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Cafe Ollie
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Restaurants Vegan Coffee & Tea, Vegan [Edit]
42 E Cross StYpsilanti, MI 48198
Neighborhood: Depot Town Ypsilanti
(734) 482-8050
- Hours:
Tue-Sun 10 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Hipster, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
17 reviews for Cafe Ollie
17 reviews in English
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Review from Calley M.
Ypsilanti, MI
3/28/2012
My boyfriend and I love to stroll depot town and love stopping here for ice cream. They have the usual and some unique flavors stocked.
We've been in for lunch also. He had a turkey sandwich? I think? All I know is that I had a salad that was so simple but serioulsy SO fresh and delishious!! It was kast September but I still remember thinking that they had to of just come from the farmers market with veggies for my salad. Oh so good! He loved his sandwich too. It was piled high with meat so I took some to cut up into my salad. We left full and so happy we tried them for more than our usual ice cream cone. -
Review from J K.
Ypsilanti, MI
2/18/2012
I haven't been into this place since it was Luwak, and i was over at depot town tattoo and needed a bite to eat.
I walked in and noticed the small store they added on to sell some local products, nice touch. I ordered a vegetarian reuben, paula reuben i think. It came out pretty rapidly and was toasted while the crust wasn't hard (which i liked)... oh, and the sandwich was delicious! I will be back to try the other offerings soon! -
Review from Heather W.
Ypsilanti, MI
1/26/2012
After stopping by Ollie for a black coffee many times on the way to or home from some other errand or gathering, I finally ventured in for a bona fide visit for the first time since eating here when it was Luwak.
To drink, I had a soy cappuccino. It was good, but not remarkable. Note: I tried to order half-caf, but there was no decaf espresso available.
To eat, I ordered the Geek Salad (essentially a Greek, but with candied walnuts). The salad was refreshing and the candied nuts were a great addition to a traditional Greek. The dressing was served on the side, which was for the best because it was pretty thick for a raspberry vinaigrette and way too sweet for my taste. Despite that, the salad was great. The ingredients were mostly fresh (I'm almost positive the beets were canned) and the salad was refreshing and a good value for the price.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The interior is wide open with plenty of space to sit down and have a meal or to find a quiet workspace (which is what I needed, as I went to get work done). There was music playing, which is to be expected, but it was neutral (milk hotel) enough the entire time that I was able to sit inside for over an hour without feeling the need for headphones or feeling distracted by the music.
The service was great. Anyone who's ever taken my order or made my coffee at Ollie has been really chill and welcoming. I was surprised that the barista had me sit down and just brought my coffee and salad out to me. Granted, it wasn't busy, but she was the only one working, so I thought it was nice.
Overall, Ollie was what I needed it to be. A place where I could spread my stuff out and work, but still get a coffee an something to eat. There are places in Ypsi that do everything Ollie does a little bit better, but that's no discredit to a place that has a lot going for it. -
Review from Sarah M.
Ypsilanti, MI
Updated - 2/5/2012
Everything I have tried is delicious... the macaroni & cheese, the soup, the demitri, the ice cream...etc..etc. This has become a favorite place to eat with friends, do homework, or just grab a meal to go.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/4/2011
Cafe Ollie is one of my favorite places to go in Ypsi. Their BBQ tofu sandwich is perfect (this is… Read more »
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Review from pz j.
Ann Arbor, MI
9/9/2011
After dinner at Sidetracks, we decided to stop into Cafe Ollie for dessert. The bf got some ice cream and I got a cupcake. Ice cream was really, really good. Cupcake was dry and stale! I was very disappointed. I was even more disappointed to see that they put out the cupcakes on a display tray by the register. I'd like to try their other items in the future, because I know that people have given this place high reviews. But it may take me a while before I get rid of the bad taste that cupcake left in my mouth!
1 star for being local + 1 star for friendly service. -
Review from Amy W.
