Do you enjoy smooth, creamy coffee and friendly baristas? I sure do! Through my love of Pettibone coffee, a small batch roaster out of Dayton, Ohio, I stumbled across Ernst Café. They not only serve the locally roasted beans; they sell it, too. Attached to the Arbogast Performing Arts Center (APAC) in Troy, Ohio, Ernst Café opened its doors in May of 2023. The café offers a variety of specialty coffees, a rotation of pastries, along with a seasonal drink menu.
Upon entering the café, you are greeted by the friendliest baristas and the industrial vibe makes the perfect ambiance. You then make your way to the live edge Redwood counter where you place your order. The coffee drinks always come out consistent, smooth and creamy. If you order a latte, you’ll get a flair of latte art on top!
My favorite drinks are Sweet Dream, Lavender Lady, and the newest Rosemary and Honey latte. Every visit, I look forward to my caffeine fix! If coffee isn’t your thing, try a Shimmering Watermelon Lemonade or Mango Matcha from their seasonal menu. Oh, and don’t forget to grab a punch card. The 11th drink is free!
I was so happy to discover Ernst Café that I reached out to the manager, Ainsley Savard to find out more about it. Here’s some insider details from Ainsley on this hidden gem!
How did Ernst Café come to be?
Ernst Café is a branch of the Arbogast Performing Arts Center (APAC), a non-profit performing arts center in Troy, OH. Because we are part of the APAC, we are also a non-profit, all of our proceeds go back to the performing arts center.
Are you also the owner as well as the manager?
I manage and operate Ernst Cafe, but we do not have a single owner. Our name comes from the Ernst Family, who generously made contributions to the APAC and are the ones who made it possible for us to be open and operating.
Let’s talk about your menu.
Our menu is relatively simple but we like to get creative and make some drinks with a little bit of flare. We offer specialty coffee as well as baked goods, which are made by our baker, Maddi Klint.
What are your specials for the summer?
This summer we are offering a seasonal menu, on top of our typical menu. Some of those drinks include a Rosemary Honey Latte, Mango Matcha, Chocolate Covered Strawberry latte, and a Shimmery Watermelon Lemonade! As far as baked goods go, we rotate our options to keep things exciting! The past couple weeks we’ve been featuring a peach danish, blueberry muffin, and a coffee cake loaf.
What are your current hours?
We are open from 7am-2pm, Monday-Saturday and we hope to expand our hours in the fall!
I know there is inside seating, is there outside seating for the summer?
We have our own exterior entrance and outdoor seating area. Inside we offer a variety of seating with cozier chairs to sit and relax with friends, large four person tables that are excellent for getting work done at, and a small bench with children’s books and a coloring book to help entertain your littles. On our patio we have four, four person tables, and six, two person tables where you can sit in some shade and enjoy the summer.
