Morning Buzz

Top 15 coffee shops in downtown Dallas buzz with class and caffeine

It's a morning necessity for many, and a daily indulgence for some: coffee. Luckily, downtown Dallas and its surrounding neighborhoods have no shortage of stellar coffee shops.

Whether you're looking for a place to relax, read, or work in a spot with great ambiance or just popping in for a caffeine fix, here are some of the best places for that perfect cup of joe.

Ascension Coffee
With five current Dallas locations and one more in progress, Ascension Coffee is quickly establishing itself as a Dallas coffee icon. To fill the demand for high-quality roasts for its many locations — including the Dallas Design District, Annex/Fountain Place, and Thanksgiving Tower — Ascension established its own roastery to train baristas as well as offer its globally sourced and locally roasted coffee to establishments in Texas and Oklahoma. Besides the great coffee, Ascension also offers a tasty curated menu of breakfast and lunch goodies.

Brewed+Pressed
Devotees of this Uptown original cheered when another opened near Victory Park, bringing with it healthy snacks (berry crunch chia seed pudding, anyone?) and cold-pressed juices in addition to simply great coffee.

Cafe Victoria
This Art Deco coffee shop can boast fully local cred, having been born and raised right in Victory Park. Cafe Victoria proudly serves coffee locally brewed by Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and puts together a menu of its own alongside delicious and decadent bakery items from Empire Baking Co., AmazeBallz, and Bisou Bisou. Environmentalists will love that Cafe Victoria recycles its coffee grounds into compost to grow and provide food for the local community.

Commissary
Located in the heart of downtown Dallas, Commissary is more than just a coffee shop. It's also a bakery, butcher shop, gelateria, espresso bar, and market, all in one. If you don't have time to visit the restaurant or the subterranean wine cellar and butchery, stop in for a morning latte or lunch on-the-go. Commissary also offers brunch all day long on Saturdays and Sundays, with an extensive menu of food options, coffee, and wine.

Ellen's
The hospitality is legendary at this tribute to home cooking — where it's always brunch o'clock — and that goes double for the coffee. There's an entire bar that's separate from the restaurant side, with a deluxe La Marzocco Strada espresso maker and beans from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters.

Fiction Coffee
Artisinal roasters are manned by hip baristas, who certainly know how to make a mean latte. The exposed brick wall and reclaimed wood furniture give the spot an industrial vibe, making it easy to escape reality for a bit with a cup and a pastry.

Flying Horse Cafe
Named for the iconic flying pegasus that's found throughout the city, this spot is located in the Magnolia Hotel, one of the most revered historic buildings in downtown Dallas. Visitors can enjoy coffee sourced from small farms located around the world, which contribute to the cafe's distinct house blend — which is good enough to make this one of the best cups of black coffee in the city. Pro tip: Follow Flying Horse Cafe on Facebook and be on the lookout for the "word of the week," which often translates to a discount on your food and beverage order (including their famous smoothies).

Murray Street Coffee Shop
This is your go-to spot when the weather turns chilly, as Murray Street doesn't dabble in frozen or blended drinks. It's espresso and drip coffee here, along with mate, chai, tea, Italian soda, soft drinks, and juice. The cozy space has a Scandinavian-mod vibe, but if it's not too cold outside then you can grab a seat out on the tree-lined street.

Otto's
Stop in at this Viennese-inspired coffee shop, located within The Adolphus hotel, for breakfast, lunch, or a seriously sweet treat (order a liege waffle and thank us later). Dallas residents who want to support local coffee roasters are in luck at Otto’s, as each cup is carefully crafted by Dallas' own Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters, and Oak Cliff Coffee is available for sale by the pound inside. In a rush? Just stop by the Commerce Street service window and order your drink to-go.

Overeasy
This bright and airy retro-chic diner in the Statler Hotel is the ideal place to grab a booth with friends and enjoy an all-day menu of breakfast, brunch, and lunch items. Diners can enjoy views of Main Street Garden Park through the many bright windows that give Overeasy its light and warmth. If you don't have time to sit and stay a while, Overeasy's coffee bar can provide a coffee and a pastry to-go on your way to work.

Palmieri Cafe
Visitors to the Dallas Farmers Market will appreciate this cafe's fresh, natural, everything-from-scratch approach to coffee and food. Its namesake and owner, Corrado Palmieri, moved here from Italy with dreams of opening an authentic Italian coffee shop and bakery. He got his wish, as Dallas residents rave about the fresh-roasted coffee beans and carefully prepared food. Don't forget to purchase a pound of Palmieri roast to take home with you, too.

Royal Blue Grocery
With a brand-new location at The Mercantile, right by Main Street Garden, Royal Blue Grocery is elevating the weekly grocery run. It's an updated and modern take on the traditional bodega or corner store, but with a patio cafe option for coffee aficionados who want to sit a spell and enjoy a cup crafted from Portland's own Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The real perk here is the ability to pick up a few fresh, locally sourced grocery items and still get a cup of some of the best coffee in the country.

Starbucks
Okay, yes, Starbucks is a chain and there are several in and around downtown (10 to be exact), but two are tops. Ross Tower and AT&T global headquarters are close to practically everything you want to experience downtown. It's easy to pop in, whether you're at Klyde Warren Park, the Dallas Arts District, City Hall, Main Street District, or Uptown, and tenants and visitors love to enjoy the cozy atmosphere and the outdoor patios on a break between meetings or appointments.

