Coffee shops in Detroits past...

[terryh]

Any memories of city coffee shops in past decades? The beatnik hangouts or St. Antoinette coffee shop mentioned in the book Motor City Mafia. Where was it located? Were the menus pretty standard back then before mocha's and Lattes?

[adamjab19]

Cafe De Troit

[stasu1213]

Europa which was in Greektown had closed last year. Coffee shops in Detroit years ago were smaller such as 1515 Broadway. Some that opened in the 60's and 70s were set up in a Top Hats, White Castle scheme. Benches and tables, well lit, stools that lined the bar or windows. There is a small coffee shop on Gratiot one block north of 8 mile, On the south side of the street. That will give you an idea on what some of the coffee shop were like in Detroit

[Downtown Dave]

Qwikee donuts and coffee had at least two shops downtown - one on Grand River just west of Woodward and another on Congress.

[SWMAP]

The Clique was an important little "coffee shop." Not in the style that we have come to expect from a contemporary coffee shop - but certainly it was billed as a coffeee shop.

[eno]

Anybody hear of a coffee house in the Wayne State area called Cup of Socrates in the beatnik era? I'm sure there were coffee houses in the University of Detroit area where the Chessmate or Checkmate Club was.

[preserve]

Long ago, there was the Mayfair on Woodward. People actually stood behind you breathing down your neck so they could be next to grab your seat.

[JBMcB]

Zoots on 2nd. Great coffee. Great atmosphere. Outstanding concerts and films. Great cross-section of people - professors, students from WSU and CCS, locals, etc... And a dog. What more could you want?

[Hamtragedy]

Have to agree with Zoot's, which I believe was the dog's name. Best brownies. Early 90's, in the sub-cultural center.

Urban Break in the busy section of Jos. Campau in Hamtramck was also a great spot.

[G-DDT]

Zoots on 2nd. Great coffee. Great atmosphere. Outstanding concerts and films. Great cross-section of people - professors, students from WSU and CCS, locals, etc... And a dog. What more could you want?

Yes, a mixed bag. I felt sorry for anyone who showed up only one night and walked away with a limited take on what they think "it was about". At one point, a culinary genius was making all of the soups for the place [[Dal was the best). Yes, Zoot was the dog that lived there. Only one night did he disappear, and that's when some folks acting like criminal goofs made off with him [[Zoot would not leave without the boss or co-worker's command-that well trained). Luckily, he was tracked down, and the guys who took him B.S.ed that the dog followed him. Story goes, the boss had a "conference" with the ringleader, an Eastern European immigrant, got him into a headlock and said "I don't want you around me, I don't want you around my dog, and I don't want you around this place." At which the poor dude replied like Balki from Perfect Strangers "Does this mean I can't have any coffee?"

[G-DDT]

There was also Shadowbox and Cloud Nine in Hamtramck, I/O around Broadway, Asteroids, Mad Hatter and the Zone in Dearborn, the Ground's at the U of D campus, Pharoah's Golden Cup in Westland [[that and the Ground's used to sponsor a lot of Straight Edge Hardcore bands like Ottawa or Roosevelt's inaugural Parade), Rabbles on the Eastside [[once that closed, all the locusts came over and ruined Zoot's with their hideous drama and their cliques) and some crummy ones out in Ferndale. I'd say Cloud Nine, I/O, and Grounds were definitely stand-outs, as short-lived as they were.

[gazhekwe]

Beatnik style coffee house with espresso, music and poetry, smoky and candle lit? Living End was one of those. Or a place to get a cup of coffee and donut on the way to work? Qwikee Donuts was the goto place downtown.

[Hermod]

Long ago, there was the Mayfair on Woodward. People actually stood behind you breathing down your neck so they could be next to grab your seat.

I remember that, lining up for a stool at the lunch counter. I have lined up in Sanders with my mom.

[Danny]

When Starbucks, Panera Bread and Bibgy Coffee come in Metro-Detroit area in the early 1990s most mom and pop coffee shops couldn't keep up with those franchises. A few of them were long gone by the new millennium. Others pop up but don't have the style with other corporate franchises. Today when some hipster cool skinny jean, geek eyeglasses wearing want more than a coffee to a mocha-like cappuccinos. They go to those places.

At least I go to Cafe 1921 in Hamtramck. Their Formage A Trois is delicious.

[Gannon]

Since we've gone to the suburbs and back, I must mention the original Gotham City Coffeehouse on Woodward north of Nine Mile road in the early-90s.

That was an amazing place...

