I avoided this place for maybe a year because it seemed (from the outside) like just another uncomfortably sterile café. I finally gave it a shot a couple of months ago when I needed a place to go study, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The atmosphere is not at all sterile once you're inside. It reminds me, oddly, of something you'd find in Portland, Oregon. The walls are painted with home-grown murals of 50s-retro space stuff, but it manages to be relaxing rather than imposing or hokey. The atmosphere is great for going for to talk with a friend, do some reading, or just stare out the windows facing Chicago Ave. There's some amount of a hipster scene going on, but unlike so many other places in the neighborhood I don't feel judged when I go there. Overall, Atomix pulls off a relaxed, do-what-you-will atmosphere rare in a city like Chicago.
The coffee is good, too. I only ever get straight coffee there, so I can't speak for the espresso drinks or food. They use excellent beans, but the standard roast is a bit dark for me, and on one occasion it was pretty old and needed to be rebrewed. I've never been over-the-top excited about their coffee, but I've also never been disappointed.
So: four stars for you Atomix, for being a pleasant place to spend a couple of hours.
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