Ypsilanti, MI
Updated - 9/27/2011
I know Beezy's gets all the Ypsi lovin' for breakfast, but for my money, Ollie is where it's at.
I absolutely adore Cafe Ollie. As a vegan, breakfast options are really limited. I mean, even Seva has mostly eggs for breakfast. So Ollie has won my heart by making a vegan breakfast burrito with tofu and housemade "bacon" (oh, Ollie tempeh bacon... yum). On the side, some fantastic potatoes... the kind with crisp exteriors and soft potato-y goodness within.
There are plenty of other breakfast options for the omnis and vegetarians in your crew as well. The pancakes looked especially good (me= jealous, quietly sobbing).
I believe I have now had all of the vegan lunch items, and I can safely say that this is the very best place in the area for a vegan sammie. For dessert, they have two flavors of non-dairy sorbet and Vegan Cupcakes. The chocolate peanut butter cupcake is fantabulously good.Listed in: Best Veggie Noms
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/8/2011 First to Review
Holy yum, it's veggie Nirvana!
This new cafe in Depot Town has a great menu of vegetarian and vegan… Read more »
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Review from Angie K.
Green Bay, WI
9/14/2011
Pretty good. I had the Rueben (can't recall the exact name of it). The bread wasn't very flavorful - they should've went with a dark rye. Actually the whole sandwich was quite bland. Maybe it's my German heritage, but I think this Rueben definitely needed sauerkraut.
The Lemmy (lemon sorbet and lemonade) was outstanding! -
Review from Megan M.
Cafe Ollie had large shoes to fill, taking over the space from Luwak. I'm happy to report that Ollie does things in a new and enjoyable way.
I am, of course, a big fan of the many vegetarian options. The TLT is a knockout and tastes awesomely unhealthy, with soft white bread and plenty of vegan mayo. I also am in love with any place that will do a custom breakfast sandwich and offers tempeh bacon as an option.
Ollie offers commendable service: they take orders at the counter and usually bring the food right to your the table. The atmosphere allows for both quick visits for ice cream or prolonged laptop study fests. The layout is unchanged, but the darker paint makes the space noticeably more gloomy.
It's hard to be gloomy, however, when contemplating the delicious cupcakes. I wish I could say I'd sampled them all, but I keep going back to the chocolate one with a salted caramel filling, topped with a perky chocolate-covered potato chip. -
Review from Sam G.
5/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
I can't wait to check back in here and give this place 4 or 5 stars. I want to adore this place. But for now, three stars it is.
[[The amazing]]
- great atmosphere: colorful but understated walls that make the place both contemporary and cozy, little table niches where you can hide away to read or cozy up with a loved one, or tables out in the open for social butterflies.
- Local art, local music (always represented in the bookshelf next to the cash register with zines, tapes, cds, and 7"s)
- ice cream that makes you howl for more: sweet, creamy, good flavors, and made in Michigan
- music that makes you feel like someone has been digging through your own record collection
[[The good]]
- staff: down to earth and helpful
- lots of vegan and vegetarian options
[[The luke warm]]
- sandwiches: After sampling three or four sandwiches here, I can't help but feel a little disappointed
...I think the biggest issue is the bread - after eating at places like Beezy's and Mudgie's, I am used to divine intervention with every bite. The bread here feels a little stale, a little too Wonderbread and not enough like wholesome, hearty, homemade bread.
... and then there's the kind of single-flavor-texture thing going on. Whether it be a vegetarian or vegan or meat sandwich, I can only taste one thing. The vegan 'meatballs' end up tasting like marinara mush, the vegan 'B'LT is dry and generic, the turkey sandwiches suffer in much the same ways.
... i want more and fresher veggies! More sauces (besides ranch dressing or plain mayo)! Better proportions/balance between bread and filling! Layered interacting flavors and textures! In other words, I'd love for them to push the envelope beyond what I can do at home in 5 minutes after a midnight run to Krogers.
- tea selection: just a little bit more tea would rock my world and put the "cafe" in "cafe ollie" -- haven't yet tried the espresso or the coffee...
