‘We treat you like family’: Coffee, crepes and atmosphere served at Chic Cafe
Gourmet coffee, made-to-order crepes, true gelato and paninis are featured but other treats not on the menu can be found at Chic Cafe in downtown Lake Zurich.
Certainly, the taste of authentic, made-from-scratch dishes using quality ingredients is a selling point. But so is the atmosphere and attitude at the tiny shop at the corner of Main Street and Old Rand Road.
“It’s about the taste. It’s about the culture,” explained Dan Latcu, who with his wife, Adriana, has operated her dream business since mid-August. “We treat you like a family member.”
The Latcus emigrated to the U.S. from Romania in 2017, where they ran the Art & Travel Cafe, a coffee shop/travel agency, to give their son, Luca, now 16, better opportunities.
According to Dan Latcu, the family traveled the world with Luca, a crepe connoisseur, in tow. Settling in Barrington, the family fell in love with the Lake Zurich area.
“When he grew up, he said, ‘You have to open a crepe shop because you are the best in the world,’” Dan Latcu recalled.
Walking around downtown, Adriana noticed a “for lease” sign in the rear of a renovated space that for decades had housed Johnny’s Shoe Repair.
“I love the community and the customers,” she said. “I'm very lucky.”
The spot is between two coffee shop-related business within blocks of each other. Koffee Cup Restaurant has been a mainstay a few doors down at 30 E. Main St. for 40 years. Stompin’ Grounds Cafe, nearly as close at 64 N. Old Rand Road, opened five years ago.
Undeterred, the Latcus pursued Adriana’s dream.
“This is missing,” Dan Latcu said of their crepes and other specialties. “We did a lot of research. This is starting to become a destination.”
The crisp design including a poured epoxy floor reminiscent of marble and a black-and-white color scheme was Luca’s doing, according to Dan Latcu.
The business is evolving in stages and the now blank walls could become a canvass for art work from a nearby gallery as well as historic local photos.
Quality products and ingredients offered in a casual atmosphere that encourages patrons to sit and enjoy coffee and conversation is the mantra.
The village itself is banking on the success of businesses like Chic Cafe and others to boost interest in the area. The building occupied by Chic Cafe, Craving Gyros and soon to open Arma '1, a boutique women’s clothing store, for example, was owned by the village for years and sold in March 2024 to developer True North Properties Inc.
After Johnny’s and MyFlavorIt! Place ice cream shop left, the spaces was reconfigured and renovated. The building was sold to True North for $200,000, which estimated it would cost $1.5 million to update the mechanical systems, interior and exterior.
Beginning in December 2026, the developer is eligible for property tax reimbursements until a total of $100,000 is reached. The incentive is based on True North having made $250,000 in building improvements, which the village estimates already has been exceeded.
“While it was no easy task, we feel that the improvements we’ve made to this building were well worth it and will continue to serve the community of Lake Zurich for decades to come,” said Nick Ieremciuc, True North president.
As with other businesses in the area, a substantial village streetscape project on Main Street presented challenges, he added.
Ieremciuc said the company is optimistic the village’s hefty investment in infrastructure and beautification improvements will be beneficial in the long run.
So are Dan and Adriana Latcu.