Oro Chocolate & Coffee: The Ritual of Travel in Wicker Park
Wicker Park has always had that “SoHo energy” — a neighborhood where creativity, fashion, and food collide. On any afternoon you’ll find vintage racks spilling onto sidewalks, thrift shops stacked with treasures, and cafés humming with conversation. But for us, there’s one spot that feels like the heartbeat of Wicker Park: Oro Chocolate & Coffee.
A Cup That Feels Like Ceremony
When you walk into Oro, you immediately notice the warmth: wood-paneled walls, golden lighting, and the scent of cacao drifting through the air. Order their 12oz cacao (split it with a friend — it’s rich and grounding) and you’ll quickly see why it’s not just a drink, it’s a ritual.
Made from single-origin beans sourced from Nicaragua, Oro’s cacao is one of those rare finds in the city — a heart-opening, ceremonial-style beverage that transforms an ordinary day into something meaningful.
The Locals World Moment
When I visited Chicago, I texted a friend who had been living here for years. I told her we were heading to Oro for cacao, and her reply made me laugh: “Wait, there’s a cacao shop three miles from me? How did I not know this?”
That’s exactly what Locals World is about — showing locals their own city in a new light. Sometimes it takes traveling with fresh eyes (or in this case, drinking cacao with a friend) to discover what’s been right around the corner the whole time.
Wicker Park Flow: Cacao, Thrift & Lunch
Plan your Wicker Park day around Oro:
Start with cacao at Oro Chocolate & Coffee — sip in-house, then grab a bag of 100% cacao to take back to your Airbnb or hotel.
Thrift at Crossroads Trading — one of Chicago’s best spots for vintage and secondhand finds. It feels like rummaging through a locals-only closet.
Lunch at CAVA — if you’re craving something fresh and Mediterranean, this is a quick, satisfying stop.
The Ritual of Travel: Why Cacao Belongs in Your Carry-On
For us, cacao is more than a drink — it’s a travel ritual. Brewing a cup in the morning grounds you, wherever you are. Bringing a bag home from Oro means you carry Chicago with you — not just as a memory, but as a practice you can return to in your next city.
Why Oro Matters
Chicago is full of coffee shops, but Oro is special. It blends design, ritual, and flavor into one experience. Whether you’re new to cacao or already have your own practice, Oro makes the city feel more connected, more creative, and more human.
If you only have a few hours in Wicker Park, make sure Oro is on your list. Because sometimes the best way to discover a city is to slow down with a cup of cacao and realize — maybe the magic was just a few miles away all along.
