On a recent Sunday, Postcard in the West Loop was packed with folks spending the afternoon sipping coffee and matcha drinks and nibbling fancy toasts and flaky croissants. But this isn’t a standard java shop. It’s an extension of neighboring Monos, the chic luggage and travel accessories boutique that opened here last October.

It’s not the only new shop boasting a hip place to eat. Bandit Running, which landed in Bucktown in January, houses a coffee and pastry bar, and Kith, the cool kids’ store that opened last October in the Gold Coast, slings soft serve and housemade waffles alongside apparel and footwear. This trend draws on the legacy of eateries like Ralph Lauren’s RL Restaurant and the café at Ikram, but the new spots are casual, designed as gathering places rather than destinations for ladies who lunch.

“We’ve always thought of ourselves as more than just a suitcase and bag brand,” says Monos cofounder Hubert Chan. “Showing up in a real space where you can be a third place and engage in culture is interesting to us.” The lounge-vibey Postcard (170 N. Morgan St.), with its custom sound system and a DJ booth (there are live sets twice a week), is the Canadian company’s first in-store café, but there are plans to expand the concept to other Monos locations. Grab a seat on one of the mini leather banquettes to enjoy tiny toasts with toppings like raw tuna and pea pesto, pastries from Publican Quality Bread, or café drinks made with Metric coffee beans and Rare Tea Cellar teas. This summer, Postcard plans to add evening service with cocktails and an expanded food menu.

Kith Treats, the café at Kith (54 E. Walton St.), was intended to draw new customers to the streetwear brand, which has matured into more sophisticated styles. The menu, which includes ice cream sandwiches and shakes, taps into founder Ronnie Fieg’s cereal obsession by offering cereal-flavored soft serve created by celebrities, such as the late Chicago fashion designer Virgil Abloh’s Flat White, with Cinnamon Toast Crunch and toffee.

Sweets are also available at Soloway Coffee’s location inside Bandit Running (1708 N. Damen Ave.). Pistachio cruffins, cardamom buns, and other pastries are displayed under the marble and steel counter. Owners Arthur and Iryna Yuzvik also operate a Soloway location and Abrah Bakery & Daily Bistro in Lincoln Park, as well as a coffee roastery in their native Ukraine, where they produce the beans used in their Chicago stores. But having a café in Bucktown was something the couple had aimed for since immigrating here three years ago, and the Bandit partnership allowed it to happen. “We are trying to build a community, not only a business,” says Arthur.

For its part, Bandit wanted a café so that running groups would have a place to meet up. And with morning DJ sets and patio tables coming soon, it’s a place that feels inviting, whether you are in the market for a pair of running shoes or not.