Fourth Coast Cafe & Bakery

Category:	Cafe
Address:	816 S Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA
Phone:	+1 269-383-0202
Site:	fourthcoastcafe.com
Rating:	4.6
Working:	Open 24 hours Open 24 hours Open 24 hours Open 24 hours Open 24 hours Open 24 hours Open 24 hours

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 11

Eric Walker

Im self employed and work from home. If it wasnt for 4th Coast, Id go nuts. Im so glad to leave home and come here to work. It costs me about $2.50 a day to work here and thats with the tip. The neighborhood is located at the heart of Kalamazoo. The vibe is cool. The people are friendly. Heres the straight scoop about why it works for me, and why it might work for you. -theyre open 24/7. Im here right now writing this review at 11:22 p.m. Its packed. Except for one seat that had my name on it. And Im charging my phone while I write this. -the environment is comfortable. Nick just left. Hes a poet. We smoked and talked poetry before I got down to work. Good people. -the music the baristas play is good music. I never know the name of the music, but when I ask they tell me, and I always enjoy it. -the coffee is great. the coffee drinks good too. Im surprised by their consistency. Best in Kalamazoo. -prices are best in town for the quality. Like I said, $1.60 for a small coffee and with a dollar tip, I can work here all day. Way cheaper than the competition. -its conveniently located along on Westnedge nearby Martinis and Bagel Beanery and Crowes Nest (located upstairs). I can ride my bike. All in all, its perfect. A great place to be creative. Great place to get work done. Not a great place to have phone meetings. It can get loud with the crowd and the music playing over the speakers. It is a good place for face to face meetings. I really like the 4th Coast.

A Private User

There are few places these days with that “Cheers” vibe. For those who remember the show, Cheers was the bar where “everyone knows your name”. That is the essential truth behind the Fourth Coast Café ( or The Coast as most of us refer to it), everyone knows everyone. But even if you are new to the café, I dare you to go in there twice and not see someone who recognizes you, or you recognize them. I may even go farther and say that chances are the barista behind the counter will even remember what you had to drink last time. The more you go there the more accustomed you get to the, at times, overwhelming personality of the place. You will go from being a first timer to “the double mocha guy in the afternoon” to eventually your name. The staff is quirky, intelligent, and by and large friendly, but to be honest I prefer a little spark in my service, I am so sick of that faux “my boss is watching so I have to be nice” service you get from Starbucks or other cafes. Fourth Coast has the BEST coffee in town, hands down, and they know it. Is it too much to be a bit snobbish about it? I don’t think so.

Emily Brown

It had been about a year since my last visit and had a nice experience. Yesterday, however, things took a turn for the worse. I walked in and asked for a coffee and experienced the worst customer service of my entire life. First I wasnt greeted, never obtained eye contact from the 4th coast worker, was interrupted when explaining what I was wanting to order, and was curtly informed that they "do not have blended drinks" as if I had offended her by asking. She proceeded to say while I was still at the counter (and hadnt ordered yet) that "Im off in twenty minutes and need to take care of the tip jar" as she dumped it out in front of me and started counting it. I excused myself and left without purchasing anything and never plan to go back!

Isotope Blue

Hip, friendly 24 hour coffee shop. Theres a restaurant upstairs as well, though Im only reviewing the coffee shop. Wooden floors, tin & wood ceiling, plus a duct. Local art on the walls. 10 or so tables, plus two bars. Tons of outlets. Free wi-fi with password. Bulletin board of fliers for music and community events. Vaguely alternative rock at reasonable volume on the audio. Chai is from a box, but theres a decent (if slightly harsh) loose leaf chai. Good selection of loose leaf teas, and substantial selection of interesting pastries. I was there for an hour and half starting around midnight (between Friday and Saturday) and there were anywhere from a half dozen to a dozen night owls talking or working.

K Johnson

I really love this coffee shop. It has atmosphere, pokemon go stops and a gym, FANTASTIC bakery which I think gets over looked. Their muffins/breads and snacks made on site are wonderful. The coffee is great, and espresso drinks on point. Not sure Id bring in my great grandma. Not too spacious and the people frequenting the place vary immensely with day/time/wind direction. However - I stop any time I am driving by for something. I would suggest they offer a few other types of drinks for non-coffee/tea drinkers for convenience. But theres a place adjacent with soda if you need it.

Daloma Poe

This is my favorite late night place to go and unwind. I love the food, drinks, music, and vibe. Ive been coming here for months now and I just wish the baristas could get on the same page. Do i get soda refills or not, doez my cookie come on a plate or not? They all seem to answer differently. For someone who spends quite a bit of money monthly in this awesome place it would be noce to get soda refills. Just saying.

Lily York

Quality coffee and atmosphere, with a good selection of drinks and snacks. One thing I would like to see is outdoor seating since the inside is noisy and people seem to always be hovering around outside entrances with no where to sit down. The baristas are always on their feet and work at late hours - so I would urge anyone with an extra $ to tip them generously :)

Zac Budrow

Cold brew was great. Not too bitter, which is something that I generally find with cold brews. "Cute" environment, according to my girlfriend. Very chill inside the shop. A large number of plugs and the internet was snappy once we snagged the password. We sat in a large booth area and got some morning work done. Pretty easy place to be productive.

Seth Berger

I graduated from WMU in December of 2012 and 4th Coast was one of my main study spots for almost six years. I live in A2 now and every time I pass Kzoo I always stop in for my vanilla latte. This place is just as good as I remember it every time. I hold a lot of good memories and nostalgia here. Keep on doing what you’re doing 4th Coast.

Julian Micu

Not a good experience - was meeting a friend there but she hadnt arrived, so I wanted to check my email to see if she had sent me a msg. The barrista behind the counter told me that he wouldnt give me the internet password because I hadnt bought anything. That changed any desire to stay in that place. So much for those who "coexist".

Anita Wuoti

Definately my favorite cafe in Kalamazoo. For over a year, I spent practically every day there working on my Masters degree. I met most of my friends at Fourth Coast, and continue to expand my social network through there. Its an interesting place, full of ecclectic people. Perfect for students or anyone who wants delicious coffee.