Dallas' Civil Pour to bring its cool coffee + beer formula to new location

A Dallas coffee shop known for its unique angle is expanding into Richardson. Civil Pour, the Dallas mom-and-pop that splits its time between coffee and craft beer, is opening a second location in the Promenade North Plaza shopping center, at 800 N. Coit Rd. #2550.

Chad Montgomery, who owns the shop with his wife Nellie Ghannadpour Montgomery, says they're hoping to have it up by July.

They opened the first Civil Pour in 2018, one of a collection of new businesses to debut at The Hill, a then-shiny new mixed-use center at 8061 Walnut Hill Ln.

Their unique approach is a 50-50 combination of coffee and craft beer - craft beer being a longtime passion for the couple, who also founded the Big Texas Beer Fest, an annual event that has helped coalesce Dallas' burgeoning craft beer scene.

On the coffee side, they feature a rotating cast of coffee roasters and a custom espresso blend from Red Rooster Coffee Roasters. They take obsessive care with their coffee, filtering water seven times to make it “perfect for brewing” and using a precise Poursteady pour-over machine to ensure their pour-over coffee tastes exactly the same every time.

Montgomery says they plan to bring the exact same precision and commitment to quality drinks to the new Richardson location.

“For us, the new location is just going to be an extension of our brand,” he says. “We don’t want to confuse people by doing something different in the new space.”

They're also known for some extremely creative signature drinks such as:

• Ginger Brew: cold brew coffee, ginger beer, and orange peel
• 1885: a double espresso with Dr. Pepper
• Blueberry Bliss: double espresso with blueberry and maple syrups with oat milk. They say it tastes like blueberry pancakes.

On the beer side, they offer 25 craft beers on tap, including local breweries like Vector Brewing and Oak Highlands Brewery in Dallas, Hop And Sting Brewing Co. in Grapevine, and Cowtown Brewing Co. in Fort Worth. They also have non-alcoholic options like kombucha and ginger beer on draft.

There is also food, including made-to-order panini sandwiches in options such as the Cuban, made with pulled pork from Dallas BBQ spot Pecan Lodge; veggie monster; and grilled cheese; plus pastries from Arielle Pastry Works in Lewisville including rum butter cake and lemon-blueberry pound cake.

One thing that stands out about Civil Pour is its large footprint, guaranteeing that customers can count on getting a seat. At nearly 3,000 square feet, the Richardson location will be even larger, with spacious seating for 80.

“This is a slightly larger space than our current location, which is already on the high side in terms of how big a coffee shop usually is,” Montgomery says. “Our differentiator is creating a space that people can go to and hang out, whether for work or for meeting up with friends.”

The Richardson spot will have a similar aesthetic to the Dallas location, with airy spacing, warm lighting, and colorful murals.

Civil Pour will join a surge of new tenants at the Promenade North Plaza, which was recently acquired by new owners who are making improvements in landscaping, parking, lighting, and signage.

Richardson has welcomed several coffee shops in the last year, including Middle Eastern-inspired Aladdin Cafe on Greenville Avenue, Elevated Coffee & Tea in the CityLine project, La La Land Kind Cafe on Campbell Road, and Arwa Yemeni Coffee on Greenville Avenue, to name a few.

Montgomery says they're not worried about the competition. “They don’t have what we have," he says.