A true locally owned and operated business! I have known both the owners for many years. No one has put their heart and soul into a busines like these two. I have purchased their coffee.... OMG... it is the BEST. I mean ground coffee... the coffee that they roast themselves. Not talking about the coffee shop - which I am certain is the best. Populace coffee is like no other. Locally owned, operated, locally roasted and created for our communities. If you LOVE coffee, you owe yourself a favor to visit this phenomenal coffee shop! They offer curbside service during our coronavirus lockdown. read more

Plant vibes = relaxing I really felt the peaceful vibes in here. Not being from the area I had a little trouble figuring out where it's at. You will have to park and walk. I had the pumpkin bagel with cream cheese. It was a little dense but had good flavor. Plenty of seating especially if you're going to do some work and need a table. read more

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Stopped in for coffee during the week to check email. The coffee was good, a bit on the cooler side for my taste. I had a blueberry muffin, which which had a crisp on the top. Inside is much nicer than what it looks like it might be from the outside. High ceiling with updated style, light wood floor. Clean. The lady issuing coffee was friendly. Nice work space. They have various seating including a few larger tables for working. There are power strips about, if you need those. read more

Populace Coffee - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

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This is now closed. We had stopped going as the service was horrible. But the coffee was so good. It is now a new coffee shop.

Absolutely love this coffee shop. It's spacious and modern. They are always really nice and their lattes are really great! They have adorable merch and there is free street parking! This is one of my faves in Bay City! read more

Populace Coffee - the front door of a coffee shop - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

Clean and pleasant with good coffee and nice staff. I ordered a drink that wasn't even on the menu and they made it for me cheerfully!

Nice quiet space for getting work done. The bagels are the best I have ever had, from anywhere. You can tell they are made fresh and the quality is worth the trip alone. My favorite is either everything or rosemary sea salt. They have vegan cream cheese options, as well. I have only ever ordered drip coffee and it was pretty good. A little bitter, but nothing awful. The bagels are the main event! They offer bags of coffee and some cute merch for sale too. read more

populace is such a cute coffee shop that has lots of light and is the perfect place to spend your day studying or on a coffee date. the rosemary and sea salt bagel with the garlic herb cream cheese was sooo tasty and the other bagel options sounded delicious as well. there is street parking in front of the shop. i enjoyed my seasonal pumpkin iced coffee and the vanilla latte was tasty as well! read more

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great food & drinks & even better service! their specialty drinks can get kind of pricey, but their standard iced coffee & lanilla latte aren't any more expensive than every other coffee chain. the vibe in here is also very cool & relaxed, i could definitely hang out for a while if i didn't come on my lunch breaks! read more

Pretty pricey. $13 for two small drinks. Chai latte needs some work, flavor was quite light. Not quite the LA Croix of chai but certainly on its way. Ordered it dirty but does not taste like there was even a single shot added. Mocha did not taste at all of any chocolate at all. It tasted like a almond milk cold brew, and that is it. The space is kinda nice, very echoy with the tin ceiling, plaster walls, and hardwood floors. I would suggest more rugs and a few pieces fabric wall art throughout the space to prevent the audio level from getting out of control when there is more than two customers. The three menus was a but confusing when we walked in. The wall blocks are fun, but the yellow letter board stopped us from looking elsewhere and is hard to read with the white letters on a yellow background. We accepted that those were everything and did not know there was more until the barista pointed to the one at the register. My fervent enjoyment of small local coffee houses has me despising the two stars at the top, but then I sip my dirty chai and realized that if this was not a small business and was rather a Starbucks or Biggby, they would be getting the drinks back. It seems that there is a lot of effort being applied here, don't stop trying. I could not see the barista working, but if I could convey one suggestion more important than managing the noise level, it would be to document the process of making every drink and ensuring that the instructions are conveniently posted for every drink prep to establish a consistent product so everyone enjoys the drinks as the others have that left five stars. read more

Populace is a cute little coffee shop in downtown Bay City. Their coffee is very good, these people know how to brew a good cup of espresso! It definitely has a hipster vibe inside, they did a wonderful job restoring the old space. Give them a like on Facebook, they regularly have customer appreciation day which means one free cup per person! That's how I found this place, I was visiting my in-laws and stopped in with my mother-in-law after a workout at the Y. She liked her peppermint mocha... She doesn't even drink coffee! They also had DJs spinning Christmas tunes at this particular event. If you're in need of coffee and don't want to drive up to Starbucks do not hesitate to try this place. The prices are awesome too! read more

Populace Coffee - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

Solid spot. I like the open floor plan style and the coffee, tea, and bagels are quite tasty. I haven't tried any pastries yet, but they look divine. Service is kind, though some individuals are better than others. I overheard one barista telling a customer about specials that day, whereas the barista that helped me never clued me in, which was a bummer. For getting work done, the tables at the back are perfect as there are plenty of outlets by your feet and I've had no wifi issues. There isn't a ton of seating available, but I've never had a problem procuring a seat. All-in-all, worth checking out! read more

Great coffee, friendly staff, comfortable environment to sit back & relax. Definitely refer to friends.

