Outside of one of Philz Coffee locations ARL now
With extreme current world conflicts, a lot of major brands are currently facing public backlash, with the boycotting of such being spread across various forms of social media.
Two of these companies are Starbucks and McDonald’s, but the list goes on. Outside of chains, it can sometimes be hard to find alternatives to brands we are so used to supporting. However, we are here to give you a list of incredible businesses that are in support of Palestine near Saint Xavier’s campus.
Philz Coffee
Coffee from Philz The Xavierite
First up, Philz Coffee is actually Palestinian-owned and offers a great customer experience. They have multiple Chicagoland locations: Evanstan, One Chicago, Wicker Park, Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, and Old Town Chicago. Philz strives to improve the everyday lives of their customers, believing in coffee’s power to make our days more special.
Their current seasonal menu includes the Gratitude (toasted walnut paired with caramel and dried citrus) and the Winter Bliss (Gratitude coffee, Ghirardelli Cocoa, cinnamon, and nutmeg).
Their traditional menu consists of a wide variety of drink blends that are fairly unique compared to other coffee shops around the city. I was able to visit the Hyde Park location and try the Iced Coffee Rosé: a pink rose latte that was perfectly sweet. Pair any drink with one of their bagel, pastry, or breakfast options for an experience sure to please.
Click here to access Philz’ website for further information on each location and their corresponding menus.
Eiffel Waffle
Food from Eiffel Waffle The Xavierite
Continuing on with another Palestinian-owned business, Eiffel Waffle has made a recent presence with an abundance of locations. The one closest to campus can be found in Chicago Ridge, in the same plaza as Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co.
Eiffel Waffle was founded by Omar Falaneh, Yahya Ghouleh, and Barra Abousalem. For an article for Palestine In America’s blog, Falaneh comments, “We ran into these bubble waffle cones on vacation, but it wasn’t like our concept, it was more of like a breakfast type of meal.”
“If you take a look at our waffle, it’s very crispy on the outside, very soft and fluffy on the inside, so it’s the best of both worlds. Just getting the recipes from the get-go, from the beginning, was one of the hardest things but after that … all our objectives got checked off in an orderly fashion the way we wanted it to” Falanch continued.
Eiffel Waffle’s menu includes a range of ice cream with bubble cones, customized pancake plates, shakes, and more. The desserts they offer are unlike that of any other place. As pictured, I ordered a plate of Eiffel Minis with condensed milk syrup, strawberries, and vanilla ice cream.
Currently, the Chicago Ridge location has a deal for $1 hot chocolate with your purchase. Visit their Instagram page for more information.
Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co.
Iced Pistachio Latte from Qamaria The Xavierite
Next on the list would be Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., a coffee shop located in Chicago Ridge. The Students for Justice in Palestine at Loyola University group recently posted a list of businesses to start supporting on Instagram, Qamaria being one of the coffee shops.
Qamaria was founded by two Yemeni entrepreneurs dedicated to sharing their passion for Yemeni coffee with the world. They ensure sustainability sourced products and have locations in Michigan, Texas, Ohio, California, and the one in Illinois.
Recently, I was able to make a trip to Qamaria and ordered the Iced Pistachio Latte, as pictured. It is not an understatement to say that this was one of the best coffees I have had. The flavor was rich and creamy, the pistachio being subtle, but doing the job. It was still sweet, but definitely had more of an espresso flavor, which I enjoyed.
The menu also consists of a variety of other favorites, with specials including the Iced Aden, Iced Marib, Iced Mufawaar, and the Iced Qamaria Latte. They offer plenty of pastries, ranging from cheesecake to Baklawa.
Note: their prices might seem slightly higher than other coffee shops due to the high demand of their sourced beans, but the quality is worth it.
For more information to plan a visit, click here.
