A small bar for serious espresso
Halden opened in 2019 in a narrow former print shop on West Fulton Market. Ten seats, one espresso machine and a simple goal: make the best cup on the block.
Built around the espresso machine
We started with a question most coffee drinkers ask at some point: why does the same drink taste different every time? Our answer was to slow down the parts that matter. Every shot is weighed, every coffee is tasted before we open, and the menu stays short so the team can get each drink right.
In 2021 we began roasting our own coffee at a shared roastery on the West Side. Today we roast twice a week, sell beans at the bar and online, and supply a small group of offices and restaurants across Chicago.
The bar still has ten seats. We like it that way.
Four rules we brew by
Short menu, done well
Fewer drinks means more attention on each one.
Pay for quality
We buy from importers who share what farms are paid and pay above market for the coffees we love.
Light hands on the roast
We roast to show where a coffee is from, not how long it was in the roaster.
Hospitality first
Ask questions, ask for a taste, ask for it hotter. That is what we are here for.
Where our coffee comes from
- Kenya
- Washed lots from the Kiambu region, bought each spring.
- Colombia
- Pink Bourbon and blend components from Huila.
- Brazil
- Natural and pulped natural lots from Mogiana for our milk drinks.
- Ethiopia
- Natural process coffees from Sidama, bought each summer.
- Peru
- Swiss Water decaf from Cajamarca, no chemicals used.
Seven years on Fulton Market
- 2019Doors openTen seats and one espresso machine on West Fulton.
- 2021First roastWe start roasting at a shared roastery on the West Side.
- 2023SubscriptionsFresh beans delivered across the country.
- 2025WholesaleOur coffee is now served in offices and restaurants across Chicago.
- 2026Weekend flightsSide-by-side espresso tastings every Saturday and Sunday.
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