KierstenRoast & Toast Coffee in Petoskey, MI has been a local favorite for almost 30 years. They roast their own beans fresh in-house and serve a mouth watering brunch menu.
Address
309 E. Lake St. Petoskey, MI 49770
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Try This
Dirty Irishman or Brad’s Addiction
You Should Know
They don’t serve any coffee that was roasted more than two weeks ago for ultimate freshness.
About Roast & Toast
Roast & Toast has been a Petoskey institution since 1993. Owner Bob Keedy trained as a roaster in New York before opening the cafe with his wife Mary. Since then, they’ve been joined by countless other professional baristas, including two SCA-trained roasters.
The business is community minded at its core. They source a majority of their products, even things like trash bags, from local Michigan suppliers. They donate regularly to local causes, both money and product. Roast & Toast even partners with other local businesses to create products; an espresso root beer created using their espresso, for example.
If that weren’t enough reason to love them, Roast & Toast also aims to minimize their carbon footprint. Since 2015, they’ve diverted over 77,000 lbs of food from landfills and recycle about 50,000 gallons annually.
The OG Roast & Toast in Petoskey is downtown, but they also have a location in the McLaren Medical Building across the river.
Layout
The cafe in downtown Petoskey stands out in the best kind of way. Partly because of the red brick walls. Partly because of the bright yellow front patio. Mainly because of the winding strip of coffee mugs and plates embedded in cement that frames the front.
There’s a small area for outdoor seating to the left and the walk up window is to the right. I don’t know why, but I’m obsessed with walk up windows.
It may look small from the outside, but Roast & Toast has a lot of space inside. Seating is along the left side, while the right is merch, coffee beans, and the register and bar.
Along the left hand wall is a giant chalkboard with their food menu. You can see the colorful theme carries throughout with bold colored walls and bright signs.
One of my favorite things was the detailed tin ceiling. Paired with the sheet metal over the register and bar, it gave it a really cool industrial feel.
Towards the back, there are booths divided by thin curtains to give some privacy and make it feel more intimate. Each table is named after a country from which they source their beans!
Speaking of beans, they have all of their blends for sale in bulk towards the front of the café. Grab a bag of beans and a Roast & Toast mug or t shirt while you’re at it.
Menu
The menu is nothing short of mouthwatering. There are so many options, I recommend going with a group so you can try a bunch of different things.
For espresso drinks, you can go with classics like an americano or straight espresso. You’re definitely going to want to try some of their flavored lattes, though. Try an ‘Italian stallion,’ a ‘turtle mocha,’ or a ‘construction zone’ latte. ‘Brad’s Addiction’ was one of the favorites in my group – coffee and hot chocolate.
Other non-espresso standouts include flavored hot chocolate and chai lattes. There’s a mix of chai and cold brew that I’m 100% getting when I go back.
Food
As far as Petoskey brunch spots go, Roast & Toast is one of the best. They lean towards savory over sweet, but do have a bit of both. Most of the breakfast menu is egg sandwiches, avocado toast, or breakfast wraps.
For a morning sweet tooth, they have French toast or a yogurt parfait, and of course a special menu for little ones. There’s also lunch items like sandwiches and salads if that’s more to your taste.
I hit quite a few coffee shops in upper Michigan but Roast & Toast was one of my favorites. It felt like the kind of place that had the perfect balance between not taking themselves too seriously, but serving seriously good coffee. Check it out next time you’re up north!
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