Elevate Coffee House

In West Phoenix you might find the pickings a little slim as far as locally-owned coffee shops go, which is why people are especially grateful to have Elevate Coffee House in the neighborhood. The coffee house and lunch spot offers breakfast eats (think classic morning meals such as bagels, oatmeal, and a croissant sandwich) as […]

Enroute Coffee and Tea House

Coffee options at the Enroute Coffee and Tea House are heavy on the espresso, and the handcrafted, small-batch cold brew is infused with nitro. In addition, the shop offers 24 loose leaf teas options (the house favorite being peach white), and a house drink called a lotus (a plant-based energy drink).

Fair Trade Cafe

We thought we were going back again and again to Fair Trade because they offer 75-cent refills on tea and coffee, but then we started to notice the dynamic crowd, and the cool music, and the cool-weather outdoor seating options, and we realized we were in love with everything here! Especially the strong brew, served […]

Froth Coffee Roasters

In the beginning, Froth Coffee Roasters would drive your coffee to you, via a standout silver 1957 converted retro bread van. Now, with its first brick and mortar opened – a stylish spot on McDowell Road and 15th Street – you drive to the coffee, but you don’t have to get out of your car […]

Giant Coffee

We were counting the days until this place opened, because it’s owned and operated by Matt of Matt’s Big Breakfast, a place we truly love. We weren’t disappointed: the coffee is strong and freshly brewed by the pot; we recommend the Smoke Jumper — a delicious, complex espresso drink that will wake you right up […]

Gill’s Grounds

Set on a gravel parking lot next to Vertuccio Farms in Mesa, Gill’s Grounds at first glance resembles nothing more than a wood shack. But the double-drive-thru coffee shop is full of heart – and caffeine. In 2015, after a 20-year stint in the U.S. Army, Chris Gill brought his love of coffee and military […]

Gold Bar Espresso

If you leave Gold Bar Espresso thirsty, then you’ve got some explaining to do. The family-owned and operated coffee shop has been quenching parched mouths in Tempe since the mid-nineties. Located in the Basha’s shopping center on the northeast corner of Southern and McClintock, they offer a wide selection of beverages: the obvious coffee and […]

Gotham City Comics & Coffee

Downtown Mesa has welcomed all sorts of geekery with open arms and Gotham City Comics & Coffee is no exception. Owners Kevin Johnson and Miguel Vega have made a haven for comic book lovers, the video game obsessed and anime aficionados at this comic book shop and coffee bar. The shop hosts video game tournaments, […]

Graffiti Shop

The name Graffiti Shop isn’t just a cool-sounding moniker at this Tempe smoke shop. It’s an open invitation to leave your mark on the walls and floor of the shop in marker or spray paint or whatever medium you’d like. Owner Lawrence Owenby – he’ll probably tell you he goes by “Larry” – has been […]

The Grand

The Grand is a 24-hour cafe, restaurant, bar and hangout space in downtown Phoenix, located in the space that formerly housed the nightclub Amsterdam. A major part of the sprawling venue’s appeal is its steampunk coffeehouse-meets-Victorian train station aesthetic, which is produced by glowing vintage light fixtures, shabby chic antique tables, and old-fashioned train timetables […]

Ground Control

Ground Control Coffee & Wine Bar is exactly what the name implies: a home base for all things delicious in Litchfield Park. Coffeehouse by day, wine bar by night, this café on steroids serves everything from cappuccinos and signature blended drinks to cheese boards and house-made gelato. They’ll even pour a shot of Bailey’s over […]

Hangar Cafe

Nestled in the corner of an aircraft maintenance hangar at the Chandler Municipal Airport, this inexpensive, no-frills breakfast and lunch spot invites its patrons of airport staff and pilots, neighborhood locals, and curious out-of-towners to take in a few flights along with some satisfactory fare. Flavor-wise, breakfast does better than lunch, with sky-high portions of […]

Hob Nobs

People who’ve lived here a long time remember when this little Cotswold cottage was the home of the Willo House, and many of us were sad to see that long-time favorite lunch spot go away. That is, until we stopped in to eyeball the warm, friendly, and chic breakfast-and-lunch caf

The Iowa Cafe

Phoenix has a lot of transplants from other parts of the country: New England, the South, and especially California. But Arizona seems to draw more Midwesterners than anything else. So it’s no surprise that one Mesa restaurant serves a taste of America’s Heartland. The Iowa Caf

J.P. Pancake

Ooh, good. That’s all we can say, our mouths stuffed with buttermilk pancakes topped with fresh blueberries, seven types of Belgian waffles and oven-baked apple pancakes. Classic pigs-in-a-blanket are familiar friends, too, fashioned with Hormel links and topped with tropical syrup. A short list of sandwiches is worth investigation, particularly the tuna melt and turkey […]