Stupid Good Coffee
The name says it all, doesn't it? Located on the second floor of 1910 Pacific Ave., this quirky hideaway serves up nice downtown views and a mean cup of joe. Be sure to add your opinion to the latest "Stupid wants to know" question on the chalkboard before you leave.

Weekend Coffee
Walking into Weekend Coffee at The Joule hotel transports you from the busy streets of downtown Dallas into a relaxed, playful atmosphere that encourages taking a breath and relaxing for a bit. The coffee is brewed using Seattle's Victrola Coffee Roasters and the pastries and nibbles are sure to impress any foodie. A bonus is the chance to appreciate The Joule's gorgeous, 1920s-inspired decor.

Otto's at The Adolphus is a Viennese-style coffee shop and cafe.

Photo by Rachel Ayotte

Otto's at The Adolphus is a Viennese-style coffee shop and cafe.

Eco Warrior News

Dallas restaurants doing amazing little things for the environment

Southwest Airlines

Cute bamboo cup from Southwest Airlines

One unfortunate legacy left by the pandemic has been a huge increase in the use of plastics — setting back progress that was being made pre-pandemic.

Plastics are bad. They harm everything they touch: the environment, health, food security, and economies. But they're convenient, subsidized, and in some cases necessary.

Before the pandemic, a growing awareness had started to snowball regarding the negative impact of plastics, particularly plastic straws and single-use plastic containers — and it was significant enough to make the plastics industry very nervous.

"In the two years leading up to the pandemic, the public backlash against plastic was a major concern for industry leaders," says a story about plastics and the pandemic in The Guardian. "As a corporate executive remarked during an industry event early in 2019: 'We need to get the image of plastic in oceans out of the public’s mind. Otherwise, we could lose our social license to operate.'"

But then the pandemic came along, igniting mass hysteria about contagion, and suddenly, bans on single-use plastics that had been in the works were reversed in countries around the world: North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

“Overnight, plastics went from public enemy No. 1 to consumers asking for everything to have as much packaging as possible and to be single use," said one gleeful analyst for Shell Oil, who are a major plastics player.

The urgency of the plastics situation remains invisible to most people, lined up at the drive-thru for their coffee or Chick-Fil-A, piling up nearly 250 pounds of plastic waste every year. (That's what the average American amasses — more than any other country.)

But there are brave, pro-environment efforts being made by Dallas companies and organizations, big and small.

La Casita Bakeshop cup Revolutionary compostable cup at La Casita Bakeshop.Facebook

Dallas efforts
The Dallas restaurants and organizations listed below have taken steps to fight waste, even though it costs them money.

Plastic Free Lunch Day is November 22
Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services will participate in Plastic Free Lunch Day on November 22, to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic in school cafeterias.

Plastic Free Lunch Day was started by middle school students in Brooklyn. The initiative was such a success that it was adopted by all New York City public schools in 2022. The concept has since spread to public schools across the country — including Dallas ISD, which was the first in Texas to participate, when it joined up in 2022.

It creates an opportunity to educate students and the community on ways to positively impact the environment, including skipping plastic. Dallas school cafeterias will replace the plastic items they regularly use during lunch with biodegradable alternatives. (Plastic cutlery, cups, and straws will be available upon request for the crybabies.)

Southwest Airlines bamboo cup
Southwest Airlines Co., the Dallas-based airline, has introduced a new bamboo cup for inflight cold beverages, and a wood stir stick in place of a plastic stick. The airline expects the new items to reduce its inflight single-use plastics by more than 1.5 million pounds annually.

In July 2024, Southwest transitioned to a paper overwrap for its napkins made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials — fully eliminating plastic from this service item. The airline is making an effort to eliminate single-use plastics from inflight service by 2030.

La Casita Bakeshop compostable cups
La Casita Bakeshop, the award-winning bakery and cafe operation, recently debuted fabulous new cups that are 100 percent compostable, soil- and marine-biodegradable, breaking down naturally after 90 days. and are made from natural materials.

"We are always trying to find ways to be more environmentally friendly and this is a big way we can," they said in their post announcing the new cups. "We just want to be proud of our paper trail and being a restaurant it's hard to do that."

Smoothie King biodegrable cups
Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, previously used styrofoam cups, but began testing a biodegradable cup in 2019. They now offer it as the default choice. They're using Vio Foam, specially made cups that biodegrade 92 percent in four years. They'll still accommodate whiny selfish customers who insist on getting a plastic cup instead, but their Vio foam cup not only helps the environment, it also keeps their smoothies cold a little longer.

Kate Weiser Recycle Box Program
Kate Weiser, the Dallas chocolatier, sells its gorgeous eye-catching bon-bons in a variety of boxes, from 4 pieces all the way up to 35 pieces. (OK, they'll sell them individually, too, but who goes to a chocolate shop and buys a single chocolate?) They have a program where you can bring your empty box to the store and get a refill and get 5 percent off. (Weiser amusingly calls it a "secret hack.")

Dude Sweet Chocolate freezer packaging
Dude Sweet Chocolate, the Oak Cliff chocolatier, has a next-level campaign in which they will accept cold-ship packaging you've received in the mail and re-use it. Say, for example, that you ordered an 8-pack of ice cream pints from Double Rainbow in San Francisco, and it arrived in a box with freezer packs and a foil liner. You can drop that packaging off at Dude Sweet's factory location at 1340 Inwood Rd., and they'll re-use it in one way or another when they're doing shipments of their chocolate.

Note: Whether you're putting it in the blue bin or the gray bin, your plastic is not being recycled. The best course when it comes to plastic, especially single-use plastic, is to not use it at all.

sustainability

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