A café has existed in one form or another on the ground floor of 324 South State Street for decades now. The current Ann Arbor Coffee Roasting Company, which replaced the former Espresso Royal was bought by Min Kyu Kim of Kimchi Box, turning the establishment into Ondo Bakery earlier this year. And now that they are in charge, the relatively bare area between the front doors and the counter is now filled with a delightful array of pastries.
The quality of the new pastries and sandwiches now available is much the same as the quality of the coffees and teas already on offer — fantastic. Their classic butter croissant is decidedly more flaky than buttery, but that just means it makes a perfect vessel for their bacon and egg croissant, an ideal on-the-go breakfast. The Ondo club sandwich is a wonderfully complex whole meal on its own — the meat nicely balanced by the chewiness of the bread — and is large enough to be two meals.
The chewiest and best thing on their menu is their black sesame red beam and cream bun. It is the very definition of gooeyness being a compliment.
The blueberry lemon scone is another standout. Its berry toppings make it feel fresh in your mouth, neatly avoiding the powdery dryness that an inferior bakery would leave you with. And the lemon flavor comes as a pleasant surprise on the end when you’re swallowing.
The cream and softly lit interior design of the place is unchanged, other than some decorate elements. The place is routinely packed with Gen Z U of M students, and with good reason. It is a solid breakfast and mid-afternoon destination for students desperate to escape their dorms, labs or classrooms, but aren’t in the mood for the Big House, the Arboretum, a bookstore or a bar.
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If anything, the new arrangement makes the place feel better thought out. The previous incarnation was much the same but left a wide dead zone between the counter and the floor to ceiling windows and doors providing views to the corner of North U and State Street. Now that space is filled with display cases which are just big enough to provide lots of options, without it being so big that the space feel squeezed.
Overall, the atmosphere is so warm and cozy — a place where you can meet a date over lattes or pull an all-nighter with your study group — in a low pressure, clean, take-all-afternoon-to-sip-your-tea atmosphere.
The new owners have put a lot of time and energy into making an already good establishment even better. They have well earned their place of prominence in Ann Arbor life, right between the theaters, Nickel’s Arcade and the Diag.
They are open from 7 a.m. to 8p.m., seven days a week. Food prices range $5 to $13. The teas and coffees that are the raison d’etre of the place range $3 to $7.
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
