Commonwealth

Come in here constantly for the coffee. I absolutely loveeeee the c latte, and I love that they have the option to sub out almond milk, as I am dairy free. Not to mention they always keep it fresh with different baked goods options everyday — I can never manage to resist! Keep it up Commonwealth!

Great place for breakfast/​lunch. Very original place with good food. We come here once per month for a weekend breakfast.

A couple weekends ago my bf and I were in Birmingham to see X-​men at Emagine. We had about an hour before the movie started but we needed to eat something stat as we were very hungry. He chose Brooklyn Pizza as usual– an obvious, quality choice– but I was craving something a little greener so I decided to try a Tandoori Chicken salad from Commonwealth. I’ve been here a few times for coffee and sweets but never felt an urge to try their food, despite the fact that the place is always crowded with brunch-​goers. Anyway I ordered my salad to go, not expecting much but patting myself on the back for eschewing yummy greasy pizza for salad (lol).
O
M
G
Not only was this salad HUUUUGE and full of quality fresh veggies, it was DELICIOUS! My boyfriend agreed. The salad came with a separate cup of tandoori chicken to mix with the salad. It was a big cup, the size of a cup of soup you get at Panera. The chicken was flavored to beyond perfection and tasted like it came from pricier sourced cuts. The salad is big enough for one very hungry dude or two moderately hungry girls (I pride myself on being able to eat a lot but seriously, this was huge).
Oh and my iced C-​latte w/​almond milk (they finally got it right) was sweet and delicious.

I love their scrambled eggs and their whole grain toast is amazing. I can’t speak for too many other things on the menu since I typically order their egg dishes, which are really, really good. A little noisy but otherwise a great spot to meet friends for coffee, breakfast or lunch.

very slow service, bland food inside a nice modern décor. If you order the Buffalo chicken sandwich, it will take forever, although they did comp our entire bill at the end, which was a nice gesture by the manager.
The prosciutto taste strangely fishy, breakfast potatoes were very bland and a bit burnt, but the coffee was good.
Breakfast quinoa bowl had good quality ingredients and it was healthy, as expected from hipster place like this, tastewise good, as long as you put salt pepper and hot sauce on it. It made you feel good and not tired after eating it.
Décor was really nice, ambiance was great, bathroom was very clean, the service staff were friendly and professional. I was tempted to give 3 instead of 2 stars review, but at the end, when you sit down to have a meal, you expected to have a good one, and all the other stuffs are just bells and whistles, for me at least.

Commonwealth is a great spot with great foot and quality ingredients. Everything is done really well. Definitely try the fried egg sandwich!

Commonwealth demonstrates that bringing the «LA hipster brunch spot» to SE Michigan really works. The key element here is how different their menu items are than you might be used to. They have solid coffees and teas, pastries, and bottled drinks. Though, as I mentioned, the brunch is the real attraction here. I have not had anything I didn’t like yet. My absolute favorite is the beans and toast. If you have cravings for a traditional English breakfast, this is where you can get your fix (with a twist). Their breakfast sandwiches are always excellent as well. All of the ingredients in their dishes taste fresh and no dish feels too heavy. It’s always nice to have a good filling meal that also doesn’t leave a pit in your stomach.
In summary, this brunch place comes highly recommended for those looking for something beyond the run of the mill brunch foods. It is definitely worth I shot.

I think this place is all optics but lacking in the substance department. The coffee is not good, it’s really bitter. I’ve been here three times, I’ve wanted to like the coffee as its a nice little spot in Birmingham but it’s just not being executed properly. If I had to guess, the grind settings are off (too slow) and or the staff aren’t proper barista’s or properly trained but it’s sub par at best unfortunately.

I love Commonwealth. For me there are only 2 places in Metro Detroit to grab a great coffee, here and Astro. Beautiful spot, food is really outstanding (a bit pricey but thats expected in Birmingham, but you immediately forget about that after you try it). Great people watching.

the review is based on its coffee. I love the latte here. I came here twice already just for its latte. I personally think its latteetaste better than latte than Starbucks’. The quality of coffee bean is awesome… b/​c of that its aroma was so fresh/strong.They use whole milk for its latte which could be another reason why it taste so GOOD… they have 2% percent milk upon request. I recommend to stop by here for its coffee when you are taking a walk at the downtown Birmingham.

