Comet Coffee

This place gets the rare 5 stars for Ann Arbor!!! It’s that good! It’s actually amazing!
This is the best place for coffee in Ann Arbor. They rotate, I think weekly, between a bunch of single origin and specialty coffees. I usually get whatever they suggest.
Then they introduced me to pour overs and I’ve been off espresso since. Their process is perfect: the water is filtered, and for ph value, they grind your beans fresh, they wet the filter to remove the paper taste, they start with a small pour to allow the coffee to bloom, wait, slowly pour the water and stir to get all the grinds, wait, then second pour. It’s a beautiful thing! And each of those steps is both necessary and time consuming, but mastery has its price– and yes, they do charge a little more

This is one of the best places to get coffee in Ann Arbor, especially for people into coffee itself. Its a small, quaint retro styled place. Seating is limited to 4 tables indoors and two outside. There are two shelf tables along the front as well with 6 stools.
They carry a variety of good quality coffees. The service is normally friendly and helpful with coffee selection. I have had different items on the menu and it all was good or better.
This is a private establishment which is great.
Its worth a visit for sure.

The quality of the coffee and tea is one of the best in Ann Arbor, but the interior is small and loud so it’s really not ideal for studying or reading (which is what I enjoy doing at cafes and the reason why I am giving three stars). I love the look and feel of Nickels Arcade, so I like coming to Comet in the warmer months to take advantage of their outdoor seating. They do have limited tables/​seats though, so it’s sometimes hard to get a seat.
They have baked goods and merchandise as well such as kettles, mugs, ground coffee, coffee beans, etc. This definitely isn’t the place for someone who likes frappucinos or sweet, syrupy coffee drinks, but if you want high quality coffee or simple espresso drinks, definitely check this place out.

They have drinking chocolate! It’s available for eat in only, but that’s okay. The chocolate is not very sweet or too bitter. It has some fruity notes and is nice and thick. Staff was friendly and the music was nice if a tad loud. If you are looking for drinking chocolate, I would recommend giving Comet Coffee a try!

Sitting here enjoying my first Comet experience, and definitely will consider more next time I’m in town. «Boutique» is how it comes to mind, a cute shoppe tucked away in a fantastic shopping arcade this place serves a delectable drinking chocolate (not too sweet) and a punchy macchiato. Dangerous things should come in small packages like this!
Right now I’m hearing locals chatter and deliciously French Chansons in the vein of Edith Piaf. The atmosphere is fantastic and the service friendly and engaging. This was everything I romanticized about a coffee place when in university.

A coffee snobs coffee shop (meant as a great compliment).
Their espresso is flawless and I’ve never enjoyed a better machiato.
While this isn’t the place for someone who wants a coffee drink flavored with sweet syrups or whip cream, it is the place for someone who would like to take their time to enjoy a poor over, siphon or french press.

I had been going to this coffee shop regularly every morning for months because I love the lattes. Hands down best lattes I have ever had, including places I’ve been to in Seattle and Portland ME. I used to happily budget ~$ 70/​month to spend there. But I will never be going back there because of what happened the last time I was there.
I went with a friend to do some light studying. I got something, my friend didn’t, and we were there at a one-​person table for about 1.5 hours. On our way out, one of the baristas (I assume he was the owner) stopped us and, in front of everyone, loudly accosted my friend for not getting anything! Something along the lines of «In the time you guys have been here, I have had many paying customers come in and not have anywhere to sit because you’ve been here and didn’t buy anything.» Even though I did get something and we sat at a small one-​person table… ??? Many other customers looked extremely uncomfortable because there were multiple groups there who were sitting around talking with at least one person didn’t get something. Honestly, I get where he was coming from, but making an example out of someone in front of everybody was absolutely the wrong way to handle it. Not only that, they don’t have a bathroom and will tell you to use the one at Espresso Royale right around the corner… so I guess they don’t want to be «taken advantage of» but will encourage you to do it elsewhere.

This place is very cozy and friendly, the coffee tastes good and yes it’s pricy. It has some laptop-​free tables, so it still looks like a place to hang out with a friend rather than working.

I waited a long time to get a chance to come to this highly recommended coffee shop. Though the latte did haves beautiful leaf in it, I really wasn’t too happy. It was ok but I am more used to Starbucks style. The almond croissant was fabulous. So I guess if you like the bakery stuff and not a really sweet latte then this was awesome. But I would recommend it to those who like to try new coffee shops like I do.

Where to begin!!! The ambiance, the drips, the latte, THE DRINKING CHOCOLATE. Can’t miss any one of them. The window seats looking out at the arcade allyway is the perfect place to crank out an essay in the afternoon. Service is excellent (I’ve never had a server volunteer to fill up my water bottle for me). I come to this place at least 2 – 3 times each time I’m in AA.
Everything about Comet makes me happy. It’s the right way to do coffee!

