Hob Nobs

Coffee houses are supposed to be a good place for talking politics, but in Central Phoenix there's recently been some intrigue in which coffee houses have themselves been the subject of controversy. With apologies to Charles Dickens, call it "A Tale of Two Willo(w) Houses." The intrigue began years ago, when the Willow House opened at the corner of Third Avenue and McDowell Road. The location, a quarter mile west of the McDowell Road / Central station and within walking distance of the Phoenix Art Museum and the Burton Barr Central Library, is a natural for a good neighborhood coffee house. Ironically, the original coffee house there took the spelling of its name from the willow tree, rather than the adjacent Willo historic district. Still, it was seen as a natural enrichment of a neighborhood full of charming houses but few gathering places.

During its lifetime, the Willow House had its fans and its critics, but in early 2008, the coffee house decided to relocate from the McDowell location to another site on Van Buren near the state government complex. That was a risky move and the new location unfortunately closed a few months after opening. At the same time, back on McDowell, fliers were being distributed announcing a new Willo House (spelled this time like the neighborhood it bordered) coming soon to the former location of the Willow Hose. After a lot of chatter and speculation in blogs and online discussion forums about possible legal battles over confusingly similar names, it was announced that the new coffee house on McDowell wouldn't be Willo(w) anything, but instead "Hob Nobs." Hob Nobs has extensively renovated the building and essentially rebooted the coffee house with a new look.

Anyone who thought the old Willow House was too grimy or too smoky should be grateful for the improvements made by Hob Nobs. The remodeling accomplished two seemingly contradictory goals: opening up the space to fill it with natural light while simultaneously breaking it into numerous distinct spaces, each with their own role to play. The foyer by the Third Avenue entrance has high tables and stools, making it a great place to open up a laptop or a newspaper. The living room facing McDowell is more a of an area for lounging and socializing. To the right of the foyer, some smaller rooms are great places for groups what want to talk or work with a bit of isolation. The outdoor seating is nice on sunny days, particularly for customers visiting with their dogs.

Of course, all of the spaces have been repainted and cleaned up. A changing selection of work by local artists makes the space seem artsy but not necessarily edgy. Even the tables have art on their surfaces -- usually pictures by local photographers -- embedded under a protective cover. The place is definitely cleaned up in comparison to the Willow House, but maybe a bit too much. One of the charms of nearby coffee houses like Fair Trade Cafe is a stack of mismatched ceramic mugs for those who wish to avoid disposable cups. Likewise, Lux has tastefully disorganized shelves full of reading material, games, and even toys for the kids to keep things interesting. At Hob Nobs, little is left to chance, and maybe that takes a little away from the Bohemian spontaneity a coffee house is supposed to have.

The slightly corporate, spic-and-span feel is evident at the counter too. While most coffee houses offer a few bottled beverages for customers who don't like coffee or tea, Hob Nobs has a soda fountain -- something not found even in Starbucks. It might go over well with customers who like their caffeine sweet and carbonated, but it seems a little out of place in a coffee house. The coffee beverages (center photo below) and tea are all fine, but the foam cups they're served in don't do the drinks justice. For those imbibing on site, ceramic mugs would be not only a better match for the liquids inside, but also a nice environmental gesture.

Hob Nobs serves a light menu of food suitable for breakfast and lunch. The food is usually good, although seldom extraordinary. The lunch selection include a half dozen sandwiches and an equal number of salads. A caprese sandwich (right photo below) pairs well-textured mozzaralla with herb focaccia, but the winter tomatoes inside are more about crunch than flavor. This is a reasonably good sandwich, but it's not going to put Pane Bianco out of business. The accompanying cole slaw is nice, though -- tart and not at all soupy. The baked goods for dessert or snacking all satisfy, but again they're not really distinctive enough to be the main draw here. Hob Nobs excels in terms of creating a clean and comfortable atmosphere with free wifi. It's a great place to spend a few hours working online, chatting with friends, or just reading and relaxing. If hunger strikes while doing any of the above, it's also a decent choice for a light meal, but probably not a place to visit solely as a dining destination.

149 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85003 | Map
(602) 253-9220
http://www.hob-nobs.com/