Independent restaurants & coffee shops. Walkable downtowns. Where are they? (Phoenix: houses, neighborhoods)

[herethereandeverywhere]

Outside of Scottsdale which seems to be tourisy and ritzy where in Phoenix are the cool restaurants, little downtowns, etc... Are there any other towns with the MSA that have little independent cafes, coffee houses, interesting shops, etc... In other words, where are the chains not located? I'm ok with the chains and even like some of them but it's always nice to support local businesses and try some different types of food.


Thanks.

[HX_Guy]

Try downtown Phoenix. It's not the biggest place, but does have many more independent places then it does chain.

[synapse]

Originally Posted by herethereandeverywhere

Outside of Scottsdale which seems to be tourisy and ritzy where in Phoenix are the cool restaurants, little downtowns, etc... Are there any other towns with the MSA that have little independent cafes, coffee houses, interesting shops, etc... In other words, where are the chains not located? I'm ok with the chains and even like some of them but it's always nice to support local businesses and try some different types of food.

Thanks.

Try downtown Phoenix. It's kind of large, but approximates where the light rail will be, and the map of walkable Phoenix (available at several coffee shops, such as Hava Java at 3166 E. Camelback Road) will give you an idea of some of the independent cafes and coffee shops and stores.

[Robert A]

There's some neat stuff downtown along Roosevelt in between 7th St and Central. Coffee shops, bakeries, bars, art galleries, and retail.

The Melrose neighborhood along 7th Ave in between Indian School and Camelback also has some great vintage and coffee shops.

Even Sunnyslope is getting in on the action. South of Dunlap on Central you'll find a few cool restaurants/coffee shops.

[fcorrales80]

This is from a gay writer's perspective, but it offers many places that are open minded, friendly and very cool.
Spring 2008 | The Valley of the Sun | OutTraveler.com

[exit2lef]

Keep in mind that independent restaurants and cafes aren't always in walkable neighborhoods. The others in this thread are right on target with their descriptions, but it's also important to remember that semi-suburban, autocentric strip malls are among the best small business incubators around. I'm not talking about new, glitzy, large-scale malls; those are mostly chain territory. Instead, I'm talking about small, somewhat older, linear or L-shaped shopping centers that may be in less obvious areas. It's in many of these places that you'll find the best independent businesses. Some good clusters:

-- 7th Street from Oak to Thomas
-- 7th Avenue from Indian School to Campbell
-- 16th St -- various locations from Roosevelt up to Northern
-- Central & Camelback
-- Apache & Dorsey area in Tempe
-- 40th & Campbell in Arcadia

These are just some of the more prominent clusters. For the most part, they have limited walkability but interesting restaurants and cafes. There are many more scattered one or two per shopping center in Central Phoenix and the inner suburbs. It's only when one ventures into the outermost suburbs that chains really become overwhelmingly dominant. Some on this board like to complain that everything is so "spread out" that it's hard to enjoy it. While I'm a big advocate of more walkable neighborhoods, I don't buy the "spread out" cliche. It's a lame excuse for not enjoying the best of Phoenix. In fact, in some ways I think it adds to the fun of exploration and increases the rewards of a good find.

In any case, here are some Web sites to help with your quest:

Support Local Arizona Businesses | Local First Arizona | LocalFirstAz.com
http://www.feastinginphoenix.com
You Are Here (Really)
CenPho - Central Phoenix, AZ - CenPho
Arizona Coffee

I also maintain a site dedicated to mostly independent restaurants. If interested, you can find a link in my profile.

[azriverfan]

Originally Posted by silverbear

Keep in mind that independent restaurants and cafes aren't always in walkable neighborhoods. The others in this thread are right on target with their descriptions, but it's also important to remember that semi-suburban, autocentric strip malls are among the best small business incubators around. I'm not talking about new, glitzy, large-scale malls; those are mostly chain territory. Instead, I'm talking about small, somewhat older, linear or L-shaped shopping centers that may be in less obvious areas. It's in many of these places that you'll find the best independent businesses. Some good clusters:

-- 7th Street from Oak to Thomas
-- 7th Avenue from Indian School to Campbell
-- 16th St -- various locations from Roosevelt up to Northern
-- Central & Camelback
-- Apache & Dorsey area in Tempe
-- 40th & Campbell in Arcadia

These are just some of the more prominent clusters. For the most part, they have limited walkability but interesting restaurants and cafes. There are many more scattered one or two per shopping center in Central Phoenix and the inner suburbs. It's only when one ventures into the outermost suburbs that chains really become overwhelmingly dominant. Some on this board like to complain that everything is so "spread out" that it's hard to enjoy it. While I'm a big advocate of more walkable neighborhoods, I don't buy the "spread out" cliche. It's a lame excuse for not enjoying the best of Phoenix. In fact, in some ways I think it adds to the fun of exploration and increases the rewards of a good find.

In any case, here are some Web sites to help with your quest:

Support Local Arizona Businesses | Local First Arizona | LocalFirstAz.com
http://www.feastinginphoenix.com
You Are Here (Really)
CenPho - Central Phoenix, AZ - CenPho
Arizona Coffee

I also maintain a site dedicated to mostly independent restaurants. If interested, you can find a link in my profile.

I'm glad you mentioned this. There are several independent restaurants but they are in strip malls. I guess any restaurant in a strip mall fits "chain status" according to some people.

[exit2lef]

Add to Downtown Chandler to my previous list of clusters. It used to be pretty ordinary, but these days it has a walkable nucleus of interesting restaurants. Find it at Arizona Avenue and Chandler Boulevard.

[country pride]

Originally Posted by herethereandeverywhere

Outside of Scottsdale which seems to be tourisy and ritzy where in Phoenix are the cool restaurants, little downtowns, etc... Are there any other towns with the MSA that have little independent cafes, coffee houses, interesting shops, etc... In other words, where are the chains not located? I'm ok with the chains and even like some of them but it's always nice to support local businesses and try some different types of food.


Thanks.

Im not sure where in the metro Phoenix areas but there are a couple of cute, cozy places up north. One namely in Flagstaff that is a really nice family coffee shop, Marys Cafe. I used to love going there namely for its homely atmosphere. There used to also be a Fiddlers Restraunt there but I understand they shut down. Nothing beats the personality and catering those small, private owned businesses can give.