Budget Travel recently listed what they consider to be the 5 hottest foodie trends right now. On the list: urban foraging, night markets, single item restaurants, bicycle cafes and rent-a-tree programs. We may not have all the items on the list, but we were trendsetters when it came to the bike cafe. We've had one for almost three years in North Central Phoenix: Trailhead Bike Cafe.
What's a bike cafe? It's part bike shop and part cafe. It's an spot to meet your friends, grab a bite, a quickie tune-up and go. The owner thought about this location in particular due to the many bike trails nearby via Piestewa Peak, the canal and scenic surface street paths.
Not only can you get your tires filled to cruise, they have some serious bikes and gear for the athletes and some seriously gorgeous cruisers to meander along the Murphy Bridle Path on Central Avenue.
The food here focuses on the earlier dayparts -- though they are open until 7 p.m. on weekdays. Espresso, pretty pastries, smoothies and egg-based choices are your options for breakfast, while carefully crafted sandwiches, salads and flatbread "pizzas" round out the menu for lunch.
It's a comfortable atmosphere with great tunes and friendly mustachioed men behind the counters -- though you do walk straight through rows of bikes and the bike counter before you find the cafe counter. Beyond the bikes and counters, there are TVs, a couch area and two small tables in the eating area where you can visit with your friends and sip a coffee.
Trailhead is definitely geared toward killing two birds with one stone for the bike enthusiasts but it's also a solid spot to swing in and grab breakfast when you're heading in to work or a stop to take a sandwich back to the office.
Trailhead Bike Cafe is located on the SE corner of 16th St and Glendale Ave. in Phoenix. (602) 264-2328.
