Morning Coffee Buzz

New Flying Horse Cafe brews up coffee and croissants in downtown Dallas

Downtown Dallas gets more coffee with Flying Horse Cafe, which opened November 18 in the old Starbucks space on the ground floor of the Magnolia Hotel. Although brand new, this indie coffee shop has ties to the old Starbucks: Manager/co-owner Matt Soness supervised the store when it was Starbucks and knows the ropes.

"A lot of people were interested in this space, but I already had a good relationship with the Magnolia," he says.

It did well as a Starbucks, but it was a licensed concept whose California-based owner went bankrupt. Flying Horse will have many of the features Starbucks had, but with an expanded menu, including sandwiches such as turkey and Gouda, almond chicken salad on a croissant, and ham and cheddar with stone-ground mustard. Snacks include apples with caramel, fruit cups and yogurt parfaits.

In addition to the expected espresso drinks, Flying Horse Cafe has a big selection of alternative beverages, including cold-brewed coffee, fruit-infused iced teas in flavors such as watermelon, and house-made lemonade in flavors such as ginger. The coffee shop also offers smoothies, Frappuccino-type drinks and fresh OJ.

"Coming soon is a Norwalk juicer. It's a cold-pressed juice machine, so we'll be able to make our own version of V8 and green juice," Soness says. "We're still working on our lineup. There was a big push to get us open and get ourselves established. The holiday season is a big time, and we wanted to give the hotel another amenity."

The space has been updated with the addition of a 12-seat communal table and a TV that airs news during the week and sports on weekends.

Soness has a partner in California who runs a chain of coffee houses called Espresso Roma, with branches in Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles. That's where he gets his beans, as well as some baked goods including croissants.

"Our pastries are phenomenal," he says. "We have eight to 10 croissants and baked items. Being on the West Coast, they do croissants really well. We get a shipment of unbaked product, which we proof and bake here. They're the real deal with butter, no margarine. We have an incredible pastry chef with a lot of experience."

Despite the Espresso Roma affiliation, they felt it was important that Flying Horse had its own Dallas identity.

"We felt like 'Espresso Roma' was too Italian and too confusing for this area," Soness says. "Since we're in the Magnolia Building with Pegasus on the roof, and given the history of building, we wanted that connection."

Flying Horse menu includes espresso drinks as well as a big selection of alternative beverages.

Courtesy photo

Flying Horse menu includes espresso drinks as well as a big selection of alternative beverages.

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There Goes the Biscuits

Mom-and-pop restaurant chain Biscuit Bar closes all Dallas locations

Photo courtesy of Biscuit Bar

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A Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant chain dedicated to biscuits is shutting down: The Biscuit Bar, a chain with six locations including five in the Dallas area, is closing them all. According to the owners, the closures are effective immediately.

Owners Jake and Janie Burkett say they were poised to sell off the chain to keep it afloat, but the sale fell through at the last minute — forcing them to shutter the business entirely.

The chain has five locations in the DFW area and one in Abilene. All locations are closed including these five in DFW:

Deep Ellum, at The Epic, the mixed-use project at 2550 Pacific Ave.
Plano, at The Boardwalk in Granite Park, at 5880 TX-121 #102B
Arlington, at Champions Park, at 1707 N. Collins St.
Fort Worth Stockyards, at Mule Alley, at 122 E. Exchange Ave.
Coppell, at 104 S Denton Tap Rd. #102

The couple blamed a variety of factors, including "rising costs, supply chain instability, and a commercial environment increasingly shaped by large institutional interests" which "created pressures no small business was prepared to endure."

The concept made its debut in April 2018 at The Boardwalk in Granite Park in Plano, before expanding in 2019 with a bang, targeting five locations all at once — a bold move for a new concept, especially one dedicated entirely to one food group. (They also opened a short-lived location on Hillcrest near SMU which is now home to D.L. Mack's.)

They were open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, offering biscuits, tots, and beer on tap — very ambitious — with a menu featuring both savory and sweet biscuit sandwiches made in house; tots, which could be customized; plus a bar with cocktails, local beer, cold brew coffee, and kombucha, all offered on tap.

Its most popular menu item, The Hoss, featured Southern fried chicken, bacon, Jack cheese, sausage gravy, and honey butter.

Their post says that by early 2025, they entered Chapter 11 — "not to walk away but to rebuild and secure a future for our employees," they say. "And for a time, it looked like that future was within reach. A respect restaurant group stepped forward, committed to acquiring and growing Biscuit Bar. The sale was structured, terms were agreed upon, and the closing was set for December."

Unfortunately, not everyone was on board.

"While many partners supported a workable plan, several key financial stakeholders did not," their post says. "This included a few landlords whose participation was essential. Their refusal to compromise or support a path forward ultimately made the sale impossible, leaving us with no legal or financil ability continue operating. And so just days before Christmas, we were forced into the most painful decision of our lives."

They've launched a GoFundMe for their employees and are encouraging their fans to contribute.

"If The Biscuit Bar ever served you a meal, became part of your routine, or gave you a place to gather with family and friends, we humbly ask you to consider donating or sharing this campaign," they say.

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