Java Jaunt

Coffeehouses That Make You Feel at Home

Farmhouse Coffee and Ice Cream
The welcoming wraparound porch invites you to sit a spell. The comfy interior feels more like visiting a friend than a business. There’s good reason Farmhouse elicits thoughts of a barn. The 150-year-old structure was originally a horse barn.

Cafe 1923
This old house reopened as a coffee shop in 2006, intent on maintaining much of its yesteryear charm. Enjoy your coffee in tin-can-like mugs in the front room, in the library filled with books and antiques or in the backyard.

Plymouth Coffee Bean
This was a house when its life began in 1867. It has been many things since, but now it offers four distinct rooms and a front and back patio to enjoy coffee, tea, crepes and more in a homey, artistic atmosphere. Claim your space  for knitting or scrapbooking. Live music most weekend nights.

Coffeehouses with Larger Menus

Atomic Coffee
A bright white interior with black accents dominates this midcentury minimalistic cafe that opened in 2015. Though it offers a variety of coffee drinks, from espressos to pour-overs and lattes, it would be a mistake to think of it only as a coffeehouse. Atomic offers a full breakfast and lunch menu, a raw juice bar and smoothies made from fresh ingredients.

Caffe Far Bella
Though 7-year owners Karen and Jack Palazzolo appreciate accolades for best coffeehouse, they want everyone to know it’s not primarily a coffeehouse. It’s a restaurant that also offers an extensive coffee menu. It’s not a place to take up a table to do hours of homework. The coffee is excellent, roasted at Cadillac Coffee founded in Detroit, and sold by the bag or in one of many coffee drinks.

Coffee Shops That Sometimes Double as Community Hot Spots

Always Brewing
This place is as much a community center as a place that sells great coffee. Owner Amanda Brewington (yes, her last name suggests her destiny) first opened in 2012 as a pop-up along this strip of Grand River Avenue in Detroit’s Rosedale Park neighborhood. It became so popular, it stayed and fast became a place where community groups meet, knit, perform or just share coffee and conversation.

The Bottom Line Coffeehouse
This basement bistro welcomes everyone, whether you can afford coffee or not. Purchase a $2 “suspension cup” and it goes to anyone who comes in penniless —whether a homeless person or a student from nearby Wayne State University. People gather here for community meetings, occasional live music, to study or simply sip.

Miracle Coffee House
Owners Karen Ahrens and Kevin Miracle serve friendliness along with their coffee and tea. The two transformed a former Caribou Coffee location into a rustic, warm place where residents gather to play board games, exchange books and enjoy the artwork of the community’s children or a music recital of one of its own.

When You Just Want a Big Cup of Coffee With Big Flavor

Chazzano Coffee
No frills, just fine coffee roasted in-house is what you’ll get in this cozy cafe. They don’t sell food or syrups. “If you put sugar or cream in my coffee, God cries and an angel loses a wing,” said roaster Frank Lanzkron-Tamarazo, who owns the place with his wife, Lisa, and says drinking coffee black is the best way to sense the various notes of the specially selected beans.

Anthology Coffee
Customers can stand at the island bar with the baristas while their drink is prepared by the cup. No flavored syrups here. Just a few good choices of coffees and lattes in a warehouse-like setting.

Coffee Might Not Be the Specific Focus Here, but It’s Darn Good Anyway

Astro Coffee
This attractive storefront may be small, but it has made a big impact since opening in 2011 by former employees of a prominent London coffeehouse. Their knowledge of fine coffee and food, and passion for place — Corktown — combined to turn this into a popular stop for a morning cup of coffee or a late afternoon pick-me-up. Pair your drink with one of the sandwiches, breads or pastries made in-house.

Cannelle Patisserie
You’ll forget you went here for coffee when you walk in this cute cafe and your eyes zero in on the colorful, decadent array of delicious pastries. The shop was opened three years ago by French-trained pastry chef Matt Knio and partner Garen Damiryan. Handmade Viennoiseries (baguettes, croissants, breads) and other French pastries are made from scratch daily.

