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They say there are two certainties in life — death, and taxes. We’d like to add a third: coffee.
East Dallasites have witnessed an influx of coffee shops and roasters moving in. Whether you’re searching for a spot that’s best for a quiet chat, a breakfast meeting, or a grab-and-go, the next time you pick up a cup, consider trying out one of these shops. You might just become a regular.
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Ascension White Rock
9353 Garland Rd.
The brief: East Dallas’s newest coffee shop is inside the historic White Rock Community Chapel, following an impressive renovation. After scaling back a bit during the pandemic, Ascension is once again expanding; this location is the company’s seventh in the DFW area.
Stay awhile rating: Serving all-day breakfast and lunch daily, Ascension is just as much a restaurant as it is a coffee shop. There’s also a wine program and a “Golden Hour,” which is its version of happy hour, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 3 p.m. The space is huge, with plenty of tables and seating for folks to eat, work, hang out, or all three, including an outdoor patio
Beans: The shop serves only the top 3 percent of coffee in the world, roasted at its roastery in Dallas. Ascension works directly with coffee producers, prioritizing women-led farms in its sourcing.
What else: Ascension scored a major get with its director of culinary and executive chef Jason Connelly, who previously worked as an executive chef at the Adolphus hotel. Also of note: the bagels in-store come from local bagel shop Sclafani’s.
Drink to try: The Doki Cold Fashioned is a coffee mocktail featuring bitters, a Luxardo cherry, and a twist of orange.
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Pull Through Coffee Bar
4875 W. Lawther Dr.
The brief: Pull Through, which has been open for about two weeks, is owned by Christina James, who used to work at Cultivar Coffee, but decided to open up her own spot when she saw a need for cyclists and runners to have a place to rest and grab a cup on this side of the lake. In addition to coffee drinks, she’s offering kolaches and pastries from East Dallas’ Leila Bakery and Cafe, as well as treats from local cottage bakeries.
Stay awhile rating: There’s a good amount of patio seating, and one could certainly sip while shopping inside the bike shop, but it’s much more of a walk up (or bike up) and move on with your day sort of place.
Beans and things: The beans brewed at Pull Through are from local roaster Cultivar. Depending on whether she gets a lot of requests from customers to purchase beans, James may consider selling bags in the future.
What else? While Pull Through is pretty bare bones for now, James says she plans on spiffing up the walk-up window with plants, signage, and more.
Drink of choice: Part drink and part snack, a Wake the Waffle is brewed coffee or tea topped with a Stroopwafel.
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Cafe Duro
2804 Greenville Ave.
The brief: From the hospitality group behind the Charles, Bar Charles, Sister, and El Carlos Elegante, Cafe Duro is a small cafe and market offering coffee, breakfast, grab-and-go house pasta, charcuterie, cheese, and more.
Stay awhile rating: The cafe itself doesn’t offer a lot in the way of seating, but what is there feels cool and European, and tables on the porch of Sister, next door, are available to customers when it’s closed. The food offerings and market grab-and-go venture well beyond breakfast, and the shop is open until 10 p.m. daily.
Beans and things: The team at Duro has been tight-lipped about the bean details, but those who want to recreate the cafe experience at home can pick up a bag in-store.
What else: Cafe Duro and Duro Hospitality launched a wine program with bottles and concierge service available in-store. It promises wines that aren’t easily acquired elsewhere in the city, and diners who’ve eaten at any of Duro’s outposts know how deep the cuts can get.
Drink to try: The 007 Espresso, which comes shaken, sweetened, and iced.