Awaken Café — Restaurant in Paradise Valley

5/5 Glad I stumbled on this gem post Camelback hike! The cold brew sunrise (OJ, vanilla and cold brew) was a surprise delight! I don't usually like fruit in my coffee, but this was really well balanced. According to the barista, the OJ they use isn't sweetened coupled with the vanilla and the cold brew instead of espresso, it makes her smoother, refreshing drink. Didn't even intend to get food, but the pastries looked too good to pass up (pistachio chocolate croissant?!) and a breakfast burrito was just the ticket after my hike.

Barista was also super friendly and chatted, giving me recommendations for other coffee spots and such closer to where I was staying in Scottsdale. So friendly and knowledgeable about coffee and the local scene.

If I discovered this spot earlier in my trip, I definitely would've come back more than once. I could see this being a very chill spot to work remotely from. Worth the extra 10-15 min from Old Town for a...

@awakencafe.az is a laid-back, beautiful spot to sip a drink while you reflect and the kids play. Located at Valley Presbyterian Church on McDowell, the cafe is open to the public. It's finally cooled down enough where the accordion glass walls are wide open and the indoor/outdoor space flows freely together.

The kids really enjoyed their bagels and cream cheese, but I savored the breakfast burrito. A local caterer provides them. It was a good size and filled with eggs, potatoes, cheese and caramelized onions. Perfectly light but flavorful.

The outdoor space is large with tons of seating, a grass yard, and climbing toys for toddlers. It was so peaceful. Definitely a spot to return to for reading, studying or work.

For more local adventures check out @msbusyblonde...

Prices are inconsistent. I've been charged different things for the same item.

Stingy about orange juice when I asked for no ice, claiming that the ice would have filled up a certain amount of the cup, so the server refused to fill the cup.

Extremely limited, mostly unhealthy food.

The manager followed me out and went on a creepy rant about "females." Thumbs down on that. I have no real idea what he was talking about nor do I want to, but it was horribly uncomfortable, objectifying, and awkward. I felt harrassed.

I went to this church cafe because I would rather support a church than Starbucks, to be honest, but it made me uncomfortable when I heard the manager talking about women like objects. Time to...