Hot Coffee News

Design District coffee shop plots a buzz for downtown Dallas

Dallas Design District hot spot Ascension Coffee is expanding.

Ascension Coffee

Popular Dallas Design District coffee and wine bar Ascension Coffee is in big expansion mode, opening branches both in downtown Dallas and in a mixed-use development in Fort Worth's University District.

The Dallas store will open in Thanksgiving Tower at 1601 Elm St. in early 2017. This will be the third Ascension Coffee in Dallas; one just opened at Crescent Court.

In Fort Worth, Ascension will open a 2,420-square-foot store in fall 2016 that overlooks the Trinity River and Trinity Trails, says owner Russell Hayward. The trails were a key part of what made the location appealing.

"Our location will fold right out onto that trail, and it's a beautiful setting that's very relaxing," he says. "That's part of what we do. We have the coffee, but I think what makes us special is the way we create conversation areas, where people can come and be there all day long."

The first Ascension opened in Dallas in 2012 and immediately became a neighborhood hot spot. But it's only been recently that Hayward has considered expansion.

"People kept asking us to build one here or build one there," he says. "I try to think of what makes a good fit. In Fort Worth, I'm friends with Garold LaRue, owner of Avoca Coffee, and I like what he was doing, so it was important to me not to compete with where he is."

The Ascension at the Crescent Court has a much different feel than the Design District original.

"It has this European style that fits into the building," he says. "If you look out, you would swear you're in Paris. Each branch is completely different; I think it's important that they fit into their environment."

WestBend is currently undergoing a redevelopment with new retail, restaurants, and office space. Also opening there is Dear Hannah, a women's clothing and accessories boutique, and HG Sply Co. Drybar and Tyler's both opened this spring, joining Zoë’s Kitchen, East Hampton Sandwich Co., Core Power Yoga, Pax & Parker, Woodhouse Day Spa, and Silver Fox.

downtown openings coffee

Frisco News

High-profile Dallas restaurant to open in Frisco's Firefly Park

Frenchie

undefined

Two high-profile Dallas-Fort Worth food & beverage concepts are headed to Frisco: That includes Frenchie, an all-day Dallas cafe from Travis Street Hospitality, and Second Rodeo Brewing, a Fort Worth brewery and garden from Jason Boso (Truck Yard).

According to a release, the two restaurants will open locations at the Shops at Firefly Park, a 217-acre mixed-use development by Wilks Development at 8000 McKinney Rd., at the nexus of US Hwy. 380 and the Dallas North Tollway that's been in the works since 2022.

In addition to the restaurants, Woodhouse Spa, a luxury spa chain with 90-plus locations across 25 states, will also open a location.

The trio will join Tyler's, a Texas-based sportswear retailer which will open a location on the ground floor of Aurora, the 18-story residential high-rise. This brings phase one at The Shops at Firefly Park to 41 percent leased, with an additional 29 percent under LOI and lease agreements still to come.

Frenchie
Frenchie is the concept from Travis Street Hospitality (Knox Bistro, Georgie, Rose Cafe), created by Stephan Courseau and Daniele Garcia, which made its debut in 2025 with a first location in North Dallas, taking over the long-occupied Corner Bakery space at 8420 Preston Center Plaza.

Frenchie is described as a quintessential French brasserie — a casual, everyday restaurant serving an all-day menu of French comfort food: crepes, rillettes, quiche, poulet rôti, tartare de boeuf, salade Parisienne, and pâtes au pistou. In the morning, coffee and croissants. At lunch, burgers and onion soup. At dinner, steak frites and profiteroles.

The Dallas location spotlights small French wineries, while cocktails include a "freezer martini" — custom bottled and pre-chilled by Travis Street Hospitality’s Executive Mixologist, Mario Martinez, exclusively for Frenchie.

"Firefly Park was an opportunity not to be missed," says Travis Street Hospitality founder Stephan Courseau in a statement. "The vision of a high-end, family-oriented development in fast-growing Frisco checked all the boxes for our concept."

Second Rodeo Brewing
Second Rodeo is an indoor/outdoor destination created by Boso, known for live music, on-site brewing, and an approachable menu. The concept made its debut at Mule Alley at 122 E. Exchange Ave. in the Fort Worth Stockyards in September 2021.

Boso had already brought the Austin-style beer garden concept to Dallas with the 2013 opening of Truck Yard off Greenville Avenue, went the next step with Second Rodeo by adding a beer brewing component as well. There are now Truck Yard locations in Fort Worth's Alliance, Richardson, The Colony, and Oklahoma City, but this will be only the second Second Rodeo.

At the Fort Worth location, food consists of dressed-up cheesesteaks and chicken wings, plus cocktails and Texas beer. The space has an enclosed patio with retractable roof, entertainment stage, small dance floor, with live music every day plus outdoor games and a giant swing.

Woodhouse Spa
Offerings include spa treatments, facials, body therapies, sleep-focused services, and nail care. There are currently two Dallas-area locations, at Mockingbird Station and in Plano at Legacy Town Center.

All three tenants are scheduled to open in Fall 2027 — part of Firefly Park's first phase, which will include retail, residential, office, and hotel components.

Upon full buildout, Firefly Park will feature 4 million square feet of Class AA office space, 400,000 square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment, 1,200 hotel rooms, 230 townhomes, and 1,970 residential units, anchored by a 45-acre signature park with pond, trails, water features, and event programming

"With the addition of Second Rodeo, Frenchie, and Woodhouse Spa, we are continuing to curate a vibrant and intentional experience in Frisco," says Wilks Development president & CEO Kyle Wilks in a statement. "Firefly Park will be a place people return to again and again—whether to dine, unwind, connect, or explore."

openings