The Best Coffee Shops in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale has more coffee shops per square mile than most people expect from a golf and resort town, and the good ones are not clustered in one district. A shop in Old Town that closes at two in the afternoon runs on a completely different rhythm than a coffee and beer house that stays open until eight, and a roastery tucked into a McCormick Ranch strip center serves a different customer than a car culture cafe two blocks from Fifth Avenue. Knowing which is which matters more than knowing that Scottsdale "has good coffee."
This guide covers twelve shops worth knowing across Old Town, South Scottsdale, McCormick Ranch, Gainey Ranch, and the Kierland and Scottsdale Quarter corridor. Hours at small independent cafes shift more often than chains, so treat the hours listed here as a strong starting point and confirm before you plan a visit around them, especially on weekends.
Old Town, South Scottsdale, and North Scottsdale Are Not the Same Coffee Experience
Old Town Scottsdale is where most of the city's specialty coffee culture is concentrated, and it is walkable in a way the rest of the city is not. Fifth Avenue, Main Street, and the blocks around the Waterfront put six or seven independent shops within a fifteen minute walk of each other, which means a coffee crawl here is actually realistic on foot. Parking is metered and can be tight on weekend mornings, so shops with their own lots or generous street parking have a real advantage over the ones squeezed onto Fifth Avenue.
If you're exploring more than coffee, our Old Town Scottsdale neighborhood guide covers what it is actually like to live, walk, dine, and spend time in this part of the city.
South Scottsdale, roughly the stretch along Scottsdale Road and 68th Street south of Old Town, is quieter and less visited by tourists. The coffee shops here tend to serve a local, regular crowd rather than a rotating cast of hotel guests, and parking is considerably easier.
McCormick Ranch and Gainey Ranch north of Old Town along Hayden Road and the Loop 101 corridor. This is where Scottsdale residents actually live day to day, and the coffee shops here read more like neighborhood fixtures than destinations. Expect strip center parking lots instead of street parking, and a customer base of regulars rather than visitors working from a hotel itinerary.
Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Quarter, farther north along Scottsdale Road, function as an open air shopping district with valet and structured parking. Coffee here tends to be a stop between errands rather than a place to camp out for the afternoon, though that is changing as more shops add real seating.
Old Town Scottsdale
Fourtillfour
Fourtillfour opened in 2015 at 7105 East 1st Avenue, in the part of Old Town known as the Arts District, and it built its identity around two things that do not usually go together: third wave coffee and vintage cars. The shop roasts its own beans in-house on a Probat L12, a German roaster the owners chose specifically for its build quality, and the small walk-up cafe and shaded patio have become a regular stop for Scottsdale's car culture crowd. Fourtillfour hosts a monthly Cars and Coffee meet that draws a rotating lineup of classic and exotic cars into the parking area, and even on a normal Tuesday the patio has a different energy than a standard coffee shop.
The shop is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., which means it closes earlier than most Old Town cafes. That makes it a strong choice for an early morning stop before a day of exploring, but a poor choice if you are hoping for an afternoon coffee. Seating is limited and mostly outdoors, so it works better for a quick espresso or pour over than for settling in with a laptop. Fourtillfour has some of the best car shows in town. My favorite is the Porsche car show which is the first Saturday of each month.
A rare Porsche 959 parked in front of Fourtillfour
Berdena's, at 7051 East 5th Avenue on Old Town's Fifth Avenue shopping strip, is one of the most photographed coffee counters in the city, largely because of the periwinkle Synesso espresso machine that anchors the small, tile-floored space. Owner Jonathan Madrigal opened it in 2017 with a simple goal: a warm, well-designed room built around genuinely good coffee and food. The shop is known for specialty lattes like cardamom rose and honey lavender, along with a breakfast sandwich built on a brioche bun that regularly shows up in local best-of lists. My personal favorite is the avocado toast.
The catch is space. Berdena's is small, seating is limited both indoors and outside, and it gets busy on weekend mornings, so plan around an off-peak visit if you want a seat rather than a to-go cup. Current hours run 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
Cartel Roasting Co.
Cartel's Old Town location, at 7124 East 5th Avenue, is the shop to know if daily hours matter to your plans. It is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, which is significantly longer than most of the other independent shops on this list, making it one of the only real options for an afternoon coffee in Old Town. Cartel roasts its own beans and has grown into a company-wide, community-owned model, having opened equity ownership to customers through a public offering rather than taking on traditional venture funding.
The space itself mixes industrial elements with a more relaxed, art-lined interior, and there is enough seating, indoors and out, to work from a laptop or meet a group of friends without feeling rushed. The espresso program includes a few unconventional pours, including a tonic-based drink that shows up often in regular customer reviews. If you need a coffee shop that will still be open when the rest of Old Town has locked up for the afternoon, this is it.
