Now Accepting Bitcoin: Gyros, Cocas, and 219 Arizona Bitcoin Merchants

In 2025 the state government passed a Strategic Arizona Bitcoin Reserve, but I understand the state still hasn’t bought any coins. We can’t wait for the government to use bitcoin before we use it, or it will never happen.

The question is, can a normal person walk into a shop and pay with bitcoin? I have some friends in Scottsdale who have never used bitcoin in real life, so I asked them to test it. I recommended downloading a lightning wallet, sent them some satoshis, and sent them the BTC Map. They were surprised how easy it was to download a wallet and move satoshis across the internet; it felt very natural and how money should be, they said.

First Stop: Pita Cafe (23535 N Scottsdale Rd #102, Scottsdale, AZ 85255)

Their first stop was Pita Cafe, a Mediterranean spot attached to Scottsdale Burger Bar. Both accept bitcoin. My friends came back raving about the food: everything is made fresh to order, and they say to get the spanakopita and the gyro pita. The place was packed at lunch, but service stayed fast with plenty of seating.

The cashier wasn’t sure at first whether they took bitcoin. Then he noticed the Square terminal was already set up for it, and the payment went through quickly. It was his first time seeing customers pay in bitcoin, and he was excited about it. My friends also told me he looked at the amount on the screen and said he was shocked that they’d just paid “22,000 bitcoin”. They walked out feeling like royalty.