Whether or not you’re native to South Bend or simply cruising via, listed here are a few of the greatest espresso spots to discover inside and across the metropolis.
BY MEGAN LEE
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photographs courtesy of Megan Lee until in any other case famous
South Bend, Indiana, could also be greatest often called the house of the College of Notre Dame or the onetime political stage of former mayor Pete Buttigieg, however in recent times, it’s additionally develop into a jumping-off level for a few of the Third Coast’s most enjoyable specialty-coffee locations.
Whether or not you’re sticking near city or venturing between Chicago and Southwest Michigan for the weekend, “Michiana” presents a number of cafes that mix hospitality, considerate sourcing, and inventive drinks.
Listed below are six standout spots that showcase the very best espresso tradition across the South Bend space.
Cloud Strolling Espresso
In South Bend correct, Cloud Strolling is the café to go to while you’re on the lookout for environment. The house is equal components coffeehouse and lounge, with plush seating, heat lighting, and a relaxed, eclectic vibe.
The café focuses on regionally roasted coffees and seasonal specialty drinks, typically with inventive twists. Suppose floral lattes and chai blends. (I nonetheless take into consideration the iced basil latte I ordered on my first go to).
However Cloud Strolling is as a lot in regards to the house because the drinks. With stay music, open mic nights, and group gatherings, the café positions itself as the right “third place” for South Bend’s creatives and professionals alike.
Smalltown Espresso Co.
Drive west towards Crown Level and also you’ll land at Smalltown Espresso, a café and roastery that embodies the “decelerate and savor” method.
Normal supervisor Jacob Roberge explains that the café’s title isn’t nearly geography: “The thought of ‘Smalltown’ is about all of the micro-communities in our lives—golf equipment, faculties, church buildings, workplaces—and the way espresso can deliver individuals collectively inside any of them,” he says.
The café itself opened in 2020, after years of roasting in borrowed areas (together with a brewery with a really cute cat). At this time, prospects can watch beans being roasted proper contained in the store, eight kilos at a time.
Jacob emphasizes that their selections hinge on two ideas: ethics and organics. “We all the time need to pay cheap costs so the individuals concerned within the rising and harvesting of the espresso can stay with an honest commonplace,” he says. “While you purchase commodity-priced espresso from mass producers, you is likely to be horrified to see how the individuals stay who do all of the exhausting work that we devour with a fast cup of espresso and transfer on with our lives.”
That philosophy carries via to the drinks menu. Seasonal creations just like the Orange Dreamsicle draft latte, made with freshly zested and juiced oranges, additionally showcase the café’s dedication to house-made components.
Infusco Espresso
Simply over the Michigan border within the Lake Michigan seaside city of Sawyer, Infusco Espresso has develop into a group hub for each locals and vacationers. And the very best half? It’s bringing shade again to espresso store tradition. Step inside and also you’ll discover a brilliant, open café with reclaimed wooden, pure mild, and an easygoing power. (And you should definitely add a line merchandise to your price range for its lovable merch.)
Pourover fanatics can select from a rotating menu of seasonal origins, whereas espresso-based drinks are persistently dialed in. Pastries and snacks from close by Little bit of Swiss spherical out the expertise (don’t sleep on the bran muffin), making it a perfect cease earlier than a day at close by Warren Dunes State Park or earlier than hitting the wineries round Berrien Rely.
Signature drink advice: Nothing hits like one among their blueberry drink specials within the summertime, just like the Rambo 4.7, made with blueberry and earl gray syrup, FeverTree tonic, and a shot of espresso.
Ixxa Espresso Roasters
Although youthful than a few of the different retailers on this record, Ixxa Espresso Roasters has already constructed a repute for precision roasting and daring flavors. Their café is trendy and minimalist, and spotlights the espresso itself above all else—plus, it’s stuffed with crops!
The menu options rigorously chosen single origins roasted in-house, typically highlighting brilliant, fruit-forward profiles. For adventurous drinkers, Ixxa’s rotating pourovers and restricted seasonal choices showcase simply how expressive espresso might be. Espresso drinks lean towards the lighter-roast, up to date model, with readability and steadiness on the forefront.
Rising Kites Espresso
If you happen to’re touring with children, Rising Kites Espresso in downtown Bridgman is likely to be the one most family-friendly café within the area. The store presents each an indoor playroom and an outside, fenced-in space stocked with interactive toys.
Vibrant and welcoming, the café feels each bit as joyful as its title suggests.
However Rising Kites isn’t only a espresso store; it’s additionally a program of Rising Kites, a non-profit devoted to celebrating the reward of Down syndrome. Espresso gross sales help their Rising Kites Bag Program, which supplies encouragement, training, and sources to households newly navigating a Down syndrome analysis. The café additionally creates employment and job-training alternatives for people with mental disabilities.
The menu balances rigorously ready classics with enjoyable seasonal drinks (I loved my rhubarb maple latte immensely, and my husband didn’t go away a drop of cortado behind).
Its mixture of considerate espresso, inclusive tradition, and community-centered power makes Rising Kites greater than only a place to seize a drink the following time you’re spending a weekend in Michiana.
Dagger Mountain Roasters
For a lot of in Northwest Indiana, Dagger Mountain is synonymous with espresso carried out proper. The roastery-café began when two companions, pissed off with the lengthy drives to Chicago to get specialty espresso, determined to create their very own vacation spot.
What started as a tiny storage setup has grown right into a bustling café and roastery, now housed in a brilliant, spacious store. Alongside the way in which, the group dedicated to a totally vegan menu and developed a tradition that prioritizes each glorious espresso and worker well-being.
“We at present have seven staff, and our purpose is to maintain them completely happy and cozy whereas supporting them in no matter different endeavor they’re obsessed with,” says co-founder Ashton Whitley. “Everybody will get a say, and I prefer to assume we’ve constructed a office that’s genuinely secure. Actually, if a enterprise can’t do this, what’s the purpose?”
Dagger roasts in-house, selecting single-origin coffees they’ve personally sampled and authorized. They’re greatest identified for his or her black espresso program, however signature drinks additionally shine.
Signature drink advice: The Miel, made with espresso, oat milk, agave, and cinnamon, has a loyal following. Strive the Salted Maple Latte in order for you a sweet-smoky steadiness that showcases Dagger’s creativity with out overwhelming the espresso. “Despite the fact that these are the group favorites, we’re genuinely pleased with our complete menu,” Ashton provides.
A Regional Espresso Tradition Price Exploring
What ties these cafés collectively is a dedication to doing extra than simply serving drinks. From Dagger Mountain’s give attention to worker well-being to Small City’s devotion to ethics and transparency, and from Infusco’s laid-back beach-town roasting to Cloud Strolling’s inventive group occasions, every store presents its personal interpretation of what espresso tradition might be.
South Bend could be the hub, however the espresso tradition surrounding it stretches throughout borders and weaves communities collectively alongside the Indiana-Michigan hall.
Whether or not you’re in quest of an expertly dialed-in espresso, a house-made seasonal latte, or just a spot to decelerate, these six spots show there’s extra brewing within the Midwest than you would possibly count on.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Megan Lee unsuccessfully tried to dig her strategy to China from her sandbox when she was 6. Since then, she has traveled, lived, and taught on 5 continents, and is in fixed pursuit of spicy meals, fussy espresso, mountain climbing and mountain bike trails, and conversations with strangers (later pals). Her on-line writing covers espresso, the outside, journey gear, and private finance. You’ll be able to often discover her planning her subsequent journey, strolling the close by path together with her toddler and husband, or ingesting cortados (it’s analysis for her espresso weblog, Low Key Espresso Snobs, she swears).
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