Coffee & Treats in Warsaw

Main Street Coffee House located in downtown Nappanee, IN and South Bend, IN

The Electric Brew is a fair-trade-certified coffeehouse serving coffee that is roasted in-house and brewed fresh daily, along with fresh baked goods and tasty lunch fare. The menu gets a steamy start with five daily varieties of whole-bean gourmet-brewed coffee ($1.49–$1.69), as well as a variety of hot and cold specialty drinks such as hot tea ($1.49) and hot chai tea ($3.04–$3.64). Kids can warm their mini-organs with a kid-sized hot cocoa ($0.75), which is a mildly warm, yet equally scrumptious version of the original ($2.38-$2.80). The menu of caffeine-complementing cuisine includes soups, salads, and sandwiches that, like the slowest county-fair Ferris wheel ever, rotate daily. Rib stickers such as chicken barley soup ($3.25–$4.25), Santa Fe black-bean salad ($5.15), and chicken salad on brew bread ($3.75–$5.95) have all appeared recently. Other menu munchies include handmade baked goods such as coffeecakes, streusels, muffins, brownies, and homemade cinnamon rolls.

After spending his childhood absorbing the finer points of pie forging from his father, Darren "DC" Cornell ventured forth on his own to build a reputation preparing pizzas with homemade sauces, never-frozen pepperoni, and fresh, top-shelf ingredients. The pizza baron and his crew melt a signature four-cheese blend over hand-tossed, thin-crust, and Chicago-style pies, christening each discus with patriotic names that celebrate institutions of the United States and laws that allow setting off fireworks indoors. Toppings such as real italian sausage, smoked meats, imported capicola ham, and fresh veggies join with a mélange of sauces and creamy cheeses to grace savory pies and calzones. Hearty sub sandwiches, light wraps, crispy salads, and classic Italian favorites leave diners as satisfied as a snowman swimming in the Arctic.

When John Ritter thinks back to 1948, he can almost taste the frozen treats he churned out during his after-school job at the local ice-cream parlor. Now, after a 35-year career as a film animator, he helps others to enjoy similarly sweet memories at Ritter's Frozen Custard. Here, friendly staffers handcraft each batch of frozen custard, an ultrapremium ice cream as smooth as a jazz record dipped in chocolate. At the counter, guests can sample the flavors of the day, which range from tart blueberry to gooey, crunchy mocha-almond fudge. Scoops of classic vanilla—along with more than 25 toppings—fill specialty creations such as brownie sundaes, hand-dipped malts, and freezer-ready ice-cream sandwiches.

• For $5, get $10 worth of ice cream treats and food at the Dairy Queen or $10 worth of smoothies and fruit drinks from Orange Julius on Michigan Street in South Bend. • For $5, get $10 worth of ice cream treats and food at the Dairy Queen or $10 worth of smoothies and fruit drinks from Orange Julius on South Bend Avenue in South Bend. • For $5, get $10 worth of smoothies and fruit drinks at the Orange Julius in the University Park Shopping Center in Mishawaka. Dairy Queen and Orange Julius fill empty bellies with smoothies, ice cream treats, and a savory menu of hot meals. Dairy Queen's specialty Blizzard blends slurpable soft-serve ice cream with candy, cookies, fruit, or deep-fried snowflakes ($3.69 for a medium). Craft a DIY drink or opt for ready-mades such as the heath-bar Blizzard, which wakes up taste buds by pairing cappuccino ice cream with crispy chunks of shattered toffee. Alternatively, incinerate hunger with the half-pound FlameThrower Grillburger, a beef boulder spicily slathered with DQ's original FlameThrower sauce, blanketed with fiery pepperjack cheese, and striped with hot jalapeno bacon before being crowned with lettuce and tomato atop a toasted bun ($4.99).