lab cafe — Restaurant in Ann Arbor

I have had better coffee for much cheaper. Lab is a certain type of coffee shop in Ann Arbor. It looks clean, put together, and not what you would expect to find halfway down the block. When you walk in you are not greeted, judged by the clothes you were wearing, and treated with little to no respect. You are treated this way just because you didn't show up to a coffee shop in designer clothing. This is a coffee shop for the elite, someone who wants to pay $5 for a shot of espresso. When I asked the apathetic counter lady if there was any nuts in one of their delicious looking cookies, her response was "why do you want to know?" I said "because I'm allergic to nuts, and was wondering if I could eat it." She responded with "well it doesn't look like there is." And I asked "do you know or are you just assuming cuz I don't want to have an allergic reaction. Is it possible that you could check for me?" She gave me a Blank Stare and then asked what kind of coffee I would like. I decided to get a shot of espresso with some milk in it, specifying that I do not want coconut milk or almond milk I wanted milk. And she said "oh you want Dairy Milk." I didn't know that we were calling it that nowadays, but I guess I was corrected. The coffee was okay, but the reason why I'm giving it two Stars, instead of one. Was the second employee that I interacted with, who saw my interaction with the first, came back and said "I checked the ingredients list on the cookies and there's no nuts, also I call milk, milk." Then she...

The recommendation to check out lab came from the manager at Haymaker, and I am so glad he sent us this way. Stopped in for an after lunch latte with my partner and in-laws while visiting from Cleveland. The lab is a small, beautiful cafe serving excellent products made by a delightful staff in a lovely setting. Based on the direction of the barista I ordered their lavender honey latte with oat milk. They mentioned it was a very popular specialty drink at their cafe. It was so delicious. Perfectly sweet, and the lavender flavour was excellent. Very pure and genuine tasting. Not too soapy like a lot of artificial lavender syrups tend to taste. My partner had an iced americano as they were out of cold brew when we stopped in. (I understand, as it’s the middle of winter. How much cold coffee can you expect to sell on a blustery, 34° day in December?) The americano was great; it really highlighted the high quality of the espresso sold here. It was light, balanced, and a bit nutty. If you’re an espresso purist I would say you should surely try an americano as it showcased the best parts of their espresso roast so nicely. All in all the lab quickly became a favourite of mine. I am already looking forward to visiting again next time we are in the area. Thanks for a great first...

My first visit, I came in wondering about the shop and atmosphere nearby. Alyssa was kind enough to provide information to me about the surrounding places. She is very kind and friendly. I asked for recommendations for other related food and beverage places and she provided me a list. The drip coffee is counter culture and has been brewed to a good recipe that is enjoyable to taste. Outlets and seatings are provided if you're one to study or work remotely. Water station is in the back of the shop near the large windows. Wifi is free and good. Pastries can be purchased for those hungry or you can just walk next door to an asian resturant that has $11 lunch specials throughout the week. Restrooms are clean. The place can be a little noisy, although expected from a coffee shop near campus. I would not recommend taking a call inside for work, but calls are manageable. I recommend this coffee shop to anyone locally or coming in from out of town. The enviornment...