Went here for a birthday party. It's a really cool place and the staff was nice & attentive. They…read moreserved barros pizza as part of the birthday package which I thought was cool because usually pizza as these places is gross lol the setup is cool and it was just an overall great time.

this pc cafe is always clean and I think recently they got new keyboards and headphones for some of…read morethe rows! the first time I went the ventilation wasn't the best but it's gotten better since. I do wish the hours saved for longer there.

I went here nearly daily for years. Their day pass is a really good value, and the people that run…read morethe spot are insnanely nice. It's cool place to run into and meet people you probably never would be otherwise who likely play the same stuff as you. There's snacks for purchase inside, a subway in the other part of the building, a convenient store that has everything on the other side.. so really there is everything you could ever need. The lighting on the inside is cool, and the computers run everything, are in good condition. The only downside I ever ran into was that sometimes you need to hunt around for a working headset, but other than that . 10/10

Genuinely just not a space for anything besides casual gameplay, the first thing I noticed…read moreimmediately were these plastic bumpers between each desk. Understandably they're there to keep everyone within their designated ~42 inch square but realistically there's no way to aim here, you will absolutely smack your mouse into the bumper if your normal sens exceeds 15cm/180. That math might sound kinda funky but they have a full 100% keyboard with a numpad, so you lose all that space in practice unless you curl up in a wildly unnatural position and rest the keyboard on the plastic bumpers but nothing I did even remotely made this place comfortable. It's as if they've never had anyone play a shooter here, or everyone who ever has had an eDPi of 12000 or higher. They aren't really equipped for MMOs either, every mouse in sight was a Razer Deathadder Essential, no Nagas or Scimitars or even a knockoff 12 button, so unless you're clicking your buttons or reaching to the = key naturally on a full sized keyboard you're crippled. I picked up a 5 hour session off the rip because my buddies in town and I only have one PC in my place, I couldn't even survive 30 minutes here before just giving up and deciding to watch him play, but even a guy who never gets to play, who really wants to play, couldn't survive more than an hour and a half of his five hours. Side note, we pushed in our chair to make space to walk through the aisle and the light rattle of the desk sent a PC for a whole bootloop back to BIOS. If you aren't desperate it's something, but don't come here for Overwatch or Valorant or CSGO or really any shooter.

Yeah this will be my last time ordering from this location. I've been in the drive thru for 15+…read moreminutes and I just know they're about to hand me a melted drink because I made the mistake of mobile ordering to try and expedite the process. Crazy work guys.

Oh man, I'm sad to see the ratings so low for this Starbucks. It's my most frequented one *because*…read moreI love the staff there. They are always cheerful, polite, and kind to us and I know that's gotta be hard in the world today. I really appreciate them for it. There's one barista who knows me by name which is probably an indication that I'm there far too often ;) But in an impersonal world of chain restaurants, it's such a sweet thing to be recognized. There was a period of a few weeks where our drinks were consistently "off" if they had any special changes, but that was several months ago and they seem to have sorted it out. Now everything is what I expect to get. My kid and I used to come here and work when they were homeschooled and we were always greeted with kindness. It felt like a true "third place" not just a faceless chain. My other shout out for this particular location is that the cafe is open until 10pm and drive thru orders until 11:30pm. Hardly anything is open that late in Phoenix! This is greatly appreciated after later evening kid activities. Last night our family went in for hot chocolate at 9:30pm after our kids' school play and it was awesome to have a family-friendly place to hang out for a few minutes. Bathrooms and the cafe itself are clean. Straws, etc. are well stocked and easily accessible. This has been a family favorite for 4 years now.

I am usually not in this area a lot, but my daughter & I wanted to go check out this bookstore for…read moresome used books so we took the drive down. When we arrived, I realized I remembered this spot from when I was a kid, I just hadn't been back since I was younger. This spot is absolutely STUFFED with books, comic books, VHS tapes and more. You could spend quite a long time wandering around looking at all of the books they have to offer. It can be slightly overwhelming especially if you are looking for something specific as there wasn't really any clear guidance on where to find certain sections. We still had a lot of fun though wandering around and seeing what we could find. If you are looking for the prices, they are written in pencil on the inside of the books. You can find a mixture of mostly used books along with some new books. They have a cute shop cat that you can sometimes spot wandering around, or asleep at the front. The woman who was working the register the day we visited was friendly! They also had a cart out-front with a number of books that were free to grab. There is plenty of parking out-front.

