I enjoy hanging out here on my laptop or a good book. Nice selection of beers and the coffee choices are always delish. The bar is the comfiest spot for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pretzel with Cheese and Mustard
Alexis Boesel
They have a great selection of new books here! There are some great used books sold as well! The cafe and bar have good selections if you like coffee or got chocolate, and the pastries are delicious! There is plenty of seating. Definitely a place to buy/bring a book and read for hours!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Adam Kratt
I had a great time there. it has a great atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Meghan Bouck
Great vibe here and the staff is fun and friendly. I do think the hours should be later though, as there are many times where I want to go get dinner and then hang out with some coffee or wine and read my book.
Josue lozano
If you are looking for a nice,relaxing and chill vibe this is it! I recently went for my anniversary with my wife and we really enjoyed it. The atmosphere of the bookstore is really pleasant. If you wanted to grab a drink or some coffee or munch on something the bar is there. The bartenders were really nice and served us pretty well. The charcuterie board presentation was really elegant and delicious especially pairing it with an IPA! This place is a really good idea for a chill date night. Especially if you are not looking for a loud and rowdy environment.Dietary restrictions: They have Gluten free options!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charcuterie Board
Daniel S.
Very cool concept, a combo book store/bar. It seems like a very cool place to read, and buy books, and just chill on your laptop, but while also sipping on some great craft beers. They had a great selection available, both cans and on draft. They also have a full coffee bar available as well. I also saw posters for several events they host there, like trivia. I was visiting in from out of town, and me and my friends just happened to stop in looking to kill some time, but I'm very glad we did, definitely one of the coolest places I saw in Phoenix. If I lived in the area I would definitely hang out at this place a lot.
Rachel C.
Who doesn't love an independent bookstore? This place smells like books which I love! Wide variety, clearly organized, delightful staff! Also terrific gift selection with trinkets, stickers etc. Who could ask for anything more? Add to all that, they have a punch card so you can get free money to spend on...you guessed it- more books!
Sherraine M.
Such a great environment to work and enjoy great food/snack and drinks. The staff is pretty friendly as well. The best part it's also connected to a bookstore so if you need a well needed break it's a great spot to look around and find trinkets.
Barbara P.
I love this place, I'm a regular, actually, but the 2 stars is for the attitude I got from the plus-size supervisor there.The problem was that I had decided to bring a chair to an area at the bar that didn't have one, there was a visible empty space for a seat there; I did notice a book and a can on the counter, but I also saw some other items further to the right, so I thought the person using the other seat had placed these items over the whole counter, and again there was no chair right in front of the 2 items I moved to make space for my stuff. Afterwards, I realized the person occupying most of the area was her, but she wasn't around when I arrived.The other seats around the bar were empty but I wanted to sit somewhere else for a change.Well, the manager approaches me and basically scolds me that someone was there and would be coming back and that's why they had left their stuff, I just replied to her "Oh, they were standing here", implying that I was surprised someone was there because there was no chair directly in front of the items.She then told me in an unfriendly tone "There are other seats all around the bar you could sit at". This wasn't necessary, as she had already told me there was someone else there that would go back shortly and I was already grabbing my stuff to leave. The way she spoke to me showed me she had concluded I had purposely kicked someone out of their space, instead of giving me the benefit of the doubt. Later, I noticed the person that was using the space without a seat is a friend of hers.I'd like the store owner/business manager to know this isn't the first time I get a snarky treatment from this person, she should get a lesson on humbleness from her superiors and treat the patrons with more respect. Please, it is of utmost importance to have someone in charge that knows how to manage their emotions and bias.
Zach Coffee
The bookstore was cool and the concept is great, but we were let down by the food and service. We ordered 2 pretzels and a prickly pear tea. The tea had no prickly pear flavor, it looked like they just used plain green tea. One of the pretzels was good but the other was completely bland with no salt or mustard on the side. When I mentioned it to the staff I was told I had to request that. I didn't really appreciate the attitude and thought it was strange I had to request it specifically as it was listed on the menu.Then when we were getting ready to leave we brought a few of our dishes to the bin, and another staff member asked if we were leaving and if other customers could use it. We said yes but needed a minute to finish cleaning up. Before we could even finish she was asking about the stuff still at the table and bringing the customers over to sit down, they started moving our belongings and she just seemed very impatient.
Have a good time with Ybarra, which offers beer, wine, and other pastries and snacks
C
Came here after another location for our book club was a bust. Arrived shortly after they opened and was very impressed by the size of the store as well as the dining area behind the bar. Our pastries and coffees were delicious and we had such a fun time that we're making this a regular spot for our club meetings. Such a good atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Kelly B.
I traveled a bit to get to this place but was disappointed. First Draft shares the space with a huge grand bookstore, Changing Hands. We were planning on going to get a drink and app. Walked around the seating area and it seemed empty, not with people, but of atmosphere. It has the potential to be cool but lacks some feeling. Felt like a college dorm lounge. We didn't end up ordering anything. Not a fan of the woke vibe. The bar has a sign instructing customers on words they shouldn't use to address the employees. It was off putting and seemed very condescending to guests.
Kevin Fagan
Spent most of our day here, excellent book selections, fantastic staff, and the cheese tray was outstanding. Truly one of the best bookstores I have ever visited.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Karissa Secora
What a special find! Bring a book (or buy a book) then grab a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) with a small bite to eat (vegetarian and vegan options)!
