Every Good Coffee Shop in Phoenix

List
Written By Chris Hall

IMAGE FROM @FUTUROCOFFEE ON INSTAGRAM

Normally I want to find the best of things. What’s the best restaurant? What’s the best cocktail bar? But with coffee, I’ve found that what I really want is the best thing near me, exactly when I need coffee the most. I went to New York recently and didn’t search for the best coffee shop in Manhattan, I searched for the best shop by my hotel. That’s not saying there is no best shop in town, it’s just that I’m not as inclined to plan my day around my morning coffee as I am to plan it around a trip to Century Grand. So here, I’m on a quest to find the best places in each part of town, so you can get that magical cup wherever you might be.

On the road? Save this list in map form so you’ll always know where to go.

Downtown

1 Yumpoint

dialog

When I think of the ideal Phoenix aesthetic, I think of bright, sunlit rooms with modernist furniture on polished concrete floors. There are some plants around to give a middle finger to the unrelenting sun outside, and modern-ish art on the wall that seems very relatable. Dialog is this. It’s the Phoenix ideal. Go there and experience what the city wants to be in all its glory.

1 Yumpoint

Mis Raices Cafe

Let’s be honest, most of this page consists of modern, minimalist shops, delivering roughly the same experience you’ll get at any good coffee shop in the country. That’s not a knock—I’m a big fan of these shops—but sometimes you need something different. Mis Raices is that. It’s a bright, Mexican coffee shop with a list of specialty drinks modeled after Mexican sweets. Horchata, churro, flan, Duvalín. My mouth is watering already.

1 Yumpoint

Songbird Coffee & Tea House

There’s nothing more lovely than Songbird. It’s one of those shops that’s been around forever, now situated in an old cottage near Roosevelt. You go in, grab your coffee, hang around if you want, or just walk around the area—one of the few parts of town that seems truly walkable. If the weather’s nice, you’ll feel like you’re on vacation.

1 Yumpoint

Trans Am Cafe

Just so you know, Grand Ave. is weird and everything there could be described with the word “funky.” Trans Am Cafe is funky. It’s not your standard modern coffee shop, but it’s also not your old hippie box. It’s a spot that’s sort of an art gallery, sort of a light food spot, sort of a coffee shop, sort of a bar. It’s just one of those places you go to see where life takes you. Maybe you’ll go out, maybe you’ll stay in, maybe you’ll stay there for three hours talking. Who knows!

aftermarket.

Back in the day, Cartel was the place to go in town for true hipster vibes. The place where true alternative culture was happening. Not taking anything away from Cartel, but the culture mantle has been passed on to places like aftermarket. It’s in an old studio space and doubles as an art gallery, and when you go you kind of feel like you’re somewhere else. A place where people with MBA’s aren’t allowed. A place that doesn’t believe in capital letters.

FUTURO

FUTURO is the Future, man. It’s minimal bordering on cold, everything is in Spanish, and all the stuff is angular. The pastries are angular. The coffee is sharp. Even the boxes the coffee comes in (it’s Sey Coffee right now) have hard, clean lines. It’s like you’re in a sci-fi future. A caffeinated, sci-fi future.

The Coffee Builders

I’m imagining the folks at Porter Barn Wood saying, “We’d like to show off our work, but a showroom just won’t do. What we need is a coffee shop people will want to come to.” “But we’re in kind of a weird part of town, sir.” “If we make it good enough, people will come!” And they built it, and people came. It’s a beautiful shop, the drinks are fantastic, and it’s one of the only places in town doing Danish Smørrebrod, if you’re in to that sort of thing.

Tres Leches Cafe

If you want your Mexican coffee fix, Mis Raices is over there making delicious drinks. But if you’re looking for a bold, loud Mexican coffee fix, Tres Leches Cafe is where you want to be. The drink flavors are big, the labels on the drinks are bold, the conchas are super bright, the merch is awesome… you get the drift.

Midtown

17 Yumpoints

Valentine

Isn’t Valentine the dinner spot in Melrose that was a James Beard Awards semifinalist? The one with the awesome drinks? Sure, but it’s also a brunch spot, and the pastry chef is a James Beard finalist. And if you go before the kitchen opens for breakfast, you’ll get your pick of the amazing pastries the place has to offer before they start selling out. Oh, and the coffee at Valentine is also really good. Honestly, this place is kind of unfair.