This place has infinite potential, much of it that has already been realized. I'm waiting for the food to be elevated up to the quality of the rest of the cafe.Listed in: Veganomics, Uppers and Downers
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Review from Liz W.
4/23/2011
I am not a vegetarian, not even close, seriously. I am a meat fanatic, which if you read my reviews should come as no surprise. That being said I quite enjoyed my takeout lunch from Cafe Ollie this week.
I work with an incredibly health conscious vegetarian who is leaning vegan. I also have a very good friend who is roughly in the same pattern food wise. I am pretty flexible on going veg with them. Besides I figure going veg every now and again at least should be a rest for my poor arteries.
I was surprised the sandwich I got from here was so tasty. The fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil on the Crazy Caprese were delicious as was the tomato ciabatta bread. You cannot go wrong with a bit of balsamic to meld it into happiness. Our sandwich selections came with kettle chips (see- not uber healthy) and nice pickles. It was a nice switch from my usual bring my own salad luncheon.
The to-go arrived well packed and in good condition. I appreciated that.
I will definitely go back, its super close to work and I have to give vegan cupcakes a whirl just for curiosity's sake. Plus I need to check out the inside for myself, I have only seen it passing by on my way to Sidetrack and it looks really cute.
Carnivores, have no fear, try it!Listed in: Yelping Ypsi Food, Vegetarian for the…
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Review from Jennifer E.
Ann Arbor, MI
5/17/2011
So I had to think about this for a while before I committed to posting it. I am very disappointed to have to do it.
My family is new to the area, and we like Depot Town so much we just bid on a house there.
We have visited Cafe Ollie several times since it opened and we liked it very much. We are vegetarians and were thrilled to find a veggie-friendly establishment within walking distance! The ice cream was good, the cupcakes were terrific, and the staff (including the owner) was friendly and helpful.
Unfortunately, after what happened over the weekend, I cannot in any conscience recommend this establishment, and we are still quite shocked about the behavior we encountered there.
Last Saturday afternoon, we brought the kids down for ice cream to reward them for good report cards. My husband decided to get some things done and brought his work computer. When we left, we inadvertently left his computer bag and equipment behind.
By the time we realized the mistake, the shop was closed and would remain closed until the next Tuesday morning. We left several messages but never heard back, even when the cafe reopened.
Tuesday morning, he walked over to talk to them and see if someone had discovered the bag. The shop's owner was uncharacteristically rude in response to what has to be a common question in cafes ("Hey, did you guys happen to see a computer bag left behind?") but made an exasperated show of looking.
This is when my husband noticed a computer propped on the glass display case that was identical to his own, including an uncommon after market sticker. He called me, still refusing to believe that a business owner would so blatantly lie with the computer in plain sight.
He felt it had to be a weird coincidence, so I offered to come in and look while he went down to the police station to report the laptop stolen.
When I arrived less than five minutes later, there was only one laptop on the counter, an older model of a different color. When the owner saw me glancing at it, he removed it from the counter to a table and left the restaurant in a rush while the others behind the counter complained.
My husband confirmed that this was NOT the model he'd seen on the ice cream case, and the decision was made to ask the police to the shop.
Once they arrived and the owner was called back, it became obvious that something weird was going on. When the officers mentioned the "lost" laptop, he denied having seen it- but then also denied having any laptops other than the older dell, which pretty much cemented that he had, in fact, appropriated my husband's computer.
We are absolutely heartbroken, and dumbfounded. This was not a terribly valuable computer- but apparently valuable enough to lose the business of an entire family of local ice cream and coffee addicts. Even worse, the computer is equipped with Dell's recovery software, a bios persistent tracking software that cannot be removed:
"Laptop Tracking and Recovery software agent and a persistence module embedded in the BIOS. The software agent can survive operating system re-installations, hard drive reformats and even hard drive replacements."
The computer will report its location continuously any time it is turned on, rendering it useless to anyone who does not own it.
