Introduction to LVL UP Coffee
BRONZEVILLE — Wendy Onofre-Shah is betting on herself. As the owner of Bronzeville’s newest cafe, LVL UP Coffee, 70 E. Pershing Road, Onofre-Shah understands how risky entrepreneurship can be, and as an attorney she’s no stranger to challenges. But Bronzeville needed a quality coffee shop, and the Latin School alumna needed to realize a long-held dream, so she opened the cafe this month.
Menu and Pricing
A cup of freshly brewed coffee at LVL UP starts at $4, while espresso drinks start at $3.50. Specialty drinks like the L. dorado — made with homemade brown butter and turmeric syrup — begin at $6.50. LVL UP’s “Limited” menu allows for playful experimentation, like the Girasol latte ($6), a concoction with homemade sunflower butter, cardamom, cinnamon and honey syrup. Rounding out the menu are teas and tea lattes, including the Haldi Dood ($5.50), a turmeric latte.
Coffee Program and Supply
Onofre-Shah isn’t ruling out expanding the menu to include sandwiches, but for now she and her team are focused on creating an exciting coffee program where offerings change every two months. Counter Culture Coffee supplies the cafe with ethically sourced beans.
LVL UP Coffee specializes in pour-over brew, with beans from Counter Culture Coffee. Credit: Jamie Nesbitt Golden
All syrups are made fresh and in-house, Onofre-Shah said.
Barista Training and Community Involvement
Onofre-Shah encourages the baristas to create drinks of their own. While all of her team members have coffeehouse experience, they received additional training before the shop opened, she said.
“We’re gonna work our best to make you the best barista that we can. And if you leave, my hope is that when you apply somewhere else, they’ll see LVL UP on your resume and they’ll know you’re qualified,” Onofre-Shah said.
Cafe Design and Atmosphere
LVL UP’s atmosphere resembles a bright, airy Turkish cafe; Onofre-Shah said she drew inspiration from her travels. She partnered with Architecture for Public Benefit to build the community space of her dreams.
“Most cafes feel very masculine. They’re all dark, somber colors. I wanted to do something for the girls,” said Onofre-Shah, a Chicago-Kent College of Law alum.
Onofre-Shah collaborated with Architecture For Public Benefit And Civic Progress on the shop’s design, which was inspired by trips abroad. Credit: Jamie Nesbitt Golden
Greenery is featured prominently throughout the cafe, from the zebra plants that greet patrons to a pair of tall planters gracing the dining area. Bamboo paneling hugs the counter and fills in arches adorning the wall.
Community and Future Plans
LVL UP represents not only the realization of a dream but a place of endless possibility for Onofre-Shah, a first-generation Mexican American and West Lawn native. Some people wax poetic about community, but few rarely work to create it, she said. Growing up, she’d spend hours commuting from her Southwest Side home to the North Side, quietly observing the disparity between the two neighborhoods. With coffee shops being few and far between south of Pershing Road, opening one in Bronzeville seemed necessary.
And, as it turned out, a neighbor had the perfect location in mind.
While Onofre-Shah and her husband signed a contract for the storefront in 2022, shoring up resources for the buildout proved daunting. Law school debt made her too much of a risk for lenders, and navigating the bureaucratic maze of city agencies made her want to give up, she said.
The business development programs offered by the Quad Communities Development Corporation helped a
