Coffee Rush in Chanlder

The first coffee shop on my list is Coffee Rush in Chandler, AZ. It's located on the South-East corner of Ray and Dobson. You'll see a sign for a Sprouts Farmer's Market in the same complex. The address is 1949 W Ray Rd, Ste 40. I'll be honest, based on their website, this wasn't on the top of my list. But, my phone (with gps) is broken, and since this cafe was on the same road I live on, I thought it would be the easiest to find.

I pulled up to a rather dated looking business complex. My heart started to sink a little. I was afraid this might be one of those struggling cafe's, with no patrons and employees that seemed half excited to see someone to break the monotony, half annoyed that you made them move. I was completely wrong though. This cafe is located next to a "lake" (at least what Arizonan's call a lake, more like what I would call a big puddle) which was really nice AND they have an outdoor patio with misters. There were quite a few people outside just chatting in the patio, and even more inside. This shop is located on the corner and it almost made me feel like I found one of those hidden cafe's the locals always go to.There was some lights hanging over the patio as well and I could just see how nice it would be in the evenings and at night.

The interior was nice as well. Decorated with taste and looked really nice. It felt very down to earth. I was greeted by the barista as I walked up to the counter. I told him I'd never been there yet and instead of getting the typical roll of the eyes, he asked if I would like a little tour of the menu and have him explain it a little. Ummm yes! I work at a cafe so I usually know what everything means, but this gave me the additional few minutes to look over everything and become aware of what they were offering. I finally decided on a Tiramisu Mocha, which sounded unique and delicious. I asked him if it was good and he replied with "It's pretty popular." Which made me wary because I tell people that when I don't like something. He then recommended swapping some of the mocha for white and adding cinnamon. Umm yes again! As he was making it I looked over at their bakecase and noticed they had pecan and walnut baklava.... wow. So I ordered the pecan and my total came to just a little over $5. Which is what I would have paid for just the drink at a Starbucks. He told me to make sure to let him know how I liked it and I assured him I would. I figured I would grab a straw, take a sip, and go.

But I decided to sit down. Which is kind of odd for me because I was alone and in an unfamiliar environment, and I usually bolt the first change I get. Maybe it was the woman sitting at a table knitting, but I just felt comfortable there. So I sat down and enjoyed the baklava and the drink which I liked very much. I noticed a lot of dad's stopping in to get coffee with their little girls, which reminded me of when my dad and I would do that.

Over all I LOVED this cafe and will definitely be going back. The coffee was good, the service was incredibly good, and I liked the fact I could sit outside in a relatively peaceful area. They also have a great punch card if you decide to visit. Over all I give this place a 8.5, just falling short in the area that I didn't see any place for music and that is something I'd really like to find.

If you've visited this shop, what is your impression?

What is the perfect coffe shop?

I've lived in Eastern Phoenix for about a year now, and I still haven't found a coffee shop I really enjoy. And by enjoy, I mean that I like to frequent several times a week, meet up with friends at, or just hang out sipping coffee and reading a book. So this is my quest to find one. I've Binged (is that a word yet?) local coffee shops in Phoenix and the surrounding areas, and as long as they are within 30 minutes of my house, I will go check them out and give them a rating of 1-10. 

So now to describe what I am looking for. I used to live in Idaho and my favorite coffee shop was a place called Java. It was a locally owned coffee shop that baked their own baked goods, used fair trade coffee, and featured local artist's artwork on their walls. In short, it was a nice hippie cafe. I am a closet hippie. The more you get to know me the more you will see it. I don't dress like a hippie, but I have the hippie mentality of live and let live. Back to Java, they had live Jazz the first thursday of every month, as well as open mic nights and smaller artists playing every once in awhile. They had chill music, comfy couches, and cute little tables with fresh flowers on them. It was a place to just go and relax, one of my favorites for meeting up with friends.

That's basically the environment I want to find. Just relaxed and happy, and with great coffee. I think the employees will tell you a lot about a place as well, they just give off a certain vibe. So I have my list of coffee shops and I will hopefully be going to a new one about once a week now, and giving some reviews on them. Stay tuned.