🐕🦺 There’s a new reason to swing by Seventh Street and Virginia in central Phoenix, and it comes with wagging tails. Stray Café, Arizona’s first dog cafe, has opened its doors on the northeast corner of the intersection, giving Valley dog lovers a spot to sip coffee while surrounded by adoptable rescue pups.
The concept is simple: order a drink, settle into the lounge, and let a rotating cast of five to nine rescue dogs come say hello. Guests don’t have to be in the market for a new best friend – plenty just want an afternoon of puppy snuggles – but more than a few visitors have walked in for coffee and walked out with a dog.
Stray Café is the brainchild of Rockstar Rescue’s Jamie Benfield, who partnered with co-founder Matthew Meagher to bring the idea to life after mulling it over for roughly five years.
How it works
Benfield wanted to rethink how people meet adoptable dogs, moving them out of kennels and leashes and into something closer to a living room, where a dog’s real personality has room to show.
The cafe doesn’t screen by breed or size. Dogs get a shot based on temperament and how well they get along with people and other animals.
To keep the lounge stocked with adoptable dogs, Stray Café rotates in partner rescues rather than housing its own dogs full-time. The setup takes the hassle out of traditional adoption events – no hauling crates and gear, no keeping dogs cooped up.
What a visit costs
A visit runs $18 for guests 14 and up, $15 for ages 5 to 13, and is free for kids under 5, with tickets and reservations available on Stray Cafe’s website. Walk-ins are welcome when space allows, but online booking is recommended since the lounge fills up.
Beyond the Dog Lounge Experience, Stray Café also sells its own line of coffee and tea, with 100% of profits benefiting Rockstar Rescue’s work rehabilitating and decompressing dogs before they’re ready for adoption.
The cafe is still finding its rhythm. Some rescue partners are still being onboarded, so the dog lineup on any given day can vary. Benfield expects things to be fully booked with rescue partners as soon as next month.
A growing Valley trend
Rockstar Rescue is the second Valley dog rescue to branch into a supporting food-and-drink business. Almost There Rescue got there first, opening well-regarded Pizza to the Rescue in 2024.
And while dogs are having a moment, cats aren’t exactly hurting for cafe options either. The Valley also is home to Kitty Pause Kitty Cafe in Mesa, and two locations of PHX Cat Cafe.
Stray Cafe is open 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.
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