The Ugly Mug Café

This is an awesome place, with great cold brew and super delicious bagel sandwiches. Here is a real conversation I had the other day:
ME: You know what I wish was eating right now?
FRIEND: The Ugly Mug’s Ugly Muglia bagel?
ME: How did you – ?
FRIEND: I dream of it nightly
I don’t know if it’s the nutritional yeast or what, but those bagels are savory and mind-​haunting. I’ve only had good experiences with the staff the times I’ve been there, and I’m definitely looking forward to going back.

Ugly Mug used to be my favorite! The espresso was always smooth, drinks well made, and staff on point– but the last 5 or 6 times I’ve been there, I’ve received sub par lattes that take twice the time from baristas that don’t look like they care at all.
There hasn’t even been latte art, which I’m not a snob about if the coffee was any good, just a general statement to add how the level of detail has gone down.
Not sure if under new management or new staff but I don’t go there anymore.

Always good espresso drinks, and a twist on the other choices. Recent décor changes make it a little more comfy for the upscale, and a little less hipster. I don’t regularly want to spend $ 6 for a coffee and a cookie for lunch, but I would rather do it here than elsewhere.

I miss this place so much. I lived in Ypsi, about 2 blocks from Ugly Mug, for two years. The bus stop to get to U of M was right in front of Ugly Mug, so I visited Ugly Mug just about every weekday and some weekend days too. The coffee is superb. Sorry, none of the Ann Arbor places compare to Ugly Mug on coffee, in my opinion. Moreover, the bagels are delicious and unique. I absolutely love the Big Breakfast bagel on everything. You can’t beat it. Finally, the baristas will chat with you and get to know you if you’re a regular. This place is the bomb dotcom.

I would have given ugly mug 5 stars, but it’s almost too hip for its own good sometimes. The coffee is bomb! They use Calder dairy, aka luxurious!
This was the first place I went to that did breakfast bagel sandwiches with, ready, butter, cream cheese, and cheddar! The butter seems small but it gives a great mouth feel! But the two cheeses is a Gamechanger! I get that everywhere I go now. The breakfast sandwiches are special here.
But then there’s the crazy hip-​ness… Look, I’m cool with individuality and I love style, but… sometimes you wait like 15 minutes for a cup of coffee. They tend to take their time.
So if you’re looking for a cool coffee shop to go and chill, definitely check it out. Don’t stop here on the way to work tho…

Ugly mug has delicious lattes. I have ventured off to this coffee shop quite a few times during school and rotations. Be sure to try the vegan chocolate chip cookies, they are delicious
Happy eatings!
–S

Best lattes and the cold brew is wonderful. The patio seating is very nice and the rotating art makes going a new experience every time. I’m not sure why everyone is complaining about the service. I’ve had days when it’s a bit slow because they’re busy, but the staff has always been nice. Also the breakfast bagels are amazing.

Not sure what sets this apart. I think I got it while watching the batista making my wife’s Chair: they seem to care about the drink. Of course it was prepared and mixed carefully, using a whisk to stir it half way through before adding more steam milk, but even with a to go cup it made a design in the froth

The coffee is usually pretty good, and I think it is a pretty neat atmosphere now that they’ve painted and gotten rid of the god awful blue-​green paint and some of the uncomfortable art.
The problem with this place is the service. I feel like a huge burden to the baristas every time we come in. Minimal chat is one thing, but I actually have experienced being ignored or baristas being really short (almost angry) with me while ordering or asking a question. I know many others have had this experience. Its just not a welcoming place.

Adam is the man. Dude makes flame coffee and can also juggle flaming swords. What a time… To be alive.

This is the best espresso in the area — and far better than those in Ann Arbor, with the possible exception of Comet Coffee.
It is a straightforward espresso bar. Of course they make all your milk and sweet flavor variants. But they start with an excellent shot pulled with care and attention. That matters a lot to me, because the shot is all I want.
Good pastries too. Bagel sandwiches look good. Haven’t had any.
Ample seating and some parking.
If you are jones-​ing for great espresso stop here. They got you covered.
Chris

From what I hear, there have been some significant management and staffing changes at the Mug since I moved away from Ypsi a year ago, so when I came back to visit this summer, I knew there was a good chance I wouldn’t run into many familiar faces there. I stopped by anyway for nostalgia’s sake — twice, in fact, since I was staying around the corner (and feeling nostalgic.) Both drinks I ordered (a latte and a dirty chai) were really mediocre. It seemed like the milk wasn’t steamed right. Might be because of all the recent turnover (and having to train everybody at the same time) but it made me sad. I’m sure they’ll still get business (the location is great!) but the people coming here for quality drinks will need to scout out some other options.

