Zing Cafe

Adorable, family owned, quaint little coffee/​sandwich shop, smack dab in the middle of «Pleasantville, USA» (a.k.a. the Village of West Clay Estates) in Carmel. The door literally says «where friends meet» and that couldn’t be closer to the truth.
Enjoy scrumptious food while surrounded by cool décor, with Edison light bulbs and chic tables and chairs. Dine indoors or outside, surrounded by happy employees, and a clean establishment. What more could you ask for?

*Edited upon further reflection*
I was pleased to find a non-​starbucks café in the area to get a snack and a cup of coffee. I almost always prefer locally owned businesses and I’m glad Zing is here. But the coffee was okay, nothing spectacular, and the breakfast sandwich was just okay too. It was served on their asiago bagel, but when we got it, it was not a bagel. It was some sort of bialy derivative, I think, since the texture was not like a bagel and it didn’t even have a hole in it. It tasted good but it just wasn’t what we were expecting. The sandwich was the All-​American breakfast sandwich with sausage and cheese on it, and it was a decent snack to tide us over. Well at least the café space was nice and there was free Wi-​Fi. Can’t complain too much about the kind of first world problems you find in Carmel.

Food was awesome. Had the big zing breakfast sandwich. Tastey!!! Coffee good. Cute place.. Highly recommended !

Loved my first visit to this adorable coffee shop. Will certainly return whenever I am in the area.
Good luck!

Cozy coffee shop/​café in the Village of West Clay. I had heard about it and checked out its website. I was impressed by both the breakfast and lunch menus and wanted to try it out. Somehow from the website and menus, I got the impression that this would be more of a café. But once there, it feels more like a coffee shop that happens to serve some food.
You order at the counter and they bring the food to you. My husband had a breakfast sandwich and I had the toasted NS&B (Nutella/​strawberries/​bananas). The toast on my NS&B was over-​toasted — not burned, but really dry and crunchy. I had to eat it with a fork and knife, and the plastic knife was barely strong enough to cut through the toast — I felt like I was trying to cut through a brick. The NS&B toppings were good, I just wish the toast wasn’t so tough.
I would like to go back and try the lunch — the menu has lots of appealing sandwiches and salads that I’m interested in.
There were quite a few people coming in and out while we were there. There was a group of older (retired?) men hanging out for a long time. There were some businessmen meeting. There was a young mom with a baby. There were two ladies in workout clothes. A mix of people.
The place is nicely decorated and clean. Very small and the door opens right into it, so in cold weather every time the door opens you feel the chill. There’s outdoor seating for warmer months.

Today I ventured around the corner to Zing Café. I was not disappointed!
It was so quaint inside! There were a few patrons sitting and enjoying the foggy Saturday morning.
I ordered a vanilla Café Latte and a Sunrise breakfast sandwich to go. My barista was delightful as well as the young man who put my sandwich together.
The ride home was torturous because my sandwich smelled so yummy!
The sandwich came with egg, spinach, tomato, cucumber and American cheese. It was delicious! The freshness of the veggies along with the egg and cheese made for one satisfying breakfast. The latte was perfect as well. Not too much espresso or milk — just a nice blend of both.
All in all I found Zing Café a great alternative to a certain other coffee place or fast food joint.
I am so glad I decided to try Zing Café!

Zing is a hidden gem tucked away just south of Main between Zionsville and Carmel. If you didn’t know better, you’d think you were turning into a condominium complex. Trust the GPS. Because what opens up is a quaint marketplace with local charm. Zing offers quality with handcrafted a la carte breakfast sandwiches and a full coffee bistro leading the menu. The server recommended the Santa Fe on Sesame Bagel, and it was nothing short of amazing. A sandwich and coffee was less than $ 7 — priced to retain a strong customer base. My conversation with the owner revealed a genuine, local business committed to becoming a staple in West Clay. Winner.

Very cute and trendy, friendly staff. Hot chocolate with expresso is delicious! Love the inside décor nice atmosphere. Love outdoor seating and dog friendly. Awesome fit for village of west clay! Look forward to becoming a regular.

