244 FOOD & DRINK SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2025.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2025 e e e B E S T C O L D F O A M SATELLITE COFFEE BAR 5102 N. CENTRAL AVE. 602-625-3664 SATELLITECOFFEEBAR.COM There’s time for light and airy cold foam. That time is not when you enter Satellite Coffee Bar. Satellite is housed in the Neighbor outdoor furniture shop, which kindly allows the use of its display furniture as spots to chill, work or converse. We discovered the foam when it was advertised as the topper of a hazelnut latte, making it impossible not to try. This is no wispy foam that will blow away like a dandelion that meets a breeze. This thick, delicious drink crown is a mix of mashed bananas and not too much else — a little vanilla and a hit of agave equal a whole lotta goodness. It’s awesome to hear foam first- timers exclaim sentiments such as, “It’s like a banana pie on my coffee!” They’re not wrong. We discovered it works just as well on top of a cold brew, making it the ultimate summer coffee drink. It’s so good that we can’t tear away to try the orange blossom cold foam, but we know we’ll get there. e e e B E S T M AT C H A DIALOG 1001 N. CENTRAL AVE., #110 602-760-6911 DIALOGPHX.COM Located at the bottom of a colorful, mural- adorned and reflective building in down- town Phoenix, Dialog calls itself a “concept store.” The artistic shop offers unique home- ware, furniture and even clothing created by local and non-local artists. Walk past esoteric coffeetable books and industrial, arched light fixtures to find a humble coffee, tea and pastry station tucked near the back. Dialog’s stone-ground matcha is the perfect mix of bold flavor with a frothy, light texture. You know it’s serious when baristas bring out the scale and weigh each ounce of matcha before whisking the ceremonial-grade green tea to perfection. And the downtown Phoenix coffee and design shop does just that. Get a matcha lemonade on a summer day, or a velvety, dreamy rose matcha latte with oat milk, if you’re feeling wacky. The former provides a punchy, refreshing combination, while the latter will have you floating from display to display, cartoon-pie-in-the- window style. e e e B E S T L E M O N A D E AZ LEMONADE STAND AZLEMONADESTAND.COM In Arizona, lemonade isn’t just a summer drink: It’s a year-round way of life. No one captures that better than AZ Lemonade Stand. You’ve probably seen their signature jars in restaurants, corner stores, gas stations and coolers across the Valley. With more than 1,000 locations carrying the brand and over 1 million jars poured, this homegrown favorite has become a local staple. Each batch is boiled and hot-filled the old-school way, which helps it stay fresh without needing preservatives. They’ve got a great lineup of flavors: classic lemonade, sure, but also prickly pear, strawberry, mango, huckle- berry and many more. Flavors rotate with the seasons, and fans always keep an eye out for the next drop. It’s nonalcoholic, but feels just as celebratory as a cocktail. Whether you’re sipping on a patio catching our red sunsets or cracking one open at a backyard barbecue, AZ Lemonade Stand proves that Arizona makes damn good lemonade. e e e B E S T B R E W E R Y WREN HOUSE BREWING CO. 2125 N. 24TH ST. 602-244-9184 12650 N. TATUM BLVD., #106 602-244-9184 WRENHOUSEBREWING.COM Wren House Brewing Co. continues to be our favorite place in the Valley for craft beers because the team continues to crank out traditional and inventive brews that are poured in unique taprooms. For most craft beer drinkers, Wren House’s award- winning hazy IPA is the gateway, and while it’s still among our favorites in town, don’t sleep on the vast array of styles Wren House explores. The Las Frescas fruited sour series still gets us to pop over to the brew- ery’s original location on 24th Street when a new flavor drops. The decade-old brewery has also worked in some European beer hall flair and fare at Wren Südhalle in Ahwatukee. Its long-anticipated Paradise Valley location opened in June. There, brewers are crafting cask-conditioned beers with a creamier taste and softer carbon- ation. The format popular in England is getting its due in the desert, and beer geeks can see how some of Wren House’s best- known beers, including Spellbinder, evolve when hand-pumped from a cask. e e e B E S T N E W B R E W E R Y PINNACLE BREWING CO. 15111 N. HAYDEN ROAD, #100, SCOTTSDALE 480-306-8942 PINNACLEBREWING.COM When brewer Wyatt Wilson opened Pinnacle Brewing Co. with his parents in May 2024, he set out to showcase how traditional styles can be made exciting for today’s craft beer drinker. When the brewery debuted, Wilson put his take on a grodziskie, a smoked Polish lager, on tap. It’s a bold statement to put up a lesser- known style whose smoky flavor can be polarizing right out of the gate. Wilson’s embrace of unique European styles — along with a healthy amount of familiar pilsners, lagers, ESBs and IPAs — have created a following. Pinnacle’s taplist rotates regu- larly, but its Illumination Helles Lager and Viktoria 12 Degree Czech Pilsner are among our go-to pours. You can sip inside Pinna- cle’s stylish, comfortable taproom or snag a seat on the large, shaded patio. e e e B E S T P L A C E T O T A K E A G E E K W H O L O V E S B E E R KITSUNE BREWING CO. 3321 E. BELL ROAD, SUITE B-5 602-245-8593 KITSUNEBREWINGCO.COM North Phoenix’s Kitsune Brewing Co. has been steadily crafting an impressive roster of quirky and quintessential beers since 2022 and bagged the New Times’ Best New Brewery title the following year. Kitsune’s sour program has been one of the Valley’s most expansive and ephemeral — well worth geeking out over on its own. But there’s a true nerd element to the taproom at Kitsune, too. The brewery’s team embraces Star Wars Day with beers inspired by blue bantha milk, for example, and most recently hosted a Pokémon-inspired day with special beer releases and custom cards. Kitsune’s taproom also hosts events to play “Magic: The Gathering” and tabletop games, as well as paint-and-sips featuring characters from “The Power Puff Girls” and the Marvel Cine- matic Universe. With a pint of K’Sune Lite, juicy Forager IPA or the latest sour, it’s a perfect pairing for any geek. e e e B E S T B I R T H D A Y B E E R D E A L ARIZONA WILDERNESS BREWING CO. 201 E. ROOSEVELT ST. 480-462-1836 AND OTHER VALLEY LOCATIONS AZWBEER.COM After your 21st birthday, it’s less socially acceptable to hit the bars with a sash around your neck on your big day. But if you’re still yearning for those thrills and stares (and a whole lot of alcohol), come to Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co., where a flash of your ID on your birthday at the bar earns you a 32-ounce beer of your choosing for only $3. Sit at a high top inside or on the patio with an absolute beast of a beer and earn the atten- tion from strangers only a birthday calls for, no sizzling fajitas necessary. (The offer is valid within 24 hours of your birthday.) And why wouldn’t you want to make a stop at the brewery? The beer makers at AZ Wilderness partner with Arizona farmers to create their beloved local brews. Order the La Ciudad IPA for a celebration of downtown Phoenix culture or savor prickly pear juice in their fruited Cactus Juice sour.