There isn’t much good to say about The Ugly Mug that you can’t read in other reviews: an eclectic atmosphere with decent food and coffee. As well as many seating options, including a covered outdoor area.
What would really make this place stand out from the crowd of copycat «cool» venues is if it didn’t have such rude and snobbish employees. Much of the staff is very friendly and conscientious with the regulars one moment but then noticeably curt and hasty with other customers that have done nothing but patronized a local business.
If you have time to chat with a regular buying a small coffee (while there is a line no less) you have time to answer a poor woman’s question about your products.
There’s almost no parking so it’s reasonable to conclude that the majority of this café’s customers live nearby. However, the overall treatment of non-​regulars would lead one to believe this local establishment is more interested in being cool then being in business.

My go-​to place! My friend and I trek over here biweekly for a good latte and are never disappointed.
It has a hipster, grungey vibe (dark, with lots of secondhand furniture) that may be a turnoff for some. The location itself is small, as well as its parking, so you may have to park on the street and walk over.
I’ve never had a bad latte here, and their espresso itself isn’t too intense. My personal favorite is the café miel, it’s a little sweet with cinnamon. This is definitely more of a «sit down and enjoy your coffee place» than a «grab it and go place», as it can take a while to get your drink (as with most coffee shops like this.)
As for the staff, I haven’t had a bad experience! Pretty friendly and not snobby .
I’m stoked Ypsi has its «own» coffee place and I will continue to visit again and again.

This place is not really your typical coffee shop. Don’t get me wrong, I like a café that steps out of the normal and tries something new. I think this place would have nailed that had the barista I encountered not been so… I guess «high and mighty?»
Let me rewind. I came here to meet up with a friend of mine and I applaud them that they let us spend less than $ 10 and still sit around for 2 hours catching up. I felt really rude when I saw how long we had been using up space there.
The atmosphere is really great — it’d give it 4 stars. Everything has a very defined style and it feels very hippie/​grunge/​hipster-​esque. However, the further back you venture into the coffee shop, I started to feel like everything was a little cluttered and knick knacks were thrown wherever they would fit rather than displayed. It sort of made the café feel a little less clean.
The prices — they aren’t bad at all. Once again, I’m very happy to pay more for drinks and food as long as I feel the little bit of a more personal touch and effort than with large coffee chains.
Taste and quality of the food and drinks — pretty great. I got some sort of sandwich bagel creation and I really liked it a lot. The drink was excellent. I wanted to try something new, something besides a simple latte or a cappuccino and I feel like they nailed it… even if it was like pulling teeth trying to get to that point.
That’s where the Ugly Mug disappointed me — the barista working seemed to be the king of all that is coffee. He knew everything about it and wanted everybody to know what he thought of their choices. I walked in and fully disclosed how I wanted to try something way out of the ordinary for myself and it was hot out so I wanted something cold, maybe blended, that had a sweeter flavor. After scoffing at me about how they don’t make any of that «Frappuccino crap» that Starbucks makes, he offered to make me a latte over ice. I happily obliged and said that was more what I was thinking.
After sitting down with my iced latte, the barista continued to talk to the patrons who were obviously regulars about how he hated when people come in and want frilly «Frappuccino-​y sh*t or McFreeze-​y bullish*t» from other places that aren’t them. Yeah, I get that frustration and understand it but wouldn’t he just suggest something similar, like my iced latte, rather than «schooling» me about it? I felt very uncomfortable but it was too late to change meeting places now.
After a while, I quit listening to the King Coffee barista and just decided to have a good time anyway. After I was finished, I was sure to thank him and bring my plate up, tipping a little for staying so long, and I got a head nod. I still thought he was an arrogant child but I tipped him anyway… and after thanking him he just nods at me. I feel like he just put the cherry on top of the imitation McFrappe I would go and sip elsewhere, thinking of him and enjoying every last sip of my «McFreeze-​y bullsh*t.»

(Note: this review is for their bagels only, did not try the coffee.) I guess this is one of the places that either you love it or hate it! Unfortunately we didn’t feel the love, sadness!
Overall: overpriced bagel, lack of variety, poor service, in a coffee shop that smelled a bit like a toilet. Below is the breakdown:
Parking: small lot in front. It was completely full at 10:30am on a Friday, we parked at a metered spot a block or so away
Bagel selection: apparently they had many types but by the time we got in half of them were not available. I got the Big Breakfast bagel sandwich ($ 6.5) which included a pre-​made egg patty, microwaved bacon, spinach, tomatoes, hot sauce, cream cheese, American cheese and butter. I guess the egg patty needed that much cheese and butter since it didn’t have much taste after I decided to forgo there dairy part. I got the wheat bagel but there was only flakes of wheat in white bread
Service: could be improved! First off, there was a line of 4 – 5 people waiting to order, and yet the cashier kept chatting away for another good 5 min or so with a customer whom happened to be an acquaintance. Second, I ordered my Big Breakfast without dairy products and she asked, «so no eggs?» Third, it took 3 tries for me to get the right sandwich, as they only gave me an egg sandwich the first time, second time added some vegetables, and finally last time some bacon! Perhaps somebody needed more coffee or lay off the weed!
Atmosphere: I think they were trying to go for a free spirit feel, but ended up with disorganization and somewhat dirty feel instead, mostly due to the musty, toilet smell that pervaded the whole shop.