2 Yumpoints

Copper Star Coffee

Copper Star is in Melrose, and it feels very Melrose. What do I mean by that? Digging deep here. If Melrose was a person, its mantra would be, “I am who I am. And what I am is whatever I want to be right now.” Fitting right in, Copper Star is a coffee shop in a repurposed service station that primarily does coffee, but also dabbles in everything else: surprisingly good bagels, smoothies, small bites, etc.

2 Yumpoints

Lux Central

Every city has a counterculture. And most counterculture I find have a few things in common—lots of thrift-store finds, everything is repurposed, ideas are overflowing, and spaces are generally chaotic. That’s Lux, although Lux got so popular that it’s starting to seem normal now. When you walk in, it’s like you’re in an alternate world, separate from normal Phoenix. The pastry area is humongous, the coffee menu is full, the breakfast menu is surprisingly impressive, and the seating is a jungle. Some people hate Lux because it seems like the dictionary definition of hipster, but I think it’s wonderful.

1 Yumpoint

Dark Hall Coffee

Vegan goth metal. If that’s not a genre currently on your radar, it probably should be. So at Dark Hall, you can get alt-milk espresso drinks, coffee, and quite-impressive vegan pastries in a very dark, very moody setting. Lots of skeletons. It’s probably not for everyone, but if it’s for you, it’s really for you.

1 Yumpoint

Window Coffee Bar

Window is one of those shops you can’t help but root for. The place is just so cheery, and the people there are so very nice. Plus, it’s one of the only specialty coffee places in town serving beans from Mexico as their house roast. If you need additional prodding, Yelp named it the #6 coffee shop in America in 2024, and while I don’t put much stock in crowdsourced reviews, it’s hard to argue with that many people unanimously saying good things.

Spce Coffee

Spce Coffee loves the color pink. So much pink. Not an obnoxious Barbie pink, but lighter shades. Shades that won’t make your eye twitch, I promise. And you don’t just get a normal cappuccino here, you get a Rosie Girl, which is “a rose pedal infused vanilla whole bean over oat milk with double espresso.” Or you can get something iced, which will come with a pink straw. Did I mention they like pink?

Uptown

1 Yumpoint

Case Study Coffee Lounge

If you’re over in the Biltmore area and need to, say, stop by Total Wine on Camelback because if you win their allocated bourbon lottery they make you pick everything up from that location instead of the one right by your house, you should definitely stop by Case Study. The place is really pretty (the owner is a woodworker/furniture designer, and you can tell), the coffee is good, and the vibes are right.

1 Yumpoint

Otro Cafecito

Inside of Otro Cafe, you’ll find Cafecito, a super chill Mexican coffee shop serving up great coffee, Mexican pastries, and eventually juices and cocktails. If I lived nearby I could see this place being my normal coffee hang, but if I’m driving, I’d have a real hard time not going over to the food side of Otro Cafe for those ridiculous pancakes. Not to hijack this or anything, but those Otro pancakes are out of control.

Esso Coffeehouse

Remember old school coffee shops? The ones with hippie vibes, before modernists turned coffee shops into Design Within Reach showrooms? That’s Esso. There’s art on the wall for sale. They have poetry open mic nights. The specials sign is handwritten. And the patio is lovely.

Moxie Coffee Company

There’s a type of coffee shop I always end up going to when I’m traveling. I don’t quite know how to define it, but I’ll try. The walls are usually stark white, the menu is super clean, the coffee bar is quite large with an impressive looking espresso machine, the pastries all look immaculate, and someone usually has a mustache. There are a few things you always know when you show up to this shop—there will be a small pourover menu, and it’ll probably contain words like bourbon, geisha, or anaerobic, you can definitely order a 1-and-1, even if it’s not on the menu, and the cold brew isn’t going to suck. Some might say these shops lack character, or place, or whatever, but I like my coffee good, and these shops always deliver. Somehow I got this far without talking about Moxie… Moxie is this. All of this.

