Coffee Shops in Central Illinois

Pontiac, Illinois, population 12000, is the county seat for Livingston County. The downtown area boasts three coffee shops, all located on the square around the historical Second Empire style courthouse built in 1874-1875 by Architect J.C. Cochrane.

Commity Buzz seems to be a hangout for teenagers. Between sets of tables and chairs, there is a sofa placed immediately in front of a huge wide-screen television. Additionally, there are video games, a piano, and internet access. The menu options offered a variety of mixed coffee drinks, in addition to fruit ice cream drinks. The day that I ventured in, there was a young man playing piano and two or three couples sitting on the sofa watching television. The restaurant seemed clean and bright and a good place for kids to have fun.

Next door to Commity Buzz is How Sweet It Is, offering gourmet coffee, chocolates, and sandwiches, soups, and desserts. The chocolate candies offered at How Sweet It Is are all homemade. (The owner also sells these at Farmer's Markets in Bloomington, Illinois.) Sandwiches include Panninis, or made with choice of gourmet breads. Desserts vary from day to day--all homemade. How Sweet It Is also features seating in an outdoor patio area. The owner would not allow pictures to be taken of her restaurant as she has pictures taken and then sells them as postcards.

DeLong's Casual Dining also offers outdoor dining in a patio area. DeLongs does not offer gourmet coffee, only regular, but it is always freshly brewed. Locals love the full dining experience of sandwiches or hot meals. DeLongs also serves generous servings of creamery ice cream in sugar or waffle cones, as well as sundaes, milkshakes, and malts. The building that DeLongs is housed in, as with the other two coffee shops, is an older building. But, DeLongs also features a tin ceiling. Sitting downstairs, one can easily look out the oversized windows. Upstairs is a cozier environment with almost an attic type of feel about it.

When traveling north of Pontiac down State Route 23, stop in at Jeremiah Joe's, located in the downtown business district at 807 LaSalle St. (cross streets-between W. Jefferson St. and W. Jackson St.). Jeremiah Joe's sells specialty coffee, blended, flavored and iced coffee drinks, espresso-based drinks (roasting their own beans), and home made pastries. Wi-Fi connection is also available. The owner of Jeremiah Joe's informed me that the coffee shop is a community outreach of the church he attends. The church members and he agreed that there needed to be a place where people could relax and enjoy coffee in a spiritual type of atmosphere. Often contemporary Christian music is played at Jeremiah Joe's. The restaurant boasts cathedral ceilings in its spacious eating area with regular tables and chairs, cushy chairs to sink into, and an outdoor patio area. Books, CDs, candles and other items are also sold. There is an upstairs area, which is used by church members.