Echo Coffee
Echo Coffee sits at 2902 North 68th Street, just south of the core Old Town district in what locals think of as South Scottsdale, and it built its reputation on organic sourcing done without pretense. Every bean is roasted in-house, every pastry is baked on-site, and the shop offers a free organic shortbread cookie with any drink ordered for here. It is family owned and has a loyal, mostly local following rather than a tourist crowd, which shows in the calmer pace even during morning rush.
Echo is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, giving it one of the longer and more consistent windows on this list, and parking is considerably easier here than on Fifth Avenue. Large street-facing windows and a straightforward espresso bar make it a good fit for a quiet solo coffee or a laptop session away from the busier core of Old Town.
JOJO Coffeehouse
JOJO, at 3712 North Scottsdale Road, blends a coffee shop with a full breakfast and brunch restaurant, and its signature move is the coffee flight: a small lineup of drinks, typically an iced latte, mocha, white mocha, cold brew, and caramel macchiato, served together so a table can sample the range in one sitting. There is a mimosa flight built the same way for anyone treating the visit as brunch rather than a coffee stop. Live music runs on Saturday and Sunday mornings, adding to the social, sit-down feel that separates JOJO from a quick counter-service cafe.
Current hours run 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and weekend waits can run past thirty minutes, so this is a shop to visit for the experience rather than a fast caffeine stop. Free parking is available just south of the restaurant on Scottsdale Road.
Sip Coffee & Beer
Sip, at 3617 North Goldwater Boulevard, is the answer to a specific problem: almost every other coffee shop in Old Town closes by early afternoon, and Sip stays open until 8 p.m. daily. The original location, opened in 2014 in a former needlepoint shop, runs as a coffee bar by day and a tap house and cocktail bar by night, with nineteen rotating craft beers and a menu that covers breakfast through dinner. Breakfast items, including a well-reviewed frittata and a chopped kale salad, run until 2 p.m.
The patio hosts regular events, from yoga classes to charity pop-ups, and the shop has a walkable location within easy reach of most of Fifth Avenue and Main Street. For anyone who wants a coffee shop that can also work as an evening hangout without switching venues, Sip is the closest thing Old Town has to that combination.
McCormick Ranch, Gainey Ranch, and North Scottsdale
Press Coffee, Three Locations
Press has been roasting coffee in Arizona since 2008 and now operates locations across the Scottsdale Waterfront, Scottsdale Quarter, and McCormick Ranch which makes it the most geographically convenient specialty coffee option in the city. Each location shares the same roastery-driven approach but serves a different kind of visit.
The Waterfront location, at 7135 East Camelback Road, sits about a block from the water in the middle of Old Town's restaurant row, with a shaded, pet-friendly patio and a full breakfast and lunch menu. It runs Coffee 101 classes on Saturdays for anyone who wants to understand what they are drinking beyond the cup in front of them. The Scottsdale Quarter location, at 15257 North Scottsdale Road, sits inside the open-air shopping center near Kierland, making it a natural stop while shopping rather than a standalone destination, with the same shaded patio seating. The McCormick Ranch location, at 8300 North Hayden Road, is the one locals in that part of the city actually build routines around, close enough to residential McCormick Ranch that regulars ride bikes over rather than drive.
Hours vary slightly by location and by day of the week, generally opening around 6:30 a.m. and closing between 5 and 7 p.m., so check the specific location before planning around closing time.
Which Scottsdale Coffee Shop Fits Your Visit
The best coffee shop in Old Town Scottsdale depends on what the visit actually requires. Berdena's and Fourtillfour both deliver serious specialty coffee in small, photogenic spaces, but neither is built for long stays. Cartel and Sip solve the opposite problem: both stay open well past the early afternoon closing time that defines most of Old Town, making either one the practical choice for anyone who wants coffee after 2 p.m.
For working from a laptop, Schmooze is built for exactly that, with private meeting rooms, dedicated outlets, and fiber internet that most cafes do not offer. Echo Coffee is a quieter, less crowded alternative for the same purpose, particularly for anyone who wants to avoid the Fifth Avenue foot traffic entirely. For a coffee meeting that might run an hour, Cartel's larger seating area and long hours make it the most forgiving option in the core of Old Town.
Breakfast pairs best with JOJO, where the coffee flight format and full brunch menu turn a coffee stop into an actual meal, or with Sip, which keeps its breakfast menu running until 2 p.m. daily. Patio seating is strongest at Fourtillfour, where the shaded outdoor space doubles as event space for the monthly car meets, and at Village Coffee Roastery, where the dog-friendly patio draws a steady weekend crowd.
