey barrel in the foreground

Handpicked at the Roastery (1F & 4F)

Handpicked at the Roastery (1F & 4F)

Part of a multi-floor wall mural in the Chicago Roastery stairwell, showing coffee plant greenery and a person raking drying coffee beans outdoors into a large spiral shape

Mural

Mural

Rectangular display of hundreds of colorful Starbucks Reserve coffee cards on a large wall, with "CHICAGO" spelled out within

Card Walls (1F & 4F)

Card Walls (1F & 4F)

02

Second Floor

This space is dedicated to an authentic Italian bakery created by Rocco Princi, who embodies Italian tradition. The experience results from a collaboration between Starbucks passion for coffee and Princi’s passion for bread. Enjoy Princi’s commitment to authenticity with all your senses.

Princi Bakery counter in the Chicago Roastery displaying a variety of breads, sandwiches, pizzas, pastries and vegetables

Princi Bakery® & Cafe

Princi Bakery® & Cafe

Princi Bakery counter in the Chicago Roastery displaying a variety of breads, sandwiches, pizzas, pastries and vegetables

Our locally fabricated, custom roaster allows us to unlock the enormous potential for flavor in every Starbucks Reserve™ coffee. Watch our master roasters ply their craft—and feel free to ask them questions as they work.

03

Third Floor

Join us here to immerse yourself in the art, science and theater of coffee. Experience coffee flights and creations, exploratory brew methods, nitrogen-infused gelato, and espresso classics. Discover innovative coffee preparations showcasing the incredible flavors of Starbucks Reserve.

The Experiential Coffee Bar in the Chicago Roastery, including a view to the floor above

Experiential Coffee Bar

Experiential Coffee Bar

The Experiential Coffee Bar in the Chicago Roastery, including a view to the floor above

Delve deep into the sensory experience, inspired theater and innovation of coffee craft. Through exploratory brew methods and origin-driven storytelling, the Experiential Coffee Bar offers an engaging moment for those looking to deepen their coffee knowledge.

A large, geometric wall sculpture with a central circular shape with multiple spokes that are flush to the wall, and with words on the spokes that describe tasting components of coffee including "CITRUS", "SPICY" and "CHOCOLATE"

Flavor Wheel

Flavor Wheel

A large, geometric wall sculpture with a central circular shape with multiple spokes that are flush to the wall, and with words on the spokes that describe tasting components of coffee including "CITRUS", "SPICY" and "CHOCOLATE"

This flavor wheel is inspired by the tasting profiles our Starbucks Coffee team utilizes to qualify our unique Starbucks Reserve™ coffee. These profiles organize the tasting components of coffee—aroma, mouthfeel, acidity and flavor. Baristas use this as a teaching element when describing our featured coffees.

04

Fourth Floor

Enter a world of inspired cocktails and coffee creations. With a menu designed in collaboration with mixology luminary Julia Momose, every drink is an alchemy of precision and innovation.

The Arriviamo Cocktail Bar in the Chicago Roastery

Arriviamo™ Cocktail Bar

Arriviamo™ Cocktail Bar

The Arriviamo Cocktail Bar in the Chicago Roastery

Enter a world of inspired cocktails and coffee creations. With a menu designed in collaboration with mixology luminaries Julia Momose, Annie Beebe-Tron and Rachel Miller, every drink is an alchemy of precision and innovation.

The Barrel-Aged Coffee Bar in the Chicago Roastery

Barrel-Aged Coffee Bar

Barrel-Aged Coffee Bar

The Barrel-Aged Coffee Bar in the Chicago Roastery

The centuries-old craft of barrel-aging has historically been used for wine and spirits. Today we combine this process with our mastery of roasting to age green coffee beans in barrels that are used to hold whiskey or other spirits. Experience the unprecedented flavors of barrel-aged coffee in our innovative spirit-free beverages, and learn more about this craft process on the 4th floor.

05

Fifth Floor

Situated atop of the Roastery, the roof deck provides unique views of Michigan Avenue and of the Roastery below. Open seasonally as weather permits.

The roof terrace of the Chicago Roastery

Roof Terrace

Roof Terrace

The roof terrace of the Chicago Roastery

Experience Michigan Avenue from on high and views of the Roastery below. The roof deck is open seasonally as weather permits.