Tuscan Cafe
An appetizing array of cakes, cupcakes, doughnuts and more tempt visitors at the counter. Bread comes fresh daily from Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor. The variety of coffee drinks has given this 21-year-old establishment a reputation as a fine place to sip a cup of joe while meeting with friends.

Avalon International Breads
The variety of house-made breads, muffins and more may be a main attraction, but Avalon offers darn good cups of coffee, brewed fresh daily, along with a variety of hot drinks.

Detroit Institute of Bagels
This popular spot in Detroit’s Corktown serves a stellar selection of bagels, from plain to hot jalapeno. The institute has proven to be a popular spot for coffee, roasted at nearby Anthology Coffee.

Coffee Shops That Also Make Good Mobile Work Shops

Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company
A contemporary open space in Detroit’s Midtown with a wide variety of coffee drinks to keep people caffeinated over their laptops. The space offers private and community tables to meet, greet and work. There’s also a full bar for wine, beer or cocktails. Try any one of several cocktails named after Detroit neighborhoods, ‘burbs and landmarks, including the Southwest, Eastside, Hubbard Farms, Downriver and the Saint Anne. The Bloomfield Hills-based roaster also has a smaller cafe in TCF Center.

The Office Coffee Shop
A variety of seating areas, from window-side benches to high- and low-top tables, allow people to work solo or in small groups bathed in natural light or darker spaces, depending on where you sit. Fax and copy machines are on the premises.

Coffeehouses Combining Distinctive Spaces With Distinctive Drinks

The Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro
Owner Dan Comaianni traveled to France for inspiration for this boutique bookstore, bistro and coffeehouse, infused with European flair. Makers of the movie Scream shot scenes here.

Trinosophes
Imagine a warehouse turned art gallery and music space, and you have Trinosophes. A big, open space with a stage accommodates musicians for various events, and an independent record shop and local music museum adjoins the coffee shop.

Rowland Cafe
One could argue that there’s hardly a more beautiful place to sit and sip coffee or tea. Located on the promenade under the vaulted cathedral ceiling of the Guardian Building, Rowland is a showpiece that bursts with art deco architectural splendor, intricate craftsmanship, and Native American and Aztec influences.

Biddle Blend
A customer plays an Adele song on a piano near the front of the room. A couple laughs over coffee at a nearby table, and a woman comes in to ask the barista for info on the drumming-for-exercise classes in the second-floor fitness studio.

Catfé Lounge
Cats and coffee make a purr-fect combination in this storefront space run by the Ferndale Cat Shelter. Customers play with cats and kittens, and help themselves to tea or locally roasted coffee and treats. A donation of at least $10 is appreciated.

Coffeehouses That Add a Few Extra Ingredients to the Experience

Ashe Supply Co.
Natural elements including reclaimed wood, exposed brick and copper create an industrial yet sleek, modern vibe. Ashe attracts a diverse mix of customers, from downtown workers to opera and Detroit Tigers fans, as well as students looking for a place to study or hang out. A handcrafted collection of coffee-related goods, urban outerwear and art is for purchase.

Detroit Vintage Coffee
Pam Duvall turned a former soul food joint owned by her grandparents in the 1950s into a charming bistro. Antiques, knickknacks, jewelry and other attractions artistically adorn every wall, bookshelf, cabinet space and ceiling space of this weekends-only coffeehouse.

Roasted Bean – MGM Grand Detroit
In addition to a house blend roasted locally and fresh daily, the shop features other Michigan-made products such as Faygo, Better Made and Detroit Popcorn Co.

Germack Coffee Roasting Co.
A Detroit institution in Eastern Market, this place has been roasting coffee and more since 1924. Its cafe opened in 2010, featuring fine handcrafted coffee and specialty teas.

Read more about Detroit restaurants.