When Richardson’s Restaurant burned to the ground in July one of its neighbors was also affected. Luci’s Healthy Marketplace took the opportunity to make improvements to the shop and added a coffee bar. Luci’s is located on the corner of 16th St. and Bethany Home Rd. and is named after Lucia, the owners wife. The first time I walked into Luci’s their senior barista, Chris Mace, recognized me almost immediately (even though we had never met). I was very impressed with this and Chris went out of his way to make me some drinks (even throwing away a few). He give me a tour of the coffee bar, and introduced me to the staff. I also met Ken Schnitzer, the owner. An exceptional cappuccino. The staff at Luci’s consistently ground-per-shot and have incredible passionate team of baristas. Chris Mace serves coffee every Saturday (I think) at the Heritage Square Park (again, I think that was the place). He also acts as a barista at parties and other social events. I was impressed with his skills. Funny story about this photo… The couple seated at the first table are readers of this site and saw this photo. I’ve made three visits so far (it’s on my way to work). I’ll get to the coffee in a moment, but I want to set the scene so you have some idea of what to expect when you visit. Another cappuccino. Perhaps the best way to describe Luci’s is to tell you that it has a chef on staff named Chef Eric Guerin who makes delicious meals (packaged to-go) and the chef also works at La Grande Orange. Luci’s even has a cooking center with a full kitchen setup for classes, and sells a large number of grocery products. They’ve just begun serving lunch and dinner and have a number of fresh pastries delivered daily from Lady Diana’s Bakery. A view of the espresso machine. The pastry case. The counter. A pumpkin art macchiato. A cappuccino. Shot of espresso. Lots of seating inside. Chris Mace. Another cappuccino, this one wasn’t as good as the others. It was the foam that wasn’t very frothy. Barista (I cannot remember his name! Sorry!) In summary, Luci’s is a great place to get an espresso drink. The consistency is an issue but I’m confident it will improve over time. I’ll definitely be back. Oh, and I’m pretty sure I remember them saying they get their coffee at Coffee Reserve. Luci’s Healthy Marketplace 1590 E. Bethany Home Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85014 Phone: (602) 773-1339
Psyd That’s micro-foam on that cappuccino, Chris! It’s kinda hard to pour it so it floats really well in a paper cup (although, I know folks that rock it!) ‘casue of the cylindrical shape. OTOH, it could have been a bit more stretched, but even so, it’s driven me out to the kitchen to pull a cappa…. ; > 0 Reply November 7, 2009
Michael One of the few done correctly from the Phoenix region, with a few exceptions of course,……..regardless….well done! 0 Reply November 8, 2009
