La vie boheme isn't just for the French (or the cast of "Rent"). At the Willow House in Phoenix, bohemia is alive and well.
The Willow House (149 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix) is a coffee shop, café, art display, store, music venue and just plain cool hangout all at the same time.
I ventured to the Willow House one afternoon with my roommate, Kim Weidner. The small restaurant is appropriately named because it really is just a small house at the corner of Third Avenue and McDowell Road. Because of its location at the street corner, finding parking is tough. There are approximately 10 parking spots outside - everyone else has to park across the street.
Once you make it inside, it's smooth sailing. You order drinks and food at the counter right inside the front door, then either sit at a table in another room or take a walk around the house and shop for animal print bracelets, paintings, sparkling plastic spiders or any of the other eclectic items strewn through each room. A Willow House employee will walk around the house yelling your name when your food is ready.
Once you get your food, I recommend sitting outside at one of the many red picnic tables if the weather is nice. Most of the tables inside the house are crowded together and occupied by coffee patrons taking advantage of the free WiFi.
The food at the Willow House is good, but it's not amazing. I ate the vegetarian pita pizza (one of more than five vegetarian/vegan options). The pita was generic and a little burnt. It was topped with hummus, melted cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms and olives. (I nixed the onions.) The overall taste was just a few steps up from bland. I would definitely eat at the Willow House again, but wouldn't order the same thing.
Kim ordered a pastrami sandwich, which was loaded with layers of meat. She said she really enjoyed it, but that it wasn't anything too special.
To drink, Kim and I both ordered an iced chai tea latte, which was very flavorful and one of the best I've had in the Valley. There are many other coffees, specialty drinks and sodas at the Willow House that are definitely worth trying - most notably the Italian soda that comes in flavors ranging from amaretto to banana.
Just about everything - coffee and food - at the Willow house costs less than $7.
So whether you're headed out for some coffee, an open mic night or the opportunity to shop, stop by the Willow House for a fun bohemian atmosphere.
Reach the reporter at: tara.brite@asu.edu.
