Currency Exchange owner turns store into neighborhood cafe
CHICAGO (WLS) -- That old rule about not judging books by their covers; the same goes for restaurants sometimes.
You can't pay your utility bills or buy a city sticker here, because this Currency Exchange is actually a cafe, part of a block-long revitalization effort in Washington Park. The new owner wanted to convert this former Currency Exchange into something for the community.
"He decided that he wanted people to be able to exchange social currency and be able to have a community space for people to hang out," said Tess Kisner, manager of the Currency Exchange Cafe.
That meant great coffee and pastries in the morning - partly for the University of Chicago staffers commuting on the Green Line - but also hearty breakfast sandwiches, which begin on sturdy homemade biscuits layered with cheesy eggs and ham. At lunch, you can opt for a Filipino-style taco. Beginning with pork shoulder that's braised for six to eight hours, it's crisped up on the grill with a hint of coconut water. Then it's piled onto corn tortillas, it gets Pico de Gallo embedded with fresh ginger and scallions.
From the soul food section of the menu, try a Blue Plate Special. Chances are there'll be fried catfish, which gets a dusting of crunchy cornmeal.
"The Blue Plate Special was one of the first items we came up with for the menu," Kisner said. "Rice, beans and greens a staple; collard greens, they're amazing, they do rotate, and then the fried catfish we just thought was a winner."
Now the Currency Exchange is just the beginning, really. This revitalized block has a lot more ahead of it over the next year. You're going to see a retail space next door, a wine bar and a performance space, giving people a lot more reasons to come down to this section of 55th Street.
The cafe is also open for brunch on Sundays, usually with live DJs.
The Currency Exchange Cafe
305 E. Garfield Blvd.
773-855-9163
