Deep Ellum News

New bar in Dallas' Deep Ellum brings back good old Hot Topic days

Mom, it was never a phase.

Courtesy photo

A new bar in Dallas is championing an era that should never be forgotten. Called Shot Topic, it's a small Deep Ellum spot that celebrates punk rock, with a particular homage to Hot Topic, the mall chain that specializes in plaid kilts, rad hair color, and other punk and counterculture clothing and accessories.

Located at 108 South Crowdus St., in a small, long-vacant storefront next to Buzzbrews, the bar actually feels like a Hot Topic store: black light, vivid patches of neon, ska-style black & white checks, black walls with white graffiti band names, and a focus on punk and emo bands from the 2005-2012 era.

One wall features a display of band T-shirts, a total Hot Topic knockoff. Lights hanging from the ceiling are made from drums. Music is a major component, with massive video screens broadcasting vintage videos as well as DJs and karaoke nights. There is one concession to the present: a selfie wall with music instruments.

Shot Topic is from some of the same folks behind concepts such as Select Start including Corey Good, Danny Wilson, Jacob Cox, and Colton Kirby.

"I felt like Deep Ellum was missing a punk rock or a sing-along bar," Good says. "It's like Warp tour meets Hot Topic but it's a bar. It's a throwback to early 2000s rock and emo, where you can sing along and have drinks."

It's also very specifically a shot bar, with the drinks boasting punk rocky names: Taste of Ink with limoncello, the First Punch with Jim Beam & peach schnapps, What's My Age Again? — a skrewball topped with Red Bull — and Rich & Famous with 1942, Grand Marnier, and gold leaf.

"Everything in Deep Ellum is craft cocktails these days," Good says. "This is a shot-based menu, with custom drinks that get an extra edge from ingredients like edible glitter."

They also plan to offer a food component, which will be supplied by Will Call Bar (a 2022 Tastemaker Awards nominee for Bar of the Year and Rising Star Chef).

The bar even has a slogan: "It was never a phase," a droll reference to the 2020 viral video by pop-punk band All Time Low, in which singer says, "Mom, it was never a phase. It's a lifestyle."

drinks deep-ellum

Smoothie News

Healthy smoothie chain from the Northeast makes Dallas-area debut

Fresh Monkee

Fresh Monkee smoothies

A smoothie chain from the Northeast has landed in Dallas-Fort Worth: Called Fresh Monkee, it's a chain from Connecticut that made its DFW debut in Richardson at 3501 Custer Pkwy. #119, in the Custer Creek shopping center, where it opened July 1.

Fresh Monkee was founded by entrepreneur Judy Flynn in Wethersfield, Connecticut in 2014. It has since expanded to 20 locations across 15 states. Four locations are planned for Texas, including Austin and Houston. The Richardson location is from franchisees Anam and Omer Nawab.

In a release, Flynn notes that many smoothie places rely on sugary fruit blends and "strange" powders.

"Most juice bars strip away the fiber from fruits and veggies, which is essential for a healthy gut and feeling satisfied," Flynn says in a press release. "I was convinced we could do better."

Their menu includes 30 varieties: fruit smoothies, green smoothies, chocolate smoothies, and coffee smoothies, with seasonal flavors such as the summer-ready watermelon strawberry limeade shake.

Notable options include:

Chunkee Monkee — milk, chocolate or vanilla protein powder, banana, and peanut butter
Filthy Monkee — milk, chocolate protein powder, brownie protein bar, and peanut butter
Coffee Buzz — milk, a splash of cream, chocolate protein powder, coffee cubes, vanilla extract, and Stevia
Orange Cream — milk, orange juice, vanilla protein, and a whole orange
Maui Colada — coconut milk, orange juice, vanilla protein, unsweetened coconut shreds, pineapple, and mango

They also carry a protein ball snack with peanut butter, oat flour, chocolate whey protein, and maple syrup, rolled in coconut oil and chocolate chips.

Each location has indoor seating, including couches and tables, but they're mainly a to-go concept.

Another pair of franchisees, Clarence Gadapati and Karuna Annavajjala, are opening a location in Arlington, at 5904 S. Cooper St. #120, in the Sublett Corners center, where it will open in August.

openings