Coming Soon

Cafe Olivia to debut in downtown Dallas with weekday breakfast and lunch

Cafe Olivia will bring breakfast and lunch to downtown Dallas this month.

Hidden Friends for Cafe Olivia

Cafe Olivia, the sleek Addison coffee shop and eatery known for its sophisticated lattes and daytime menu of healthy fare, will soon debut its second Dallas-area location, this time in the heart of the city.

The restaurant is set to open its doors at 2200 Ross Ave., inside the recently renovated Dallas Arts Tower, on Tuesday, February 17. It follows quickly on the heels of the first Dallas-area outpost of Cafe Olivia, which opened in an Addison office tower on the Dallas North Tollway in October 2025.

In a press release, founder Adrian Verdin seemed to obliquely address recent fears over the future of downtown Dallas, following the news that AT&T would relocate its headquarters to Plano, noting that he has a “deep belief” in the future of downtown.

“Our eyes have always been on downtown Dallas,” Verdin says. “After being part of major downtown developments and working closely with properties like The Statler and The Joule, we have a deep belief in where this neighborhood is headed, not just now, but five, 10, and 20 years from now.”

In addition to a full menu of coffee drinks, Cafe Olivia boasts a menu of healthy dishes for breakfast and lunch.

Diners can look forward to Olivia’s grain bowl, which pairs quinoa and farro with baby kale, mushrooms, herbed tomatoes, and tahini-lemon dressing, along with classic proteins like miso-grilled salmon and a sumac-rubbed half chicken. There’s also a rotating pasta option, a butcher’s cut steak, and lots of veggie sides, along with a tight menu of cocktails and wine. Grab-and-go options will also be on offer for downtown workers in need of a quick lunch.

And when ordering the signature Olivia Latte, made with lavender oat milk and vanilla bean foam, or a classic cortado, patrons might notice that it’s served in a pretty pink mug made especially for the cafe by Dallas ceramicist Marcello Andres, who’s responsible for some of the city’s most interesting tableware right now.

In addition to breakfast and lunch service, Cafe Olivia will open its doors during the evenings and weekends for private events and meetings.

Cafe Olivia will debut in downtown Dallas on February 17. The restaurant will be open from 7 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday. More outposts of Cafe Olivia are also in the works, including a Plano location that’s “coming soon,” according to the release.

breakfast lunch coffee shop downtown dallas openings

Henderson Ave News

Cozy Western-chic bar Stay Darlin' rides onto Dallas' Henderson Ave

Stay Darlin'

Stay Darlin' is coming to Henderson Avenue.

There's a distinctive new bar with a twang that just debuted on Dallas' Henderson Avenue: Called Stay Darlin', it's a Western-chic cocktail and wine bar, now open at 2929 N. Henderson Ave., in the space most famously occupied by Sissy's Southern Kitchen.

The new spot will feature a from-scratch cocktail program and shareable kitchen. It'll be open for dinner every night, starting as a cocktail bar but building into a lounge as the night goes on. Daytime weekend brunch will be added in July.

"Darlin’ is the unplanned night," says co-founder Brandon Luke in a statement. "The catch-up you’ve been meaning to have, the happy hour nobody planned, the late one you didn’t see coming — where the phone stays down and the conversation runs long. You come for a drink and stay for the way the night turns."

According to a release, Stay Darlin’ — or Darlin’ for short — is from a partnership between HattenLuke Hospitality Group, the Dallas-based company founded by Luke and his partner, chef Ron "RV" Van Hatten, whose other concepts include The Woolworth and Uno Mas Tex-Mex in downtown Dallas; and The A&B Effect, a Houston company led by managing partner Adonis Graham and bar chef Bronson Gutierrez, who've relocated here for Darlin', their first project in Dallas.

Luke previously installed a location of Uno Mas at this address; he also owned Smithy, a bar in the space next door. They've closed Smithy to focus on Stay Darlin'.

Cozy Western vignette at Stay Darlin'Photo courtesy of Stay Darlin'

Food & drink
The menu by Von Hatten, a former Corporate Chef at Landry’s, Inc. is centered on small plates built for sharing. Standouts include:

duck fries finished in duck fat with truffle and pecorino
steak bruschetta with Prime hanger steak
Caesar, with everything from dressing to croutons made in-house

The bar program by Bronson Gutiérrez features sous-vide spirit infusions, house-made syrups, and fresh-pressed citrus. Nine signature cocktails include a dirty martini with house olive or pickle brine and choice of vodka or gin; espresso martini; and a chili margarita with spicy tamarindo.

They'll offer frozen and draft pours, Perrier-Jouët Brut pours by the glass, Coors Banquet, Shiner Bock, and Texas beers.

The space
The venue has seating for 112, plus a 13-seat bar, main room, and two patios which have been rebuilt as a candlelit space for adult nightlife with dark wood floors, exposed beams, leather, brass, and fringe.

VIPs
Darlin’ is offering a limited VIP club option with 50 numbered memberships at $188 a month which confers reserved entry, a signature cocktail built with the bar chef and saved under their name, partner experiences with Texas makers such as McKinney Hat Co., Tecovas, and Pinto Ranch, and first access to Darlin’s artist series.

henderson-avenue openings