Berdena's in Old Town Scottsdale is Now Open

If your little heart pines for the boutique-y, independently owned coffee shops of San Francisco or LA, pine no longer. Berdena's in Old Town Scottsdale knows how you feel, and that's why they opened on April 11.

Berdena's has all the things that make you go "mmm" — clean lines, ceramic tile, a shiny new Synesso espresso machine in periwinkle blue ... oh, and coffee. Really good coffee. Ritual coffee from San Francisco, to be specific, and owner Jonathan Madrigal put as much care into picking that coffee as he did every other detail in the beautifully appointed space.

"When you come into the shop and look around," Madrigal says, "you are seeing me." It's not just the aesthetic, though Madrigal claims his OCD inspired the simple, clean look of the place. There are Le Dinersaur pastries, made by local baker Olivia Girard, which Madrigal fell in love with on a visit to downtown Phoenix, and Rococo Chocolates, made in England, that Madrigal's sister in Pittsburgh discovered and insisted he sell at Berdena's (the only place in Arizona to offer Rococo, Madrigal tells us proudly). Every bit of the place has a story behind it, and Madrigal is eager to share those stories.

A native of Costa Rica, Madrigal says that small children in his home country were given coffee in their sippy cups. "More milk than coffee," he assures us (that sound you heard was the collective panic attack of American mothers everywhere), "but coffee is truly in my blood."

If there is one thing Madrigal is more passionate about than beans, it's people. He wants Berdena's to be a place where people can gather to share their own stories, or work without feeling hassled. Even with his own staff, Madrigal insists they be friendly and genuine first, baristas second. The goal? Quick, quality coffee, without the attitude. We'll drink to that.

Berdena's will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, and closed on Sundays.