Who has the best oat milk? Goddess and the Baker, Grail Cafe or Hero Coffee Bar? Every few years, a new dairy-free alternative takes the cake, first it was soy milk, then almond, now oat milk. What will it be next? Buying coffee out in the city can be very expensive, so choosing the right one to get your weekly latte at can feel daunting. Breanna and I scoped out some coffee shops in the surrounding downtown Chicago area to give you our honest opinions of the best oat milk. We have differing opinions, so take everything with a grain of salt considering everyone has varying flavors that agree with their tastebuds. We each bought lattes with oat milk from Goddess and the Baker, Grail Café, and Hero Coffee Bar.

Our scale is set from 1-10, 10 being the best, followed by an explanation as to why we chose what we did.

Goddess and the Baker – Pacific Foods Barista Blend Oat Milk

Breanna: 8 – “It’s neutral and creamy, it’s not the best oat milk I’ve had, but it does the job.”

Chrissy: 7 – “It’s fine, I agree with Breanna, nothing particularly zesty about it. It’s got that thick consistency that everyone loves, but nothing revolutionary.”

Overall Score: 7.5 – We recommend.

Grail Café – Oatly Oat Milk

Breanna: 9 – “Its flavor profile is great, but my all-time favorite oat milk is Chobani, which is the only one that will ever receive a 10.”

Chrissy: 5 – “My experience was subpar, the latte looks rich, but it’s quite watery to me.”

Overall Score: 7 – Breanna recommends.

Hero Coffee Bar – Califia Barista Blend Oat Milk

Breanna: 4 – “I’m not a huge fan of their espresso, but the oat milk is fine. It’s hard to gauge because I don’t particularly like their coffee.”

Chrissy: 9 – “On a good day, like mine was today, it’s delicious. Very flavorful and creamy. I do agree with Breanna that the coffee there usually has a burnt taste, but I think that today at least, the coffee and the milk together were amazing.”

Overall Score: 6 – Chrissy recommends.

When we look at all the shops, we equally agree that Goddess is most worth the money. They remain consistent in their quality and while their oat milk isn’t our absolute favorite, it never disappoints. We don’t get burnt or watery tasting coffee like we do sometimes at Grail or Hero.