PROVISION

PROVISION is a story of opportunistic upgrades. Of starting small and hustling. Back in the day, I used to go to PROVISION in Gilbert when it was a tiny coffee counter in a salon space, which was in a JC Penny’s-anchored strip mall. Then they packed up and moved to a beautiful spot in Arcadia, adding a full cocktail program to their offering. Then they packed up and moved to a somehow more beautiful three-story spot in Uptown, where they’ve added a ton of food to the menu. I can’t even imagine what the next evolution will be.

Camelback East

1 Yumpoint

La Grande Orange

La Grande Orange is known for a lot of things. The pizzas are better than you’d think. The sandwiches and burgers are pretty great. Heck, even the weird grocery store-ish space in front is fun to browse. But one of the more underrated things about LGO is the coffee bar. And if you listen to Phoenix Magazine specifically, the proper order is the Havana Latte, blending espresso and steamed condensed milk into morning latte perfection.

A.T. Oasis Coffee & Tea Shop

A.T. Oasis definitely isn’t a fancy shop, and it’s not designed with a minimalist aesthetic. It’s not any wave of coffee. There are no Eames-inspired chairs or plywood tables. What it is is a traditional Ethiopian coffee shop, where the owner buys coffee direct from Ethiopian farmers—they even do a traditional coffee ceremony, which is something you should definitely experience if you’re a coffee fan.

PIP Coffee + Clay

Y’know, there’s something smart going on here. Imagine having a ceramics studio where you’re, say, teaching people how to make mugs. What goes in mugs? Coffee. What do people that make mugs like drinking? Coffee. So if you put in a full coffee operation, it’s a slam dunk. It’s so smart. And then, if you get there around 3 and don’t want anymore caffeine, they serve beer and cocktails. So smart! This place rules.

N. Phoenix

Press Coffee

Press, to me, seems like what would happen if Starbucks decided to roast and brew good coffee. This isn’t a knock or anything, but Press always feels a little transactional—like you’re going to get coffee and maybe sit down, but not to necessarily interact with the shop itself. It’s probably because the company is so ambitious, growing from one shop in Scottsdale Quarter to what feels like a billion in a pretty short period of time. Fortunately, they always brew up the good stuff, so if they want to expand more, I won’t be mad.

  • Multiple Locations

WeBe Coffee Roasters

WeBe kind of reminds me of Mythical in Gilbert. Both are in underserved coffee areas, both have that Arizona minimalist aesthetic, and both roast their own beans. The only difference is that WeBe roasts on site, and the giant roaster in the back of the shop makes for a great conversation starter, if you enjoy conversations about green coffee sourcing and different roasting profiles. The coffee world is fascinating, to me at least.

Scottsdale

1 Yumpoint

Berdena’s

Berdena’s has two things going for it in a big way. First, if it’s a nice day, there’s really no better spot to get a coffee and do some people watching in Old Town Scottsdale. Second, the small breakfast/pastry offering they have is really, really good. Like, sure, you can get a sorta-breakfast at plenty of coffee shops, but the sorta-breakfast at Berdena’s is going to be a bit better.

Fourtillfour Cafe

What happens when you blend car culture and coffee culture? Well, that’s hard to say. To me, as a casual shopgoer, it’s more of a salad bowl situation than a melting pot situation. That’s not a knock though—the subtle car touches on the coffee side don’t seem obnoxious or macho in any way, and the coffee makes the Saturday morning coffee shows a little more alive and delicious. It’s a really cool place, and that’s coming from a guy with a negative interest in cars.

Regroup Coffee + Bicycles

Regroup is what happens when a bicycle guy is also a coffee guy and wants to open a shop. Usually these sorts of fusion places are a recipe for disaster, but this one is awesome, and it’s exactly what you think it is. It’s a modern coffee shop attached to a modern bike shop, where you can enjoy your morning cappuccino while looking at a shiny new Orbea bike. Maybe you could ask about aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fibers while eating an Instagram-worthy pastry. You do you.

