To be honest, this post is a bit ironic since I gave up caffeine 6 years ago and have been living the decaf life ever since. And I know what you’re thinking: “Why even drink coffee if you’re going to get it decaf?” I get that a lot… And I get it. But there is still something about it that I love and I thoroughly enjoy exploring new coffee shops.
In fact, every city we visit, I have an entire section of our itinerary dedicated to coffee shops to pick from!
Lucky for me, Dallas has a ton of coffee shops and it seems there is always a new one opening. I haven’t made it to every single one, but when we are home we always try a new one on Saturday mornings so at this point I’ve made it to most in the city. Some have become quick favorites while some I do not recommend at all (even those that people seem to love)!
After all this “research”, these are the ten Dallas coffee shops I recommend most highly (and if you scroll to the bottom I’m sharing the ones I do *not* recommend). If you are visiting any time soon, go ahead and pin this post for future reference!
Best Dairy-Free Milks: Local Press + Brew
With milks made in-house, these are by far the best I’ve ever had, albeit pricey.
Best on a Rainy Day: Magnolia’s Sous Le Pont
The homey interior makes it the perfect place to sip a hot drink on a dreary day.
Best Interior: Otto’s
When the two-year long renovation of 105-year old Adolphus Hotel in Downtown Dallas was completed earlier this year, Otto’s was unveiled in the new design and every inch is perfection. Grab a coffee and one of the fantastic baked goods, be sure to chat up the staff – they’re delightful – and then stroll through the rest of the hotel for more killer interior inspo.
Best Taste: Ascension
You know it’s good when your iced latte doesn’t require any sweetener.
Best Inventive Drinks: Serve House
A superfood cafe, the menu is packed with acai bowls, avocado toasts, and spirulina lattes.
Best Natural Light: Halcyon
Sometimes you need to ditch the cozy dimly lit coffee shop and head somewhere with more natural light. If that’s the case, Halcyon is your best bet with tall ceilings and tons of windows. Bonus, the lavender latte has a delicious light flavor.
Best Concept: Verbena Parlor
Non-toxic nail salon meets coffee shop meets social house meets killer interior inspo. You’ve gotta see it to believe it.
Best Color Scheme: Cafe Victoria
The robin’s egg blue and yellow color combo is sure to put a smile on your face.
Best “Dallas” Spot: Royal Blue
While there is a newly opened location downtown, the OG location in Highland Park Village is the coffee shop to “see and be seen” in Dallas. With a balcony upstairs, it is a great spot to get a little work done or meet up with a friend, and the full grocery allows you to find some food to go along with your drink.
Best Chain: Starbucks Reserve
Starbucks’s newest concept. With only a handful of locations in major cities, Starbucks Reserve is a departure from the mainstream Starbucks locations. The Reserve bar focuses on small batch craft coffee and elevated brewing methods, featuring drinks not available at standard Starbucks locations – and even cocktails!
You can use the app just like a regular Starbucks, and the inside is large and spacious making it a perfect place to get some work done.
Honorable Mention – Best Value: Bird Bakery
Known moreso for their cupcakes, Bird Bakery also brews up coffee drinks. While not necessarily the best coffee you’ll ever have, it is the best value I’ve found (a large iced lavender latte with almond milk for under $5!). Plus the interior is really cute and they have tons of outdoor seating.
Coffee Shops I Do Not Recommend (and Why)
Brewed + Pressed – Iced latte is crazy bitter with very little coffee flavor.
Mudsmith – While the Lower Greenville location is the coffee shop with the best working space (and right across the street from the best pastries in town!), the coffee and espresso always tastes burnt. Yuck.
State Street Coffee – Their lattes feel like they have no caffeine (so it’s fine for decaf drinkers like me but not what most would prefer) and it lacks that “coffee shop” atmosphere since it doubles as a wine bar (The Alcove).
Houndstooth – Don’t get me wrong, this place is good (and they use my favorite can glasses for iced drinks) but I find it to be overpriced.
Crooked Tree – Espresso drinks are fine, but the coffee tastes super floral which I personally do not prefer.
If you’ve been to Dallas or live here, what coffee shops do you love? Was your favorite on my list?
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