Brewtopia Coffee

I used to ADORE this coffee shop. I’ve been giving it my business for close to a decade. HOWEVER, with the new owners/​management, I’ve had nothing but absurdly deplorable experiences. The interior is no longer relaxed and comfy; it is covered in florals, chalkboard paint, and other tacky decorations. Don’t get me started on the drinks there… it’s just NOT the same without Aaron Bolt. The new owners don’t share the same knowledge and passion for coffee, so us loyal patrons have found new cafes to give our business to. What a shame. What was once Bay City’s best coffee is now a mockery of artisan beverages entirely.

I was desperately searching for a great independent coffee shop in town, and voila!
Great, friendly service and a wealth of coffee options mean this place is worth a visit! If you’re in need of some good coffee in Bay City this is the place!

Coffee was better quality than your basic starbucks, atmosphere was fun and quiet, prices were par, overall not a bad place. Keep it up guys!

Normally I’m not much of a coffee house person but I like this place. Even better with the new owners as the place is cleaner, brighter, and more spacious. You can sit down and read, browse on your phone/​laptop/​tablet, or just chill out (and literally since we’re in Michigan).
My favorite drink is the Toasted Marshmallow latte. They also make it in shake form for when it’s warmer outside (for about two months since we’re in, you know, Michigan).
They also have the typical selection of coffee, espresso, latte, mocha, cappuccino, tea, hot chocolate and daily specials. Muffins, cupcakes, bagels, and cookies too.
Located in pleasant and safe downtown Bay City.
Highly recommended.

The coffee and muffins are good. I like the atmosphere just not a huge fan of the weird people that go in there.

Just not the cozy place it used to be…

Absolutely lovely lattes. Blows any chain coffee shops out of the water, and definitely gives Starbucks a run for their money. Had a pumpkin muffin last week and a white chocolate latte with raspberry. He brought it to my table in perfect fashion in a mug, and it was perfect temperature. I could not be happier every time I visit.

So my husband and I have been going to Brewtopia for years. We don’t live in Bay City but whenever we are there we stop in. We also use it to meet clients who are driving down to meet us from up north. I don’t care for coffee so I normally get water or one of their muffins and my husband always gets coffee. We’ve been recommending them to people for years. However, tonight I had an experience that broke any relationship I had with this company. After four years of purchasing from them, bringing customers in for meetings and buying them drinks and recommending them, we had such service this evening that we will never return. My husband and I had a meeting scheduled and our clients arrived before us. They had already ordered drinks and so we did not offer to purchase them anything. My husband and I were in a bit of a hurry since we had another meeting in another city and so we chose not to order anything. We had our meeting, and our clients left. On the way out, the owner (I’m assuming based on what he said) says to our backs loudly, as we are walking out, «Hey, by the way, next time you conduct your business in my business, you should at least order something.» Um… excuse me? We have ordered things from you for years and by the way, the two cups of coffee you got from our clients would not have been YOUR business if we hadn’t told them to meet us there. They are from up north and had never heard of you before. I cannot even count how much business we have sent to them when people have asked us of good places to go or how many meetings we have conducted and ordered ourselves and our client’s drinks. We have spent a ton on HIS business and so I was appalled by the lack of customer service. That comment would be like me telling my clients, «The next time you have me drive to another city for a meeting, you should really book with us». That would be unheard of because I WANT REPEAT CLIENTS. I would never treat my clients like that.
It is unfortunate because we really liked them but that was it for me. I own a business and part of owning a business is treating people with respect and good customer service. He was such a jerk to us and he had no grounds for it. I tried to tell my husband that maybe he was having a bad day or his business may not be doing well (it was pretty empty) so perhaps our two cups of coffee was truly a financial heartache to him but the raw deal of it is, you don’t gain repeat customers by treating them like dirt. So unfortunately, Brewtopia is off of our list for places to frequent and we will definitely not be sending people their way or having any further meetings there. I won’t tolerate a place that blatantly treats customers disrespectfully.

I’ve been coming to this place off and on for three years now. Pretty great coffee (in house and beans for home) and the tea is top notch.
Great for studying or getting some work done on a Saturday.
Super nice staff. Good stuff! Three cheers. Five stars.

This place had good coffee, I got the brewed coffee. This establishment offers a dark roast and a lighter roast for their brewed coffee. I also got a muffin which was pretty good. Good product and good service win me over every time.

