The Proving Grounds Coffee & Ice Cream

I stopped in during opening week and you would have thought they’ve been open for months! Beautiful space with tables, a bar, comfy couches/chairs and a kids’ play area! My toddler loved it— a play kitchen, lots of books, toys and a chalkboard wall all enclosed in a little cubby area. Plenty of room for 4+ kids to play. (And soon their upstairs will be open as an even bigger space for kids!) I enjoyed a small Cafe Miel(honey and cinnamon latte), which came in a big mug and was delicious. Great spot for working, meeting a friend and is a safe place for kiddos to play. So happy they are open in Royal Oak!

Amazing coffee and food! The atmosphere in here is so nice and relaxing. The coffee was amazing the best latte Ive had. I got the avocado toast and that was also really good. The bread was delicious and toasted perfect so it didn’t get soggy from the avocado and was a great size too. Definitely would recommend!

Amazing experience, full of warm smiles, artistically designed interior, and absolutely delicious coffee. I cannot recommend this place enough! Thank you for providing such a friendly, welcoming, comfortable atmosphere.

Really good icecream and coffee witg a good vibe and awesome batista. I had the fruity pebbles ice cream witg a honey lavender coffee. The coffee was definitely better than the chains.

This is a newer coffee shop (to me at least) and I wanted to try them out. I really enjoyed the atmosphere here. It is ideal for kicking back with someone and enjoying some coffee. Although I was magnetically attracted to their ice cream options, I fought the urge and kept my order simple. I had the Iced Hazelnut Latte. It had the the right touch of hazelnut in it to where it complemented the coffee. I prefer my lattes to be on the lighter side with the added sweet flavorings, and this one was made right. I see myself coming here again. But next time, I will not fight the urge brought upon me from their ice cream selection.

First time being here, everyone is super nice! I ordered the vietnamese coffee and it was a perfect mix of coffee and sweetness. My friend got a strawberry and banana smoothie and said it was so good that they'd order it again! They have hand sanitizer at every table, too! I also noticed that they offer whole french presses and whole tea pots which is the first time I've seen that! Definitely going to come in the future. The atmosphere is also really cool, and the baristas really nice.

Staff is nice and ambience is great. The espresso is awful. Burnt, bitter and watery. My wife’s latte was no better. I was really hoping for another addition to Dessert Oasis and great coffee in Royal oak. Don’t waste your money or time. Response: Thank you. Just so you know, I've traveled all over the world and USA to try different espresso as it is a passion of mine. I'm not your typical coffee-goer. I would be happy to come back and try the espresso again with one of the owners. Maybe it was poorly made that day.

Fantastic service with very friendly staff that are very attentive to your order and take pride in what they do. We witnessed the very kind staff wishing a customer happy birthday and he seemed to very much appreciate that. They drinks are also delicious! The caramel maple was great!