A popular matcha shop near Deep Ellum that has also served as a coworking space and art gallery is on the move: Hyphen Space is relocating to a larger space across the street from its current home at 4100 Commerce St. #6.
The new location, at 4131 Commerce St., is slated to open in November, with room for about 60 guests, an expanded bar, an art gallery, merchandise, and an upstairs lounge.
Co-owners Alyx Nguyen and Vivian L. launched the business in 2020 as The Boba Plug, a pop-up featuring unique boba drinks that celebrated their Asian American heritage through collaborations with other minority-owned small businesses across DFW, including Khao Noodle Shop, La Casita Bakeshop, and CocoAndré.
They rebranded as The Hyphen Space in 2024 and opened their first permanent location in Exposition Park, between Fair Park and Deep Ellum. The creative neighborhood put them alongside neighbors like Las Almas Rotas and Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters, as well as several art galleries and photo studios.
“When we entered into the space, we felt it was different than what we had been doing,” Vivian says. “The hyphen connects words, and in our space, it’s all about connecting culture, people, and art.”
The name of the shop and its mission reflects the founders' pride in their Asian American identity. Both Alyx and Vivian were born in the U.S. with strong Asian roots.
“We think of Hyphen Space as an Asian American café: a fusion of food and flavors, a diverse and unique environment, like living the third space of being Asian AND American,” Alyx says. “Hyphen is that connection, meeting in the middle.”
Drinks at Hyphen Space.Photo courtesy of Hyphen Space
The new location will put more emphasis on tea. The owners describe it as a “modernized tea shop,” with their matcha drinks alongside an expanded selection of loose-leaf teas. Some of the drinks and their inspirations include:
- Strawberry Shortcake, inspired by the strawberry shortcake ice cream bars of Vivian's childhood.
- Pandamonium, made with pandan jelly, coconut, and matcha, based on a dessert Vivian's mother made.
- Jamais Vu, inspired by dipping a bánh mì baguette into sweetened condensed milk and feeling like something familiar is brand new.
- Jasmine Blossom, made with concentrated jasmine tea syrup and matcha to replicate classic jasmine milk tea.
The team makes its syrups in-house and sources matcha from Japan, China, and Taiwan. They sample five to 10 varieties a month before rotating the selection seasonally.
Food will continue to include Asian American takes on familiar dishes. The menu includes a breakfast sandwich made with nem nướng (Vietnamese grilled pork sausage); pineapple buns (Hong Kong's counterpart to the Mexican concha), bò kho-inspired buns (soft bun filled with Vietnamese-style braised beef, inspired by bò kho), and Vietnamese coffee cookies loaded with dark and white chocolate chips.
The new space will seat about 60 and include a larger bar, art gallery, merchandise area (selling apparel, matcha accessories, and local goods), and an upstairs loft. The loft will have a community library, artwork, and board games.
The shop will also host pop-ups and art shows. It will no longer operate as a formal coworking space, but the new layout will have room for people to work or hang out.
Currently, the shop is open only on Saturday and Sunday. Hours will expand to Thursday through Sunday, with plans to open more days once the team settles into the new digs, the owners say.
