About Us

Rivers & Roads Cafe is an outdoors themed cafe (with inspirations pulled from National Park/Forests) on the northside of Chicago near Loyola University.

We brew Counter Culture coffee, carry Steingold's bagels, as well as Publican Quality Bread's croissants.

We also offer house-made syrups & pastries; as well as a breakfast menu of egg sandwiches & quiche. 

We offer free wi-fi to customers and a chill ambiance to make this space perfect to work from or meet up with friends. 

We have an dog friendly outdoor patio that is open as weather permits, as well as a doggy walk-up window so you don't have to tie your pup up to order. 

We want to bring the outdoors to you and make sure you are always greeted with kindness, a smile, and delicious treats.

Our cafe is a safe space for everyone, so we hope to see you soon!

 

About the Owners:

Hi, we're Janine & Mike Waszkowski! Born and raised Chicagoans, high school sweethearts, and outdoor enthusiasts!

I (Janine) have always had a love for cooking and baking, raised in a Puerto Rican household, I was always cooking alongside my mom. Mike has been playing rugby since he was 15 and has always been an adventurous person.

After college, we decided we needed a change in scenery, so we moved out to LA to get some new life experiences. I worked as a pastry chef in a few kitchens ranging from high volume wholesale, artisanal ice cream shops, and cafes before the pandemic hit. Mike managed a sausage company and played rugby for Santa Monica, where he learned to make traditional German sausage.

During our almost 10 years of living in LA, we started to travel around the state. Going on hikes and camping, we fell in love with the outdoors and national parks.

When the pandemic hit, I decided to focus on my passion project. A cottage bakery was born out of our LA home (Bake Me Wild). It started with treat boxes and 1/2lb cookies. I wanted to keep things fun and interesting. Rotating flavors every month and shipping nationwide. 

We moved back to Chicago in 2021, merging Bake Me Wild with Rivers & Roads Cafe. We now bring our adventurous flavors you find in our cookies, to our coffee as well!