King Coffee 1020 South Mill Avenue, Tempe There’s something about this pint-sized cafe that we just adore. King Coffee certainly has all the hallmarks of a casual college-town cafe (artwork made by some dude’s friend? Hand-drawn posters for local house shows? Yes and yes). But contrary to the classic college coffee shop ethos, King doesn’t slack when it comes to quality. King Coffee’s staff do good work with beans from local roaster Cortez Coffee.
Cartel Coffee Lab 810 South Ash Avenue, Tempe Open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the downtown Tempe location of Cartel Coffee Lab has a usual customer base of students, creatives, and Tempe locals with a laptop (usually). This spot offers espresso, filter drip, and other coffee creations, plus tea, pastries, and some high ceilings.