Ah Comet Coffee, the coffee shop I’ve been yearning for since moving to AA. The staff are incredibly friendly, the music rocks, the drinks are perfectly made, and the dessert selection could not possibly be any better (almond croissants and cherry chocolate scones are TO DIE for). If only you were open a bit later but I guess that would take away from some of your charm! :)

Got to pop back into Comet on a recent visit to A2. It’s as good as always. Squatters taking up their tiny space as always. But solid baristas that serve a good cup and give good service. Glad to see they’re keeping it up. It’s been nice to watch coffee in A2 get better over the last 10 years I’ve been a regular in the town. And Comet was a big part of that.

I love that the located is tucked away inside the arcade. I can sit out front even if it’s raining! The usually have more than one barista working, so they move fairly quickly despite it being busy all the time. The quality of the coffees are very good, and can be prepared in various different ways for all the coffee snobs like myself out there ^_​~ the staff is neutral or friendly, depending on who waits on you. The indoor seating is a bit crammed, but it has nice bar style seating facing the outside windows.

Comet is now my mental image of «hipster coffee shop.» They’re in Nickels Arcade, a cute little side street; they play Pavement songs; the pour-​overs are referenced by number and accompanied with tasting notes; the baristas look like they could be members of a dream pop group. And I totally love it.
Seating can admittedly be a little hard to come by but the pour-​overs, while not the best I’ve ever had, are my favorite in Ann Arbor. Pastries are quite good too.

Good people. Nice coffee time.
They source from some of the best roasters in the country, and their way of making iced coffee is the best. I have had some of the best shots of espresso ever at Comet.

This place was decent, but not exceptional for me. The barista forgot my order, which itself is fine, but he wasn’t particularly friendly about the error.
The latte itself was pretty good, but not anything special. I got a latte with almond milk and it was kind of lukewarm. Their drink menu is very basic. Simple espresso drinks and that’s about it. The only additions were different milk, so don’t come here expecting a Starbucks– esque syrupy drink!
I love the location! It’s tucked away in a side-​street in downtown Ann Arbor. The place itself is tiny though, and can becoming very crowded very quickly. You’ll probably have to take it to go unless you can snag a table. You can tell it’s an independent shop, and that’s a large part of its charm.
Pricing was quite high for the size. I understand paying for quality, but you should probably get a bit more in your cup.
If you’re a coffee lover/​connoisseur, it’s definitely a spot you should check out.

I was excited to discover that a highly ranked independent coffee shop was a few short blocks from my Ann Arbor hotel. I made two visits on the same day:
For my morning visit, I ordered a pour-​over made with a Guatemalan coffee — it was the cheaper of the two Guatemalas and cost $ 3 (I think). I thought that the coffee was delicious; it pretty much echoed what I make for myself at home. It was served with a small glass of water (sparkling water, my choice), a tiny pitcher of milk and a big smile. I completed my breakfast with a «classic croissant,» which was a bit stale.
I arrived almost exactly at the opening hour (7AM) and had the café to myself for a few minutes. Soon, however, there was a stream of customers; by 7:30AM, the place was hopping.
In mid-​afternoon, I returned with a bunch of friends. Since my initial visit was so successful, I had high hopes for the sequel. I was a tiny, tiny bit disappointed: the macchiato was only of A– quality. As you may know from my recent reviews, I’ve had a lot of really good gibraltars and macchiatos recently — Comet’s didn’t get lapped by the others, but it was not the leader of the pack.
Comet’s Wi-​Fi is free. I measured the connection at 14.14 Mbps (download) and 1 Mbps (upload).
Comet lives on a different planet from the nearby Starbucks, which I visited the next morning when Comet opened only at 8AM. More about that visit in a separate review.

This is a very cute place to sit down and have a cup of coffee! It’s very personal, and I enjoy the small space. WiFi password is located on top of the entrance door.
I ordered a latte, and the barista served it beautifully. Very smooth and fresh. If I lived near the area, I would definitely come again!

I really wanted to like Comet Coffee. Tucked into a cute little covered alley mall, it’s the kind of «discovery» I love when I travel. However… it dissapointed. I got a pour over for $ 4. First, it was rather small for that much money. Second, it wasn’t nearly hot enough. Half way through drinking it, it was luke-​warm-​to-​cool. Coffee was high quality but, that matters little when it’s not the right temperature. And third, I got a muffin that after just one bit I could tell was not made that day… or likely the day before. I don’t mind a place selling day (s) old pastries but, they should price them accordingly. It was border-​line stale and lacking flavor.
Also, the place was a bit dirty for early morning (8am). Crumbs on the table was the first sign. Later, long after leaving, I realized I had chocolate on my pants. I didn’t have anything with chocolate so, it came from the seat or table. Bummer.
Can’t recommend this place highly and will not likely search it out again next time I’m in Ann Arbor.

Cozy and quaint like being tucked into your bed at night.
Coffee is rich and warm~ the lattes and cappucinos are beautiful.
It’s quiet and personal, so it’s a nice place to do work. I couldn’t find an outlet however to charge my phone; there probably is one but the outlets are limited. Just read a book or chat with a lovely friend, if that is the case.
Try this place! Better than any chain coffee shop, because it’s one of a kind, hidden away in adventures and browsing around. Or through Unilocal of course.