By Sip & Study: Cloud Walking Coffee
By: Ash Hochstettler
Staff Writer
South Bend has quickly become a hotspot for coffee shops over the last couple years. Recently, many new coffee shops have been brought to the area, creating many wonderful options. Sharing my love for coffee is my passion as a local barista in the South Bend community, and I am so excited to be able to share my adventures in new cafès.
Cloud Walking Coffee is one of South Bend’s cutest coffee shops. It is about a 5 minute drive from campus, located at 1215 Mishawaka Avenue down the road.
The cafe has a cheerful vibe with vibrant art filling the entire space. The menu features a collection of lattes made with homemade syrups as well as various flavors of pour-over options. The syrups change occasionally, allowing you to try many different flavors of the lattes and pour-overs.
One of my favorite features is that the drinks are all made with their own coffee beans that are roasted weekly as well. If coffee isn’t your jam, there are many tea options as well. My current favorite drink is the lavender honey latte with oat milk.
The quiet atmosphere makes it a great place to study or hangout with friends. The cafe has tables, a few couches and outdoor seating if you prefer. The Wi-Fi is very reliable and consistent, and there are plenty of outlets if needed.
One of the unique features of Cloud Walking Cafe is that they are home to a few other small businesses; Elder Bread, Violet Sky Chocolate, and Love & Macs. My personal favorite macarons include Fruity Pebble, Snickerdoodle and Salted Caramel.
There are not only macs, but also an assortment of pastries and different flavored marshmallows. The pastries change often depending on the day, week and season as well. Elder Bread makes a wonderful collection of breads, bagels and other pastries. In my opinion, the sourdough bread is amazing as well as the bagels.
While interviewing Meg Stevens, Café Manager of Cloud Walking, she stressed the importance of understanding that they are a collective of all 4 businesses creating all of their own products themselves.
Stevens said that “being intentionally positive” is a big part of the staff’s focus on the atmosphere they are attempting to create which I as a customer feel also adds to the cheerful environment.
“The goal is to be a safe space for people that haven’t found that in other places,” Stevens explained.
She also mentioned that her go-to drink right now is either a pour-over or cortado. The staff also recommended their flora syrup flavor as a favorite right now.
I highly encourage dropping by the next time you want to try a great cup of coffee or add a little more positivity to your day!
Rating: 5/5 Coffee Cups
