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lockportlegend.com dining out
the lockport legend | May 16, 2019 | 25
The Dish
Songbird Cafe ‘spoiling’ customers with the coffees it offers
Sean Hastings
Contributing Editor
For decades, Songbird
Cafe owner Maria Kopulos
dreamed of owning her
own cafe one day and kept
a journal of names she
liked.
But when she had the
chance to open her own
place, those names did not
fit what she wanted. And
what she wanted was to
sell “really awesome coffee
with some really good
food.”
She always liked the
saying “giddyap” and its
relation to horses getting
up and going, but she knew
she wanted a comfortable
and cozy cafe setting. Her
next thought was that birds
are approachable.
“I asked myself, ‘What
about Songbird?’” she
said. “So, I started looking
that up. My brother is
a horse race aficionado and
loves to follow the races.
He told me Songbird is a
retired racehorse, and that
was perfect. It went handin-hand
where I wanted to
have the horse incorporated
into this.”
Songbird Cafe, located
at 21950 Howell Drive in
New Lenox, serves a variety
of different coffee
blends brought in from
three different Chicagobased
companies that go
beyond a typical cup.
It offers blends from
Dark Matter, Passion
House and Four Letter
Word. Kopulos said when
she tried Passion House
for the first time it was
the smoothest cup of coffee
she ever had. Songbird
also sells Passion House’s
cold brew ($4).
“I said if I’m ever able
to open a cafe, I would like
to spoil everybody with
Songbird Cafe offers three different Chicago-based companies’ coffees: Dark Matter, Passion House and Four Letter Word.
Photos by Sean Hastings/22nd Century Media
the phenomenal things that
these people do with their
roasting, because they just
put out some great blends
and some single origins
that are really good,”
Kopulos said. “I said if
I have to be here all day
working, then I want to
drink the best, and I hope
to educate everyone and
what great coffees we have
here.”
Kopulos makes sure to
keep two different styled
roasts from different companies
on the menu. Customers
will usually find
one darker “richer” roast
and a medium roast.
The coffees from each
company change from
time to time, based on
what they have available.
“They’ll all release different
coffees, because
they’ll get the beans and
say, ‘We have this limited
for now,’ and they’ll tell
you the roasting notes on
it,” Kopulos said. “Passion
House, the ones that we
stock here, typically are
the ones that they always
have that we always brew,
Songbird Cafe
21950 Howell Drive in
New Lenox
Hours
• 6 a.m.-2 p.m.
Monday-Friday
• 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Saturday
• Closed Sunday
For more information ...
songbird.cafe
and once in a while, they’ll
do a single-origin one.”
All of the coffees are $3
and come with one refill
for dine-in. Customers can
get a to-go cup at 12 ounces
($2.75), 16 ounces ($3)
or 20 ounces ($3.50). The
coffees also are sold by
the bag and can be taken
home. Prices range from
$14-$16. The prices vary
based on the type of bean.
“I just have the retail
side to get coffee out there
to people,” Kopulos said.
“I’m not trying to charge
[a lot]. My business is the
cafe, but I do love having
the availability for people.
I’m not charging out the
One of the top items at Songbird Cafe is the Cowboy Bowl ($9.50), which includes
two eggs, hash browns, shoulder bacon and sausage, topped with homemade gravy.
The Songbird Beignets to the right (10 for $5.50) are wildly popular as well.
nose for some of these
coffees, which definitely
could be more.”
All the coffee comes
in directly from Logan
Square, Bridgeport and
West Town, and nothing
sits on the shelf for more
than a week or two, she
said.
Songbird Cafe also has
a large food selection for
breakfast and lunch on its
menu. Kopulos said the
Cowboy Bowl ($9.50) is
one of the most popular
dishes on the menu. It is
served with hash browns,
shoulder bacon and sausage,
topped with gravy
and two eggs.
One of the top house
specialties is the Breakfast
Burrito Suiza ($7.50),
which features eggs, black
bean, salsa and cheese, and
comes smothered in Songbird’s
homemade ranchero
sauce. Chorizo, chicken
or bacon can be added for
$2.50.
Kopulos said they take
pride in their homemade
sauces because they offer
customers options for food
that most will not make on
their own at home.
Another fan favorite are
the Songbird beignets (10
for $5.50), which are typically
ordered as a side or
an easy to-go meal.
Songbird is to celebrate
its one-year anniversary on
May 31.