Siena by Maria

Such a friendly place with great coffee and home-​made goodies. I love it! Support local and choose this place over Starbucks.

Great service. Very friendly guy. I had the veggie sandwich which was pretty plain and simple, but still good.

Very good Earl Grey and knowledgeable staff. A nice, quiet spot on Clark.

Best coffee with a changing variety.
Great sandwiches!
Yummy homemade treats!
Great location!

I hold this place close to my heart because I met my boyfriend here one year ago. We no longer live close by, but decided since our anniversary was coming up to trek up here in the snow and have a coffee to celebrate. We both got delicious beverages and sat in the window to enjoy our drinks. We mentioned to the man working (the owner I believe) that we had met there a year ago and he brought over a Siena mug for us to have as a keepsake. It was an amazingly nice thing for him to do. I would happily spend $ 4 for a latte here over other non-​personable places. There coffees and teas are delicious and it has the charm of a family owned small business.

I was on my way to the workplace when a guy standing in the doorway of Siena by Maria asks if I’d be interested in trying a free coffee or tea today. Perhaps they were doing this to celebrate some significant occasion. I’m not entirely sure. What I am sure of is that «free» is my favorite four letter F-​word of all time. Of all time! So naturally, I said yes and proceeded to walk in.
Small, cozy place. You’d think as often as I walk by that I’d go in, but I’m usually in a rush… in a rush to get to work or in a rush to leave. The staff seemed friendly enough. I decided to go with a hot tea instead of coffee. They asked me if I’d like black tea, green, white, or some other miscellaneous types of tea. I went with green. Then they asked me which green tea I wanted. There’s more than one? I don’t do good with numerous options! Can I just have the greenest green tea you offer? I chose the enchanted green tea because I liked the name and it smelled amazing. They put the tea bag in my cup, filled it with hot water, and sent me on my way. By the time I got to my desk, it was perfectly steeped.
*deep breath* That enchanted green tea was one large cup of pure happiness. It’s so aromatic, fruity, herbal, And it lives up to its name, I felt pretty enchanted… not quite mystical unicorn enchanted, but close. I’d gladly go back and pay money for that tea. One star off because I want to reserve judgment for their other hot drinks, of which there are plenty (pumpkin latte? We must meet soon).
Before I left, the guy who worked there took my picture and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s to put on their website. Maybe it’s to pin to their wall. Maybe there’s an obscure website out there for people who have a fetish for chicks holding coffee cups. Hey, there are much stranger things on the interweb.

After an appointment, I was craving a cold drink. I didn’t feel like waiting in a line at the Starbucks down the way, so I stopped here. Plus, it was along my bus route. It’s all about convenience for me, ya see.
This place is tiny but cute, bright, and welcoming. I went with my usual coffee order: iced mocha minus whip cream. I didn’t mean to get a coffee cake but I did anyway. The woman making my drink said I made a good choice and then suggested to reheat it for a few seconds when I get home. It’s better when reheated. And it was as was my iced mocha! My only regret was getting a larger size. I would have stayed but all the tables (three or four?) were occupied then. Ah well. With speedy and friendly service, I now have another mocha spot for my fix.

Bought a Livingsocial instant deal for this place since we were in the area. I think overall I spent $ 5 on two lattes, which is a steal, but really, they should have been called sweetened hot milk. It was mid-​afternoon so it was definitely time for my caffeine fix and the latte didn’t do anything for me. It was cold out and the drink was hot, so one star for that. The barista was really nice, which is what the other star is for. I should have just gone over to Intelligentsia…

I popped in on a weekday before an early morning meeting to get a regular coffee. The staff was extremely friendly for being 7am and she had coffee brewing and ready to go and offered to leave room for cream and sugar. Sometimes you have to shout at a barista to leave you room or I will forget and then feel like I can’t pour some coffee out to pour in some cream.
The other great thing is that they have the CTA Bustracker on flat screens inside for the 22 and 36 so you don’t have to wait outside for the bus. This is such a great idea I thought it was genius.
Love them and will be back.

Mom and pop coffee shops like this should be frequented and patronized! Don’t go to Starbucks my friends, try Siena’s for a change of pace and some great home grown touches like:
— Box lunches with hot paninis for the beach! Just call ahead.
— You can keep your coffee mug there!
— A bus tracker on the flat screen above so you don’t miss your ride to work.
When I’m in the area, I’ll come back!

I’ve written reviews for this place under the old owners and I wrote an update under the new ones (but on the old page, not this one).
I like this place. I live nearby, and the new owners and their staff have all been very friendly. They’ve kept the same things on the menu I like and I’ve never had a watered down drink there ever.
For me, this place is convenient, friendly, and although not the right type of place to sit down and work for an hour or two on the laptop, still a great place to drop by.