Giant Coffee is the sweetheart of the downtown Phoenix coffee scene. Casual, comfortable ambiance? Check. Well-crafted coffee drinks? You know it. Breakfast burritos and house-baked pastries are just the icing on the cake. The space is open and airy, with huge open windows that sweep in sunlight and fresh air (a welcome and generally unfamiliar phenomenon for the laptop crowd). It's really the small things that make Giant so great in our eyes; its dedication to using simple, quality ingredients puts Giant a step above the rest. Local organic eggs are the heart of the breakfast burritos (warmed slowly in the oven). Giant's tableside tea service feels luxurious but is presented free of pretense. Rich, buttery Straus Creamery "Barista Milk" is the perfect complement to Four Barrel Coffee's espresso blend — only barely homogenized, it retains remarkable complexity of flavor and lends a creamy texture to the shop's milk-based drinks.
Readers Choice: Cartel Coffee & Beer House