Tastemaker News

10 best coffee shops in Dallas keep you jumping for java

Latte art at Merit Coffee.

Merit Coffee

It's time for another chapter in the 2025 edition of our annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, celebrating the people and places that make Dallas such an exciting dining destination.

In this special editorial series, we're highlighting restaurants, bars, and chefs who've been nominated in eight categories by our esteemed judging panel, consisting of last year's winners and local dining experts. We’ll celebrate the nominees and reveal the winners at an awards ceremony and signature tasting event on Thursday, May 1 at the new Astoria Event Venue. (Early Bird tickets are on sale now at discounted rates of $60 for general admission and $99 for VIP.)

We've already covered Best Neighborhood Restaurants and Rising Star Chefs. Now we're celebrating the category we care most about first thing in the morning: Best Coffee Shop. These 10 nominees range from indie shops to growing local chains; from shops with coffee and cocktails to shops with coffee and craft beer.

Here are our 10 nominees for Best Coffee Shop:

Arwa Coffee
This Yemeni-style coffee shop that opened in Richardson in 2023 does more than just serve coffee. It was founded to bring awareness to Yemeni culture with its in-shop library and market. Their coffee beans come from Yemen and are roasted in-house. The menu features traditional coffees and teas, Yemeni latte, sand dune latte, refreshers, hot chocolate, and a sampler with four drinks.

Common Good
East Dallas shop opened in January as a two-in-one concept: coffee shop in front and hair salon in back, with vinyl jam tables for late night entertainment. The shop offers a small menu and sources beans from Lemma Coffee with espresso and coffee classics, plus ambitious specialty drinks such as pistachio matcha, cardamon rose latte, and a Mexican mocha.

Civil Pour
Genius concept combining coffee and craft beer draws its excellence from the deep knowledge of husband-and-wife owners Chad and Nellie Ghannadpour Montgomery, who founded the original location in Lake Highlands in 2018 before opening a second location in Richardson in 2024. They keep the menu fresh with rotating coffee roasts and on the beer side, they have 25 varieties on tap, such as Oak Highlands Brewery and Hop and Sting Brewing.

Hola Cafe
Small gem with locations in Oak Cliff and Uptown serves Latin-inspired coffee. The concept comes from influencer Jeniffer Avila, who grew up in Honduras helping her grandmother harvest coffee beans. Signature drinks include Mexican mocha, dulce latte, and horchata cafe. Plus, they have coffee-free drinks, like strawberry milk and matcha.

Kanpai Coffee & Beer Garden
Coffee is but one element at this Deep Ellum spot from acclaimed chef Michael Carranza and partners Bonham White and Harry Huynh. They have a small menu of coffee, featuring caramel, vanilla, and matcha lattes, espresso shots, and drip coffee. Plus, there's a buzzy selection of unique cocktails, like a Wagyu fat washed old fashioned or the coconut fat washed highball.

Killer Joe
East Dallas cafe comes from former New Yorkers Christine Sweet and Christian Napolitano, who envisioned it as a place for "foodies and musicophiles." It's a quirky but cool spot with signature drinks like sea salt caramel de leche, pistachio caramel matcha latte, and masala chai latte.

Merit Coffee
A mainstay that got its start in San Antonio in 2009, Merit has made quite a name for itself. With locations across Dallas since its 2018 debut in Deep Ellum and Highland Park, they use beans from South America and Africa and roast locally. Their trendy drinks include the cereal milk cold brew topped with crushed Fruity Pebbles cereal, strawberry matcha, and hot and iced teas.

Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters
What started as a vendor at local markets in 2011 blossomed into a coffee lab in Exposition Park. Owners Kevin and Marta Sprague take an environmentally friendly approach to coffee, ethically sourcing green coffee beans straight from farmers. It might not be a conventional coffee shop, but they offer traditional coffee, pour over, and a seasonal strawberry oat foam nitro.

Well Grounded Coffee
Nonprofit coffee shop with locations in Oak Cliff and East Dallas helps women coming out of prison or recovering from addiction. It offers coffee classics and seasonal drinks, like s’mores, made from beans sourced from Full City Rooster. Since founder Natalie Huscheck first opened the East Dallas location in 2020, the cafe has helped employees with training, business, and life skills.

