Altitude Coffee Lab

I’m seated alone at the small bar at Altitude Coffee Lab reading the handwritten chalkboard menu while I wait for my order of a V60 pour-​over of El Salvadorian house-​roasted beans. This is my second time here. It’s been over a year since my last visit and I let my mind loose for a moment to wonder over how much has changed during the time that’s passed between.
Upon entering, I was helped by a polite & attentive barista named Max (I hope I’ve got that right, buddy…), who was quick to recommend the newest addition to their single origin coffee menu: the carefully sourced and freshly roasted bean from El Salvador. It was so new that it hadn’t even made its way to their menu yet. I immediately agreed to give it a whirl.
I look around me, taking in the interior seating options filled with happy customers, the old piano set against the back wall, the balancing architectural elements of red brick, reclaimed metal, and wood. I take a slow in-​breath and open my ears to the ambient soundtrack playing softly behind the hum of conversation, coffee grinders, milk steamers, and passing traffic.
When my coffee is delivered to me, it is without fanfare and I take a moment to breathe in the fragrance of its steam before taking a first sip. My eyes close and I can feel an unwitting smile tease the corner of my own lips. Max wasn’t kidding. This really is wonderfully satisfying — flavorful and a little sweet without being too tart; complex with just a hint of nuttiness.
My first thought is, «Well done, Max!» My second thought is, «This might be one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had.» I look up and happen to catch Max’s eye, offering him a smile and a thumbs-​up. I ask one of the other baristas nearby if all of the single origin coffee options have been roasted here on site. She confirms that, yes, in fact — they have been.
The large roaster that is to blame for all these delicious flavors sits not far from me to the left. Later, Max will tell me that he’s in training to be an auxiliary roaster. His love of good coffee and process is evident. We talk about music for some time, too, and I learn that he’s personally responsible for the soundtrack I’ve been vibing to this whole time.
A friend joins me unexpectedly, asks me what he should order. I recommend the El Salvador through a V60. He is as impressed as I have been. The door behind us opens and closes as customers enter and leave, quietly trading places around us. The sound of a piano swells to fill the room — someone has decided to play, and it’s absolutely beautiful.
By the time I am gathering my things to leave, my entire being feels… settled. I wave goodbye to Max and the other baristas, swing my backpack across my right shoulder, and follow my friend out the door. Looking back through the window, I know it won’t be long before I’m back for more of the same. I toss a silent thank-​you to the coffee shop, the morning, the sun…
CONCLUSION
Featuring an intimate and welcoming atmosphere, adequate seating options (both indoor and out), a phenomenal drink menu, and outstanding service, Altitude Coffee Lab hits on all cylinders with utter efficiency. If you have yet to visit this little gem, you’re missing out. I can’t recommend it highly enough and know that I’ll be a happy regular from now on.
Altitude Team — thank you for caring about your work, about your brand, and about your guests. Don’t ever stop doing what you do — it’s noticed, and it’s appreciated. More than you know. I’ll look forward to seeing you all again soon.

One of my favorite neighborhood spots! Best coffee in town in my opinion. It’s great for coffee on the go or if you need a chill place to sit down with your laptop or tablet to get a little work done while getting out of the office. Been coming here for over a year and get my fresh ground coffee beans so that I can make at home. Highly recommended the house blend!

Awesome tea/​coffee/​pastries and what a gorgeous location. My dog loves sitting outside when I get my London Fog tea and a pastry and we love sitting by the pond with the ducks while we take a walk and admire Arizona sky:)) lovely café

Love this place!
I always try to have my coffee here since it’s so tasty and pretty at the same time. More locations are much needed.
They have an amazing patio that overlooks the lake. Very cozy and the service is great. The décor is like a little cozy house with a piano. I had a hazelnut latte and it was delicious. The coffee tastes like perfection. My cousin got an almond milk latte and I had to taste it. Hers was also delicious. They also offer food, I have had the salmon salad before, very good if you’re in the mood.
Keep up the great work, I will be back.

Super cute patio and awesome drinks. the only reason they dont get 5 stars is because they do not offer Italian Sodas which is what I like to order at coffee shops since I dont drink coffee. Highly recommend this place if you like coffee and tea!

