Argus Farm Stop — Packard Cafe

The Vibe: Friendly, small-scale, good for families 

Our emoji to describe it: 🐮

About Argus Farm Stop — Packard Cafe:

Argus Farm Stop opened in 2014 as a mission-based, everyday farmers market. Due to high demand, Argus opened a new location on Packard in 2017, separated into two halves: a market selling produce and other farm-to-table products and a cafe offering coffee and small bites. The two shops have their own entrances (facing the two locations, the market is the shop to the left, and the cafe is the one to the right).

What we think of the coffee:

It’s really good! The coffee itself isn’t up to, say, RoosRoast standards but it is consistently great and much better than what you’ll get at a standard fast-food coffee location. But know that with Argus’s quality and locally sourced ingredients, you’ll be paying a premium — expect $4 for a 12oz base latte. 

Highlights: An especially tasty London Fog, Mint Matcha and great seasonal specials. If you’re not feeling too adventurous, I’m also fond of a latte or cappuccino with their Maple flavoring syrup.

What we think of the space:

Argus is cute, cozy and clearly invested in cultivating a local, community-centered space. Along with its coffee bar, Argus has a selection of refrigerated grab-and-go local food, adorable children’s toys and books and other knick-knacks centered around farming and sustainable food themes. Be warned, though — these items are comically expensive sometimes (I’ve seen a $10 overnight oat product), but if you’re absolutely starving, day-old pastries can often be found at a discount. The music inside is clearly curated by the baristas, which is almost always a plus. Even if indie songs aren’t your thing, the volume is low enough to tune out or easily chat with a friend. 

The biggest issue is the lack of space inside. In an effort to promote “a community atmosphere,” Argus has designated about half of their already sparse cafe tables as “no-laptop zones.” We’re not sure what the punishment is for bringing out a large technological device on one of these sacred tables, and we don’t aim to find out. While this may create a more pleasant environment to chat in than the average Starbucks, finding a space to work on a computer-dependent task can be difficult. 

So, where do you go if all of the five tables are taken? You could snag a seat at one of a few standard, yet comfortable picnic tables outside, but if it’s too cold or these have also been taken, you have one other option.

If Argus’s upstairs environment is friendly and pleasant, the basement is its evil twin. Without music or the sounds of cashier chatter, steaming milk or the espresso machine, the basement is a silent, borderline creepy void. Your experience down here is a roll of the dice: Are you alone or among other headphone-wearing laptop worker bees (unlikely)? If so, you might actually find a conducive and peaceful environment to get things done. But, a group of people talking at one of the large tables in the center of the room (likely)? You might as well leave; we promise you can’t block out their distracting chatter.

Summer Senior Arts Editor Grace Sielinski can be reached at gsielins@umich.edu.

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