Coffee News

Austin's Houndstooth Coffee hooks up with TreeHouse for new location in Dallas

Dallas gets more great java with the opening of a third branch of Houndstooth Coffee.

Photo courtesy of Houndstooth Coffee

A third branch of Austin's Houndstooth Coffee is opening in the coolest location in Dallas: adjacent to TreeHouse, the sustainable home improvement store which is also another Austin import. The coffee shop will be located at The Hill Shopping Center, at 9730 N. Central Expy. and will open in the fall.

TreeHouse is the sustainable home improvement store that opened in June in the newly-rebranded center at the northeast corner of US-75 and Walnut Hill Lane, called The Hill Shopping Center.

Founder Sean Henry says that they're excited to be part of the new center, and look forward to serving folks from around the neighborhood, but also customers and commuters from Collin County.

"This cafe, located right on US-75, will certainly be more accessible for our friends and fans in the Richardson and Plano communities," he says in a release.

The new cafe will be situated in two Lake Flato-designed tiny porch houses along the US-75 frontage road. It will offer plenty of seating and a large parking area right on the TreeHouse lot.

The cafe will also be the first in Texas to be equipped with a Mavam Espresso machine, an under-counter espresso machine that features a low-profile interface, offering guests greater visibility into the drink preparation process and a better platform for barista-to-guest interaction.

Ostensibly, that sounds good, unless your barista has, like, facial hair that drives you nuts or other peccadillos you'd rather not deal with. For some, those massive espresso makers are a comforting barrier. And if they have a mirrored finish, one can check one's appearance before jetting into the office.

This under-counter machine is also challenging for coffee consumers who are, shall we say, a tad bit controlling and like to monitor every step in how their espresso drinks are made. Hello Amber, can you please do a free pour rather than spooning the foam over, thanks so much.

The cafe will be powered by solar energy, and employ renewable and sustainable building materials and practices. This is keeping in line with TreeHouse's emphasis on sustainable living and reputation of being the world’s first energy positive big-box store.

TreeHouse CEO Jason Ballard says in a release that when it comes to their Dallas flagship location, they seek to work with like-minded operators and are excited to be partnering with another Austin-based business that has found success in Dallas. "Having Houndstooth Coffee as a neighbor enhances the TreeHouse customer experience and we look forward to the upcoming opening," he says.

Houndstooth Coffee's locations in Dallas include the original which opened at 1900 Henderson Ave. in 2014; and a second at Sylvan | Thirty, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary this summer, and which also has an adjacent bar called Jettison.

Houndstooth opened its first cafe in Austin in 2010. In addition to this new Dallas location coming to The Hill, Houndstooth Coffee will open a third Austin cafe this fall, located at Platform, a new mixed-use development in East Austin.

TreeHouse, which specializes in products and services that promote healthy and sustainable spaces with an emphasis on high performance and design, debuted in Austin in 2011.

openings coffee

Noodling in

Chinese noodle spot Yo! Bowl expands to Plano with full-service restaurant

Photo courtesy of Yo! Bowl

Yo! Bowl revolves around a springy, chewy rice noodle from Taiwan called mifen.

A family-owned restaurant that introduced an under-the-radar Chinese noodle dish to North Texas is expanding to Plano: Yo! Bowl, known for its customizable rice noodle bowls and Southwest Chinese flavors, will open a second location at 4701 W. Park Blvd. #105 in mid-July, according to a release.

The noodle shop debuted in Carrollton in 2024 and built a following for its mifen, a springy, chewy rice noodle from Taiwan, also sometimes called mei fun. These noodles, still quite unfamiliar to American diners, can be found on some menus in Dallas, but Yo! Bowl is the rare all-mifen concept.

In China, mifen noodles are typically offered in self-serve bars, where customers choose their ingredients. In a nod to those origins, Yo! Bowl in Carrollton offers a build-it-yourself bowl but the ingredients are mixed behind the counter. They're available in a soup form, as well as a non-soup dry option, similar to a stir fry, in choice of spicy or non-spicy.

The noodles are cooked in 20 seconds, making this true fast food, given the speed in which customers get their orders. Bowls range from $11 to $13, depending on protein.

The new Plano restaurant will differ slightly from the original. While the Carrollton location relies primarily on self-order kiosks, the Plano outpost will offer full table service.

Owner Xinran Xu founded Yo! Bowl with the goal of introducing mifen to a broader audience. Born in China and raised in Japan, Xu drew on influences from both cultures when developing the restaurant.

"When we first opened, many customers had never heard of mifen before," Xu says in the release. "I wanted to introduce a dish that I grew up with and make it approachable for everyone. Whether someone likes spicy food, mild flavors, soup, or dry noodles, they can create a bowl that fits their own taste."

Crispy chicken at Yo! Bowl.Photo courtesy of Yo! Bowl

While mifen is the centerpiece, the menu also includes Japanese-inspired items reflecting Xu's background, including chicken katsu. Another customer favorite is the restaurant's homemade yogurt, she says, prepared from a family recipe passed down through generations.

Xu says the idea for expansion came from seeing how many customers were driving from Collin County to visit the Carrollton restaurant.

"We realized many of our regular customers were driving from Plano, Frisco, and other parts of Collin County," Xu said. "When the opportunity came to open a second location, Plano felt like the natural next step."

Xu says she hopes mifen can eventually achieve the same level of recognition in the U.S. as other Asian noodle dishes.

"Japanese ramen and Vietnamese pho have become part of mainstream American food culture," Xu says. "If one day Americans recognize mifen the same way they recognize ramen or pho, I would consider that a success."

To celebrate the opening, Yo! Bowl plans to offer a limited-time promotion with select noodle bowls priced at $9.95, according to the release. A soft opening will take place in mid-July, they say.

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Luciana Gomez contributed to this story.

bowls noodles openings plano chinese restaurant