Black Mountain Café & Coffee Shop

AMERICAN FOOD AT IT'S BEST - ALL THE COMFORT OF HOME!

Our Story

Originally established in 1978 as Black Mountain Coffee Shop, this iconic restaurant continues its legacy with current owners, Don & Lisa Little, who purchased the restaurant in 2017. Now with the addition of our NEW bar and lounge, we go by the name of Black Mountain Cafe and Lounge. The new bar inside goes by the name of Gears. We offer breakfast and lunch every day from 6am till 4pm. We also now offer Chef prepared dinner Tuesday through Saturday evenings from 3 till 9pm, with our bar being open till 10pm on Friday and Saturday evenings. We also love music and our local talented musicians. We offer the following entertainment: Wednesday LIVE music, Thursday KARAOKE, Friday JAM session, Saturday LIVE music. Wednesday through Saturday entertainment goes from 6-9pm, and Sunday music goes from 11am till 2pm.

IN THE BEGINNING...

Sometime in 1964, a Greek couple started a Coffee & Sandwich shop in the middle of the Sonoran Foothills Desert in a new town called Carefree. The coffee shop's location was in the Spanish Village Shopping Center. The new shopping center was the first in Carefree built for restaurants and shops as a destination.

Since then the town has evolved and grown around this iconic place. Many well known local celebrities use to frequent such as Hugh Downs, Dick Van Dyke, Barry Goldwater and Jerry Jones, to mention a few. Town founders, Tom Darlington and Kenyon Turner Palmer, had their breakfast and coffee while brainstorming their visions for Carefree at the Black Mountain Coffee Shop.

THE RECENT YEARS...

A few years later, in 1978, is when the Black Mountain Coffee Shop was created by Shelly's in laws. They ran it for a few years and then sold it to Shelly. In 2015, Shelly decided to retire from the restaurant business after 32+ years! Shelly sold Black Mountain Coffee Shop to Martin & Tami Holmes, who remodeled and expanded the interior of the restaurant.

In 2017, Don and Lisa Little purchased the Black Mountain Coffee Shop. Lisa brought 30 years of restaurant experience to the business, as well as 10+ years of business ownership with Don at a Motorcycle Dealership.

The restaurant has been known for all these years as "Carefree's Best & Favorite Diner." It's also known for the best homemade breakfast and lunch around at a great value. Gonzo has been the head cook for over 20 years, and is now joined by Richard and Chris, combining for over 100 years of cooking experience in the kitchen!

Indoor dining now seats 46 customers, the breakfast eating counter seats an additional six, the outdoor main patio seats 32, and dogs are welcome on the entire patio. All outdoor patio is weather permitting.

PRESENT AND FUTURE...

Don & Lisa realized early on the popularity of many items on the restaurant's menus. However, after much feedback and requests from guests and the team, new selections have been added. There are now several gluten free options as well as vegetarian and a special children's menu.

The new owners also realized there has been a desire for better and locally roasted coffee as well as espresso. So after a lot of research and taste testing, Miscela D'Oro espresso beans were selected for all espresso drinks. Miscela D'Oro is located in Messina, Italy and have been Artisan coffee roasters since 1946. Local Tempe based coffee roasters, Infusion Coffee, was the quality coffee brand chosen after extensive tastings! The ice tea, also provided from local company Espresso Italia, is brewed fresh daily.

Celebrating 40+ Years Serving The Best Southwest Traditional Food Choices and The Best Value Anywhere in Carefree!