Best coffee in Bay City. Delicious selection of baked goods and bagels made on site. Charming atmosphere with friendly, knowledgeable and skilled baristas. My favorite spot in town! read more

Excellent Latte for me and Coffee for my Husband. I was hoping for gf donuts but settled for delicious Raspberry cookie for breakfast lol. Really cute place! Staying overnight at Tanner Building so quick stroll over at opening this morning. read more

Populace Coffee is a great coffee shop that also happens to have delicious baked goods! The space is huge with indoor and outdoor seating. A sign of a good coffee shop is if I would go back for a simple black coffee. I went back three days in a row. So def recommend this place for the caffeine. I also had a cinnamon roll one day and enjoyed that as well. Wish I had more time to try more of their baked goods! Stop by this shop and support local coffee. read more

Lovely little local coffee shop with delicious breakfast goods. Get the bagel & cream cheese AND the pastry you're eyeing - you won't regret the calories. Of our group, the Parmesan bagel & the Fall latte got the highest reviews but no one was disappointed with their choices :) read more

The BEST lemon blueberry scone I have ever had! Iced coffee was great too, and new outdoor seating provided a wonderful place to stop and enjoy the morning :) read more

Definitely not there so please if you're looking for a quick bite to eat or some coffee. Personally I've never been a coffee drinker and never really have been and probably never will be but I do like the concept of coffee shops. It was the only place I saw open early and after two hours of driving from Traverse City back home I decided to stop here to take some photos of the city and a bite to eat which I was happy this place was open. The person behind the counter was very friendly she was very helpful on helping me make a decision on what to get and told me about their products which I do like that everything is made in house. I'm always a huge beagle fan especially freshly made bagels and I was happy that they had really good cream cheese to go along with it and amazing banana nut bread. For me the only downside was I wish they had a little bit bigger of a cooler to have sodas and maybe even more local Sotos seeing I am not a coffee drinker her but again I did go to a coffee shop. But overall I really did enjoy this place and enjoy my meal sitting outside enjoying peace and quiet since it wasn't that busy that morning. I definitely want to come back here when I hit a Bay City again and grab a different item to try because they were definitely worth the travel for me. read more

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Yummy coffee and looks like a great space to meet friends. I simply had the holiday drip coffee, which they roast themselves. Hoping to get back here because it really is yummy! read more

Awesome place! We loved the atmosphere, the decor is very chic and clean. The bagels are awesome! I tried the rosemary with sea salt, OMG, the best bagel I've had! They also make their own herb and garlic cream cheese, also vet yummy. Staff is friendly. Overall, great experience to hang out read more

The vibe was really nice here and the menu/selection was clear and really well done. I asked for my chai unsweetened and, sadly, it was sweetened, but the everything bagel was fantastic. Baristas were openly having a conversation with each other about how little they knew about coffee. Just a little awkward. read more

Populace Coffee - Iced chai with oat milk - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

Bright open concept coffee house. The barista was so nice and when the owner heard me say it was my first time in he came over to say hello. They make all of their syrups in house with fun flavors like brown sugar cinnamon. This will be a spot I stop at whenever I'm in town. read more

Populace Coffee - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

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Awesome coffee spot in the area. Plenty of space to hang out. Hands down, the best caramel latte I have ever had! So good.

The pumpkin chai was delicious! Will definitely be going again. The staff was very kind as well!

Such nice staff and wonderful seating. Cold brew was very good, my friend got tea and they have a huge selection!

Loved the vibe here! Girls at the counter were so sweet! I got a latte and it was delicious. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the doughnut, if you aren't used to gluten free textures I don't recommend getting that. Would definitely go back if I came to town again. read more

My sister and I stopped by while I was in town. I'm a Michigander who lives in California. We love Populace Coffee! The interior is light and airy and clean, a Scandinavian design aesthetic. Customer service was great. The drinks were perfect, and we loved the vegan dessert options! Yum! Best wishes to you, Populace Coffee! We will return! read more

My Saginaw-based friend Deb who shares my love of coffee shops brought me to Populace while I was visiting last week. What a beautiful, bright room! What delicious coffees! Our barrista gave us a warm welcome. I managed to visit twice during my short time in MI. See you next February, I hope! read more

Great space! Cool design and prints in the back. The selection of teas are awesome! (Non coffee drinker) really enjoyed the bagels and cream cheeses. I would definitely recommend this place to Friends, family, and out of towners. read more

Rude customer service and made me feel unwelcomed. Will never go back again. Coffee is good, but customer service is always the most important aspect of any business. Andrew the owner has a great product and concept, but has some work to do on hiring mature staff that care about how customers are treated. read more

They have a great coffee selection and can brew it using the Chemex which is my favorite way to brew coffee. It looked like they had some great pastries and bagels but I did not try those. read more

Best place in Bay City to get some energy for the day. Delicious coffee and baked goods.

AESTHETICALLY PLEASING AF!!! Honestly I would have a photoshoot here it is so beautiful, I had an almond milk latte that was amazing and I think they bake their own bread. They have juices and wellness shot etc. My type of place completely. The everything bagel my friend ordered was TOO salty though. read more

Service is great. Atmosphere in the shop is bright and pleasant. And best of all, the coffee is AMAZING. Would highly recommend for a quick cappuccino or matcha on your lunch break or in the morning. read more

Love this coffee! I look forward to visiting the shop when in Bay City. I buy whole beans and have it shipped to NH. If you like real coffee look no further. read more

Great coffee. I've had a few different styles and they've all been very good. I really enjoyed the brown sugar latte I tried today at their free coffee event/bagel release. The bagels are awesome. I tried the Rosemary, Jalepeno, and the Cinnamon and Golden Raisin (I shared, no judging! ) The bagels were chewy and had a nice crust at the same time. Yum! read more