I enjoy hanging out here on my laptop or a good book. Nice selection of beers and the coffee choices are always delish. The bar is the comfiest spot for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pretzel with Cheese and Mustard
They have a great selection of new books here! There are some great used books sold as well! The cafe and bar have good selections if you like coffee or got chocolate, and the pastries are delicious! There is plenty of seating. Definitely a place to buy/bring a book and read for hours!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I had a great time there. it has a great atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great vibe here and the staff is fun and friendly. I do think the hours should be later though, as there are many times where I want to go get dinner and then hang out with some coffee or wine and read my book.
If you are looking for a nice,relaxing and chill vibe this is it! I recently went for my anniversary with my wife and we really enjoyed it. The atmosphere of the bookstore is really pleasant. If you wanted to grab a drink or some coffee or munch on something the bar is there. The bartenders were really nice and served us pretty well. The charcuterie board presentation was really elegant and delicious especially pairing it with an IPA! This place is a really good idea for a chill date night. Especially if you are not looking for a loud and rowdy environment.Dietary restrictions: They have Gluten free options!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charcuterie Board
Very cool concept, a combo book store/bar. It seems like a very cool place to read, and buy books, and just chill on your laptop, but while also sipping on some great craft beers. They had a great selection available, both cans and on draft. They also have a full coffee bar available as well. I also saw posters for several events they host there, like trivia. I was visiting in from out of town, and me and my friends just happened to stop in looking to kill some time, but I'm very glad we did, definitely one of the coolest places I saw in Phoenix. If I lived in the area I would definitely hang out at this place a lot.
Who doesn't love an independent bookstore? This place smells like books which I love! Wide variety, clearly organized, delightful staff! Also terrific gift selection with trinkets, stickers etc. Who could ask for anything more? Add to all that, they have a punch card so you can get free money to spend on...you guessed it- more books!
Such a great environment to work and enjoy great food/snack and drinks. The staff is pretty friendly as well. The best part it's also connected to a bookstore so if you need a well needed break it's a great spot to look around and find trinkets.
I love this place, I'm a regular, actually, but the 2 stars is for the attitude I got from the plus-size supervisor there.The problem was that I had decided to bring a chair to an area at the bar that didn't have one, there was a visible empty space for a seat there; I did notice a book and a can on the counter, but I also saw some other items further to the right, so I thought the person using the other seat had placed these items over the whole counter, and again there was no chair right in front of the 2 items I moved to make space for my stuff. Afterwards, I realized the person occupying most of the area was her, but she wasn't around when I arrived.The other seats around the bar were empty but I wanted to sit somewhere else for a change.Well, the manager approaches me and basically scolds me that someone was there and would be coming back and that's why they had left their stuff, I just replied to her "Oh, they were standing here", implying that I was surprised someone was there because there was no chair directly in front of the items.She then told me in an unfriendly tone "There are other seats all around the bar you could sit at". This wasn't necessary, as she had already told me there was someone else there that would go back shortly and I was already grabbing my stuff to leave. The way she spoke to me showed me she had concluded I had purposely kicked someone out of their space, instead of giving me the benefit of the doubt. Later, I noticed the person that was using the space without a seat is a friend of hers.I'd like the store owner/business manager to know this isn't the first time I get a snarky treatment from this person, she should get a lesson on humbleness from her superiors and treat the patrons with more respect. Please, it is of utmost importance to have someone in charge that knows how to manage their emotions and bias.
The bookstore was cool and the concept is great, but we were let down by the food and service. We ordered 2 pretzels and a prickly pear tea. The tea had no prickly pear flavor, it looked like they just used plain green tea. One of the pretzels was good but the other was completely bland with no salt or mustard on the side. When I mentioned it to the staff I was told I had to request that. I didn't really appreciate the attitude and thought it was strange I had to request it specifically as it was listed on the menu.Then when we were getting ready to leave we brought a few of our dishes to the bin, and another staff member asked if we were leaving and if other customers could use it. We said yes but needed a minute to finish cleaning up. Before we could even finish she was asking about the stuff still at the table and bringing the customers over to sit down, they started moving our belongings and she just seemed very impatient.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Have a good time with Ybarra, which offers beer, wine, and other pastries and snacks
Came here after another location for our book club was a bust. Arrived shortly after they opened and was very impressed by the size of the store as well as the dining area behind the bar. Our pastries and coffees were delicious and we had such a fun time that we're making this a regular spot for our club meetings. Such a good atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I traveled a bit to get to this place but was disappointed. First Draft shares the space with a huge grand bookstore, Changing Hands. We were planning on going to get a drink and app. Walked around the seating area and it seemed empty, not with people, but of atmosphere. It has the potential to be cool but lacks some feeling. Felt like a college dorm lounge. We didn't end up ordering anything. Not a fan of the woke vibe. The bar has a sign instructing customers on words they shouldn't use to address the employees. It was off putting and seemed very condescending to guests.
Spent most of our day here, excellent book selections, fantastic staff, and the cheese tray was outstanding. Truly one of the best bookstores I have ever visited.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What a special find! Bring a book (or buy a book) then grab a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) with a small bite to eat (vegetarian and vegan options)!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5