The best thing I can say about this place is that the building is absolutely beautiful. It's large,…read morethere's tons of seating, I'm also assuming there are outlets to go with that seating so you could work in there if you wanted. It's connected to other businesses. Although they care far more about their drive-through than those other businesses because definitely one of them has an external door that you would have to cross the drive-through to get to, which is just rude. But that's honestly where all the stars end. The coffee is mediocre. The menu is mediocre. You can get whatever you get everywhere else here and it will taste fine. There's zero originality in their menu. Where it truly goes downhill is their employees. How are you going to be two blocks from downtown Midland and not have any awareness of the area and be able to direct an out-of-towner to a nice place to walk? Perhaps I have high hopes for the intellectual capabilities of barista's in a medium sized town's coffee shop, but these employees are sure to disappoint you if you want to do anything other than order coffee and get your order. Whatever you do, don't expect any level of conversation. They absolutely cannot deliver. On top of that, their motto appears to be "love people," but that only extends so far as I guess their customers. They love people except for when they employ those people. When they employ those people, they love to micromanage them and force them to have an outdated dress code of black shirts. What are they some sort of indentured servant? Go somewhere else. All you can find in this coffee shop is boring.

Manifesting the Perfect Latte (And It Worked)…read more Before I even stepped foot into Live Oak Coffeehouse, I closed my eyes and set my intention. I envisioned the perfect coconut almond milk latte--smooth, rich, subtly sweet, and crafted with care. I felt the warmth of the cup in my hands, the aroma wrapping around me like a cozy hug from the universe itself. I whispered to the cosmos: "Let this latte be everything I desire and more." And guess what? The universe delivered. I entered Live Oak with gratitude in my heart, and the barista--clearly an enlightened being--crafted my drink with the energy of a thousand good vibrations. The first sip? Pure alignment. The flavors danced in harmony, the temperature was just right, and for a moment, I felt like I had truly ascended. The ambiance of this place? Calm, inviting, full of positive frequencies. People chatted, read, worked, all in a state of peaceful flow. You could feel the creativity and good energy buzzing in the air. Some say you can't manifest happiness in a cup, but I'm here to tell you--you absolutely can. If you're ever in Midland, set your intention, walk into Live Oak, and let the magic happen.

Back in town, and they're still making incredible coffee…read more This cortado is exactly how it's supposed to be. What separates a great coffee shop from an average one isn't fancy latte art, it's understanding how to perfectly marry espresso and milk. A true cortado is all about balance: a 1:1 ratio, silky microfoam, and espresso that still shines through instead of being hidden. That gentle, velvety foam softens the espresso without masking its flavor, letting every tasting note come through. The result is a bold, creamy, perfectly balanced sip that's an absolute party in your mouth. Anyone can pour a pretty design, but great coffee isn't about being Picasso with latte art. The real artists are the baristas who can consistently bring espresso and milk together in perfect harmony. That's what keeps me coming back.

Quiet, relaxing atmosphere. Ordered vanilla latte with almond milk & "dirty" Chai latte (latte with…read moreespresso) with almond milk. Coffee to go served hot with a nice milk foam. Seating options are casual. Nice place to visit, will return.

Nice environment with friendly staff. Drinks were good and reasonably priced. Would visit again if…read morein the area.

I ordered a mocha and I have no idea what I got. It has caramel and not chocolate at all.read more

I stopped here for a quick drink. I kept seeing variation of cinnamon plum so I ordered that. The…read moredrink was OK. It's like flavored milk. The staff was quick. There's free parking outside. There's also an outdoor area with tables and chairs. This is a great place for those who want to study or have a small get together. There was actually a small group of what looks like a book club while I was waiting for my drink. There's also a corner of various books and toys for young children. Overall, it was OK . Next time, I'll try something else. Their tea flight looked interesting but I was short on time.

The tea has been bitter lately and there's no Boba anymore…read more Kinda disappointed Service is good

This coffee shop might have a decent menu. I certainly saw menu items listed. But it's really hard…read moreto tell if they have anything interesting or any type of specialties because they have the dumbest baristas I may have ever met. I'm gonna say the baristas are worse than a Biggby's barista. I went into this coffee shop after a 3 mile walk on the rail trail and I asked for something refreshing that wasn't very sugary. When I tell you this motherfucker gave me a fucking iced fucking latte... What the actual fuck!? Coffee is not only not refreshing, it's a diuretic. I would expect someone who is old enough to be working outside of school hours to know that. There's literally a ton of other stuff on their menu that isn't fucking coffee. But this guy wanted to give me an iced latte. It tasted like dirt. Iced lattes are for basic bitches who think that pumpkin spiced anything is the height of flavor. I was chatting up the stoner looking employees (?) sitting in the middle of the café with nothing to do, and every word that fell out of their mouths was dumber than the last. If "Espresso Milano" is meant to harken back to some fancy place in Italy, the reality is quite the opposite. However, their merchandise does have cats on it, and that's really cool. You might be able to find something good on this menu, just don't ask the barista to help you find it. They are not equal to the task.

