This cozy cafe round up is the perfect resource for some of those chilly winter days. See the original and much more in the November 2014 issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine. This month we hunker down with a hot beverage in some of the North’s best destination cafes.
Dripworks
207 Howard Street, Petoskey, 231.838.9875
Enlightened coffee science lives in every fragrant cup passed over the bar at Dripworks, Petoskey’s cool new temple of slow brew. Cup poised on a digital scale, proprietress, Danielle Charles, performs a precisely ratioed pour-over to unlock the flavor of single-origin El Salvador beans, while her partner, Mike Davis, meticulously folds layers of croissant dough for tomorrow’s pain au chocolat. Launched last summer, Dripworks aspires to an elevated cafe experience where state-of-the-art equipment, practiced craftsmanship and simple, quality ingredients converge to deliver nuanced coffees, rare teas and handmade madeleines, tartlets and scones. Charles, Davis and their crew eagerly share the narratives behind their ingredients, profiling the coffee growers sourced through Madcap Coffee in Grand Rapids. The proprietors look to local farms to supply produce for the range of sweet and savory pastries, jams, soups and salads. In addition to morning and afternoon service, Dripworks offers coffee and tea “cupping classes” and retails Madcap beans, artisan teas and quality coffee equipment.
Cozy Hangouts for a Chill Month. With winter knocking at the door, we find warmth, pastry and a quality caffeine buzz at these Up North cafes.
Lelu Café
109 West Nagonaba Street, Northport, 231.386.1600Hip arty decor, airy scones and the occasional display of virtuosic latte art fuel the vibe at this Northport farm-to-table cafe.
Nine Bean Rows
303 Saint Joseph Street, Suttons Bay, 231.271.1175Escape November’s howl with a finely frothed cappuccino, and then feed your soul on the sublimely flaky croissants wrought by pastry goddess Jen Welty.
North Perk Coffee
410 East Lake Street, Petoskey, 231.373.0796With panoramic peeks of Lake Street and Pennsylvania Park, North Perk’s cooly spare, modern buzz invites you to linger with a laptop, a Higher Grounds latte and a legit bagel made locally.
Morsels
321 East Front Street, Traverse City, 231.421.1353Nibble your way through a delicious spectrum of bite-size cakes while the crew rocks the crema on single-origin roasts from Intelligentsia Coffee.