Poppa Maize

Sorry this place was SAD. They sold flavored popcorn. It is NO longer in existence!!!

Super tiny little shop right next to Madcap theaters.
Ok, so its not *that* tiny, but the majority of the place is used to actually make the popcorn. The guy that runs this place is so, so nice. And on Tues they sell their medium bags for $ 2.00 each.
I stopped in for some extra popcorn for my BFFs baby shower. I chose the Lemon Meringue and Churro. OhmyfreakinGod. So delicious.
The Churro was so perfectly cinnamony and sugary, and the Lemon Meringue tasted *exactly* like the pie that serves as its namesake. I got many compliments on my popcorn choosing skills.
Go there. Now.

This new shop just off Mill Avenue is a great little place to pick up your favorite popcorn flavors. It is right next to where Islands used to be, long ago. It’s easy to find if you are looking for it!
We were told the Kettle Corn and Salted Popcorn are the only dairy free options, so we went with a bag of Kettle Corn. It was delicious and not overly salted like some other versions. With two people digging their hands into the small bag, the bag was emptied in less than 10 minutes!
The prices are GREAT. They take Square as payment in addition to cash. Even cooler is they give you 10% off purchases of $ 5+ if you are wearing your Maroon & Gold on Game Day.
I’ll definitely be back!

The best popcorn ever… Try the jalapeño flavor — it’s excellent! The owners are very friendly and welcoming. I’ll definitely recommend this place to everyone!

I love the popcorn here the best flavors are the churro and kettle and a lot of other amazing flavors! The people are always nice and friendly :)

I stopped by the store a few months ago with some friends to check out their vegan selection (sure popcorn doesn’t REQUIRE meat, dairy, or eggs, right?) and they had 2 or 3. Not horrible, but a little disappointing. Then I went back in on a whim a few days ago after Mellow Mushroom happy hour, and asked again. Now they’re down to only one vegan variety, which is the kettle corn. I’m a little sad thatnearly ALL the exotic and exciting varieties of popcorn in the store use some kind of animal products, but I guess that worked out since I love kettle corn.
It was delicious! And the bag was so huge, I was a little nervous it would go stale before I was able to finish it. I managed to stretch it out over 3 days, and it never got stale. I’m planning to go get more tonight for a movie night at home because my Whirley Pop got broken (something about the sugar clogged up the works– I always make kettle corn in it), and I refuse to buy chemical-​laden microwave popcorn anymore.

I’m always happy to support local businesses and was happy to see something new opening instead of closing on Mill Ave. However, Poppa Maize’s popcorn is, well, how do I put this… horrible. We tried the chocolate peanut butter and cake batter last night, and threw out full bags after a couple of bites. Even my kids wouldn’t eat it, and they are usually like human vacuum cleaners. The texture was like styrofoam and both flavors were oddly bitter. I don’t know if the popcorn was old or if it’s always this bad, but I don’t want to try it again.
Hoping they can somehow fix their mistakes… sounds like they have some fans and are capable of much more than what I tasted.

This place has been in the works on Mill forever and it’s finally open! Hooray!
The sign on the door says, «We do a-​maize-​ing things with Popcorn» and that is no lie!
They had a variety of sizes and a large selection of popcorn like: chocolate and peanut butter, cookies and cream, churro, caramel, toasted almond, and my favorite, toasted coconut. I inhaled that little bag as if my life depended on it.
AND while I haven’t confirmed with anyone at Madcap Theaters, I was told by one of the people working at Poppa Maize that Madcap will allow people to buy popcorn at Poppa Maize and take it into the theater. Goodbye disgusting movie theater popcorn! It’s all about toasted coconut from now on when I see a show.
I wrote in a previous Unilocal review that in 2008 the south side of Mill basically died. But now there is new life opening in and around the Centerpoint towers. Finally.
Kudos to Poppa Maize for bringing their business and product to Tempe.