505 Spotlight

Chicky's Coffee is the kind of place you go when you want good coffee, a calm seat, and people who are genuinely glad you walked in.

You can stop in for a quick cup, sit down with your laptop, meet someone for a quiet conversation, pick up beans for home, or give yourself a few minutes with a latte and something sweet. It has that local coffee shop vibe, the kind where you can slow down a little instead of feeling rushed through a line.

Shari (pronounced SHER-ee) Knight, who locals know as "Chicky" did not open her coffee spot because coffee shops are trendy. She has been roasting coffee at home for years. Her friends kept telling her that her coffee should be shared with more people, and when life brought her to New Mexico, she finally decided to give the idea a real chance.

Get a Great Cup of Coffee from a Local Coffee Roaster

At its heart, Chicky's Coffee is built around roasting delicious coffee. You can get lattes, americanos, espresso drinks, pastries, and the coffee shop favorites people love, but the beans are still the foundation.

Shari started small, roasting just a couple pounds at a time. As more people found the shop and started coming back, the roasting setup grew too. The business did not appear overnight as some quick concept. It grew because people liked the coffee, liked the space, liked the way they were treated, and wanted to keep coming back.

Did you know?

Long before Chicky's became a cozy local cafe, Shari learned that people were roasting coffee with old popcorn poppers. That curiosity eventually led to home roasting, better equipment, later advanced education, and a business where roasting is still at the heart of the daily rhythm.

No Judgement, Just Great Coffee

One of the nicest things about Chicky's Coffee is that it takes coffee seriously without making customers feel like they need to pass a test before ordering.

Shari can talk about tasting notes, acidity, sourcing, roast levels, and all the little details that go into a good cup of coffee. But the heart of her approach is simple: Do you like what you are drinking?

That makes the shop feel easy to walk into. You can come in knowing exactly what you want, or you can come in with only a vague idea and let the staff help you figure it out. If they have the ingredients, they are happy to make whatever you want.

That matters because a lot of people want to learn about better coffee, but they do not want to feel judged for how they order it. Chicky's Coffee gives you the quality of a real local roaster without the cold or snobby feeling that can sometimes come from expert coffee makers.

Coffee Crafted a Batch at a Time

The coffee at Chicky's starts long before it reaches your cup. Shari spends time choosing beans carefully, paying attention to freshness, quality, flavor, and how each coffee will roast.

That is the kind of work most customers never see, but you can taste the result. The coffee is not chosen randomly. Shari looks for coffee that she enjoys and that she believes her customers will enjoy too. That gives the drinks a more thoughtful feel, whether you are ordering a simple drip coffee, a pour over, a latte, or a bag of whole beans to take home.

This is coffee with real care behind it. You do not have to be a coffee expert to appreciate that your drink tastes fresh, balanced, and crafted with care.

A Bernalillo Coffee Shop With a Cozy Local Feel

The Bernalillo location has the kind of calm, cozy feel that makes it easy to stay a while. It is clean, open, and comfortable, with indoor seating, outdoor seating, local art, and a relaxed atmosphere that works well for reading, working, meeting someone, or just enjoying your drink.

It is the kind of place where a latte and a pastry can turn a quick stop into a real break in your day. You can bring a book, open your laptop, sit outside when the weather is nice, or just enjoy having a local spot that feels peaceful with open windows and natural light.

The small details help too. One person mentioned that the shop was easy to access on crutches and that the bar seating made the visit more comfortable. That may sound small, but those are the details that make a place feel genuinely welcoming.

Chicky Things

The shop also has a personality that comes from the people who visit. Shari shared that customers have brought in plants, coffee pots, little "Chicky" items, and decorations over time. Some things even show up without anyone knowing who brought them. That gives the place a sweet, special feeling. It feels like the community has added pieces of itself to the shop.

Find Great Coffee in Rio Rancho while you're at The Block

Chicky's Coffee also has a Rio Rancho location at The Block, which gives more people a chance to find them.

The Block location is especially helpful for people who are already out with family, meeting friends, or looking for something local to enjoy. It gives you an easy way to try the coffee, then maybe make a point to visit the Bernalillo shop later when you want the full cozy coffee shop experience.

Why People Keep Coming Back to Chicky's Coffee

Read the reviews, people keep talking about great coffee, friendly service, a cozy atmosphere, local art, pastries, the outside patio, fresh roasted bean smells, and the feeling that the shop is simply pleasant to be in.

That is what makes Chicky's Coffee easy to recommend. It has the quality of a serious local roaster, but it still feels like a friendly neighborhood shop. You do not have to know everything about coffee to enjoy it. You just have to like good coffee and a place where people seem glad you walked in.

If you are in Bernalillo or Rio Rancho and want to support a local coffee shop with fresh roasted beans, friendly service, pastries, custom drinks, and a comfortable place to sit for a while, Chicky's Coffee is worth checking out.