I visited Sip & Savor in Chicago, and I’m telling you right now — this one hit different. I filmed the whole experience for the LookForBOB YouTube channel, so make sure you watch the video below to see everything firsthand. But let me walk you through what I saw, what I tasted, and why this place deserves every single one of its 4.7 stars on Google.
Look, in full transparency — I had the chance to check out multiple Sip & Savor locations across the city, and some of them were closed when I pulled up. That happens. I also want to be upfront that from the time I recorded this video, some of the location details and the website may have shifted a little. Chicago moves fast, and so does this brand. But what I can tell you is what I experienced with my own eyes and my own taste buds, and that experience was real.
Sip & Savor is a Black-owned chain of coffee shops that spans the full breadth of Chicago — from the Edgewater neighborhood on the north side all the way down to South Loop, Bronzeville, and even Hyde Park. And for those who know Chicago, you already understand what that range means. Hyde Park is one of the more affluent Black neighborhoods in the city. Edgewater skews differently. But what’s remarkable is that Sip & Savor has planted its flag in both worlds — and you can see the differences between locations, but you can also see the deep similarities. The same soul. The same commitment. The same energy.
Who Is Behind Sip & Savor?
The founder and CEO is Tres V. Pew III, and this man started Sip & Savor back in 2005. Nearly two decades of building something in one of the most competitive food and beverage cities in the country — that alone deserves respect. Tres is known for his charisma and his compassion, and from everything I could see and learn about him, he is deeply committed to mentoring his team and being involved in the community. The brand embodies what Chicago is at its best: resilience, creativity, and heart.
And Tres isn’t doing this alone. He’s got a strong team around him. Tara Knob serves as his Chief Implementation Officer — and she’s a graduate of North Carolina A&T, an HBCU. HBCUs in the house, always. Then there’s Tiffany Johnson, the General Manager, who brings years of hospitality experience to the table and makes sure every single Sip & Savor location is running in tip-top shape. When you see an operation this tight, it’s because the people behind the scenes are doing the work.
What I Experienced Inside
My first stop was the Edgewater location, up on Bryn Mawr at the Bryn Mawr stop on the Red Line on the north side. I walked in ready for coffee, but what honestly stopped me in my tracks first was the interior. Now, I’ll tell you something — this location used to be a Starbucks. I used to go there myself. And what Sip & Savor has done with that space? It’s not even a comparison. This place has been completely transformed, and for the better in every single way.
The first thing that blew me away was this incredible screw art piece on the wall. I’m talking about an artwork made entirely of screws — different colors on the screw heads, arranged in a way that creates something visually stunning. I didn’t catch the artist’s name, but I want to be clear: this is not decoration. This is art. And I’m a huge fan of Basquiat-style work, so when I say the art throughout this location impressed me, I mean it. There was a Basquiat-inspired piece, a piece in the back that I’d describe as a Janelle Monáe tribute, and throughout the space you could feel that someone made intentional, thoughtful choices about what would hang on these walls.
Beyond the art, the hardwood floors, the leather furniture, the overall warmth of the space — it all worked together. When I looked around, I saw people sitting with their laptops, people catching up over coffee, people just being in community with each other. This isn’t a grab-and-go spot. This is a place where the neighborhood actually gathers. And there was more seating than I remembered from the old Starbucks days, which tells me they thought carefully about how people would actually use the space.
As for the coffee — I went with the barista’s choice latte, and I want to be honest with you: I’m normally a straight black coffee person. No frills. But that latte? That worked. That more than worked. The barista knew what they were doing, and it showed.
Why This Business Matters
Here’s the thing about Sip & Savor that I want you to sit with for a second. This is not a single storefront that opened last year riding a wave of support-Black-businesses energy. Tres Pew started this in 2005 — before that conversation was mainstream, before the hashtags, before any of it. He built something from the ground up in Chicago, one of the most demanding cities in the world for food and beverage, and he built it across multiple neighborhoods, across different demographics, across different sides of the city.
That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because the product is real, the leadership is committed, and the community actually embraces what you’re doing. A 4.7-star rating across 756 Google reviews isn’t a fluke. That’s a track record. That’s a community saying: we see you, we trust you, we come back.
Sip & Savor also matters because of what it represents in the neighborhoods it serves. In Bronzeville, in Hyde Park, in Edgewater — having a Black-owned third space, a place where you can sit, work, connect, and feel at home, is not a small thing. It is a statement about who belongs in these spaces and who is building them. The art on the walls, the HBCU-educated leadership, the mentorship culture Tres is known for — all of it adds up to something bigger than coffee.
This is exactly the kind of business that discover more Black-owned businesses at lookforbob.com exists to shine a light on. When you walk through the door of Sip & Savor, you are supporting nearly two decades of Black entrepreneurship in Chicago. That matters.
Visit & Support
Ready to go experience Sip & Savor for yourself? Here’s everything you need:
Address: 528 E 43rd St, Chicago, IL 60653
Get Directions on Google Maps
Phone: (773) 855-2125
Website: sipandsavorchicago.com
Hours:
Monday – Wednesday: 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Thursday – Sunday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Note: Hours and locations may be subject to change — check the website or call ahead before you visit, especially if you’re heading to a specific location.
Leave Them a Google Review: Sip & Savor already has a strong 4.7-star rating from over 756 reviews, but every new voice matters. If you visit and love the experience — and I believe you will — take two minutes and leave them a Google review. That’s one of the most direct, most powerful ways you can support a Black-owned business at no cost to you. Reviews drive discovery. Reviews drive trust. Reviews drive new customers through the door. Do it.
Verified by personal visit — lookforbob.com, February 21, 2026.
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