What kind of hipster bullshit is this?
I had the serious displeasure of stopping in at The Ugly Mug for my afternoon coffee fix today. I was in a hurry to get back to work, no time to change my mind, so I had no choice but to order coffee here.
The place is crowded with dirty hippies, sitting at dirty tables in a dirty shop. Sticky tables, dirty spoons. The guy at the register was one of those coffee know-​it-​alls that love to hear themselves talk and love to exude self-​righteousness. He was really insulting and condescending after I tried in vain to explain what I wanted.
They didn’t want to add a single shot to my drink, because «Oh Emm Gee! Like, shots are pulled in TWO’s, dontcha know?» Was told that I could have a quad shot drink or a two shot drink, but God forbid a 3 shot drink.
Why can every other coffee house make my drink with an extra shot, but Ugly Mug can’t? Interesting.
Whatever, transient… just make me a regular one. They also throw a fit if you ask for it extra hot or in a to go cup. They have explanations (uhm, excuses) for everything. After a lot of rude eye rolling and hemming & hawing, it took two lazy G.E.D. morons to rub their last two brain cells together to actually make my drink. They definitely want to make the drink THEIR way, not YOUR way. Why pay premium price for this?
If you like a place that brews great coffee and values their customers, this is NOT your shop. If you have a real job (or have clean clothes on, or are free of misdemeanors) you will feel very out of place here. After taking a very long time to make my drink, it wasn’t even good! Barista girl tossed my drink on the bar and continued with her side conversation. And I hate lukewarm coffee.
You will leave irritated and unsatisfied. I highly recommend going somewhere else, even Starbucks, because this place will drive you right back into the boring arms of Tom Horton’s. Yuck.

Absolutely excellent cappuccino!
Constructed well. Tastes great! Looks right!
Service is cordial. Ambience perfect for a neighborhood coffee shop.
Plenty of seating.
I really just wanted to post the top line, but added all the rest (though it is accurate and honest) because they said my top comment was only a tip and not a review.
Just read the top line.

Hipster local coffee place. They have very good bagel sandwiches and descent coffee. Their specialty drinks are great! The furniture is «well broken in». It is comfortable but looks like they just grab stuff from the curb at the end of the school year.
You can get a fancy coffee and a breakfast bagel sandwich for about 10 bucks.
I recommend the Café Miel !

Their website bills the café as «Ypsilanti’s living room.» That’s a perfectly apt description. It’s casual, comfortable, a little worn and threadbare. There isn’t a whole lot of seating. But… the coffee is worth it!
I had the Sumatra, black, and it was incredibly rich. Great choice for someone who loves a full-​bodied coffee à la Peet’s (for you Californians stuck in Ann Arbor). Definitely on my regular rotation of coffeehouses.

I stopped here for a quick cup of coffee. The coffee was just ok. Not awesome. Certainly not worth Starbucks prices. And the only milk available was whole milk. Now, I suppose it could have been worse — it could have been skim milk. But being limited to only whole milk in a dedicated coffee shop is utterly ridiculous.
I also had a major problem with the cleanliness of the place. The floors hasn’t been swept in eons. Visible detritus littered the floor, particularly in the corners. There were actually a couple of dust-​covered coins on the floor in non-​traffic areas.
I’m not sure when «hipster» became synonymous with «dirty,» but it’s just not acceptable. Buy a %$#@! broom, Ugly Mug!

Dear Ugly Mug,
I’ve missed you dearly since I’ve moved, won’t you come brew me a fresh pot across the state? I mean, it’s only a 2 hour drive!
I have yet to find a coffee place here that makes my eye twitch quite like yours. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some damn good coffee here, but something about your beans just puts you above the rest… If I didn’t already know that you were sourcing responsibly and roasting in house, I’d assume Monsanto got their shady little hands on them and created some sort of «super-​bean».
I’ll always stop in when I’m near you, my friend.

I’m a Ypsilantian (Ypsilantier?) and I love my local restaurants and coffee dives. This place is a definite gem in my opinion when it comes to local flavor and great coffee.
I’ve been here a bunch of times, either driving home or just coming around for a delicious coffee drink after a meal in depot town or a walk through Frog park.
There isn’t much I can say about it, it has a unique atmosphere, it has seasonal favorites if you are into the pumpkin spice (seems to be a thing right?).
Stop by, check it out, if you love coffee, you will enjoy this place.