When I walked into Caffe Cafe, I thought I heard the clink of actual dishes. Hot damn: Another worthy Starbucks alternative, and in the Loop of all places. The coffee shop, tucked not on Wacker but in a giant building that spills onto State Street, feels vaguely European, a fine setting for espresso sipping.

The Italian-mod interior sports glowing red glass tile, burnt-orange walls and unfussy wood-and-metal chairs. Place your order at the counter for a cappuccino or Mighty Leaf tea and stay a while—the place is large enough to offer respite from the stuffed sidewalks just beyond.

I took a seat, and was surprised to see that that china clink was part imagination—the slightly schizophrenic menu of genoa-topped Viva Italiano sandwiches, baba ghannouj and corned beef reuben paninis comes plated on plastic.

But no mind: Owner Kenny Sadi can serve his food on whatever he wants, because what truly matters here is what comes in the cup. Caffe Cafe hones its attention on crafting, not pouring or slapping together, each cup, whether that's a latte or a simple Earl Grey. I had to wait two minutes for my tea, but there was no toe-tapping impatience on my part—the delay was to allow the bag to steep, so the barista could remove it before adding milk. Now that's something worth dipping biscotti into.

Centerstage Reviewer: Kate Schwartz