27 – Try 10 New Coffee Shops – Part II, the Michigan Edition
Since my year and new coffee shops started off in Europe, I decided to see if there were some new coffee shops locally. As I am driving from Ann Arbor to Lansing more regularly now, I have a new part of the state to explore.
Two new coffee shops that I’ve found in Lansing are Blue Owl Coffee Co. and Chateau Coffee Co. Blue Owl Coffee Co. combines coffee, community and music. They have three locations – East Lansing, REO Town and Old Town. They have cute owl decor, delicious cinnamon rolls and lots of seating space. It was buzzing before work when I stopped in. Chateau Coffee Co., located easily off the highway, is a Mediterranean and French cafe that serves croissants, baklava, sandwiches and coffee flights! I stopped in for a caffeine fix around 4:30 pm, before heading home and it was lively. I’d really like to stop back in and sample their flights!
Thinking I had hit every coffee shop in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area, I was surprised and excited to find 4 new coffee shops to try!
Tous Les Jours opened on the Westside of Ann Arbor. With over 1,650 locations worldwide, this neighborhood French – Asian bakery did not have a franchise feel. I would describe it best as an artisan bakery that serves coffee, they hit the mark. The lattes were good, and so were the macarons. But go early, as a lot of the baked goods were sold out by the time we got there.
Another westside gem is Q Bakehouse & Market, an Asian bakery and market with Strider Coffee Shop nestled in the bakery to supply the coffee. The latte was amazing, the barista was a latte artist and the brown butter sesame miso cookie melts in your mouth! I’m telling all my friends about this cafe, and I can’t wait to stop back in and try another unique bakery item with my latte.
Blue Whale Cafe in the Burns Park neighborhood, serves juices, smoothies, and food along with coffee drinks. The Lazy Lavender latte looked interesting, but I stayed with a pure latte. This is a great location as I do school drop offs and pick-ups, get my nails done and hit Trader Joe’s. The quality of ingredients is good, the location is almost too convenient for me and their logo is adorable.
The 10th new coffee shop of 2024, is Cafe Liv in Ypsilanti. Located in a residential neighborhood, it has plenty of parking, an outside area, and great space to socialize inside. Here I tried the Salted Caramel Latte as it was too interesting to not and it did not disappoint. It was not too sweet, just right. I’m looking forward to heading back when the weather is nice to sit outside!
I can’t believe it only took me 2 months to meet this goal, but who are we kidding? I love lattes! I love to travel and I have some great trips planned for 2024 – Savannah and Tybee Island, NOLA, Amsterdam and Germany, Kansas, Florida and another European Christmas Market adventure. What does that mean? A lot more coffee shops to explore around the globe!