Whether or not you’re native to South Bend or simply cruising by means of, listed here are a few of the greatest espresso spots to discover inside and across the metropolis.

BY MEGAN LEE
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Pictures courtesy of Megan Lee until in any other case famous

South Bend, Indiana, could also be greatest generally known as the house of the College of Notre Dame or the onetime political stage of former mayor Pete Buttigieg, however lately, it’s additionally turn into a jumping-off level for a few of the Third Coast’s most fun specialty-coffee locations. 

Whether or not you’re sticking near city or venturing between Chicago and Southwest Michigan for the weekend, “Michiana” affords a number of cafes that mix hospitality, considerate sourcing, and inventive drinks.

Listed below are six standout spots that showcase the perfect espresso tradition across the South Bend space.

Cloud Strolling Espresso

In South Bend correct, Cloud Strolling is the café to go to once you’re in search of ambiance. 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, usually with inventive twists. Assume 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 concerning the house because the drinks. With reside music, open mic nights, and neighborhood gatherings, the café positions itself as the proper “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” strategy.

Basic supervisor Jacob Roberge explains that the café’s title isn’t nearly geography: “The concept of ‘Smalltown’ is about all of the micro-communities in our lives—golf equipment, colleges, church buildings, workplaces—and the way espresso can carry 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 the moment, clients can watch beans being roasted proper contained in the store, eight kilos at a time.

Jacob emphasizes that their decisions hinge on two ideas: ethics and organics. “We all the time wish to pay cheap costs so the individuals concerned within the rising and harvesting of the espresso can reside with an honest customary,” he says. “While you purchase commodity-priced espresso from mass producers, you is perhaps horrified to see how the individuals reside who do all of the arduous work that we devour with a fast cup of espresso and transfer on with our lives.”

That philosophy carries by means of 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 turn into a neighborhood hub for each locals and vacationers. And the perfect half? It’s bringing colour 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 remember to add a line merchandise to your funds for its cute merch.)

Pourover fanatics can select from a rotating menu of seasonal origins, whereas espresso-based drinks are constantly 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 great cease earlier than a day at close by Warren Dunes State Park or earlier than hitting the wineries round Berrien Depend.

Signature drink advice: Nothing hits like certainly one of 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 popularity 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 vegetation!

The menu options fastidiously chosen single origins roasted in-house, usually highlighting brilliant, fruit-forward profiles. For adventurous drinkers, Ixxa’s rotating pourovers and restricted seasonal choices showcase simply how expressive espresso will be. Espresso drinks lean towards the lighter-roast, modern fashion, with readability and stability on the forefront.

Rising Kites Espresso

For those who’re touring with children, Rising Kites Espresso in downtown Bridgman is perhaps the only most family-friendly café within the area. The store affords each an indoor playroom and an out of doors, fenced-in space stocked with interactive toys. 

Brilliant 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 present of Down syndrome. Espresso gross sales assist their Rising Kites Bag Program, which supplies encouragement, schooling, 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 fastidiously ready classics with enjoyable seasonal drinks (I loved my rhubarb maple latte immensely, and my husband didn’t depart 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 subsequent time you’re spending a weekend in Michiana.

Dagger Mountain Roasters

For a lot of in Northwest Indiana, Dagger Mountain is synonymous with espresso completed 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 workforce 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 joyful and comfy whereas supporting them in no matter different endeavor they’re captivated with,” says co-founder Ashton Whitley. “Everybody will get a say, and I wish to suppose we’ve constructed a office that’s genuinely secure. Truthfully, if a enterprise can’t do this, what’s the purpose?”

Dagger roasts in-house, selecting single-origin coffees they’ve personally sampled and permitted. 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. Attempt the Salted Maple Latte if you would like a sweet-smoky stability that showcases Dagger’s creativity with out overwhelming the espresso. “Although these are the gang favorites, we’re genuinely pleased with our whole 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 concentrate on 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 neighborhood occasions, every store affords its personal interpretation of what espresso tradition will be.

South Bend will 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 looking for 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 may anticipate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Megan Lee unsuccessfully tried to dig her option 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, mountaineering and mountain bike trails, and conversations with strangers (later associates). Her on-line writing covers espresso, the outside, journey gear, and private finance. You may normally discover her planning her subsequent journey, strolling the close by path along with her toddler and husband, or consuming cortados (it’s analysis for her espresso weblog, Low Key Espresso Snobs, she swears).

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