Espresso Art Cafe

Relaxed atmosphere with Hookah. I can’t tell if it’s the same business or not. Regardless, they are quite merged and the crowd seems to be one in the same. Mixture of locals and college students. Pretty classic college café apart from the amount of space devoted to Hookah. Had the espresso which was fine. Really close to the university if you want a quick coffee.

Friendly! Nice convenient location to U of A. Can sit outside and enjoy the day. Large variety of refreshments! Just had an ice coffee with a shot. Very good. Wi-​fi.

Great selection of shush a flavors, coffee, and usually good employees. Classic hangout for burnouts and odd hipsters alike.

Awesome place to smoke hookah while studying or hanging out. Great drinks and super friendly staff!

The name pretty much sums it all up. There’s a big bar right when you walk in. They serve espresso (and food and other stuff) at this bar. There’s art everywhere.
The place almost feels overcrowded by the art, but still somehow warm and homey at the same time.
The staff is lovely. The espresso is decent enough (not the best, nowhere near the worst). If you’re in the U of A neighborhood, definitely worth a stop.

Coolest place on University Avenue. Met so many new friends and Danny, the owner, is totally awesome! Check out the back room bar and as a 65 year old you’ll lost about forty years of age when you enter. College and eclectic’s rule at this really wonderful Tucson landmark!

Love this place, I used to come here often during my undergraduate career, and now I’ve been going back now that im in grad school! They offer Kombucha for around $ 4.00 and the coffees here are awesome as usual. Love the crowd here and the hookah smell that often circulates around the space. I often get a lot done here, and recommend this place to study or to kick it. Their hours and prices are reasonable, and the location is perfect. The only thing I’m not crazy about is the food offerings here, the pastries always look so sad, and the sausage biscuits they offer here are good, but not substantial enough for those long nights when you get hungry

I have been there several times hookah is decent, service on the other hand!
Last time I was there charcoal ran out I asked the waiter he goes yeah give couple of minutes 45 minutes and asked again still not there!
Management it only takes couple of unorganized Waite’s busy smoking their own hookah to deter a customer from coming again!

Perhaps this establishment should’ve chosen a name reflective of its strengths. While a great place to relax (although it can get loud on University), and a good place for hookah, their coffee is subpar. Acrid, overflavored, and just plain meh, it seems like coffee was not given the same level of consideration as given to their other products.

My favorite coffee shop in town. If you like a rich, flavorful coffee or mixed drink this is the place to go. They have a very comfortable bar in the back and the friendliest staff in town!

Espresso café is a nice place to meet up with friends, have a drink and even have hookah (although I would say that their hookah is mediocre). Their customer service has increased in quality the last few years — great people. Three stars for lack of quality consistency in all they do.

Lovely atmosphere and a great place to get work done. The staff is incredibly friendly and inviting. The coffee is the best coffee that I have had. Very fun hangout.

So much more than coffee. The perfect place to chill. The only place I know of that offers coffee, hookah, a full bar with skilled bartender crafting unique cocktails, all in a comfortable environment.
I especially like smoking shisha outdoors, so I was happy to see they have a patio. Let the bartender make the drinks his own way; I had a Dark and Stormy and he put Fernet and some other unique ingredients in. It was great.
Chill music that’s not too loud. Cozy chairs and couches.

Great atmosphere to smoke hookah or study, great place to meet new people and have some good conversation, and the staff there are very personable and friendly. Gotta love the unique feel and décor too.

Espresso Art has been a haven for me since my freshman year at the University of Arizona. The service and overall atmosphere are outstanding and it provides a home away from home with friendly people who are always ready for interesting conversation. The coffee is delicious and the international events provide a place to try new drinks inspired by worldly cultures. The only constructive criticism I have is that at times the hookah service takes longer than expected due to a packed house.

Each time I went here I enjoyed myself. Generally the staff is friendly and will make great recommendations, (only once I couldn’t stand the hookah mix). It’s a great atmosphere here for students who want to study or relax, or just a few friends catching up. Outside or inside seating!

