Always a good place to get some work done and has tasty food as well as delicious caffeinated…read morebeverages. Be sure to try their seasonal specials!

I work at CMU once a year and often have time before my shift to grab breakfast. I'm familiar with…read morePonder Coffee from their location in the Health Professions building where I work, but I wanted to check out this downtown location. I loved it! The location is great and I was able to find street parking nearby pretty easily (although it was during CMU's winter break). I got a breakfast burrito with sausage, bacon, cheddar, and potato, and an oat milk latte. The employee taking my order was patient and friendly. The space isn't huge but I was able to get a small high top table near the front window to read and enjoy my breakfast. The latte was very delicious and creamy, and the breakfast burrito was huge! I loved that it came with salsa and sour cream. I definitely could have saved half for later, but it was so good that I smashed the whole thing. The seating wasn't super comfortable, but I was able to hang out for about an hour or so, reading and having a nice warm meal. Loved my visit to this Ponder Coffee and will definitely go back in the future.

Great food and cute waitresses. We always have breakfast here when visiting our Clare family. Try…read morethe loaded avocado toast. Can't go wrong!

Great food, great atmosphere, and great service. My wife had a blueberry muffin that was incredibly…read morefresh and loaded with blueberries. The yogurt parfait had fresh fruit and granola. The biscuits and gravy with the eggs alongside were just like I eat regularly in the south. And unlike most places that serve biscuits and gravy, there were chunks of sausage in the gravy. Perfection. Also, the decor is warm and inviting.

I had an overall amazing experience here! I visited and ordered a "Butter- Bear" iced latte, with…read moretheir homemade espresso whip and it was divine. The girls who were working, I believe the names were Madi and Ingrid, were so kind and attentive to me. The ambiance was amazing, and I loved the music that was playing (Bon Iver- NICE!) I will definitely be coming back here, and I am so thankful for this wonderful coffee shop. -Debbie

Stopped by on a Friday afternoon in October and had the place to ourselves. One staff working…read more Our server was outstanding: friendly, efficient and attentive. The cafe was cute; nothing elaborate but clean and interesting. Seating is limited. We ordered decaf mochas and found them to be piping hot, a bit thin tasting and a little too sweet for our tastes. It was good, but not excellent. Prices were a little more than Starbucks but not appreciably. The bakery items were limited but looked good. Fun mural outside and very close to all the action in Houghton Lake. Definitely a stop worth making when in this area.

The coffee food and smoothies are good and everybody there is very nice and friendly. -my cousinread more

Best little coffee shop! The owner is super friendly and talks to you to figure out what kind of…read morethings you like in your coffee and then makes the perfect cup. She has all kinds of flavoring for coffees. And features speciality breads and muffins to go along with the seasons. The warped chia is my absolute favorite drink there. She has alternative milks for those with other preferences or on special diets as well. Stop in and check it out!!

Our online order was quick and accurate. Very friendly staff. They even put cute messages on our…read morecups.

The staff for one I drive for Medicaid I come in everytime I'm in town. I ordered the new mocha…read moredrink 2 shots of expresso used 25 of my stars drink was still almost 10 dollars they were rude I walked away to get a cart to sit and listen to them talk about me for about 5 mins till one of the girls walked out and saw me told another manager he said he'd let their manager know.wont ever return they have one other one in that town I suggest you go there it's cheaper and you don't have to be disrespected.The first Manager was great. I get coffee everyday in Greenville and I know how much things cost I know a shot isn't a 1.00 I know the stars only take a dollar off still no excuse for all that mature workers don't wast your time go to target that part is great!!

My friend told me about this spot so I decided to check it out while in the area for work recently…read more It's a cute, bright coffee shop with plenty of seating. I think it's maybe a wine/cocktail bar at night too? They serve coffee as well as crepes and sandwiches at breakfast. I wasn't hungry so I just got a mocha, which was tasty and served in a nice big mug. I was able to get a seat near an outlet which was nice. It looks like they may have some outdoor seating in the back for warmer months. The free wifi was fast and helped me get a lot of work done while I was there. Street parking was easy to find and I would come back to this cute shop sometime again! I'd love to try a crepe, they all sounded tasty and I loved the savory options.

the employees need to be trained more! my chai was way too sweet to the point where it's basically…read moreundrinkable. instead of saying double and single shots they just ask if you want a large or small, me not knowing this ordered a large and got a small coffee with way too much coffee for me. do better employee training pleasant city!!

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.

We had an enjoyable experience with good food and a great selection of drinks…read more We started with the Dilly Pizza Sticks - they're great and the perfect balance of cheese, pickle and sauce. The dill pickle ranch was packed with dill and had good flavor. The meals were the Pesto Chicken Salad, and not pictured the Reuben Turkey. The salad was a smaller portion than I expected, but priced appropriately at just $12 is a great deal. The Basil Pesto dressing is divine, so flavorful and the goat cheese was perfect. This salad will absolutely bring me back. The selection of craft beer, cider, mead, and wines was outstanding - we each opted for a flight and got to try 8 amazing selections. Also priced at just $12 for a flight - it was a great deal. The cherry wheat was the best cherry wheat I've ever tried, this brewery absolutely needs to begin distributing. I'd love to offer this selection at our bar. My one complaint (because I'm super picky and quite snobby about sauces) - the ranch needs to be homemade. With so many delicious dressing and sauce recipes on the menu it's a really big disappointment to have ranch that's not homemade. For me being a sauce snob - that's a deal breaker for me at any restaurant. Overall - our experience, service and vibe here was outstanding and we felt comfortable and right at home. Our server was fantastic, the ambiance inside is very chill and relaxing, and the food was great. I'll still give ya 5 stars because it was really great overall!

Stopped into Four Leaf Brewing and really enjoyed the ciders. The staff was friendly, and the…read moreatmosphere was fun, welcoming, and clean. We ordered the Ancho Nachos with a side of beer cheese. The beer cheese was fantastic and honestly what made the nachos enjoyable. The melted cheese on the nachos themselves was pretty sparse, so having the beer cheese on the side was key. One thing I really liked was the banana peppers. They were a nice acidic surprise that added a pop of flavor in place of your traditional jalapeños. I think the dish would benefit from more tomatoes or a fresh salsa to brighten everything up. The biggest thing holding the nachos back was the chips. They were thick, grainy, old-style nacho chips that tasted a bit like cardboard. A better chip would elevate the entire dish! At $16 for a fairly modest bowl of nachos, I expected a more polished and elevated offering. The flavors are there, and the beer cheese is excellent, but the overall execution doesn't quite match the price point. Overall, I'd happily return for the cider, friendly service, and enjoyable atmosphere. A few small tweaks to the nachos could make them every bit as good as the rest of the experience.