Mill’s End Cafe

And the winner for worst coffee shop in Tempe goes to…

So Im not the only one… What a nice family, soooooo sad to see them go. FREE wi-​fi, nice outdoors spot, great coffee and pastry. I’ll take all the little quirky things that make a great family owned local business what it is over the corporate trash… Never had a bad experience here. Good luck to you all, sorry to see you go…

So sad. I stopped by Mills’ End this morning on the way to work… I loved this spot. Chai, wifi, delectable crepes, made on a crêpe stone and comfy seating…
As I approached the coffee shop, I saw the Members of the family owned business stacking chairs and boxing up…
So sad! Another local spot is closing… You will be missed greatly!

I am pretty interested in food, & the fact that this place actually goes to the effort of making crepes is important to me. They do each fresh by hand… mostly I’ve had the basic egg/​pesto & nutella ones. No, they are not like crêpe stands in Paris, I’m sure (??? hey! We’re in the desert!) but I have enjoyed them. Nice outdoor seating options & laid-​back service. I like this place a lot.

On our vacation in Arizona we were doing some shopping in down town Tempe. I almost walked right by this place until I saw Crepes on the window. We ordered mango green tea and hazelnut iced coffee and a banana and nutella crêpe.
The green tea and coffee were really inexpensive as was the crêpe. The crêpe was so good. Not what I expected from a tiny café at the end of Mills. I haven’t had very many crepes but this one made me a fan. We really enjoyed the art and the music wasn’t obnoxiously loud. The cashiers were very knowledgeable and were sweet about answering all our questions.
We will definitely return.

Wow-you’ve come a long way and yet seem as if you’ve not progressed in the slightest… which is a positive attribute in this case.
This airy band bright spot at the end of the Mill Ave retail area is really a great spot. Wonderful patio, lots of couches, lots of windows, good views of A Mountain and the old flour mill…
The menu offers typical coffee house fare and also offers some average grub too including crepes. I’m a crêpe snob and have to note that theirs actually are above average.
Service has always been great so it shows the owners keep on top of their employees and care about your experience.
I spent a good amount of time here in grad school and then studying for the LSAT (Kaplan is next door) so I was intimately familiar with Mill’s End for years and years. Upon returning after a four year absence I see that nothing had changed. In the era of unsustainably high rents on Mill Ave that push out independently run businesses I’m very happy to see it has survived. I hope it is around in another four.
Support the independents… especially in places like Mill Ave. Make the trip down and get your coffee from them!

This place could be great, and I’ve always wanted to like it more than I actually do. Occasionally, I have stopped into Mill’s End for breakfast, specifically because they have crepes on their menu; in fact, their breakfast menu is actually fairly extensive for a small café. For reasons explained below, lately I’ve found myself just walking past Mill’s End, no longer considering giving it my business. The general issues that I have with this place involve just a couple of basic things; if the owners made the effort to correct these, I believe Mill’s End could be a great café.
I have always thought there are three factors that can make a café stand out from its competitors. It is with all three of these that Mill’s End falls short:
1)Ambience. This means that the environment must be suitable both for studying/​reading, as well as relaxation. So, the music playing needs to be something that is non-​intrusive and that the customers can generally ignore; sometimes Mill’s End has this covered, but other times not at all. Onto the seating. It seems that this café was decorated back in 1995, in an attempt to capture the coziness of the café on the TV show «Friends;» unfortunately, they didn’t come close, but there is usually plenty of seating open. By the way, what is up with pseudo-​sexual ice photography on the walls?
2)Price. This is actually my number one problem with Mill’s End. The coffee is reasonably priced, but the food is too expensive. Anytime I tell someone that I ate there, it’s always the same response, «yeah, their food is good, but it’s really pricey.» Considering that this place is literally ten feet from a major light rail stop, I imagine that their business has gone up, but those prices sure haven’t dropped.
3.Customer service. The staff has always been just lukewarm. Look, I don’t expect the staff in cafes and restaurants to be smiling like idiots all of the time, I only want to feel welcomed with a bit of hospitality; this has just always been kind of lacking at Mill’s End.
Honestly, I think this place has a lot of potential, but it seems to be awash in complacency.