The atmosphere is nice. Located right next to the lake. Dog friendly establishment.
My friends bought their pumpkin spice latte, I got their Americano. They liked their latte. I thought my Americano had a rich, coffee taste– it was good.
Free refills on the Americanos & the server was nice and gave my friends a free refill too.
Will be there again for coffee & our morning walk!

What the What?!? A coffee without Kurtosh is like a day without sunshine! Where oh where did they go? Sniff! Sob! I will gladly restore the stars when the Kurtosh returns, by gosh!

Very disappointed, coffee is getting worse!!! I love this place, I did love the coffee but this new crew is messing up! Cappuccino taste is just milk, am I at starbucks? No latte art anymore?
Please owners, I don’t wanna complain a second time… so I drink my milkocino. .:(

It’s nice, but when your there you can’t help but get the feeling they could be doing it a little better. Breakfast could be a little larger portions (even if it costs a bit more), patio could be a little cleaner, tables could be spaced a little more comfortably, coffee could be a little more interesting, etc… Love that it’s near the lake and close to our house. Great stop while your on the green belt and good quality was good.
Four stars is a bit aggressive for my experience but I don’t want to deter anyone from coming here. Support local businesses. Too many Starbucks out there… Step it up guys. I’m happy to give you five stars if you do. Your not too far from it.

I came here to meet some coworkers for a morning meeting and to grab a quick bite. I absolutely LOVED their patio, especially the fact that it has a water view! :) I also brought my furry pooch and he had a blast relaxing on their patio while getting a ton of love from other guests. Their coffee was delicious, my latte had a pretty design, which always brightens my day! I also had a bagel with all of the fixins’! Great coffee, yummy/​simple breakfast food, fabulous patio, water view, dog friendly, what could be better? Oscar and I will definitely be back! :)

This is such a cute little place with the best chai latte I’ve ever had!

Totally a cute place and I love the atmosphere, but holy crap… the iced coffee tasted so burnt and flavorless. 3.50 for a small iced coffee and it was awful. Such a bummer.

We were very disappointed with our trip to Altitude Coffee Lab. I took my sister there yesterday and she had a great iced mocha that had a strong flavor and was quite tasty. So, today I went back to get coffee for her and my friends. They all got iced mochas again because we told them how good it was. The mochas tasted either like «lightened up» chocolate milk or milk with a touch of burnt coffee added in. I don’t even drink coffee and I was disappointed in the taste. They were all sad because they have a morning routine of going to Dutch Bros, but were hoping this would be the new «spot». Right after I got home and they tasted their coffees, they went and got different ones somewhere else. They enjoy a good morning coffee and this was extremely disappointing.
The overall ambiance of the coffee shop is nice and quaint. It’s a good place to do work, but it’s a bummer that the coffee served inconsistent.

I just wanted to update my review real quick to say Oh em gee, the pastries! Wow. (I’m totally scarfing down a cinnamon scone and a chocolate chip cookie as I write this.) The scone is so flaky and crumbles like it should… so good! And the hint of cinnamon goodness is a little autumn tease (don’t rush it though, I like summer!)
The chocolate chip cookie was so good; didn’t stand a chance. It was soft and chewy, and baked thick so it was almost half-​baked, and ooey gooey. Exactly how I like my cookies… if they even make it to the oven. Haha!
Moral of this post: Go get some delicious pastries at Altitude! NOW! Do it, go…

Love this little coffee shop. When the weather is cool their patio is a great little escape to just enjoy some coffee and relax. My favorite chai tea latte that I’ve had.

Just a great casual coffee place. Helpful staff — I ordered an extra shot in my latte. The woman helping me mentioned that they pull all shots as doubles, so I could get two extra shots for the same price if I wanted it. Just a nice, helpful suggestion. Baked goods looked amazing but I didn’t try anything. Really cute, good sized patio. Nice, laid back ambiance.

I feel like if I come back for food and a latte sometime I will be able to come back and give a more accurate, updated review. But the great atmosphere and service gave me enough to review for now! First off, the barista was incredibly nice and friendly. Also super down to earth, didn’t seem fake like people working in those type of positions sometimes seem. She gave us some recommendations and stuff.
The best part was most definitely the atmosphere! Was cool to be able to see the little lake outside of the window. Good music was playing, I could see puppies outside, all positives! I also liked the succulents and lights and stuff outside. It was very neat.
I absolutely love tea, so when I saw pomegranate green tea on the menu, I was super excited. Unfortunately the tea did not have even a hint of pomegranate flavor. I’ll have to come back for a latte instead, since they roast their own coffee and everything!

