Elijah’s Specialty Coffee is a family-owned cafe at 136 West Vallette Street serving freshly roasted coffee, handcrafted espresso drinks, in-house baked pastries, sandwiches, salads, and teas. They earned a Chicago Tribune nod for the best specialty drink in the western suburbs for their mocha! Pastries are baked in-house daily, the walls display work by local artists on a rotating basis, and there’s free WiFi and comfortable seating for remote workers and students.
Origin Story
Elijah’s Specialty Coffee was founded in 2007 by mother-daughter team Laura Giese and Andrea D’Imperio, along with Andrea’s husband David. The family wanted to create a neighborhood coffee shop that prioritized quality and community in equal measure.
From the beginning, they made the decision to roast their own coffee and bake pastries in-house daily, which set them apart from cafes relying on outside suppliers. The shop quickly became a gathering point for downtown Elmhurst, drawing a loyal following of regulars who came as much for the atmosphere as for the coffee. Displaying local art on the walls was part of the broader vision of the shop as a community space, not just a caffeine stop.