Off-Campus Study Spots: Currency Exchange Café

Located right across from the Garfield Green Line station, Currency Exchange Café is a local destination perfect for a caffeine fix and a studious day of work. Also located in the up and coming Arts Block of Washington Park, the café and attached reading room are beacons of artistic culture and mental enrichment. Their space is an eclectic design heaven, with plenty of outlets and tables for all your electricity-powered study needs. 

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The interior is filled with creatively repurposed materials, including original hand painted currency signs from the buildings previous inhabitant. The café and accompanying Bing Reading Room next door are also filled with numerous browsable books, where "patrons are invited to use the space for contemplation, conversation and consumption of both edible and cultural products."

Their menu features a plethora of different hand-crafted coffee and tea beverages and foods modernly pairing "Southern Soul and Mexican Spice." A couple tested and true favorites of mine include their crispy chicken sandwich, pancakes, and matcha latte. 

Open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Saturday, and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sundays, the café is the perfect destination for a studious brunch and some well-deserved "me time." 

All other images via Kathryn Hicks