Soulards — Restaurant in Coloma

I thought Soulard’s in downtown Coloma Michigan was just a cake shop, but it has blossomed into a deli and coffee shop too. They feature coffee from Higher Grounds out of the Traverse City area. Doug had a regular bold coffee and I sipped on an Americano as our server, 8-year-old Rae, brought us two salads. The Spinach Salad was garnished with toasted pecans, goat cheese, dried cranberries and a subtle amount of red onion. The salad was tossed in a fabulous bacon vinaigrette and crowned with green apple slices. “I really like the spinach salad because the apples go nicely with the goat cheese,” explained Rae. (Yes, an 8-year-old actually said that! Rae, the owner’s daughter was an amazing server who could give lessons to some adults I know.) The other salad was a Zoodle Salad. Zoodles, or zucchini noodles, are incredibly nutritious and a healthy alternative to highly processed wheat pasta. The zoodles were combined with Mediterranean mix and just a little bit of goat cheese. This made the bed for seared and sliced ahi tuna. The ahi was so tender and delicious, and everything came together with a zippy serrano pepper sauce that was served on the side. Next, we split the Italian, an artisan hoagie stuffed with pepperoni, salami, ham, provolone lettuce, tomato, onion, peppercinis, mayo and Italian vinaigrette. This is a classic sub reminiscent of a Vitale’s sub from the now-closed Hagar Shores market. The bun is crazy good with a touch of saltiness and a perfect blend of softness and a bit of chew. That’s A Wrap is the name of an unorthodox blend of 5-grain quinoa, arugula, cilantro pesto, goat cheese, avocado and…wait for it…pork belly! It’s all wrapped up in a hearty wrap laced with kale. I loved the nuttiness of the quinoa blend and the tenderness of the pork belly. Imagine all this healthy goodness and pork belly living together in perfect harmony. There is hope for America! LOL We finished with the Soulard’s Cubano, which features slow-smoked pork piled on ham, served with swiss cheese, locally grown sweet hotties’ pickles, and a blend of two mustards served on a delectable pretzel bun. Going into Soulard’s reminds me of simpler times. The old-fashioned retro vibe and classic deli counter make you feel nostalgic. Inside, you’ll find a few tables and a scattering of comfy coffee-house type chairs and benches. It really houses a relaxed atmosphere and promotes community. On the way out, Rae gave us each a bag of cake balls. OMG! You...

I booked this place for my wedding. I decided to do one of their dessert grazing tables. At the tasting the lady who helped us was nice, Olivia I think her name was but felt a little unorganized in fact didn’t write our date down and I had to keep reminding her of what it was. But we liked the food and opted to go for it. Fast forward, we are a week out from the wedding and they are emailing me telling me the time I’d like them to come won’t work because they overbooked themselves and have multiple deliveries to do that day. While I’m sympathetic to those things that ultimately isn’t my problem. I tried to be flexible but they wanted to set up during my ceremony which just wouldn’t work. After many emails and me have to rework my entire schedule around them we settled on 345-4 and they would set up in a different location and move the table when it was done. After doing all of that they are late and don’t show up until after four. My coordinator tried called them on my phone. But I’m assuming they had my number saved because they denied the call three times before she called on her phone and they answered promptly. Taylor answered and was INCREDIBLY rude to my person for very nasty with her about THEM being late. Then they get here they ignore all my notes about how I wanted specific things used for the cake and then leave in a huff. Don’t do weddings if you’re going to be mad about you being late. Lastly we did the grazing table which came with a small cake for us to cut. When we did our tasting we loved this white cake with a Bavarian filling it was amazing to say the least. The cake I are on my wedding day however, was dry, and the filling was vanilla instant pudding at best, awful. I wouldn’t waste my time with this place and I think this is my biggest regret from...

We were looking forward to going based on the other reviews, but it was just okay. Staff was super friendly, the restaurant itself seems clean and is very cute, typically my kind of place for sure. We asked for our breakfast sandwiches warm, and when we got out to the car to unwrap them (just minutes after they were handed to us) they were still cold. It didn't taste bad, but it would have been better hot. We ordered 2 drinks, the latte was great but my mocha was awful. It tasted so bitter, I didn't taste either coffee or chocolate. They also had signs on their doors that stated they were refusing to enforce mask requirements, and as a healthcare worker that just feels like a slap in the face. I hoped the food and coffee would make that worth it, but it fell short. Next time we're in the area we'll probably try another place.

Updating because I do appreciate the owner's response. I definitely don't need a refund, I wouldn't want to take away from any small businesses during a really difficult time for them. After that response, we'd be willing to give Soulards another shot :) The breakfast sandwich was really good, even coldish. Looking forward to a chocolatey mocha...