Found this little gem in Phoenix last week when I was on the hunt for a used copy of Song of…read moreSolomon. I called and they said they have the 1984 edition for $6, which was a great price. Once I was got to the store, I had to explore. I think that if one were to regularly visit Books, he/she would find some rare editions and other gems. Also, they had what looked like reproductions of banned book announcements posted around the store: all were of classic novels that we can't imagine not having access to as students. (See photos: Charlotte's Web, Huck Finn, Fahrenheit 451...) They were quite entertaining, in a disturbing way. They had the effect of making me feel so grateful that past efforts of censorship in the US had failed. In 2024, this is still a real threat. Tiny stores like this one are real treasures. Let's keep them in business.

The caramel latte was sooo good! I definitely recommend pairing it with the Dutch pancake. They go…read moreperfectly together.

If I could give a place 10*s, Lux has more than earned the title…read more Cool space coffee shops are definitely a thing in Phoenix lately--but Lux was the "design-genius-with-a-latte-machine" long before coffee shops were even a thing here. I've been frequenting this architectural marvel for over 10 years. While so many new shops try to mimic this vibe, none of them are Lux. Lux is King! The 11-Year Flashback: I looked back at my review from 11 years ago when I docked them a star for the "nightmare parking." Back then, I was a "to-go" only person who never envisioned myself as a laptop-hipster hanging out. Well, times change! I'm bumping them up to 5 stars now. Maybe it's the new competition nearby or my better timing, but the parking is a breeze, and I've officially embraced the "comfy chair" lifestyle. The "Cheers" Factor: What really sets this place apart is the people. After a decade of visits, it truly feels like Cheers--where everybody knows my name! Getting to know the folks behind the counter makes every visit feel like coming home. The Sip of the Night: I shifted from my usual plain Cappuccino as my target drink to include in a review to feature their Espresso Martini. I went with a Reposado base instead of the typical vodka, and it was stellar. With two full bars in addition to the coffee and pastry bar, craft drinks truly abound here! (Note: they have an amazing cappuccino too) The Comfort Classics: You cannot leave without the food. My go-to favorites? The Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese and the legendary Chocolate Chip or Red Velvet cookies. Return Factor: 100% I've been coming here for a decade, and it's still the gold standard. As I said in my review 11 years ago: "I see a book, comfy chair and cocktail in my future! Stumble home... Repeat." Still true today! #PHXCoffeeShopTour #1CupAtATime #LuxCentral #PhoenixOriginal #EspressoMartini #FlashbackReview

I just picked up a cold brew and it feels like I snorted an Adderall. Not complaining. I almost had…read moreto pullover when I hit the halfway point...? I haven't really eaten today, but it's way stronger than pretty much any other cold brew I've had in this city and it wasn't huge. Super fair price, cute shop with pastries and other items.

It was fine, but not much more…read more Heard good things so swung in for lunch and coffee. The shop was cute with lots of local art and event info on the walls. There was a wide range of people working and hanging out, which is always nice to see. The young woman behind the counter was of no help whatsoever in deciding what to try. We ended up getting a dirty chai and an iced coffee with some cream, a panini, and a bagel. When the coffees were up there was no marking which was which. I tried to ask but the barista vanished. The cook was scrolling on his phone and said he didn't know. We sorted out which was which, and they were both fine. The bagel was good and the cashew cream cheese was tasty. The panini took a long time, maybe because it was competing with TikTok for the cook's attention. It was... fine. Which is just how I felt about the whole place after leaving. If you're nearby and want a coffee, I'll always support a local shop over Starbucks. But not a place I'd go out of my way to try again.