Have traveled up north Michigan many times and always seen the billboard advertising Cops &…read moreDoughnuts in Clare. Made it a point to make this a stop on our travel route to Traverse City. So glad we did! It's in a small quaint downtown Clare. Street parking. Many different goodies to choose from, including donuts, cookies, mini cakes, and much more. They offer day "old" items as self serve in a separate area, so be sure to check it out for a great deal. They also have a storefront with jelly, salsa, cherries, honey and more. Also, tshirts and some other logo apparel and souvenirs. Staff is very friendly and helpful. They were very patient when we told them it was our first time and spent time looking at all the options. Very reasonable prices. Probably the freshest baked goods I have ever had. The apple fritter is hands down the best! Pieces of cut apples baked into the donut. Delicious! The blueberry donut has fresh and moist literally melted in my mouth. The chocolate cookie with chocolate frosting is a real treat, very sweet and can be shared. The list goes on and on... every single thing we had was delicious - you can't go wrong with anything! It was so good we made a stop in route going home. This is a definite must try! You may even find yourself making a special trip just to get more of their delicious goodies. Stop in - you won't be disappointed!

I had been hearing about Cops & Doughnuts for years now. Our usual route up to Traverse City…read moredoesn't typically go through Clare but this year we did find ourselves going through on a detour and I thought that would a good time to try the place. I have to say, after the years of hype, I was disappointed. First off, the storefront isn't anything fancy. And it doesn't have to be! Most of my favorite donut shops are no frills with florescent lighting and the same cabinets and pans they've used for decades. But it's a weird vibe because it's also kind of touristy? Like they know they get a lot of tourists so they sell merch and stuff, and the two just don't really mesh? IDK. We got a dozen donuts to munch on during the drive and take with us up north and they were just ok. A little too dense for my liking (I like a melt in your mouth, pillowy yeasted donut) and very, very sweet. One of the donuts we got was the maple bacon "squealer" and the bacon was limp and chewy. I also got an apple turnover and had an odd aftertaste and left a bit of a film on my tongue. IDK, it all just didn't' seem fresh? Like the options had been sitting on the shelf for more than 24 hours. Maybe we got them on a bad day? IDK. The staff was really nice though, and I know they do a lot for the community so I don't begrudge them of any success, and they do seem to have a playful sense of humor which is fun for the brand but I just wasn't wowed. I can't see myself going out of my way to get here again. If we're detoured, maybe, but I think we'd be better off coming earlier in the day for the freshest offerings possible.

The beef vegetable soup is amazing, however this doesn't require heat and it's entirely too spicy…read moretoo thoroughly enjoy.

I need to update my review. It saddens me to see how the quality of the items have gone down…read more Bought a pie and the Shell was store bought. The Chex and cracker mixed had hardly any seasoning. One bag of the Chex mix was stale. The pickles we bought were mush. Not sure what is going on but it's sad to see quality dip so low.

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

Delicious food. Great choices of baked goods to take home to keep the ambience going.read more

Service and food were excellent! Clean, and friendly. They have side options that most don't! Pasta…read moresalad, potato salad, macaroni salad etc... Definitely recommended!

We stumbled on this cafe located right on 55 and impulsively decided to stop for an afternoon pick…read moreme up. I'm so glad we did! The vibe is welcoming and eclectic. My iced latte was perfect, and the bakery treats that we tried were very tasty. I had a peanut butter cookie - perfectly sweet and chewy. My friend had a blueberry turnover and a cappuccino. If you're driving through this cute town, do stop at this bakery. You won't regret it!

Always delicious and I really enjoy the food coming from local farms in the area. The food has…read moreamazing flavor and is consistently great. The service is also excellent! The employees are hardworking and enjoy their work. It doesn't have a ton of space inside to eat, but during the warmer months, the outdoor space is sufficient for larger groups.

I found this wonderful bakery last year, but they were not open the day I was passing by. I kept it…read morein my to go list, and today was the day. Wonderful people, fantastic baked goods. I purchased several items for friends and family.

Sadly it's gone. I so miss the rolls and doughnuts. They were the best. The new folks are not…read morebakers.

Wow. My husband and I were blown away by the service and food. We were just passing through as…read moretourists. I had a hard time deciding between two options and ordered one. The waitress brought me a complimentary sample of the soup I didn't order. I mean, who does that!? Also, both items were fantastic so that was a win-win. REAL food. Nothing was frozen, overpriced fried food. You can taste the difference. Both my dish and my husbands dish tasted incredible. I'd make the hour+ drive from my in-laws to eat here again our next visit.

Nice little diner right in town. Nothing fancy but also not run down. The service was friendly and…read morethe food came out relatively quickly. Grilled sourdough was perfectly crispy on the breakfast sandwich. The sweet and savory combo of bacon and apricot spread was delicious and the two cheeses and apple slices added just a little something extra.

Over priced !! And the cookies are getting more expensive. Make your own and save your money. Rude…read morestaff too

I love Mary's cakery. I have been going here since 2002. Her cakes are so delicious and moist. I…read morerecently bought a cake for my niece and it was just perfect.