Things-to-Do – Page 5 – Sharonda Shariee

I had a meeting to attend and it was up to me to choose the location, so I chose Lux Central. The meeting started at 9:30am, and the place was packed. Line out the door. I was taken aback by that. It is just a coffee shop after all, is what I thought. Naturally, I immediately said this place must be GOOD!

We waited in line about 12 minutes, with a Lux Central staff member walking down the line taking orders. Since I hadn’t been there before, I needed visuals and some direction. She allowed us to work our way up to the glass case where the pastries were on display. I made my order. Blueberry muffin and the pretty coffee drink in a glass mug. She asked, a latte? I said, yes, and what does it take to make it sweet? She said, caramel. I said yes, a caramel latte and a blueberry muffin, please.

As we waited in line, we noticed that the seating was limited because everyone in Phoenix was at Lux Central that morning. There were four of us, so we strategically scoped out where we could squeeze in. Don’t be opposed to sitting with another person or two, everyone seemed friendly enough and knew this may happen at Lux. There were many pockets of casually clustered seating all over the building and an outdoor seating area as well. We luckily discovered a space for four and grabbed it.

I’m all about process and order. I notice this everywhere I go. When we ordered in the line, we waited in that same line until you get to the register to pay. Once you pay, you hang out and wait for your name to be called. As the drinks came out, they were placed on the counter next to the register where there is constant traffic of payees. If drinks are not picked up timely, it’s a sea of orders all over the counter while you cautiously and others not so cautiously try to determine which drink is theirs. This process could be a lot better. The potential landing area for completed drinks should be relocated to allow for a more seamless process between the payees and the pick-up station, but I’m just a patron.

Anyhow, Lux Central not only has pastries and coffee, they also have a complete breakfast, juice bar and liquor menu. Everything our group had (coffee, latte, blueberry muffin, croissant, hot chocolate, blueberry loaf) agreed their items were good and it was worth a return for full breakfast and coffee.

Lux Central is great meeting, study, and hang out space in central Phoenix, and I can see why the line is constantly out the door. The vibe is legit. I encourage you to visit a local coffee shop in your area and let me know what you ordered.

Bonus:
Live music tucked in the corner (visited on a Sunday).

Location visited:

4402 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Hours: 6AM – 12AM

We were chosen to try-out the iPic Theater in Scottsdale, AZ. To be honest, I had researched iPic before and thought, whoa! That activity is NOT in our family of six budget. As the mom who takes the kids to the movies before noon so that we only pay $5 for matinee tickets, I was ecstatic that iPic graciously extended an invitation and we were able to experience the luxuries of iPic. Click the *link in bio* to check out what makes iPic theaters so luxurious.

iPic provided us with a 4-admission ticket pack, so we bought pizza for the two “Littles” and dropped them off with grandma and the older boys, my husband and I headed to the theater. Upon arrival we were greeted by management and shown to our seating. We were given menus and were told; everything is on the house.

My boys looked and asked, really? Yes, we frequent our theater with the reclining seats, popcorn, snacks and drinks on-hand but this was different. New plush reclining pod-seating for two. Blankets, pillows, unlimited popcorn, a full menu + a Keto option, brought right to our seats. I asked my husband to please check on me to make sure I didn’t fall asleep during the movie, that’s how comfortable the space was. Let me tell you, we were there for ALL. OF. IT.

Seating was $27 per person, so $108 for the four of us.

Here’s what we ordered from the menu:

Fajita Quesadilla $15 (my husband had a steak quesadilla, because he thought you can’t go wrong with steak, cheese and a flour tortilla shell)

Chicken Strips $15 (I had the chicken strips, because I’m simple)

Angus Burger Sliders $17 (both my sons had the sliders, because kids eat burgers)

Truffle Fries $12 (we shared 2 orders)

Drinks $3.50 (3 drinks, I share with my husband because I don’t drink much soda and it was free re-fills)

Toffee Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich $10 x 2 (we shared 2 between the four of us)

We also had popcorn, but remember, the cost is included in the cost of your ticket.

As you can see, the pricing is like real dining. I can say the menu was nicely done. A little bit for everyone, from lobster rolls, salad bowls, flatbread pizza to Keto steak skewers. Menu prices are online to view ahead of time, which is a major plus in my book. All in all, the food was ok. It lacked overall seasoning of the meats used. My husband ate all his quesadilla, and said he’d get it again. I hate half of my chicken strips and took the rest home for lunch the following day. The boys didn’t eat all their food and didn’t care to take the rest with them. We collectively gave the food a 3 ½ out 5 rating.

So, in total, our iPic theater outing was $246.50. iPic certainly delivered what it set out to do and is worth all of what they provided, which is a luxurious movie going experience. I’d visit iPic again, for a special occasion but when the whole family is in tow, we’ll stick to the theater up the street.

iPic.com

Location visited:
15257 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85254

Category: Things-to-Do

Lux Central Coffee Shop

The iPic Theater Experience