This place is very comfortable and the service is great. The fried egg sandwich is amazing and although it’s all I ever had, I will be back to try the rest of the menu. The poured over coffee was great. I can’t remember which coffee I had but it had a hint of chocolate flavor.
This is a great meeting place, a place for a quick date, or a great spot just to chill and feel relaxed.

My friend and I had a later brunch on Sunday at Commonwealth and I can definitely say I’ll be back!
The only off-​setting moment I had was that you are expected to order your food before you sit down, so if you are waiting for someone, you have to stand around and wait before you can take a seat. That is my only complaint though.
This is café style, where you order your food at the counter, pay and grab a table. They bring your food out when it is ready. The girl behind the counter was very knowledgeable as I had several questions regarding allergies.
My friend ordered the grilled cheese and tomato soup and seemed to like it.
I had the seasonal omelette off of the specials menu with bacon and onions and had a side of arugula and balsamic salad. I ordered the omelette without the Gruyère cheese to keep it dairy free. The egg omelette does not contain milk. I also had a cup of the tomato soup which is house-​made and gluten free and dairy free. It comes with baguette, which I left alone :)
It took a little while for the food to come out, but they did bring my soup out quickly.
I will 100% go back here because of the vast menu options and their ability to accommodate allergens.

I ordered the Americano and the fried egg sandwich, recommendations of the barista.
The 10 dollar breakfast sandwich was disappointing. The multigrain nut and seed bread was fun. The eggs left something to be desired. Odd match with avocado and tomatoes slices. The spread didn’t bind the egg and tomato/​avocado with the bread.
The americano was weak. Earthen taste but definitely not SF hipster strong (philz, ritual, 4barrel, contraband). Great Lakes coffee (near DMC) makes a stronger americano.
Ill be back to try their single pour over and pastries.

Getting too big for your britches… With the upcoming expansion next door and the new waiting to be seated, cramped up in the back corner, things are a changin’ — and not for the better.
Came in before work to order a cortado and coffee to-​go. Was told cortados are for dine in only. I’ve been to many (better) coffee shops that didn’t think twice to serve me up.
Sorry Commonwealth. I’m over you. Won’t be back.

I moved here from Seattle, the land of good coffee. I wanted to find a good local coffee shop, and this place was recommended multiple times. The atmosphere is great, and reminds me of a place that I used to go to in Seattle. It has a very urban feeling. They have a great light menu, and I loved the salads. I was excited to see that they do pour overs, but not impressed with the taste of the coffee. I gave this place several tries, and I will probably be back for a latte and some food with friends, but not a pour over. Pour overs are best served at Red Hook.

Came here for brunch on Sunday after checking out the Birmingham Farmer’s Market. Line was long, but went by relatively fast, maybe 10 minutes from door to register. Order and they give you a number and they bring the food out to you à la Noodles & Company.
I got the breakfast burrito and a latte. Pops also got the burrito, mom dukes got the tuna salad sandwich, and brodie got the seasonal omelette. All of the dishes came with a side salad.
The latte was delicious. Standard. Exactly what I expected.
The breakfast burrito was adequate. Since I wasn’t eating meat that particular day, I did not add the optional chorizo but if I were eating meat, I would have added that to bump up the flavor because it was a little bland. Luckily they had this really good hot sauce (Clancy’s I believe?) that had a good smoky flavor that enhance the burrito.
I tried a bite of my brothers omelette and it was real good.
I see why people come here. You feel good when you eat here because it’s in Birmingham, where the Lululemon pants ratio to regular pants is 5:1, and it makes you feel slightly superior because the eggs came from a farm where the chickens are massaged for an hour each day and the eggs are rinsed in Evian water after being laid etc. You get my point. There’s nothing wrong with it, it is what it is.
I just wish there was more flavor. So Commonwealth, LISTEN TO THE KIDS BRO.

