Design District Drinks

Forbidden-sounding bar debuts in Dallas Design District

Taboo Lounge brings a new experience to Dallas' Design District.

Dallas' Design District gets its first stand-alone bar with the November 11 debut of Taboo Lounge, which celebrates its opening with a party featuring craft cocktails, craft beer, and tequila on tap, plus complimentary bites and live entertainment with no cover charge.

Taboo comes from a team that includes Chad Vogel, owner of the cute Bishop Arts store Fete-ish and the Pavilion Lounge, otherwise known as Barbara's Pavilion.

Vogel says that Taboo doesn't necessarily have a theme, other than he wants it to be "visual comfort food."

"We want there to be a certain wow factor but at the end of the day, it has to be a place where you can go in and sink in and feel comfortable," he says.

The location at 1418 Riverfront Blvd., across from El Bolero, used to be a Mexican bar, but they've given it a full renovation.

"It's an anomaly in that mostly everything that's opened in the District is a bar/restaurant, so we're going to be the only real true stand-alone lounge in the entire environment," he says. "We're a maverick from that standpoint, so we'll bring a unique experience to the neighborhood."

Though Riverfront has not quite yet gentrified, it's about to see a transformation as the city of Dallas turns it into a tree-lined boulevard with parallel parking that is already under construction. Remodeling projects are everywhere. There are condos and a Virgin hotel.

But Vogel is an old hand at getting in ahead of the pack.

"We were ahead down in Bishop Arts before it went through its metamorphosis," he says. "But this is the largest project we’ve ever done. We've put quite a bit of money into it and a heck of a lot of effort. And we're seeing dividends already. People are liking the look and feel like this is a 'drop into a chair' and they’re there."

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Coffee News

New Dallas coffee shop opens with good coffee — and great hair

Common Good

Common Good coffee and good vibes

A new coffee shop with some serious styling has opened near downtown Dallas: Called Common Good, it's located at 1619 N. Hall St., right off Ross Avenue, in what was previously a retail outlet for Rakkasan Tea Company, who left the space in mid-2024.

Common Good is more than just a coffee shop – it's a coffee shop-hair salon from Christopher Bermudez, a stylist who previously owned Ellum Salon in Deep Ellum which he sold in 2022. Their motto: "Good coffee, good hair, good vibes."

Bermudez was born in Mexico City and moved to Dallas when he was one year old but remained close to his culture and often travels to Mexico City, where he found the inspiration behind this new concept.

"I was inspired by the multiuse spaces in my hometown of Mexico City: coffee shops that turn into a nightclub or tequila tasting rooms in the evening. Great vibe is what we are going for," he says.

The coffee shop is in the front, while the hair salon is in the back, divided by a large glass. The salon has eight stylists, including Bermudez.

The shop also features all-vinyl jam tables where guest DJs play music most weekends, creating a cool atmosphere. The décor resembles listening rooms that are popular in South Korea, with custom-made wooden walls and modern furniture.

Good vibes at Common Good Coffee and hair salonCommon Good

Heading the coffee operation is Jesse Nava, who recently worked at Xaman Coffee in Oak Cliff, and they're partnered with Lemma Coffee for beans and barista training. The shop offers a small but solid menu, with espresso and coffee classics, plus some specialty drinks including pistachio matcha, cardamon rose latte, espresso freddo, and a Mexican mocha.

“We want to stay consistent with a small menu — we want to get it right, then eventually add to it," Bermudez says.

They plan to add food, as well, working with a local bakery still to be decided for muffins, croissants, kolaches, cookies, and bagels.

They're open Tuesday-Saturday from 7 am-7 pm, with shorter hours Sunday and Monday, from 7 am-2 pm, since the salon portion is closed those days.

They've witnessed a big demand for coffee, since the center they're in had coffee history: The storefront on the corner at 1623 Hall St. was once Method Coffee, then Fiction Coffee, which closed at the end of 2023. (It's now home to Black Swan Saloon, the resuscitated bar from acclaimed mixologist Gabe Sanchez.)

They see themselves as a neighborhood coffee shop, where residents of the multiple apartment complexes around can become regulars. They are dog-friendly, serving pup cups.

"I always believed that if you have a good product people will come," Bermudez says.

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