Sprudge Maps Spotlight is back again with another gorgeous cafe profile, this time in the great city of Detroit, home to delicious pizza, a wonderful coffee scene, and the Mozart of the late 20th century, James Dewitt Yancey, better known as J Dilla/Jay Dee. Today we’re taking a closer look at Cafe Alto, a five-seat coffee bar in the Brush Park neighborhood with a focused community vibe.
Want your cafe to be considered for a Sprudge Maps Spotlight? All you have to do is register your shop for Sprudge Maps, our user-driven compendium of coffee shops around the globe. And the best part is, it’s completely free! Sign up today!
Sprudge Maps is presented by La Marzocco and Pacific Barista Series.
As told to Sprudge by Kelly Swor
Introduce yourself to our readers—tell us about your cafe!
Cafe Alto is a little cafe tucked away in the Brush Park neighborhood of Detroit, specializing in a friendly, down to earth atmosphere with a focus on a fun, experimental beverage program. With only five seats, we like to think of ourselves as more of a neighborhood hangout than a dedicated work space, and love the community that we have fostered—especially their dogs :). Alongside our coffee and tea menu, we serve locally made Italian sodas by Casamara Club, breakfast burritos by Iggy’s Eggies, and French-Japanese fusion pastries by White Wolf Patisserie.
What equipment do you use in your shop?
We use a two-group La Marzocco Linea PB AV, Mahlkönig E80s, E65s, and EK43, and a FETCO XTS.
Which roaster or roasters do you serve?
We serve a private label coffee roasted by our partner roastery, Coffeehaus, who has a stake of ownership in the cafe. This symbiotic relationship allows us to offer a lot of fun coffee that would normally be more expensive for a more reasonable price.
What is the neighborhood like where you’re located? What’s some other cool stuff nearby?
We’re located in Brush Park, Detroit, MI. Brush Park is a great residential neighborhood of Detroit, where we’re surrounded by all of our incredible regulars. Some of our favorite places in the neighborhood are our neighboring restaurants, Grey Ghost, Second Best, Bar Pigalle, and Bakersfield.
What’s something cool or unique about your cafe you want folks to know?
We take pride in our house-made specialty drinks, including a rotating selection of seasonal specialties. Some of our more noteworthy creations are a French Toast latte with barley tea and butter syrup, a matcha latte with strawberry cordial and lemon sherbet, and rotating house made sparkling tea blends.
Is there a community organization or charity you’d like to shout-out as part of this feature?
Our next neighbor and good friends, the ACLU of Michigan! We have most recently worked with them to help in their efforts to protect reproductive rights in Michigan.
Thank you!
Want your cafe featured in a Sprudge Maps Spotlight? Register your shop for Sprudge Maps, our user-driven compendium of coffee shops around the globe. It’s completely free. Sign up today!
Sprudge Maps is presented by La Marzocco and Pacific Barista Series.
Photos by Cafe Alto, used with permission
