Doughnuts and Cocktails, Together at Last

Doughnuts and cocktails, together at last. The two delicious vices share the spotlight at Ipsento’s newly opened spin-off location by The 606 elevated parkway in Bucktown. During the day, it’s a cafe with Ipsento’s famed coffee and lattes, plus unique doughnuts made from house-milled kamut. Come evening, things pivot to charcuterie platters, cheese, beer and cocktails. 

 

First, about those doughnuts. They’re made with a careful combo of sweet potato and kamut, which is an ancient Egyptian grain that lends a nice nutty flavor to pastries. Small than standard doughnuts, these are miniature cake doughnuts available in all sorts of flavors, including an Ipsento doughnut inspired by the cafe’s namesake latte with flavors of cayenne, coconut, honey and espresso.  

In addition to doughnuts, Ipsento’s morning and daytime offerings include pastries and granola from Floriole Cafe & Bakery.

Later in the day, the shop transitions into a casual neighborhood bar, featuring half a dozen cocktails, beer and bar bites like charcuterie, cheese and nuts. For Ipsento’s owners, the progression from craft coffee shop into all-day cafe with cocktails and food was a natural extension of their philosophy, which entails quality sourcing and craftsmanship. It’s an ethos that has long applied their single-origin house-roasted coffee, and it’s one just as applicable to a well shaken cocktail or a platter of artisan cured meats. 

 

The space is the other noticeable difference between the two cafes. Unlike the cramped, homey original, this one is massive and airy, with a long bar that runs nearly the length of the space, huge ceilings, exposed brick and garage door-style windows overlooking a park and the nearby 606 trail. 

Ipsento’s new location is open daily from 6 AM-11 PM. 

- Matt Kirouac