PROVISION

Provision Coffee is a roastery, cocktail bar and restaurant housed inside a striking two story glass building in Phoenix. The interior is bright and filled with lush greenery. High ceilings and floor to ceiling windows make it feel more like a botanical atrium than a coffee shop. The space looks like it was originally designed as a building lobby or reception area in a corporate setting that got adapted into a coffee shop. Whatever it was before, it works beautifully now.

Provision operates as a coffee roaster, cocktail bar and full restaurant. The food program is strong. They source from respected local names like Noble Bread and Chula Seafood. Brunch classics like Avocado Toast and Smoked Salmon Bagels are on the menu. Expect higher prices but the quality of ingredients reflects that.

The coffee side is where I have mixed feelings. They roast their own beans which is a plus. For daily service they run a high end Eversys Enigma super automatic machine. A super automatic does everything at the push of a button. It grinds, tamps, extracts and steams milk with no barista hands on the process. For a high volume operation it makes sense from a speed and consistency standpoint. But for a place that brands itself as specialty coffee, it is a letdown. A super automatic will give you a clean and repeatable shot but it will not give you the kind of nuance and control that a skilled barista can pull from a traditional machine. They do have a single head Mavam under counter espresso machine on site as well. The Mavam is a proper espresso machine and a beautiful one at that (it sits hidden beneath the counter with only the group head visible). I asked for my drink to be made on it and they were happy to do so. I am not sure what their standard policy is on when they use the Mavam versus the Eversys. My guess is that during busy periods they default to the super automatic to keep up with volume.

I will be honest. Both of our drinks were just ok. Nothing bad but nothing that made me stop and think about what I was tasting. We visited on a Saturday late morning and the place was packed. I never got a chance to ask which beans they use for espresso. My honest take is that you go to Provision for the atmosphere and the food. The space is genuinely stunning and the restaurant menu delivers. But if you are coming specifically for the coffee, temper your expectations.

One thing to know before you go. Provision limits wifi access to keep tables available for dining. There is no wifi on Fridays and weekends. This is a place designed for you to sit down, eat well and look up from your phone for a while.

I have walked into hundreds of coffee shops in Arizona. Very few of them made me pause at the door just to take in the room. Provision did. The coffee may not be the reason I come back but the feeling of being inside that building is. Some spaces just do something to you. This is one of them.