With all new high-rise residential construction in the denser parts of Phoenix and its suburbs, it has sometimes been a struggle to include a component of ground floor retail, an added layer of urbanity key to the mixed use model of development. Sometimes the problem has been unappealing spaces, but even good sites can come too early for market demand. With those challenges, the path of least resistance can be to put a coffee shop at the base of an apartment tower, and Daydreamer Coffee fulfills that role in the 24-story Moontower in downtown Phoenix.
Daydreamer fills a space that has already turned over at least once in the short history of this building. Originally a branch of Austin-based Fleet Coffee, Daydreamer is now operating as an independent shop about five blocks from Roosevelt/Central station on the B Line. Bike racks are found adjacent to the patio, in between Daydreamer and the Indian restaurant next door. The space allocated inside to the coffee shop blends seamlessly with the apartment building’s lobby with tables of varying sizes and stools situated at a counter surrounding a currently unused bar.
The bar’s inactivity is the result of an abandoned plan to make the place into a lounge serving both caffeine and cocktails; however, without sufficient food sales, the shop was not able to maintain its original liquor license, so Daydreamer has downsized to a menu of coffee and tea drinks, as well as a small selection of pasty displayed at the counter where customers place their orders. The small menu is displayed in a stand there, and it begins with the standard array of espresso, matcha, and chai that is seen at countless coffee cafes in the neighborhood.
The basic menu of cappuccinos and lattes is augmented by seasonal specials that can be served hot or iced. During the recent summer months, those have included a Blueberry Dream Matcha that has two layers. The top one is a grassy green from the matcha, and the lower layer has an azure color not so much from the berries, which often take on a reddish hue when pureed, but instead from butterfly pea flowers, one of the bluest foods around. Somewhat restrained in its sweetness, the beverage is a successful mix of distinct hues and tastes.
A Berry Fields with Lavender Cloud benefits from a layer of foam adding a soothing note on top of the drink, and strawberry hibiscus lemonade blends herbal tea with a sweet and tart fruit drink to create a colorful Arnold Palmer. To accompany the beverage menu, Daydreamer offers baked goods procured from an outside source. The croissants, both plain and chocolate, are satisfactory but not quite buttery enough. A cinnamon crumble muffin and a cinnamon bun are more successful, both providing something substantial to accompany a coffee or tea drink.
Given the number of coffee houses in the neighborhood, including one just across the street, it can be hard to stand out in the Evans-Churchill area at the north end of downtown Phoenix. Given its expansive and stylish space, it appears that Daydreamer was originally envisioned as something more ambitious with both daytime and evening appeal. Instead, it’s now a perfectly good coffee shop for residents of the floors above and anyone passing through the neighborhood. Whether it can become more is part of solving the puzzle of ground floor retail.
811 N. 3rd St., Phoenix AZ 85004
https://www.daydreamer.coffee
PHX Rail Food 