"Designed by Metric co-founder Darko Arandjelovic, the cafe is bright and inviting, with marble counters, custom lighting, and lush greenery. Every detail was selected to help the space shift naturally from day to night. Co-founder Xavier Alexander says they were immediately taken with the site and worked to preserve much of its original character. "We found the building, saw it, fell in love with it. I mean, it's a gorgeous building ... we tried to keep a lot of the integrity and original sort of structure the same," Xavier Alexander says."
"Although Milli is only in its earliest days, culinary director Kristin Alexander - wife of Xavier Alexander - says it's already been buzzing with activity. The cafe has a long communal table up front, additional seating in two back rooms, and plenty of power outlets and free Wi-Fi, making it a cozy spot to settle in for a few hours. Kristin Alexander is excited for Milli to grow into a neighborhood gathering spot, similar to the ones found in Europe, where people feel welcome to share a table with neighbors."
Metric Coffee opened Milli at 3110 N. Kedzie Avenue in Avondale, transforming a 12,000-square-foot former antiques warehouse into a cafe, roastery, and company headquarters. Milli currently serves coffee and pastries daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and plans phased expansion to include breakfast, lunch, and later dinner, plus natural wine, beer, kombucha on tap, and a pickup window to reduce lines. The space features marble counters, custom lighting, lush greenery, communal seating, back rooms, plentiful outlets, and free Wi-Fi, intended to encourage lingering and neighborhood gathering akin to European third places.
Read at Eater Chicago
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