Fair Trade Cafe — Restaurant in Phoenix

In short: bad food, horrible coffee, mediocre service.

Detailed experience: Went to this place on 1/1/2019 as I was walking by and it was one of the very few places open at that time. The place itself is cute, feels a bit cozy, yet modern. A nice place to go and work or study, I'm sure. Upon arriving, was greeted in a cold way, was quickly asked what I'd like to order. When I asked for a minute to look at their menu, the cashier just stood there with a face like I was causing such an inconvenience (and I gotta say, there was no one in line behind me, nor did she have anything else to do since the whole time I was there she was looking bored on her phone or walking to the back to chat and laugh with some other lady in the kitchen). I asked for a grilled cheese. Then, even though it was not on their menu, I asked if they could make a cortado (which is relatively simple) since they do make espresso drinks. The cashier then asks what a cortado is and states she normally doesn't work there, I believe she said she was the baker, not totally sure if I heard that correctly. I went ahead and told her what a cortado is and somehow she then acted like she knew. I was going to order something different, but she said she could make it, and since it's rather easy, I figured "why not?". She charged me for my order and as I was going to sign, I noticed it was only $3.81, so I asked what she had charged me for and she said "the cortado". Told her I had also asked for a grilled cheese. She didn't even make an apologetic gesture or anything, she made me feel like I was the one who should be apologizing for the misunderstanding. Service was quick, so that was nice. Got the "cortado", I had two sips of it and couldn't drink it, it was bad. I imagine it was mainly due to poor quality coffee that is being used more than how it was prepared, but either way it was undrinkable. So I waited for the grilled cheese, as there's really no way to mess up a grilled cheese, I thought. Well, they found a way! It looked nice on paper, three cheeses, and it comes in either panini bread or multi-grain; I figured panini would be nice. The bread was thick, cold, a bit stale, looked like it hadn't been toasted at all and there was only a thin layer of cheese in the middle. I had to remove all the extra cold bread to eat the cheesy part only, which wasn't even that good. I ended up chugging down half of the espresso drink as to not throw away too much liquid and stuffed napkins in the cup to cover what was left of it. Horrible food, horrible coffee, mediocre service. Perhaps other items are good, I've heard the ice cream there is, I wouldn't know and I'm not planning on going back to find out. This review is based solely on this, my first and only experience at this cafe. Looks like other people have had better...

Came here today with my friend and it was a nice place, cool set up, pretty easy parking. We thought it would be a good place to have lunch and study. When we ordered our drinks and food the cashier wasnt very kind. She interrupted us multiple times while trying to order, asking us questions that we were about to answer if she hadnt spoken over us, didnt seem very friendly, was very monotone. Maybe she was having a bad day but as someone who works in customer service its never exceptable to act a way while at work. Our drinks came out pretty fast, my friend ordered the guerita, on the menu it says to choose your choice of milk and other options to be in it. She chose oatmilk, afterwards she checked her receipt and saw there was a dollar upcharge for it. We were both confused because it doesnt mention anything about different pricing depending on the milk you choose. However we didnt make a big deal of it, her drink tasted good. I ordered the strawberry matcha and added chocolate drizzle, it wasnt the greatest but it wasnt bad. I wouldnt reorder it again. Now, the food, she ordered the panini and got a salad on side she wasnt impressed at all, the salad didnt have some of the things on it that the cashier mentioned would be, she thought it was a typical house salad but it wasnt. She still ate it and wasnt mad at it. However, her panini she did not enjoy. There was supposed to be sauce on it but it looked like there was none. It was very dry and mediocre tasting way too expensive for what you’re getting, even in this economy. I ordered the grilled cheese and added bacon which was a 2 dollar upcharge, my sandwich took forever to come out and when it did it wasnt very grilled, there was arugula in it, which i was aware of, however i didnt expect it to be the main ingredient in the sandwich. there was more arugula than cheese and the dried tomatoes were soggy and not that good. What truly ruined this place for me was the fact that there was no bacon in my snadwich, I wish i was more confrontational because i just ate it without saying anything since they were becoming quite busy and it had already taken forever to come out. As i said before, we went to study and do some homework. It was a little difficult to do because the music was so loud and there are people talking all around but that isnt a big issue, just something i noticed. That is all, final words: I dont...

I’ve been a loyal customer of fair trade for many years. So, I am a little sad about the recent renovation but I understand the changes from a business perspective.

The interior does looks like every other trendy coffee shop/restaurant in AZ. It’s definitely lost some of its charm. The ambiance took a hit as well. Glad to see they are still supporting the local community (local flyers/cards at front near register). Music was really good!

Had one of the signature matcha’s, it was not to my taste. Not a huge issue because matcha can be difficult to perfect. I’m still glad I ordered it but I personally enjoy a more earthy matcha that’s not as sweet. The customers next to me also did not enjoy their matcha flight as well.

The smoked salmon bagel was a 4/10. The bagel was stale but the spread and tomatoes were refreshing. The side salad had a bland flavor profile, I think it could be better with a mix of fruit or tangy notes such as a raspberry dressing or diced strawberry/walnuts integrated.

The baristas were all very kind! Service has always been a 10/10 here. I will continue to come here but the coffee scene in central phoenix is competitive: something to consider.

——- Update:

After a second visit I realized I don’t see myself coming here anymore. Inconsistent drinks and food. What happened to this place?

Another Barista in the area also told me some unfortunate news about the owners. Disappointed. They will not be receiving my...