Kazkara Coffee Roasters

The banana latte is what people order. That is the headline at Kazkara, a small Hazel Park roaster on John R Road where the owner is usually on site to talk shop with whoever walks in. Customers compare the espresso program to others around Detroit and put Kazkara at or near the top of the metro.

The room inside is small. There is some bar seating, but the main draw is the spacious outdoor patio strung with lights and looking out at a community sculpture. That is where people sit. The indoor feel runs cozy, the outdoor feel is the experience itself.

Dogs are allowed inside, which is unusual enough to mention and which the dog-on-a-walk crowd has noticed. People bring them in and post up on the patio with a pour-over. The bean menu rotates, which is the kind of thing a serious roaster does and a serious customer notices when the same bag is not on offer the next time around.

What to order: the banana latte first, because that is what the room is built around and what regulars come back for. A pour-over from the rotating menu for anyone who wants to taste what the roaster is working on this week. A cortado, an iced chai latte, a cappuccino, a straight espresso. The custom-latte side of the menu lets the bar improvise for people who want something off-list.

The owner being on site is the operational anchor. You can ask about a bean and get the kind of answer you only get from the person who picked the bean.

Who it suits: Detroit-area specialty drinkers, dog owners on a walk wanting patio seating, anyone who wants to talk to the person who roasted the bean. Less good for laptop workers, since the indoor seating cannot support a long session. Come for the patio and the banana latte, in that order.