Michigan’s Best Local Eats: Vito’s Espresso’s dine-in spot is open, ready to serve tasty pastries

vSPRING ARBOR, MI ito’s Espresso may have closed its downtown location, but the Spring Arbor location is running and ready to serve.

While Vito’s Espresso opened its drive-thru at 7975 Spring Arbor Road in spring 2022, the dining room opened just a few months ago, owner Vic Schiro said. Schiro said he wanted to stay in Jackson, but it didn’t have a full kitchen or dining room.

After taking a second look at the former Spring Arbor Café building, he knew it was a winner.

“We looked for over a year and didn’t find anything in Jackson that had a kitchen and that was suitable for dine-in and what we wanted,” Schiro said. “We saw this and we were like, ‘We could do it. We could make it cozy.’” Schiro said he wanted a place where people could sit and chat, which is what he found in Spring Arbor. “What we want is hospitality,” Schiro said. “It’s really hard at a grab and go to show you the hospitality that we want to. We can still smile and ask about your day, but it’s not like sitting down with you and sharing a cup of coffee.”

The new space has been popular with Spring Arbor University students looking for a place to study and to residents looking to grab breakfast or lunch.

Everything is made in house on the café-oriented menu, Schiro said.

The muffins are popular, he said. A range of flavors can be found, including blueberry and apple cinnamon. Other baked goods, like cannoli, cinnamon rolls, also can be found. Baklava, a layered pastry dessert filled with chopped nuts, spices and topped with honey, is also popular, Schiro said, as are the breakfast wraps.

Vito’s Espresso is looking to add other menu items, including salads, quiches and an oatmeal bar, he said.

Drinks have a strong focus on espresso, Schiro said. This includes a range of lattes, cappuccinos, breves and cortados. Other drinks, like loose leaf teas, chai lattes and more, can be found for noncoffee drinkers.