For locally roasted coffee specifically, Cartel, Fourtillfour, Press, and Village Coffee Roastery all roast their own beans rather than sourcing from an outside supplier, which is worth knowing if that detail matters to how you choose a shop. In North Scottsdale and the McCormick Ranch corridor, Press Coffee's McCormick Ranch location and Village Coffee Roastery are the strongest options for anyone living or staying outside the Old Town core, while Firefly is the pick for a stricter, ingredient-focused organic standard.
Before exploring Old Town on foot, a quick stop at Cartel or Press Waterfront sets up a full day of walking without needing another coffee stop for hours. For someone visiting Scottsdale for the first time, Cartel is the easiest starting point: long hours, a central Fifth Avenue location, and enough seating to sit for a few minutes and get oriented before heading out.
What to Know Before Getting Coffee in Scottsdale
Summer changes how coffee shops in Scottsdale actually function. Once temperatures push past 100 degrees, which typically starts by late May and holds through September, patios that are pleasant in the morning become unusable by mid-morning, and most of the shops on this list see their outdoor seating empty out well before noon. Early hours matter more in summer than at any other time of year, both because the heat makes anything after 9 a.m. uncomfortable outside and because several shops, including Fourtillfour and Berdena's, close by early afternoon regardless of season.
Parking cleanly along the same lines as the neighborhoods themselves. Old Town relies on metered street parking and a handful of public garages, both of which fill up fast on weekend mornings, particularly around Fifth Avenue and the Waterfront. Shops in McCormick Ranch, Gainey Ranch, and along the Scottsdale Quarter corridor sit in shopping centers with dedicated lots, which makes them a far easier stop if the goal is grabbing a coffee and leaving rather than parking once and walking to several destinations.
Weekend crowds concentrate heavily at the handful of shops that also serve a full breakfast menu, particularly JOJO and Sip, both of which can mean real waits on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Visiting on a weekday, or arriving before 8 a.m. on a weekend, avoids most of that. Scottsdale's tourist season runs roughly October through April, and Old Town's coffee shops feel noticeably busier during those months than they do in the height of summer, when much of the seasonal crowd has left.
If you're weighing a move to Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, or Arcadia and want a read on how a specific neighborhood actually lives day to day, reach out directly at cody@wolfeluxury.com or call 480.914.2697.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best coffee shop in Scottsdale? My all around pick is Press Coffee. It's been roasting in Arizona since 2008, the coffee is consistently excellent across every location, and the McCormick Ranch spot on the lake is his personal favorite in the entire city. It's the one he'd pick over anywhere else.
Where can I get coffee in Old Town Scottsdale? Old Town has the highest concentration of independent coffee shops in the city. Fourtillfour, Berdena's, Cartel Roasting Co., JOJO Coffeehouse, Sip Coffee & Beer House, and a Press Coffee location near the Waterfront are all within a short walk of each other around Fifth Avenue and Main Street.
Does Scottsdale have good specialty coffee? Yes, and the tell is who roasts their own beans. Fourtillfour, Cartel Roasting Co., and Press Coffee all roast in-house rather than buying from an outside supplier, which is the clearest sign of a serious program.
What Scottsdale coffee shops are good for working? Echo Coffee is the pick. Quiet, real seating, and a straightforward espresso bar away from the Fifth Avenue foot traffic. Cartel works too for anyone who needs longer hours or a bigger table. Sip is a popular work place also, but I have found the vintage furniture to be uncomfortable.
Where can I get breakfast and coffee in Scottsdale? JOJO Coffeehouse runs a full breakfast and brunch menu with coffee and mimosa flights, plus live music on weekend mornings. Sip Coffee & Beer House serves breakfast until 2 p.m. and stays open into the evening, which makes it the more flexible option if plans run late.
What coffee shops are near Scottsdale Fashion Square? Press Coffee's Waterfront location and Cartel Roasting Co. are both a short walk from Old Town's core shopping and dining district, close enough to Fashion Square to work as a stop before or after.
Are there coffee shops near Camelback Mountain? Press Coffee's Waterfront location on East Camelback Road is the closest option among the shops covered here. It's a short drive from the trailheads rather than a walk, but it's the most practical stop before or after a hike.
What time do Scottsdale coffee shops typically open? Most independent shops open between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. Echo Coffee opens as early as 6 a.m. Closing times vary far more, ranging from early afternoon to 8 p.m.
Are Scottsdale coffee shops busy on weekends? Yes, especially the shops serving a full breakfast menu. JOJO Coffeehouse and Sip Coffee & Beer House both see real waits on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Arriving before 8 a.m. or going on a weekday avoids most of it.
Do Scottsdale coffee shops have outdoor patios? Most do, though summer heat limits how usable they are for roughly five months of the year. Fourtillfour, Cartel, and Sip all have patio space that gets heavy use outside the hottest months.
Cody Wolfe is a real estate broker and Partner at The Agency Scottsdale, representing buyers and sellers across Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, McCormick Ranch, and Arcadia.