White Rhino
What started as a small coffee shop in Cedar Hill in 2007 from founder Chris Parvin has become a local chain with 13 locations across DFW. They're diligent on introducing seasonal flavors, like the salted honey cream cold brew in the spring and spiced Mexican mocha in the fall. Their latest location opened inside their roastery in Oak Cliff in 2024, expanding their offerings beyond coffee to host roasting classes and samples of experimental flavors.
__________________
The Tastemaker Awards program is brought to you by The Yuengling Company, Brioche Gourmet, Still Austin Whiskey, Whataburger, PicMe Events, and more to be announced soon. A portion of the proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, Harvest Project Food Rescue.

tastemaker awards coffee awards

East Dock development

'Chopped' champion opens Pan-Latin restaurant at Oak Cliff's East Dock

Photo courtesy of Barro y Fuego

Barro y Fuego specializes in parrilladas, or grilled meats.

A Latin American, chef-driven restaurant is one of the newest additions to Oak Cliff's vibrant dining scene: Barro y Fuego is now open in suite 100 of the refurbished historic East Dock, at 900 E. Clarendon Dr., joining Bite Sushi, Elevate Coffee, Kuluntu Bakery, and other neighbors.

The restaurant comes from longtime friends and business partners Robert Ramirez and Eric Spigner.

Spigner formerly was chef at Nova Oak Cliff, which won Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards; he was a Tastemakers Rising Star nominee in 2019. He's best known as champion of the Food Network competition show Chopped in 2021.

Ramirez is a 25-year veteran of the restaurant design business who also envisioned, designed, and developed East Dock, the mixed-use development that houses Barro y Fuego and an assortment of dining, retail, gym, and office spaces. The development is near the new five-acre Halperin Park, a bridge park spanning Interstate 35.

The partners named the restaurant Barro y Fuego — translating to “clay and fire”— to reflect their vision for the restaurant. The grill is always afire for parrilladas, or grilled meats, while decorative clay pots by artists from Peru and Mexico line the interior and are available for purchase.

Beyond a market area, the restaurant incorporates elements of a rustic cantina, with natural wood and earthy tones creating a cozy atmosphere. The indoor dining area accommodates up to 80 guests, with a communal table, booths, traditional tables, and bar seating along the open kitchen. An adjacent outdoor grill and patio overlooking a creek is open year-round and seats another 80.

“The open kitchen was important to us,” Ramirez says. “You can sit at the bar and watch the cooking; it's a natural gathering point. We focused on a design that is raw, minimal, and for everybody: dates, families, friends — come casual or come dressed up.”

The Pan-Latin menu draws on Ramirez’s upbringing and travels throughout the region, along with Spigner’s professional experience with Caribbean, Spanish, and Latin American flavors.

“Latin America is vast; my vision is to take it all in and present a concise statement of a broader culture — where you might not pinpoint a specific country, but rather a fusion of many in a single dish,” Spigner says.

This vision yields a unique menu spanning Latin America with subtle Spanish influences. The menu features shareable plates ranging from $20 to $40 and includes:

Gambas al Ajo Negro: Sautéed shrimp in a black garlic emulsion with charred okra and blistered tomatoes.
Costillas de Res Estofadas: Boneless beef ribs served with chimichurri crème fraîche, plantains, and charred zucchini.
Arroz con Pollo: Chicken confit over red rice, served with coconut milk collard greens and sauce africaine.
Panceta de Cerdo Estofada: Braised pork belly accompanied by chipotle-agave sweet potato puree and collard green chimichurri.

On weekdays, the restaurant offers a menu with items under $20, including sandwiches and smaller portions of main dishes. It’s designed for nearby business tenants, residents, and visitors to the Dallas Zoo and surrounding parks.

Brunch with live Latin jazz music takes places on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am-3 pm. The brunch menu includes clam, chorizo, and avocado tostadas; ropa vieja; torrijas, which are similar to French toast; and a pork belly and pisto manchego Benedict.

The full bar serves specialty cocktails such as a Negroni verde, caipirinha, and espresso martinis using ingredients from neighbor Elevate Coffee. The beer selection celebrates all of Latin America rather than focusing solely on Mexico, the proprietors say. They feature representative brands from nearly every country for $7. They also pour Mexican Lager from nearby, newly opened Smittox Brewery.

Looking ahead, the team says they plan to host ticketed community events, including paella nights, pig roasts, and live music showcasing local cumbia, rock en español bands, and DJs.

bar openings restaurant opening latin american food robert ramirez eric spigner. east dock oak cliff barro y fuego