So, honestly....why???
Edited to respond to the "owner comment" - everything as stated in the post was true. Your attitude and behavior was not that of an honest person.
Further, I do not review on Yelp under any other name but my own.Comment from Mark T. of Cafe Ollie 6/17/2011
*FIRST AND FOREMOST*: If you have any questions about this… More » -
Review from Lindsey S.
Ypsilanti, MI
2/16/2011
I actually went to Cafe Ollie twice in one week :)
The first time, I went for lunch and had a Vegan BLT. It was good! The fakey-bacon was excellent! I also had a soy latte - very good - and a cup regular of coffee. The coffee is good - roased by Henrietta Haus, located in Wyandotte, MI. Later I had a red velvet cupcake - that was the best cream cheese frosting I've ever had, no hyperbole.
The second time, I went for dinner and ordered the vegetarian sandwich, "Hi, How are You?" It's like a tofu barbecue sandwich with coleslaw and swiss on a ciabatta roll. Everything about it was good. After I try more menu items, I will definitely return to this one.
The sandwiches come with crispy kettle chips and a pickle.
Not only was I happy to see a new local business taking over the gap Luwak left in our town, but I am very pleased that they offer such a good vegetarian and vegan variety.
I will return! -
Review from Craig W.
Williamsport, PA
3/11/2012
Great coffee drinks. Very friendly staff. They made a special "coffee" (whipped cream) for my grand daughter. A great find in Depot Town!
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Review from Kary P.
Belleville, MI
9/4/2011
I love that Cafe Ollie caters to omnivores, vegans, and in between. The service is friendly and helpful, and the food was wonderful. I had the It's A Wrap sandwich (made vegan) and a Lemmy (lemonade and lemon sorbet) to drink. It was the perfect summer meal, light but satisfying, and delicious. I'm looking forward to going back.
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Review from Buck N.
Ypsilanti, MI
7/12/2011
I LOVE Cafe Ollie. I'm usually eating here at least twice a week. For as often as I visit, I never find myself disappointed. Its got a real homey vibe. Favorites include the T-Hill sandwich and the MC5.
The environment and workers are both fantastic. They have lots of free local papers and information to keep yourself occupied while you wait for them to whip up your favorite coffee drink. The staff is always nice and gratefully honest when you ask for there personal opinion on the various dishes they offer.
It is also always nice to know that you are eating the freshest of ingredients. They try and keep it all local as well, which always makes you feel just that much better. The 1/3 meat 1/3 vegetarian 1/3 vegan menu is pretty ingenious as far as I'm concerned.
I truly felt obligated to write a review after reading that horrible story about the laptop incident. I would never in a million years even consider the possibility of that story being true. The owners and workers at Cafe Ollie are nothing but helpful, polite and above all honest people. I think what happened is that the couple lost a very valuable item that they had emotional attachment to. Once emotions are involved it is very easy to not consider all possibilities and jump to pointing fingers and playing the blame game. Unfortunately they took it out on the innocent bi-standard. It is truly sad to see such awful things written about such a great place. -
Review from Pedro E.
Ypsilanti Township, MI
12/4/2011
Ollie's is the whip! I moved to Ypsilanti for school and picked up a job in depot town. They had biscuits and gravy on special for a week, I ate it every day. The mozzarella bagel with the melty cheese center will blow your mind. This place has an awesome ice cream selection, unique delicious food, and outstanding service. The MC5, 5 - cheese macaroni is my all time favorite. Thanks to the Ollie's crew you rock. My bacon egg and cheese breakfast bagel is awesome....
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Review from Nani S.
Ypsilanti, MI
Updated - 4/21/2011
Try their Lemmy Cooler this summer: fresh lemonade blended with lemon sorbet. Creamy, yummy, and perfect for trolling around Depot Town on Classic Car Night or something :)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/28/2011
Cafe Ollie is everything I've been craving in Depot Town, and more. This place is about two things:… Read more »
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