Great in décor, location and overall curb appeal. Unfortunately what they lack is the coffee appeal. Pretty mediocre if you ask me on quality :-/

Appropriately-​named Espresso Art occupies a cozy nook next to my go-​to art supply store, Posner’s. It must be nearly impossible as a harried student to bypass the aroma of baked sweets, espresso, and pipe smoke. If the latter is a turnoff, Espresso Art might not be your kind of coffee house. The smoothies are rich and delicious, although I wish they offered dairy-​free options. The sugary baked goods are unique — so unique that the counter girl didn’t, in fact, know anything about the lumpy, powdery pastry cup that caught our eye. She gave it to us for $ 1, and it was a delectable deal, whatever it was. The apple cider is fresh and hot, the coffee drinks strong and generous, and the service is strikingly thorough for a college joint.

Espresso Art recently (that is, within this year I believe) obtained a license for alcohol. The back area has now been converted into a bar and lounge. My friends and I came here one afternoon and were delighted to find that beverages aside from tea and coffee were available. I really love their London Fog served in copper mugs. They also have punch cards for these drinks as well.

I used to love this place about five years ago, but since then, the hookas have gotten much more popular. If you’re planning to go here for coffee, expect your clothes to reek of hookah smoke – even at 10 AM. While I’m all for supporting local places instead of Starbucks (also on University), I’d suggest making the extra walk to 4^th Ave for the many quirky, local coffee shops there. Coffee drinks are so-​so.

Mexican Mocha? Sold. Order/​get your drink process? Wah wah. It was a little confusing and even the line of people didn’t get the baristas to stop, say hey, we’ll be right with you. There’s ample seating though, so a plus for that, and a decent menu of beverages. I’m certain I’ll be back because my mocha (not as sweet as some) had just the right cinnamon-​y kick with a touch of cayenne.

Apparently it is normal for college students to sit in a hookah bar/​café and smoke hookah while studying and sipping coffee on a Sunday afternoon… who knew?! We arrived at Luce later than usual and couldn’t find a seat, so decided to waltz on over to University to try out Espresso Art. We decided to sit in the normal area since we don’t like complete silence, even though they do have a quiet-​only space upstairs just for studiers.
It was interesting to say the least and I found myself taking people-​watching breaks in between my studying. I just had a normal coffee, which was bitter but ehhh it’s coffee. The barista is also the same person who does the hookah (both girls when I went). The décor and atmosphere are interesting, and this place is definitely different from Luce.

This is my favorite café in Tucson.
The lattes are good, inexpensive and the Wi-​Fi is free. No, it’s not the fastest place on the planet, but it’s worth the wait and the conversation with the baristas. Also, the pastries are delicious! And they serve sausage and egg muffins here.
Espresso Art is a darling little place on University — a great addition to the restaurant scene. Danny, the owner, keeps a rotating art gallery, allowing local folks to show their stuff for free. And it’s decent art, too! He doesn’t just throw anything up on the walls. And when we’re done with the summer, it is absolutely gorgeous sitting out front under the umbrellas. Really — this café seems plucked right from Europe.
The only complaints: The hookah and the piano. Hookah is served all day, but usually gets busy in the evening with orders. Beware those who have allergies or do not like hookah. The piano is open anytime the shop is open, which is so unfortunate. Nothing like a novice pounding away at 8:30 a.m. while many of us are just still waking up. Thanks for that. Customers here can be obnoxious sometimes. Perhaps its the location? But the staff is a cool bunch.

My typical Espresso Art experience:
Walk into a dirty coffee shop and wait at the counter for 5 minutes before a hipster comes out of the kitchen to take my order. Give order and then listen to said hipster try to also take the order of the person in line behind me. Hipster then goes to make or ring up my order and has forgotten it due to distracting him/​herself with the other customer’s order. Eventually I receive my chai and proceed into the dirty dungeon of the café and sit down on a mite-​eaten couch. Surrounded by more hipsters and their macbooks, I try to do work only to be interrupted by someone who wants to ask questions about what I’m reading.
I can’t get work done at this place, I can’t get a decent drink, and I feel dirty when I’m there. It’s awful. And if you go at night it’s even worse because they let people smoke hookah inside and it stinks the whole place up.