East Valley

3 Yumpoints

Peixoto Coffee Roasters

Peixoto was the first crop-to-cup situation in the Valley, and when they opened in Chandler, was the first legitimately great shop within 30 minutes of my house. Imagine late-20’s me, driving 30+ minutes to go to Cartel in Tempe, when Peixoto opened. I thought it’d be another Gilbert/Chandler dud, then on their second day in existence I—to this day—think I had the single best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. I think it was an Ethiopian natural, and it tasted like I was drinking blueberries. Incredible. Now they have an extraordinarily nice new location (like, world-class nice) right over by my house, an I’m officially spoiled.

1 Yumpoint

Pair Cupworks

Back when I had my first kid, I’d go to Peixoto in Chandler at least once a week and sit at the bar. There, Kimhak would usually make fun of me for always ordering a geisha if it was available, because I just can’t help myself. He’s the best. Eventually, he started his own thing inside of Cider Corps in Mesa, and now has a second thing inside of the Bouldering Project in Tempe. Not to pick favorites, but if I had to pick a favorite place to get coffee in town, it’s wherever Kimhak is doing pourovers (although he’s elusive these days… apparently roasting is important or something. Ugh.)

Cafetal Coffee & Familia

When Peixoto opened in Chandler, I thought the concept of a someone opening a shop in Phoenix featuring beans from their family farm in S. America was amazing. But I certainly didn’t expect to see another shop like it. Then Cafetal opened up in Tempe and I don’t know what to think. Will every coffee farm send relatives out to open shops so they can cut out the middleman? Maybe they should!

Cartel Coffee Lab

ASU’s coffee scene was miserable when I was there. It just was. Then right after I graduated, Cartel opened (right by where I used to live, argh!) and changed everything. All the sudden, Tempe had a coffee scene, and Phoenix had a roaster that was national-level good. These days it feels a little more corporate. A little more polished (especially in the newer locations). But if you walk by a Cartel anywhere in town, you at least know you’re going to get a good cup.

  • Multiple Locations

Infusion Coffee & Tea

Infusion doesn’t feel like the most trendy coffee shop, but what it does have is knowledge. And knowledge is power. And great power comes great responsibility. Or something. Ok, seriously, Infusion has a coffee school in it that might seem dumb, but it was the first Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Academy in the Americas. Baristas and roasters from all over the continent (and world?) come here to train. That’s a real thing. So when you get a drink there, you know it’s probably going to be done the right way.

  • Multiple Locations

Mythical Coffee

If you’re in the vicinity of Downtown Gilbert, Mythical is your spot for coffee. It’s a fairly minimal shop (although it’s definitely Arizona minimal… see dialog above for a rundown of the Arizona aesthetic) with really good coffee and always great tunes. Be warned though that Gilbert is badly underserved, so the shop is always on the full side. When the weather’s nice you can always find a table outside, but in the summer, unless you go at a goofy hour, you might find yourself standing around, wondering how long it’ll actually take for someone to drink a banana colada cold brew.

East Valley (Gilbert) - 1090 S Gilbert Rd

West Valley

1 Yumpoint

Coldwater Coffeehouse

Coldwater feels like less of a coffeeshop and more of a lifestyle. It’s a co-op, and everyone lives nearby, and the shelves are all stocked with local produce and locally made baked goods and such. The coffee is certainly there, but you’re only nominally going for that. As Phoenix Magazines puts it, you’re going for the Berkley vibes.

1 Yumpoint

Homage Coffee House

Homage Coffee House reminds me a lot of Window Coffee Bar in Phoenix—feel-good vibes, really community oriented, super creative lattes. Although unlike Window, everything here is vegan, so you’ll be getting alt-milk (which, tbh, sometimes makes a better drink). I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t make it out to the West Valley often, and it’s super exciting to see the coffee culture growing out there.

Driftwood Coffee

The West Valley is underserved by good things in about every way possible. That’s slowly changing, but it’s still true. If the Southeast Valley is the official home of everyone’s second or third location, the West Valley is where you’ll find their sixth, after they’ve taken on VC money and have a location in Dallas and Denver. Then there’s Driftwood Coffee, a legitimately great coffee shop in Old Town Peoria. If you’re over there, it’s a must.

Chris Hall
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