When ITS suggested we go to Village Coffee Roastery for our next DOD, we thought… “really? Coffee?” We had been to coffee houses before, heck there seems to be one on every corner now, and having a pastry and a cappuccino for under $30 seemed at once easy, unfulfilling and uninspiring. Boy, were we wrong. Village Coffee is NOT your typical coffee joint.

 When you first walk in, you notice the difference at Village Coffee. Of course coming out of 114 degree weather into a cool, air conditioned environment is enough of a relief; but once your eyes adjust from the bright sun outside, you see that the folks who come here are regulars. Not “regulars” in the sense that they come in, grab a latte and leave. These people come in, sit down and spend the day together. They work here, they socialize here, they eat here, and they get their entertainment here. When you say neighborhood, family joint, this is what you mean.

Another difference is that Lisa, the owner, is as much part of the place as the cappuccino machine. She is either sitting at one of the tables talking with the folks or behind the counter whipping up the grub. She took the time to personally explain to Emily how Village Coffee creates one of their signature drinks, a John Wayne espresso, by layering the cream in between shots. “Try this,” she said handing the glass over, “After, you can feel your eyeballs.”

And the food… Oh, my. We recommend coming in for lunch because the sandwiches are outstanding. Julie had the Rueben with house pasta salad, and Emily had the Coffee Rubbed Short Rib sandwich, which is the Thursday special. The Short Rib is probably one of the best sandwiches this writer has tasted. It is worth a trip across town just for that (I can’t wait to go back). The Rueben was also pretty awesome and comes with the added entertainment an ongoing argument between Lisa and one of her employees as to whether it truly is a Rueben. We won’t take sides, we just want more.

“Is the coffee better?” the addicts ask. All we can reply is a caffeine infused YES! For one thing, they roast it themselves on-site using a patented process utilized by only 11 other roasters in the world, and they time it so that the coffee is only served at its peak potency. The number of varieties they have from all over the world is almost overwhelming but fun to explore. Of course, if you are not a coffee drinker, they have tons of other drinks including Italian Sodas and beautiful teas. Julie had a Thai tea with a shot of espresso, two drinks she loves in one, “definitely a highlight.”

Still, it’s the food we went to check out, and we were impressed. Village Coffee Roastery ain’t your standard, corporate run coffee joint. It’s a place where people come to play and stay and eat.

Click Here to Check Out Their Website

Location:

120 N. Hayden Rd, Number E-104

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

 

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