Karate & Coffee

I found this little shoppe on my drive home from the train station in East Chicago. It's a Karate Dojo with a coffee shop in front. I talked with the owner for a bit, he's a very friendly ex-Marine named Tyrone. He said his wife, Jenny, usually runs the coffee shop while he does the Karate, but she wasn't in when I showed up so he gladly ran the bar for us.



The interior is decorated with photos of Tyrone from throughout his military and karate career, he says he was Mariah Carey's bodyguard for three years.



The coffee wasn't fantastic. I'm spoiled, working near the downtown Intelligentsia. But it wasn't bad, either. They use Starbucks beans and Oberweis milk, but make a better cappuccino on their little machine than I've ever had out of one of those super-automatics. Tyrone confessed he wasn't very good with the coffee, but he did an admirable job. And even if the coffee wasn't great, I'll be back to support a local, independent business. (and who knows, maybe I can introduce him to a different roaster.) Jenny makes, I should add, a fantastic muffin. My girlfriend had the banana muffin and I had a small bite (curse you, diabetes!) and it was heavenly. There were also fresh baked cookies and scones. If you go, these should not be missed.



It's not the usual fare that we have on LTH, but the name and concept were too cute and I wanted to share it with you all. Their slogan is "Coffee with a Real Kick!" and that, alone, makes it worth a visit in my eyes.

Karate & Coffee
6612 Kennedy Avenue
Hammond, IN

Hi,

It always a pleasure to have reports from Northwest Indiana.

I hope you will alert us to more in the future.

Regards,

Yeah, I'm usually a lurker but I've been coming out of my shell recently.

I've got a few Northwest Indiana gems. I'll post about them sooner or later.

he'll kick your ass and serve you a latte!

Out looking for donuts with C2 and LAZ, we stopped at Karate & Coffee for a cup. Unfortunately it was closed. A few blocks away on Kennedy was a karate and tea establishment (permanently closed apparently). What's the deal with that? An earlier incarnation of Karate & Coffee?

Rene G wrote:we stopped at Karate & Coffee for a cup. Unfortunately it was closed.

Closed for good or just when you stopped by?

I can vouch that it is not closed permanently. Better luck next time!

I haven't lived in this area long, but the other karate place you posted has been closed long before I moved here, and I'm fairly certain that the purveyors of Karate and Coffee have only recently moved here - unlikely it's related to them.

I'll try and remember to write down their hours the next time I'm there, to post here.

If you were looking for donuts in that area, I hope you stopped at Munster Donut on Calumet Ave. 24-hour donut shop with old-fashioned counter service. It's wonderful. I hope to do a write-up for it eventually.

Munster Donut
8314 Calumet Ave
Munster, IN 46321

Llama wrote:If you were looking for donuts in that area, I hope you stopped at Munster Donut on Calumet Ave. 24-hour donut shop with old-fashioned counter service. It's wonderful. I hope to do a write-up for it eventually.

We didn't know about it or we surely would have stopped. Please tell us more when you have a chance.

Our NWI donut stop was at East Chicago's Donut Shop.



Donuts weren't wonderful, but the Charlie's Special—egg, sausage, bacon and cheese on a bun—was pretty good.



Somehow C2 resisted the urge to Lutherize it.

Donut Shop
701 E Chicago Av
East Chicago IN
219-397-6202

Rene G wrote:

Llama wrote:If you were looking for donuts in that area, I hope you stopped at Munster Donut on Calumet Ave. 24-hour donut shop with old-fashioned counter service. It's wonderful. I hope to do a write-up for it eventually.

We didn't know about it or we surely would have stopped. Please tell us more when you have a chance.

Ask and ye shall receive (albeit 2 months later) I'm afraid I don't have too much info because I always seem to go in the middle of the night when some 18 year old who doesn't know much about the operations is running the shop.



All the donuts are made in house. To the left of the cash register, you can see the ovens and such. To the right is the counter where they offer decent diner coffee.



There's always a good 30+ varieties of cake and raised donuts.



And for reference:
Munster Donut
8314 Calumet Ave
Munster, IN 46321

Hi,

Rene G and I have been there twice since you posted. We realized we have passed this intersection many times without realizing it was there. The neighboring gas station's signage seems to obstruct their signs just enough to distract one, especially as you are quickly upon a major intersection requiring a driver's attention.

The last time I was there, I bought several buttermilk donuts and a blueberry donut. Rene G bought a cream cheese filled donut, which reminded me of cream cheese frosting for a carrot cake. I really liked the tangy, cakey buttermilk donuts, though I later realized I bought the blueberry due a lingering curiosity for Old Fashioned Donuts.

Munster Donuts advised they begin making their donuts at 11 PM, which could be interesting to watch from their picture window into the bakery.

***

The Donut Shop in East Chicago has some of the oddest hours of operation I have ever encountered. Monday-Friday: 4 AM - 4 PM approximately. Friday night: Midnight until 2 PM on Saturday. Closed Sunday. I think it would be very interesting to go after midnight on Friday to see what clientelle they are catering to with those hours. This is a postage stamp sized operation, where you grab something to go or eat in your car.

I think there could be a perfectly wonderful adventure to watch Munster Donuts made with a visit to the Donut Shop on a dead early Saturday morning drive about.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Munster Donuts advised they begin making their donuts at 11 PM, which could be interesting to watch from their picture window into the bakery.

***

The Donut Shop in East Chicago has some of the oddest hours of operation I have ever encountered. Monday-Friday: 4 AM - 4 PM approximately. Friday night: Midnight until 2 PM on Saturday. Closed Sunday. I think it would be very interesting to go after midnight on Friday to see what clientelle they are catering to with those hours.

I'm always game for a late-night trip!

The Donut Shop was certainly odd enough in the daytime. It also was the only doughnut place we stopped in that actually had a cop on the premises.