[Lowell]

For ambience and a flow of interesting and creative people nothing beats 1515 Broadway in my book. It still has the feel of happy artsy hippy grunginess - rough walls, old furniture with Detroit's most avant-garde theater in its back space. Its history is filled with legendary performances that have appeared there across three decades. 1515 has been 100% character ever since its lonely outpost days during the tumbleweed years of dying downtown Detroit. It deserves a Michigan Historical site sign.

I would like it simply for its character but I love it for what it does. Do your coffee at 1515 and you are supporting cutting edge art.

[Lowell]

Trying to remember the name of the place in Hamtramck, on the north side of Trowbridge a couple doors east of Jos. Campau. It was among the first of the coffee house resurgence in the 80's - 90's. Help me out.

It was a wonderful place with old stuffed chairs and sofas. No wifi, smart phones and laptops yet.

Update... it was the Shadowbox mentioned above by G-DDT.

Also found this 2007 interesting post from ModelD.

Back in '97, The mayor was a Cranbrook-trained artist, Gary Zych, and his mentor and campaign manager was Michael Hall, who chaired Cranbrook's Sculpture Department until he retired in 1990 to a life of collecting, lecturing and community engagement in Hamtramck.

Coffee flowed at the Shadowbox Caffe on Trowbridge, which soon begat Cafe Zuppa, which later morphed into Soupersonic. A loungey version of Motor, called Lush, was in the works on the opposite corner. Small's later opened on Conant, the Belmont opened down the street from Lush, Lili's was sold and became the Painted Lady. All brought in national indie bands and local garage rockers and hosted, along with over a dozen other bars, the Metro Times Blowout from 1998 to the present.


Flash forward 10 years, and Hamtramck still maintains its scruffy seat among the authentically hip places to live anywhere on the continent.

[rex]

before too long I think the downtown midtown area could support more coffee shop type places. Someone should open a bean shop thats similar to bulk food stores in that you scoop your beans into a bag. Have a wide assortment of different high end beans that you cant necessarily find at the grocery store in addition to a cafe and juicebar. several rows. Sure you can go to starbucks and buy starbucks beans or the grocery store and get cheaper coffee to brew at home but there are a lot of real good independent fair trade brands that you can find online and probably not in many stores.

[p69rrh51]

Designed by Cyril Schley. State Coffee Shop 2125 Woodward Avenue built in 1923 Downtown Detroit, MI.

Image from Schley's archives.

[Hypestyles]

... what can you do at these places besides have some coffee and observe cliquish people for a few minutes?

[gazhekwe]

I'm seeing a distinction between coffee shops where you could buy coffee, and coffee houses where you could get coffee, espresso and espresso concoctions. At night these would have open mike for musical and spoken poetry, and host local and sometimes national artists like Joni Mitchell. For the latter type, there were the Retort, Cup of Socrates, Living End, Chessmate, Raven, the Hinge at U of M Dearborn, and there was one at Fairlane Mansion, too.

[Islandman]

before too long I think the downtown midtown area could support more coffee shop type places. Someone should open a bean shop thats similar to bulk food stores in that you scoop your beans into a bag. Have a wide assortment of different high end beans that you cant necessarily find at the grocery store in addition to a cafe and juicebar. several rows. Sure you can go to starbucks and buy starbucks beans or the grocery store and get cheaper coffee to brew at home but there are a lot of real good independent fair trade brands that you can find online and probably not in many stores.

Popped in here on my last visit: http://www.germack.com/coffee.aspx

They even have unroasted beans available. How pricy or cheap they are I'm not sure since I'm not a regular coffee drinker.

[Gannon]

Popped in here on my last visit: http://www.germack.com/coffee.aspx

They even have unroasted beans available. How pricy or cheap they are I'm not sure since I'm not a regular coffee drinker.

They are reasonable...on average $8 per pound for quality green beans, I've never been disappointed. Bought three more pounds from various geographical locations from 'em Saturday morning. There is nothing quite like roasting your own beans...they say the taste goes down by half with every hour out of the roaster, so most people have never really tasted coffee at its finest.

Cheers!

[DetroitPlanner]

I remember there was a Starbucks at the Buhl Building, and one on Jefferson Near the Blvd where Pinky's used to be. What? Not what you're looking for?

How about the Dunkin Donuts on Plymouth W of Southfield or the Dawn Donuts/Gas Station on Warren and Evergreen?

[gazhekwe]

Amy Joy Donuts on Joy Road and Wyoming, Puri-Test on Chicago near Wyoming, those are a couple more spots to get coffee and donuts. Those preceded Dunkin' and Dawn.