Mills End is a good staple for a non-​chain coffee fix. I am a bit nostalgic, I will admit, of visiting this place when I was a student at ASU. However, my visit there today reminded me that my fond memories are justified. I was there this morning with my mom after a stressful doctor’s appointment and the friendly atmosphere and service really put me at ease.
The espresso-​drink selection is very wide and my peppermint-​mocha (with half mocha) admittedly tasted better than my typical Starbucks version. An egg-​cheese-​pesto crêpe provided a protein punch and I really appreciate the food selection vs. typical sugar-​carb coffee house fare. The service was very personable and attentive – while I wasn’t initially in the mood to chat when I first arrived, the sincerity of the manager quickly opened me up to some friendly banter (a difficult task)!
There is obviously a lot of love put into this establishment, between the promoted happy hour specials, live music events, and hand-​touched bathroom rennovations. While the scene might not be as polished as other coffee houses, my stop at Mills End was like stopping by a friend’s college apartment — comfortable, welcoming, and worn-​in.

Meh, meh, meh, and meh.
I can’t think of a much better way to describe Mill’s End.
Due to a convenient location on the corner of Mill Avenue, I used to regularly wind up here. While it’s not awful, it’s not impressive in the least. The pastries are dry and boring, the espresso too bitter, the teas over-​brewed, and the song goes on in the same tune, but you probably won’t want to hear it since it’s as dull as the crepes. The chai lattes stand out as the best of selection, but you can still do better elsewhere.
The atmosphere is a bit awkward, but the couches are comfortable. I’ve never been able to figure out what creates the strange ambiance.
If the food could improve just slightly, if the service would improve just a bit, if the bathroom could get a nice scrubbing… It would probably take very little effort to address some of the minuscule issues that have built up to bump the rating up a star or two. At least the free wifi is a nice touch.
Meh.

Just stopped by while I was in the area for an impromptu study session with a pal and in an attempt to get out of today’s mid-​afternoon drizzle. The atmosphere was cozy, with large couches in the back and small tables in the front of the café. Local art decorated the walls and gave the small space a «homey» feel. I ordered my usual, an double Americano, and was saddened when the gentleman behind the counter said that this was not on the menu. Surely adding a bit of water to espresso was not THAT difficult of a request. I don’t even require room for milk! Alas, the best I could get was 2 shots of espresso over ice. I was disappointed with this, but was in dire need of caffeine. The two stars are for the atmosphere and convenience of the location in my time of caffeine need, as the espresso itself was just barely so-​so. I am not usually in this area and don’t believe in going out of my way for so-​so coffee or espresso, so this was my first and last visit to Mills End Café.

We stopped by this place for dessert and coffee after going to Ra Sushi a few weeks ago. It provided all we needed: banana and nutella crepes, a cup of coffee, and a view of Mill Avenue.
The crepes were nothing like the ones from a street stand in Paris, but they satisfied my craving well enough.

My relationship with Mill’s End did not start out on the right note. They simply refused to make the crepes that are included in the café’s official name, «Mill’s End Café and Creperie.» They said it was café policy that it was up to the individual server whether or not they would make a crêpe or not, which seemed ridiculous to me.
Since those first couple of experiences, I have not been turned down for a crêpe yet at Mill’s End. Speaking of the dish, I find them decent but not extraordinary here. Better are the breakfast sandwiches. As for the coffee and tea there is a wide selection, although nothing tastes incredible to me. The place also feels rather cold. Perhaps it’s the fact that the tables are so spread out, but I never really feel cozy. I do dig the poetry slam that they host every week, however, and I hear they have hookahs. There can also be nice artwork on the walls.