My Love for Ondo

By: Chanel Champagnie

I am very particular about my coffee and tea. I drink matcha on the regular and coffee with a double shot of espresso when I pull all-nighters— meaning I drink coffee more often than matcha, but that's beside the point. I’m also from New York City (the best city on earth— come visit for a pet rat, free of charge), and I spend a LOT of time in Queens, which is a hotspot for Asian cafes. This is to say that I tend to be VERY picky about my matcha. The matcha from Dunkin and Starbucks are subpar at best, and Sweetwater’s matcha makes me want to cry and go back home. 

Ondo is the BEST cafe around Ann Arbor in terms of matcha AND food. The matcha is definitely one of the highest qualities here. It won’t blow the dentures out of your grandma’s mouth or anything, but still, it is infinitely better than the abominations found on campus.

I could go on, but the drinks there are also so creative, like the Biscoff latte or the peanut butter macchiato? I’ll take both right now.

When I first arrived on campus and tasted the matcha and their fun drinks, that kept me coming back, but what got me in the door was the look of the cafe and the PASTRIES. The soft minimalism blending with the cute Korean style is so refreshing for your eyes, and the food is heavenly for your tongue. I have never tried anything from Ondo that I didn’t like, and trust me, I try way more stuff than I should while my wallet cries in my pocket. 

Not only is the food selection good, but it's SO VAST, too. If you haven’t tried their brunch menu, I recommend it. Their brunch, bread, and desserts are all amazing; my favorites are their basque cheesecake and bread pudding. Both are my go-to's whenever I’m done being a woman in STEM and want to give myself a sweet little treat.

Stepping into Ondo also reinforces my ideology that I’m really just a girl. I see cute pastries, and I get them. I have no choice. And if someone sees me there putting 2 pastries on my tray and says, "But Chanel, aren’t you on the cut right now?” Mind your own, thank you.

And, yes, Ondo is always super packed and loud, but it deserves the hype. Being crowded also means a nonzero chance of seeing your campus crush there while ordering a nice treat. And if you have the balls to talk to them, I commend you on your bravery; Ondo can DOUBLE as a date spot! I call that a win-win. But Ondo isn’t only good for a meet-cute spot; you can also go there for coffee chats, hangouts, and, honestly, anything. I’ve been in Ondo on many different occasions, having many different conversations with many different people, and it’s been a hit with all of them, even my non-Umich friends who come to visit.

So, if you haven’t gone to Ondo yet, you’re missing out and probably very sad without some fun and whimsy in your life, so get on that. You can thank me with venmo or cash.