Ordered two large cappuccinos with vanilla flavoring and requested "dry" and stressed very little…read moremilk. The person who took the order did tell the barista the specifics of our request. Got our order and headed out. Very heavy with milk. Could not detect any vanilla. Had been here last spring and they were ok. These were probably two of the worst we've ever had. Dumped them and wasted $19 ( with tip we had left). Won't come here again.

I've been going to Chef Sergei's for about a year. I have to say that they are expensive but their…read morebread is far superior to anyone else's bread in town. The problem is that I have become addicted. I've learned to slice half a baguette or stow away a half a loaf in the freezer - precut - and then put slices in the toaster. There are no preservatives so you have to do this or eat the bread quickly. The baguette and the sourdough are the same dough. I ma addicted to the double chocolate cookies and my wife likes the lemon cookies. There are some awesome sandwiches too. I pay a lot for bread but it's really good. I have to feed my addiction!!!

This is hands down the best bakery in town! With its European bakery, feel and the staff is…read moreincredibly friendly, and everything is baked fresh daily. Sometimes the treats are so good, there's a line out the door--and it's totally worth the wait. They serve freshly made coffee, tea, and just about anything you could want to pair with your pastry. The owners, originally from Ukraine, are warm, welcoming, and truly professional. I absolutely love coming here!

Absolutely my favorite coffee shop! Incredible selection of lattes, Frappuccinos, mocktails and…read morecold coffees.

Get ready to wait. Very slow. I don't know why it takes so long especially when I order a bagel and…read moreit's barely toasted. Every time too lol. I have never been in line less than 10 minutes. And I can be the only one in line.

We were visiting downtown Midland and the Tridge when we came upon Iron Dame. A…read moreFrench-European-style bakery in a small city? Not something that you see too often so we decided to stop by to take a look. It was within an hour of them closing and unfortunately many of the pastries were already sold out. Still, they had a couple of croissants that looked absolutely delicious and we couldn't resist picking some up. In addition to pastries, they also sell coffee and, interestingly enough, milk tea and boba (popping type only I think). I can easily imagine sitting outside, sipping on a drink and nibbling on a pastry. Raspberry Vol au Vent ($5) - Woah, just look at those layers on this pastry. So well defined with crisp, buttery puff pastry layers that are easy to pull apart. This one is filled with a raspberry jam and adorned with a single fresh raspberry in the center. They don't skimp on the jam here - it's absolutely loaded up. The jam is tangy, sweet, and delicious. It's filled with fresh and crunchy raspberry seeds and a brightness that is welcome. (5/5) Bacon & Havarti Croissant ($6) - Other places might put a single thin slice of bacon and cheese inside - Iron Dame fills it chock full with meat and cheese. Salty, savory, umami, everything you could want from a savory croissant. Since there's so much filling, it compresses the croissant dough along the edges making it chewier and more bready, yet still retaining a bit of flakiness. (5/5) Pain Au Chocolat ($5) - The lamination on this pastry isn't nearly as good - the layers are on the thicker side with smaller air bubbles. Definitely more bready than flaky. I'm not sure what happened to this pastry - the pictures on their website shows very well defined layers but this one was anything but. Two batons of chocolate are inserted inside, giving sweetness and richness. I wasn't able to eat this until the following day - since I couldn't eat it fresh, I won't include it in my overall rating. This particular pastry is something around a 3/5 though. It looks like they don't have a set menu (at least not what I can see from their website), so I would definitely drop by with an open mind to see what they are offering that day! I would come here again if I lived in Midland or if I was in the area. Yum! Bathrooms - Single unisex room. Overall rating of the food this visit: 5/5

The chocolate croissant was delicious! Lots of other treats that we'll have to sample another dayread more

Such a local gem that really filled a niche for a family friendly, reasonably priced, cozy feeling…read morebakery. Delicious pastries, great beer, and Tony is such a sweet and friendly person. If you're looking for the prettiest pastries, this isn't for you, the food is big and tastes great.

MiElement was a very interesting place! It is both a coffee shop and a brewery. They only brew a…read morefew beers but it was enough to have some choices. He decided to go with an espresso and a Nutella croissant. I, of course, wanted to try their beer. He enjoyed the croissant and espresso and I really thought they did a nice job with the beer. The atmosphere is pretty hippy, which we loved. Grabbed a tag and on we went. My favorite kind of road trip!

Such polite service, from ordering to the pick up area. Took…read moreadvantage of accumulated points which got each of us gals a sweet baked item. A request for a pup cup to celebrate our pups winning weekend at the Traverse City shows and Logan made a special cup for the girl. Drinks, as ordered. Service kinda prompt too cuz we weren't kept waiting very long. Clean restrooms, both unisex, single seaters. LoL!!!

Ordered the Venti Java chip with no whipped cream and an affrogotto shot in a trenti cup. What a…read morelovely tasting beverage. The service provided my the associate Sara was highly friendly and upbeat. She made a grand effort to state my name correctly and even add a nice amount of small talk. Subtle music musing within the rear ground with a brewing feel.