Urban Exploration


URBAN EXPLORATION: 3 BEST DFW COFFEE SHOPS

Brought to you by the Limited Edition Espresso Wallets from Wayward Goods Co.

 

By Jake Etheridge

 

Brown water. Bean Juice. Nectar of the gods. Whatever you call coffee, we all know it is essential to life. There is nothing better than a good coffee shop refuge in the Winter. Since we have a limited run of our special color “espresso” on select products, we wanted to take a time to recognize some of our favorite coffee shops in DFW (since that is where we are located)! If you aren’t in DFW, do us a favor and drop your location and your favorite local shop in the comments, as we are always exploring at Wayward and love our Community!

 

Now, on to the list:

 

FORT WORTH – Craftwork Coffee, 1121 W Magnolia Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76104

Craftwork is a young shop in the FW area, only having been around for about 2 years. But during this time, they have quickly made a name for themselves, slinging great drinks, offering quality roasters and an extremely friendly staff.

 

They first set up shop off Camp Bowie Boulevard with the unique idea of being a coffee shop that was also rentable workspace in the back (hence the name Craftwork, meaning craft coffee and workspace). With an affordable and stylish design for their workspace, they became a crowd favorite for local entrepreneurs. But they didn’t stop there. They also acquired a professional staff and friendly environment that offered some great roasters from around the US. One of these roasters was Madcap, which we are very fond of, so naturally we found ourselves there quite often.

 

They have a new shop off Magnolia in the heart of FW and their DNA has translated extremely well. They have even started roasting their own beans and we recommend No. 4 on pour over. Bottom line: Get to Craftwork if you live in DFW.

 

DALLAS – Houndstooth Coffee, 878 Sylvan Ave E150, Dallas, TX 75208

This Austin transplant shop in the heart of the Sylvan neighborhood is a real breathtaking coffee experience. Now, there are A LOT of great shops in Dallas. However, our vote is for Houndstooth off Sylvan because of the flat-out amazing design of the shop. The high ceilings, padded walls, crisp, white countertops and wood accents throughout make for a great visual experience.

 

But Houndstooth doesn’t stop there, they also serve some great coffee. Staffed with knowledgeable baristas, you can always count on them to help you with your coffee selection. Tweed is their roaster of choice and we feel they are underrated in the coffee scene, offering some truly juicy coffees with good bite. Their espresso is a real showstopper.

 

Houndstooth offers an experience that’s hard to replicate. It’s clean, minimalistic while oozing with attitude. Go out of your way and grab a drink from Houndstooth and you won’t be disappointed.

 

DFW SUBURBS – Shift Coffee, 519 S Locust St, Denton, TX 76201

We wanted to include a shop from the large amount of land qualified as a “DFW suburb” since there is quite a bit of space between Dallas and Fort Worth, and Shift Coffee is probably our favorite shop on this list.

 

Shift is located in Denton, a college town that has a coffee shop on every corner, which makes the competition fierce. However, Shift stands tall in the Denton coffee community for one simple reason: quality of drinks. Shift doesn’t have the fanciest set up (located on the ground floor of an upscale apartment building), or the biggest area to work with, or even the best vibes (though they are good). But what Shift excels at is serving really good coffee.

 

Their roaster of choice is Denton based Novel while also serving FW local Avoca. But Novel really steals the show, with vibrant coffees that offer a wide range of flavor profiles. Other shops in DFW serve Novel, but there is something about Shifts recipes. The pour overs are perfectly balanced, the lattes taste smooth and flavorful without being overbearing and the espresso…wow, the espresso is our top pick in DFW.

 

If you need to get work done and want to be served the best possible coffee in DFW, we recommend Shift. Grab a shot of espresso and enjoy some delicious bean juice.

 

 

That’s our list! We hope you enjoyed exploring DFW coffee shops with us! Don’t forget, we have a limited run of our special color “espresso” on some select products and we are pretty fond of it J A wallet makes a great stocking stuffer and we are pretty sure Santa would replace his gift bag with one of our backpacks if he could.

 

Drop us your thoughts on the list below and let us know about your favorite shop!