These locally-owned businesses are doing their best to accommodate pandemic restrictions and keep both customers and employees safe. While these reviews were written pre-pandemic, we’ve provided updated hours and services, but due to frequent restriction changes, please give them a call before visiting.

Carrigan Cafe

I am always on the lookout for casual, comfortable places to grab a latte or a cup of tea and hang out alone or with friends. A place I can enjoy a book while I sip, or get a little work done. Carrigan Cafe in downtown Saline more than fits the bill.

I love the exposed brick and hardwood floors, and this was the first time I had seen a decorative dropped ceiling. Art and whimsy is spread throughout the cafe. There are teddy bears of all sizes. At the table next to mine were two large teddy bears seated as if in pleasant conversation. I also spied knick knacks from one of my favorite BBC TV shows, Doctor Who, and a large blue OM symbol made of punched out pieces of aluminum cans. When I commented on the cute eclectic mugs, the barista asked if I wanted a cute mug. Of course, I said yes, and I ended up with a mug shaped like a little orange fox.

On this day, I was catching a cozy brunch with my husband. My fellow patrons were equally relaxed, some in quiet conversation while others sat with their laptops or homework spread out before them.

While my husband ordered his usual black coffee, I chose a non-dairy chai latte made with coconut milk. (Almond and soy milk options are also available.) The beverage menu is sizable with nearly a dozen specialty espressos in addition to the usual espresso and coffee options and a few choices of teas/tisanes, hot cocoa, sodas, shakes, smoothies, and more.

Sweet treats include Guernsey ice cream and pastries—and yes, there are gluten free options. I couldn’t help grabbing a gluten free blueberry muffin to precede my gluten free egg sandwich with corned beef and cheddar. (The gluten free bread can be grilled separately in aluminum to help avoid cross-contamination.)

While all of the special sandwiches sound delicious, I love it when I can make my own sandwich. The egg sandwich is one of the build-your-own options. Just add your choice of meat and cheese! There is also a non-breakfast build-your-own option, but I was there for brunch, so the egg seemed appropriate to me, and beef and cheddar is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I have no regrets.

Carrigan Cafe is located at 101 South Ann Arbor Street in Saline. Hours are Monday through Saturday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit carrigancafe.com, email carrigancafe@gmail.com, or call (734) 316-7633.

The Brahma Haus

It isn’t often that I make it to Chelsea, but I always enjoy my trips. The Brahma Haus, centrally located across the street from the Jiffy Mixes plant, is a great place to stop in for lunch or dinner. (And if you live or work nearby, they also deliver.) Or just stop in for a quick ice cream fix.

The interior is an eclectic mix of interests. Next to the Puck’s Sugar Cane Soda Fountain machine was a TARDIS, the iconic blue U.K. police box from the BBC TV show Doctor Who. Up the stairs from the TARDIS was a sign painted on the wall for Platform 9 ¾, a reference to the Harry Potter franchise. Several guitars are on display throughout the restaurant. Nods to hot rod culture dot the walls, and playing on the TVs while I dined was Netflix’s Hyperdrive, a show about automobile drift racing that my husband and I really enjoy.

As for the menu, pick between several choices of plates, sandwiches or wraps, burgers, salads, soups, and an assortment of sides. There is a vegetarian-friendly Beyond Burger that could probably be made vegan upon request. I went with the Brahma chicken which comes with basmati rice, tandoori-fired naan bread, hummus, and Brahma sauce. (I gave the bread to my husband, who ate it the next day with lunch and reported that it reheats extremely well.)

Visit Roos Roast online for more information.

I could tell with my first bite of food that it was housemade. The chicken reminded me of chicken that my mother used to grill when I was growing up. The curry-like Brahma sauce had some spice, but it enhanced the flavors rather than overpowered. If you prefer lots of heat, I suggest the Hot Chicken Sandwich that is “smothered in buffalo hot sauce.” I added a pop and fries for a few extra bucks. The fries are thin and chip-like in shape, making them great for dipping in the hummus.

For only $12, you can build your own dinner. Simply choose one protein (gyro meat, Greek chicken, or falafel), then select one bread (naan or tortilla), two dinner sides, and your choice of sauce. Dinners also come with basmati rice. The side options are a baby salad, chickpea salad, Brahma fries, pita chips, tabouli, or hummus. It sounds like a lot of food, but the portions are not outrageous, as we often see at American restaurants, and the variety was a nice change from my usual chicken and vegetable dinner at home.

The Brahma Haus strives to source as many ingredients as possible from Michigan. According to their website, their meat comes from Knight’s, and the ice cream bar is supplied with local favorite Guernsey ice cream. Such a sweet ending!

The Brahma Haus is located at 312 North Main Street in Chelsea. Curbside dinner service hours are Tuesday through Friday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Email by 3 p.m. or call after 3 p.m. For more information, visit brahmahaus.com or call (734) 719-3550.

What started out as a unique food cart using a homemade tandoor for cooking, Loomi has blossomed into an indoor cafe with its own sizable lunch counter.

Loomi Cafe

When I saw that the space in the Kerrytown Shops formerly occupied by Kosmo was under construction, I was excited and anxious. What would it become? Would the new restaurant fit in? Would the food be tasty?

What started out as a unique food cart using a homemade tandoor for cooking, Loomi has blossomed into an indoor cafe with its own sizable lunch counter. (A tandoor is “a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in cooking and baking.”) The menu is simple, changing often, but with some customizability. For example, choose between rice, bread, or potato to accompany your protein (chicken, beef, pork, or vegetarian). There are also some small plate options and a kid’s menu with lower prices.

Loomi Cafe does not hold back on seasoning! If you love spices, this is definitely the restaurant for you. The fattoush salad, with its fresh and crisp jewel-tone vegetables, was well-seasoned and packed with intense flavor. The hara chicken was grilled to perfection, so juicy and full of flavor, and the accompanying aioli with tamarind added a contrasting sweetness. The beef skillet with plantains was a mix of sweet, sour, and spicy that I had to eat slowly while my sinuses drained (which can be a real boon during cold and flu season).

Loomi serves local favorite Roos Roast coffee as well as Turkish coffee, which, given its sweetness, I think would pair quite well with the spicy plates. I ordered a hot cup of black tea with cardamom, which I quite enjoyed. It was a bag tea by Ahmad Tea, a UK-based tea company that I was not familiar with but will keep an eye out for in the future because I liked it so much.

The style is fast-casual, where you order at the counter, are given a number, then the staff brings out your food when it’s ready and checks on you throughout to make sure you’re doing okay. There is more seating now than there was before Loomi moved in, but I have been told it can run out during neighboring Community High School’s lunch time, so be mindful of the time when you decide to stop in.

Loomi Cafe is located inside Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown Shops at 407 North Fifth Avenue. Hours are Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/loomi.a2/, email loomicafe@gmail.com, or call (734) 929-2945.