The three stars are for the coffee. The Latte was very good. But about beating Starbucks, I don’t think so. Not even on the same playing field.
Every time I come here the muffins are stale. I was here last week and purchased a chocolate muffin with chocolate chips. It was stale. You could not bite into the muffin without it crumbling into tiny pieces. Cut a muffin in half and the same thing happened. I’ve purchased muffins too many times and the same thing happened.
So for now, it’s just the Latte for me.

Great espresso drinks and cheaper than Starbucks! I got a latte and it was delicious, and not blazing hot, so I could actually drink it when I got it. I also had a vegan strawberry banana muffin and it was AMAZING; I’m not usually a muffin person, but it was so moist and flavorful! My boyfriend had the banana nut muffin and liked that as well.
The atmosphere was super chill. The place was bigger than I expected which was nice, you could have a conversation without feeling everyone in the building could hear it.
I wish the staff were a little more friendly though, they weren’t rude or anything, just not friendly. The girl that took our order didn’t seem happy to be there and I felt like she just wanted to take our order and not deal with us. Nicer staff would have earned this place 5 stars!

Very relaxed atmosphere, great local art on display. Coffee had balanced taste & not overly sweet. Breakfast options seemed inciting as it mostly consisted of muffins or bagels.

Very nice vibe. Good latte.

Great atmosphere, great drinks, and fun staff that really knows their stuff. I like the paintings on the walls, and the general feel of the place. I go back all the time.

What more could one ask for in a coffee shop?! Good service, a skilled barista, and a window seat. Life, and pumpkin lattes, are good here. Don’t miss it!
Added bonus: pick small, med, or large… there is no silly size code here. Just coffee-​roasted goodness.

I really enjoyed this place… reminded me of Los Angeles. The girls at the register are very nice, the coffee was delicious.

One thing that stuck out about this place over other coffee houses is the relaxed atmosphere. Although it sounds gross, the barista wasn’t wearing shoes but it didn’t bother me one bit (and this stuff usually does). The music was great and the patrons were respectful of the quiet setting conducive to getting work done. It’s a great historical building with interesting salvaged art on the walls.
The specialty coffee drinks were great and, if dining in, are served in one-​of-​a-​kind mugs that make the experience that much more cozy. It was just a really great atmosphere with free Wi-​Fi and plugs here and there (although scarce). I will be returning and suggesting it to all my friends. I guess they have special events like live music that is aimed toward the college aged kids… I should probably check that out. Bay City is blessed to have a little independent coffee house like this.

Still loving the indie coffee shop and I’ve now sat here for most of the day on a weekday. The crowd in the AM is of local variety which leads into college aged groups.
The tea by Harney and Sons is pretty good in the Paris version which tastes a bit like a dilute Earl grey. It does smell like Paris.
The Jack of Dark chocolate and raspberry is sticky, sweet, and alright.
Oh and free Wifi. Too bad there aren’t that many outlets.

There is no Starbucks in Bay City, Michigan, which is good because they have Brewtopia Coffee instead. Nestled amongst old buildings and architectures in downtown Bay City, this coffee shop is popular with locals and tourists alike.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee will greet you immediately. The atmosphere is always warm and welcoming beginning with the exposed brick and the featured art on the walls; the bright sunlight that shines into the shop all day; and the public piano that anyone can play whenever the mood strikes them. The owner and staff are very friendly and helpful. They know the regulars, which is a motley kind of crew consisting of locals, young professionals, students, and tourists. I’ve met some really great people in here with whom I’ve struck random conversations with.
So on to the food! The coffee is great. They roast all their high-​grade Arabica coffee in the store so you know it’s fresh. They have a small selection of teas, which only bothers me because none of them is fruity (a personal preference). Their chai however, is really good — especially the green tea variety. The pastries are ok — but they come from other local bakeries in the area and I’m happy to support them. At one point they also served lunch (mainly soups and sandwiches) although I’m not sure if they still do this.
I also love that they feature local artists and musicians. There is plenty of art to admire hanging on their walls and there is open mic every third Friday @ 7pm to showcase local talent.
When I find myself in Bay City, I always stop here for coffee. There is something pretty amazing in that small shop on 810 Saginaw Street. So if you’re in the Great Lakes Bay Region — please stop by and check these friendly folks out. You won’t regret it!