Txa Txa Club Doesn’t F**k Around
Logan Square’s all-day cafe pairs a laid-back, artful space with food that swings hard, including one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city.
Txa Txa Club didn’t start as a cafe. Daniel Parker and Liz Bendure began it as a backyard supper club during the pandemic, grew it into catering and events, and in March turned their Fullerton Avenue studio into an all-day spot that runs from morning coffee into the early evening. Parker has a great line for what the cafe is supposed to be: “The ante is a cup of coffee.”
Walk in and the place screams understated creativity. Yes, I know. That’s the point.
The design walks a line between intentional and chaotic, and I love it. Little artistic choices everywhere, a bit of vintage chic mixed in, and a lot of restraint in how loud any of it gets. It’s open and airy, with couches up front to sink into, wooden tables along the side to hole up at with your friends, and a long bar with plenty of seats if that’s more your thing. Step up to the counter and order to go, eat along the wall, or grab a seat and get full service. The staff is friendly and fun, the music keeps it upbeat, and there’s a great patio out front. It’s comfortable and inviting, and it’s very cool without ever trying to tell you so.
The food is the opposite. There is nothing understated about it.
This food is loud and proud. These are flavors that aren’t afraid to stand up and kick you in the dick. They do not fuck around.
Start with the pastries, because that’s where Txa Txa draws its line in the sand.
I wouldn’t say the kitchen has a style of food. It’s bold flavors from all over the globe, brought together and pushed all the way to their conclusion. The morning bun is the proof. It’s a solid, raised yeast dough rolled up like a cinnamon roll, but with Thai spices, then topped with an icing bursting with green curry. You get beat over the head with lemongrass, Thai basil and ginger. I’d never had anything like it. It was WILD, and I loved taking that trip.
Could I finish a whole one? I’m glad I had people to share it with, because I’m not sure I could.
The corn cake goes just as hard in another direction. It tastes like someone picked a corn cob that morning and extracted it straight into a moist cake, then glazed it with orange frosting.
The table was split on the pastries. Some loved them. Some hated them. And I’m kind of okay with that unevenness. This is a kitchen taking a swing. A real swing. Aiming for the fences and not worried about going over the top. Everything was technically made well, so the only question is whether these flavors are down your alley. I can see them being polarizing. I’m not going to penalize them for trying.
And they set the stage for everything else, where the table was unanimous. Not a single miss.
The pimento cheese is bold on its own, and then the house-made nam prik pao hits it with a sour, spicy kick. With my Thai background, of course I loved this. House-made pickles bring sweetness and acidity to balance it out. This was a favorite.
Even the simple stuff gets a jolt. The yogurt bowl comes with pink peppercorns that put a little pep into a sweet breakfast bowl. The daily congee I had is one of my favorite congees, period: rich and savory, with tangerine and ginger on top cutting right through it. And of course I got it with an egg.
Then there’s the breakfast sandwich. This is the real secret here.
A sourdough English muffin holds a delicate egg soufflé, spicy Italian sausage, house-made aioli and salmoriglio, a southern Italian olive oil sauce that lives somewhere between chimichurri and salsa verde. This one is loaded with fresh oregano, and it gives the whole thing a real punch. This breakfast sandwich slaps. It’s the best breakfast sandwich in Logan Square and one of the best in the city. And since the menu runs all day, you can eat it for dinner.
The drinks make the same flavor-forward case. The jasmine latte, a tea latte made with black rice and corn milk, was delicious. The drinker at the table loved their Pink Moon. And me, the sober sister, really enjoyed the house-made aperitivo. Something for everyone. The coffee has real credentials too, with espresso from Metric and drip from Four Letter Word.
So here’s where I landed. Creativity is one thing. Execution is what matters. And Txa Txa executes everything well, even when the flavors go further than some people want to go. The place exudes creativity, in how it looks, how it feels, and especially in food that is anything but subtle.
Bring friends. Share the pastries. Keep the breakfast sandwich for yourself.
Stay up-to-date