I absolutely love this place!
Hands down the best coffee I have ever had in the Metro Detroit area! Found out about this place from a friend and thank goodness I went to try it.
The staff are really nice when I spoke with them and I was recommended to try their C latte. The C latte is not too strong and not to sweet, it’s basically the perfect amount of everything! A plus about their coffee is the coffee art that comes along with it… it’s pretty awesome!
Definitely will be coming back again! :)

My daughter and I love this place. Even though it’s not very big, the service is relatively fast, and the tables turn over quickly. Love the open air bar area when the weather is good. Great for business or social, breakfast, brunch, lunch or afternoon coffee. The fried egg sandwich is to die for, and you can ask for fruit instead of salad (in case you order the sandwich for breakfast). The waffles are great too, as are the salads. Haven’t tried the soups or other sandwiches just yet.
Good variety of specialty coffees and teas, and they are expertly prepared. For dessert, they have a nice variety of macrons. They were exquisite, but I haven’t tried them since their recent pastry chef change. The staff is friendly and service is good. If I had any complaint at all, it’s that there should be at least ONE variety of plain, black, coffee that is under $ 3 a cup. But then again, it IS Birmingham.

I only came here for coffee, but I loved my experience here! The building is very clean and beautifully designed. The staff was also friendly and greeted me with smiles :)
If you have a sweet tooth, get the c latte! It has a caramel flavor and the sweetness surprised me (In a good way). The latte came in an adorable coffee art (bonus points!) which was awesome. I definitely want to come back and try their food!

***Local, seasonal and delicious, Commonwealth is an excellent Detroit area breakfast restaurant***
Commonwealth is the kind of breakfast restaurant that makes me think that I need to eat breakfast out more often. Commonwealth’s talented kitchen takes good quality local ingredients and transforms them into hearty, filling, delicious, and even seasonal breakfast dishes. The restaurant also has a contemporary and comfortable look as well as a friendly staff.
For my breakfast entrée, I had their fried egg sandwich, which consisted of local bacon, avocado, a fried egg, and local hot sauce on hearty toast. The sandwich was good and had a surprising amount of heat. There was also something sweet in it to balance the heat as well as some good saltiness from the bacon. I also liked how the sandwich could be eaten as a sandwich. The toast held up very well. While the bacon was crisp and had a good flavor, it did not have the thickness and chewiness of great bacon like Niman Ranch bacon. The fried egg was also good quality, but the yolk was cooked most of the way through so there was not that runny yolk to act as a rich sauce for the sandwich, which you get with excellently prepared fried eggs.
The breakfast sandwich came with a simple but fresh salad.
I had their pain perdu as kind of a breakfast dessert. The pain perdu was made up of brioche French toast that was topped with powdered sugar, warm pecans and an apple compote. With the warm nuts, the cinnamon and the apples, this plate smelled like the fall. It tasted like the fall too. The apples were sweet but not overly sugary and I enjoyed the crunch of the pecans that were not too candied.
The brioche French toast was very good. The edges were crispy while the center was moist and nicely flavored by the egg batter. Some small parts of the brioche might have been slighty soggy. What I really liked about the pain perdu was how it was really pain perdu, which is supposed to be made of day old bread. The slight staleness of the bread was definitely noticeable, which allowed for a more distinct crispy and crunchy crust to contrast against the soft and moist center.
I also had their hot chocolate. It was accentuated by beautiful foam art and it had the right consistency. It was thin but not watery as well as lightly creamy though not too thick or rich. Unfortunately, it could have used a stronger chocolate flavor.
Service was very good. The staff was friendly and the food came out quickly.
Their prices are about what you would expect to pay for a gourmet order-​at-​the-​counter breakfast. Portions were generous.
Commonwealth has a nice dining area that is contemporary and comfortable (great windows too that let in a lot of natural light). The counter is also attractive with a glass display that shows off many delicous looking pastries as well as macarons in unique flavors like pumpkin pie, chai, and ginger with maple. Commonwealth seems like a perfect fit for its neighborhood, which is Birminigham – an upscale, tree-​lined shopping and dining area located 15 minutes or so outside of Detroit.
Commonwealth is a great breakfast option if you find yourself in the Detroit area. Not many breakfast restaurants deliver the local ingredients as well as seasonal dishes of Commonwealth. While I did not explore a lot of the Detroit dining scene, Commonwealth would have to be one of the city’s best breakfast restaurants. It would hold its own very well in any city.
Street parking and parking structures (free I think) are available.