What an amazing discovery on our trip to Tempe! Hands down some of the best coffee I have ever had in my life! Just....wow. Went there two mornings in a row and had two different roasts. So wonderfully rich, roasty, full flavored and delicious I didn't even need my usual sweetener. Besides the coffee being extraordinary, this place just has a cool, funky vibe. The baristas were so friendly, the music was fun, and the atmosphere is unlike no other. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the Tempe area. The only negative I have to say is that it didn't open up early enough early for me to get another hit before we departed at 6am :( Love you Cartel Cofffee Lab!!!

positive

UPDATE: I absolutely LOVE this place and have to admit I feel a little down writing about the last 2 experiences I've had, considering how I've become a die-hard regular. In hopes that you will not go through the same experience, I am writing this more as a warning. My boyfriend and I walked in there on a Saturday evening, we were greeted right away, as usual, by the kind Asian man, who we believe is the owner. We sat at our usual high-top table, and waited...waited... waited for about 7 minutes (very unusual) for our server to greet us and bring us menus. When we came over, we immediately realized it was the same waiter we had the last time we had a negative experience. With no enthusiasm he brought us menus and left. Didn't offer us a drink until the second time he came around. After he brought us our drinks he went about his runs, and forgot about us. Finally, he came back to our table and ASSUMED we wanted the sashimi combo and was about to run to put it in when we quickly told him we were trying new things. We put in an appetizer (Salmon Kama), and 4 other rolls. Everyone else brought us our food instead of our waiter. What ENRAGED me is that I saw him SMOKING OUT OF AN E-CIGARETTE PEN BY THE BAR!!!! Also, we NEVER got our appetizer. Apparently, the waiter never put it in seeing that the Asian man had to ask us what we ordered. When the Salmon Kama came out, it was DISGUSTING. My boyfriend said it tasted as if they microwaved leftover fish and put it on a plate with cabbage. I have to agree. Only the times we've gotten this server (whom I don't even know his name, Hispanic looking man, with lots of arm tattoos and spiky hair) have been the times we have had bad service, his tip showed how unsatisfied we were, I even wrote him a little comment. Hopefully this will make him fix his style of waitressing to prevent driving customers away. Aside those incidents, the place is still AMAZING. what separates BEI from the surrounding sushi restaurants is their fish. I am always searching for good-tasting sushi spots where you can actually distinguish the fish by taste not just by sight. their fish is excellent, and tastes super fresh. comparable to several upscale sushi restaurants in Miami. simply because of taste, I would choose this place over any of the chains in the Scottsdale area. their customer service is also impressive. everyone, including the owner, are extremely attentive and welcome you enthusiastically. they make sure to ask how your food tasted, and are open for suggestions. you can tell they're in the business because they love Japanese food and the art of sushi, not just to make money and turn it into a chain. the only thing "fishy" (no pun intended) is the area. its located in a shopping strip in south Scottsdale that looks a bit shady during the day, a reason why it took me a little longer to try the place out. I was a bit skeptical. inside is a different story. its very clean, well-maintained and you can tell they put in some work to remodel the place. their specials are amazing as well! they have a few of their specialty rolls as part of their specials and their portions are never skimped. you need to try the BLAZING ALASKA ROLL its definitely my favorite roll on their happy hour menu. if you're a sushi enthusiast, you MUST try this place. I guarantee it becomes one of your favorites

positive

I ate here with a group and was very disappointed with the meal. The salad was just a large bunch of bib lettuce with a tiny bit of dressing. The meat dish was very small and not worth the money. I won't go again.

negative

I have been to Vegas many times, but this was my first time trying a guest list service that I searched for online. I was very impressed at the choices of all the clubs & pools. Our 1st club was Ghost Bar on a Saturday night. I know how lines are at clubs in large cities so we knew we would probably still have to wait in line, but it's free. So if you want to avoid lines you have to shell out cash for that or get VIP. The earlier you arrive the better. We used it also last night for Hyde inside the Bellagio. I would definitely recommend this service and will use it again when I come back for a bachelorette party in August. Thank you Chris!
positive