Thanks to «hot new businesses» section on Unilocal,I was able to find this tucked away coffee shop in West Clay (to be honest, I rarely find myself in this neck of the woods). A few reasons you’ll want to add Zing Café to your bookmarked list:
–tasty tea selection — loose leaf
–outdoor seating is available
–other than Danny Boy — this is probably one of your rare visits to this Stepford neighborhood (I have to admit, checking out the architecture on the drive in was fun)
–super friendly service
–healthy egg white sandwiches with avocado, tomato, spinach (only complaint: my egg sammie had a healthy stash of egg shell throughout it –bummer) Easy fix of dropping those eggs into a cup before they hit the pan.

So excited to welcome them to the neighborhood! This is the first time I’ve had a coffee shop/​café by me where I can go to work. The environment is very conducive to laptops and meetings, as well as socializing.
When you go, you have to try a smoothie. There is a simple list of about fifteen fruit options. You choose three and they make a fresh smoothie in front of you. SO DELICIOUS. I have only been for breakfast and therefore have only had the oatmeal and breakfast sandwiches, but can’t wait to try the lunch items (sandwiches, salads, etc). The owner is very kind and friendly– the kind of owner you want to support. The staff is very friendly and knowledgable as well. You will be kindly greeted when you walk in.

I am only writing this because I want this place to get better so it will survive. It is great to have a coffee shop, but the coffee is not good enough. Sometimes the coffee is like warm. You have got to figure out how to get people lined up correctly.
If you want people to come there on there way to work, there are few thing needed. You need to be open by 6 because 7 shows no commitment to getting morning Starbucks patrons before they leave the hood. If you’re gonna have a bold coffee, make it bold.
I will keep coming, but is about 6am and you’re not open. You can only survive so long on stay at home moms looking for somewhere to walk the little ones in a stroller.

A neighborhood coffee shop nestled in the «utopia» of the Village of West Clay in Carmel. Welcome to the scene, Zing! They’ve only been open for a month and a half and I hope they stick around.
This place is quaint but with room for probably 20 – 30 people if it’s filled to the brim, plus outdoor seating. I love the modern décor!
I’m on a chai tea latte kick so I ordered a tall. Zing offers coffee/​tea/​smoothies, but also breakfast sandwiches, salads, and lunch sandwiches. I was pleased to learn they use a local chai tea by Joy in Noblesville, if I remember correctly. It was solid but had a not-​so-​great aftertaste — I’m a chai newbie, so maybe this is normal?
It got loud at times with the neighborhood kids causing a racket. After they left, it calmed down.
Also, there was free guest wi-​fi, but it was sloooow. I came here to get work done and I was limited in what I could accomplish :/​
Bonus: the owner and staff were super friendly and went out of their way to make sure we felt welcomed!

Thrilled to have such a nice café within a leisurely bike ride from home.
Husband & I are big Starbucks fans but admitted the Vanilla Lattes at Zing have better flavor. We’ve chosen Zing over competitors many mornings — prices are comparable to Starbucks.
The scones are fresh and delicious — enjoyed the apple cinnamon & I heard there will be pumpkin spice this fall.
The breakfast sandwich is generously sized and not skimpy on ingredients. We split one just to try and were full. Not greasy and the eggs are real — not that shaker-​shaker cardboard carton stuff! And if you request egg whites only, I get the feeling they’d carefully separate an egg fresh to your order.
Inside is cozy and busy on weekend mornings. Good number of tables and seats outside, too.
Happy to have Zing in our area!

Loved their panini’s and COLE SLAW. The music is enjoyable as well. This is a good place to chill

YES! Finally a coffee shop and café in the Village of West Clay! I visited for the first time today and was assisted in making a drink selection by the friendly staff! They even self-​corrected how they rang up my drink to ensure I got the best deal! The environment is trendy and relaxing! It’s the perfect place to meet friends for coffee, breakfast, or lunch! It was such a good experience that I’m headed back for lunch!

