Bar News

Popular restaurant in Dallas' Design District spins off champagne bar

Champagne is always a good thing.

Photo courtesy of HARWOOD District

A Dallas Design District restaurant has spawned a new bar. The Charles, the Italian restaurant at 1632 Market Center Blvd. will open a private dining and cocktail/champagne bar called Bar Charles. The bar is nestled on the backside of the restaurant, with entry through the back alleyway.

The idea is that you can pop in for a drink or linger after dinner.

In a release, owner Chas Martin, who also owns The Charles, describes Bar Charles as "a feast for the senses," although which senses he does not say.

Their "thing" is world-class champagne at a fair price point. There's also a wine list with bottles from Italy, Burgundy, and Napa.

Food-wise, they're featuring a bar menu that the release calls "authentic" — which is laudable, because fake bar menus are definitely no bueno. It includes finger foods such as pork rinds and Royal Osetra caviar.

Martin says the new bar will help accommodate the overflow of customers they've seen in the restaurant.

"We've known we needed a space like Bar Charles since opening The Charles 18 months ago because we’re full every night of the week," Martin says. "Now our guests will have a place to have a drink while waiting for their table, or a fun bar with a high-energy atmosphere to have a drink."

The space features seven seating areas, with a total of 45 seats. So that would be, let's do the math, 45 seats divided by 7 areas = 6.5 seats per area. Unless you sit on someone's lap. But wait, there are also eight seats at the bar. To sum up, 8 bar + 45 dining room = 53 seats total.

The design is Italian inspired with a little irreverence. The lounge features six to seven different types of tile — six or seven, they cannot say — floral prints, velvet chairs and booths, and a custom mural on the ceiling inspired by Italian frescos, outlined in pink neon lighting.

It opens at 4 pm and closing time is "whenever." Fun.

cocktails

Canvas for community

New coffee shop nestles inside art store in Dallas' Oak Cliff

Canvas, caffeine, and community. Happening Café is officially open (and perfectly tucked away) inside Dallas Art Supply.

Photo courtesy of Happening Cafe.

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A hidden-gem coffee shop has opened inside a Dallas art store: Called Happening Cafe, it's nestled within Dallas Art Supply, at 623 Fort Worth Ave., in Oak Cliff.

The small coffee space is designed to enhance the retail experience inside the creative, women-owned shop, which operates out of a repurposed vintage gas station. Patrons can now browse professional-grade oil paints, watercolor blocks, and unique stationery with an espresso in hand.

Dallas Art Supply is the retail arm of Oil & Cotton, an art studio, workshop space, and creative hub founded in 2010 by Shannon Driscoll and Kayli House, located a few blocks down on Beatrice Street. The shop moved to its current spot on Fort Worth Avenue in late 2024 for street visibility.

The owners say they introduced Happening Cafe to help fuel the neighborhood's artistic spirit with the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee.

Dallas Art Supply features a unique selection of art tools for all skill levels.Photo courtesy of Happening Cafe

“We were inspired by the ‘60’s countercultural movement with stores playing with commerce as art,” House says. “Art supplies can be intimidating, coffee is not.”

The shop serves drinks make with a La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machine and beans from local Full City Roasters. Their menu includes espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, teas and matchas, ranging from $2 to $6, and a few grab-and-go healthy snacks such as granola bars and beef jerky.

Guests can sip while they shop.Photo courtesy of Happening Cafe

“We are hoping it can evolve the coffee shop to a truck trailer, eventually plant roots somewhere,” Driscoll says.

The addition of Happening Cafe to the retail space at Dallas Art Supply follows a growing trend in Dallas with built-in cafés or bars in retail stores. Hey Konẽko opened Good Boy Cafe in 2023, bookstores Read Shop in Dallas and Daydream in Arlington both have coffee offerings for visitors, and Outpost Fine Goods added a bar where people can enjoy a drink while shopping.

“Retail alone can’t make it; every retail store has something going on,” Driscoll says.

The coffee shop fills a neighborhood need for caffeine while naturally inviting patrons to linger, browse, and connect inside the shop, which caters to everyone from novice hobbyists to professional studio artists.

The owners opened Happening Cafe quietly.

“It is a sleepy little thing and we like that,” House says.

Both Happening Cafe and Dallas Art Supply are open 10 am-6 pm Tuesday-Saturday.

coffee shop oak cliff coffee