6÷13÷15
My first time here and went with a cappuccino. It was served in a nice cup and fuzzy black saucer. The fuzz bothered me for awhile, since my first thought was an animal source, but I consoled myself with the thought that the saucer might’ve been dry-​wiped with a fuzzy dishtowel. I got over it. I’d say indoor seating capacity could hold about thirty customers, but since people like to spread out, some with larger personal spaces than others, maybe 10 or 13 could comfortably sit inside. There’s patio seating, but with hot days already settled in for the next 100 days, or so, I can’t see many going for that option for much longer, except maybe at 7 am opening time. I was there around 9 am; The community table was already occupied, and there were three occupied spaces by the window bar, with two absentee customers, but their belongings and spacing suggested no comfortable spot for one more. There were four two-​top tables directly across the ordering station, and one of them was occupied by a man easily 2.5 times larger, or more, than me… To make a long story short, I elected to sit at the table next to him, feeling cramped on my left (where he was), and cramped on my right (where people lined up to order, pay for, and pick up their beverages, and other foot traffic).
Order taker obliged me with a drip refill when I asked. I initially wanted to try a chimney cake, but at $ 6 I balked, especially since I already had two Tammie Coe pastries with me from my earlier shopping at Singh Farms. I’d come back again for the coffee, but will probably take it to go if there’s even more than ten people indoors at the time I visit. Otherwise, it’s too hectic in there for me to enjoy. Lovely stroll to be had outside along Lake Margherite!

This is slowly becoming my new favorite coffee shop. I have been here several times now and every time the service has been quick and friendly. I am always welcomed with a smile/​greeting and a «have a nice day» as I’m leaving. On Sundays, they have open mic from 2−4pm. Normally, it’s just a guy on guitar but once there was a man playing Pink Floyd on the piano. I have been back a few times in hopes of the piano man, but no luck.
My go to drink is an iced vanilla latte. The vanilla, espresso, and milk all blend together to make an amazing drink. The espresso isn’t bitter but smooth and stands out nicely. They blend their own beans, so be prepared to be impressed. My husband recently tried a blended peach black tea and it was delicious. It was both sweet and smooth with the tea flavor. It tasted really good on a hot day! They also have blended green tea, so I’ll have to try that next time.
They have a menu of items — both breakfast and lunch. They also have a pastry case filled with rotating items — cookies, muffins, cupcakes, etc. I’m not sure if the pastry items are made in house or not. I haven’t asked and haven’t seen a sign. One time, I split a blueberry muffin with my husband. It was delicious — it was moist with a good streusel crumble on top and had a lot of blueberries. Another time, I tried a chocolate cupcake with espresso cream cheese frosting. The cupcake itself was decadent — both moist and chocolatey. The frosting was good but I didn’t really taste the espresso. The cream cheese really stuck out. However, I’d order it again. Finally, I’ve also tried a chocolate chip cookie. Which surprisingly, I did not like. It looked super puffy and inviting, but didn’t deliver. The cookie itself was dry and kind of tasteless. Otherwise, all of their other pastry case items look delicious and I’ll probably try one of everything eventually.
In addition to their amazing drinks and pastries, they have a wonderful outside patio with plenty of shade and seating. The patio overlooks the nearby lake, where I’ve seen a lot of wildlife. I love coming here. My husband and I have made weekly dates to stop by, grab a drink, and sit on the patio. I would highly recommend this place as a date spot, a hangout with friends, or just a place to grab a quick coffee. I will definitely be back.

The coffee is superior. The staff are sweet. The food selection, though limited, is prepared with care and fines. Yummy!
I wish they would open another location at my studio in Paradise Valley!
Until now I was horribly disappointed with the coffee places around Arizona.
Thankfully I found Altitude Coffee Lab! I’m new to the Phoenix Scottsdale area coming from San Francisco and New York habitations so I’ve had abundance of the best. The coffee here is however fantastic — actually superior to most coffee cafes everywhere. Did I mention the folks are sweet and friendly?
The outdoor seating is comfy and relaxing. The coffee and pastries delicious.
A little slice of heaven. And the music is also great!