Living the Good Life

Dallas-Fort Worth claims awesome title of booziest metro in nation

Dallas-Fort Worth residents really like to raise a glass (or two).

Photo courtesy of Alamo Drafthouse

It seems that having more restaurants per capita than most anywhere else in the nation means that the people of Dallas-Fort Worth actually, you know, eat out a lot. How much? A lot.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey, we top the list of cities that "spend a disproportionate amount of their salary on alcohol, smoking, and eating out." DFW residents allocate 6.10 percent of their total spending on eating out, and 1.21 percent on alcohol. The national averages are 5.16 percent and 0.94 percent.

The Washington Post published the results and dubbed DFW "the booziest metropolitan area" of the survey. Of our annual average spending of $61,698, about $744 goes toward alcohol and $3,765 toward eating out.

The survey notes that Texas' on-premise excise tax on alcohol, which means establishments have mixed-beverage permits and pay a 6.7 percent tax on gross receipts, could be why our number is so high. "That cost is passed on to the consumer, meaning more expensive drinks at bars, and incentive to buy alcohol at stores.

"Even so, Texas ranks in the bottom half for excise taxes on spirits, wine, and beer."

Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Phoenix join us on the booze list, while San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and Cleveland round out the dining out top five.

The third arm of the survey concerns money spent on tobacco products, and no-smoking Dallas-Fort Worth did not make the top five (though Houston came in at third).

cocktails rankings

Spreading joy

Sunnyvale gets a bright new breakfast-and-lunch spot in Joy Cafe

Photo by Álvaro Saúl Gutiérrez

The menu features Mexican classics like chilaquiles.

A new restaurant with a spirit as cheerful as its food has arrived in Sunnyvale: Called Joy Cafe, it has opened at 3501 Belt Line Rd., Ste. 115, within the new Charales Plaza complex.

Joy Cafe, which is open for breakfast and lunch daily from 8 am-4 pm, focuses on fresh, high-quality ingredients. The kitchen produces its own bread and tortillas from scratch without preservatives, and coffee beans imported from Veracruz, Mexico, are roasted right at the front of the store.

The menu features American classics like pancakes, French toast, hamburgers, and club sandwiches alongside Mexican staples such as chilaquiles, tortilla soup, and tres leches. There are also global influences with a Mexican twist, such as shakshuka featuring house-made chorizo, as well as croque madame and hummus.

Most dishes range from $10 to $16.

Their coffee program includes traditional espresso drinks and specialty options like the mazapán latte — an iced vanilla latte topped with the popular Mexican almond candy. A variety of fresh juices is also available.

A selection of breakfast and lunch staples at Joy Cafe, featuring sunny-side-up eggs with bacon and a fried chicken sandwich. Photo by Álvaro Saúl Gutiérrez

Joy Cafe is the latest project from owner Andrea Hermosillo. Born into a family of restaurateurs in Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, Hermosillo grew up in the hospitality industry. After moving to Dallas in 2006, she worked as a consultant helping Hispanic small businesses grow.

In 2020, she opened a taco shop in downtown Dallas called Chimalma. But the short-lived restaurant did not survive the pandemic, due to a lack of foot traffic near the Convention Center and other nearby buildings. It was a dark period for Hermosillo, who admits she "lost it all" when the doors closed.

However, motivated by her children, she regained her footing with a new perspective on life.

“Everybody was complaining and closing businesses at the time,” Hermosillo says. “I cried a lot, but I am very resilient, so I kept going.”

Joy Cafe is intentionally bright, representing the light of her current path.

“We all go through a lot of bad things, so I wanted to create a small oasis, and it worked: people look happy here; they don’t want to leave,” she says.

The minimalist space features white walls and light green open ceilings, accented by nods to her heritage like woven chairs and colorful hand-blown glass flowers imported from her hometown. With seating for 120, the restaurant offers a mix of booths, tables, and a communal table designed for guests to “share joy.”

The restaurant also serves a deeper mission: Hermosillo employs a team that includes individuals from a domestic violence shelter where she volunteers. In a full-circle moment of community support, the contractors she once advised as a consultant financed their work to help bring her dream to life.

“God has been good; four weeks after opening, we are already thriving,” Hermosillo says.

lunch brunch openings breakfast