So happy to have Zing Café in the neighborhood! The owner is so kind, personable and caring for his customers. The food and beverage choices are perfect for carrying out in a hurry or settling down with friends and family for a meal.
I definitely recommended the coffee. It is excellent! They have a s’mores latte as a special. Perfection. The spinach salad, chicken pesto and blueberry muffins are a must. This morning I had the California Classic on an English muffin. The toppings were fresh and love having an egg white option!
Keep up the great work!

First let me say it is great to have anything besides pizza in west clay. I do not understand why there aren’t more dining options. I am newer to the area and we need more restaurants and a better market than cvs.
Now that is out of the way, there is some room for improvement. Here are some helpful suggestions. I have a few years of barista experience.
The coffee was weak. Especially the iced coffee. When making iced coffee there needs to be additional shots of espresso in the mix to offset the ice dilution. Coffee is no different than baking. Proportions matter. Iced coffee is also priced higher so if it is good you will make more profit per cup.
The cinnamon toast was ehh. Go to patchou and copy what they have. Their menu is awesome and easily adaptable. Pick 8 things and be great at them.
The staff is young which is fine but they need to ignore the Starbucks culture (a «tall» coffee? Seriously) and embrace the true coffeehouse culture. This is how you get repeat customers (and tips). Know the beans. It only matters to 10% of coffee drinkers but it creates a culture that people like to be a part of. The music was on point. Good job.
Lastly I would figure out the line. When more than 3 people are on line it’s packed and I can’t imagine what it will be like with winter coats.
Overall very thankful to have it but it will benefit from a hometown rooting for it to succeed. What will really separate it is when people ignore the Starbucks drive thru on Michigan and get out of their cars for a cup of zing and a muffin in the morning. That should be the goal. The yoga moms and retirees will give it a shot but Patachou is only 15 minutes away.
Good luck! We will be back.

Went in on opening day — fabulous menu with a great variety of breakfast sandwiches and coffee drinks and panini sandwiches. Asked if they could swap out the ham for some bacon on my egg and cheese sandwich and it was no problem. My server was delightful and helpful. My sandwich came out and it was piping hot with a fresh egg and delicious and appropriately cooked bacon. So happy! My go-​to specialty coffee drink is a mocha and Zing does a great job with their version. My wife and daughters went there in the afternoon and had smoothies and sandwiches and loved it. We went back the next day for more egg sandwiches. Great quality food, very inviting interior décor. Great to have this restaurant in the village, keep up the good work Zing!

Finally a non pizza place in VWC !! I’ve been 5 times in first week. Kids love the smoothies while I’ve had the tuna and club panini. Food is great and staff is very helpful. With quality food and a great ambiance this place will succeed for sure.

I was beyond excited to see the «coming soon» sign outside of this building a couple of months ago. Finally! A coffee shop AND a place to get brunch… all within walking distance of my house! Here in Carmel, most of our houses are surrounded by nothing but more houses, so it’s a joy and a novelty to get a great neighborhood «spot».
This little commercial area of the neighborhood is slowly starting to build itself back up and is wonderfully promising. I only hoped Zing would be good enough to live up to the expectations.
I had a chance to check it out just a couple of days after their grand opening. My first thought upon parking nearby was that Zing has already brought a different vibe to the little street. They have a few outdoor tables along the sidewalk, and people were sitting outside chatting with their morning coffee. Inside, the place has a bit of that popular industrial chic vibe with Edison bulb fixtures and stainless steel tables, combined with cozy chocolate brown and teal floors and artwork.
There was already a line at the counter with people ordering breakfasts and drinks. Though you could tell the few staff members who were there were quite busy, they were very friendly and got the orders completed pretty quickly.
Unfortunately, I only had time to try a drink. My ultimate test of a coffee shop: the chai latte. Zing’s tastes very good and would be nearly perfect except for the little blob of spices sitting on the bottom of the cup… not too crazy about gritty tea, but I am definitely going to give Zing another chance. Their menu of breakfast sandwiches, soups, salads, and paninis looked so delicious and I was glad to see a wide range of healthy options.
Looking forward to future mornings with a good book and breakfast while relaxing at Zing Café!