Crooked Tree Coffee House
My coffee shop is cooler than yours!
Visiting different coffee shops is one of my favorite things, so much so that it might even qualify as a hobby. One of the most disappointing things (to me at least) about Dallas is it’s lack of independent coffee shops. Yes, there are a treasured few, but unless you’re lucky enough to live by one, you’re pretty much sanctioned to sipping the corporately-calculated, but tasty lattes from Starbucks.
In all fairness, this isn’t just Dallas’s shortcoming. It’s a trend in a lot of cities and I think it’s a shame. I love the character of a small coffee shop, the taste of coffee from a real espresso machine with portafilters, the flawed charms of a homemade pastry. I like the kind of non-generic service you receive — no overly buoyant “HI! Would you like to try our new blended coffee cacophony?”
I do understand the mindset and fears of a large corporate chain. It’s well-intentioned quality control. The more stores, the more employees, the more opportunities for things to go wrong. You can’t watch every customer interaction or inspect every cappuccino, so you set up standards, guidelines, and rules. “All the chalkboards will have this drawing. All the pastries will come from this factory.” But I think in their effort to eliminate all the possible ways for things to go wrong, they lost something.
That ‘something’ is what I really fell for in Crooked Tree Coffee Shop. It’s literally in a converted old home in Uptown. Furnished with vintage couches, bright colors, and some utilitarian office tables, the shop feels like you’re a welcome guest at someone’s home. The coffee they use is Fair Trade and was really delicious. I’ve had a few drinks there so far and haven’t been disappointed. Amenities like free wi-fi, late hours, and live music on the weekends sweeten the deal. They even have sandwiches, special ice cream sandwiches, and a small offering of vegan pastries. So, should you expect to pay more per cup for the small mom-and-pop ambiance? Actually… no. Somehow they manage to come in below the price points of the big green on pretty much every item. And that, is really special.
2414 Routh St. | Dallas, Texas 75201
214.953.1142
What a cool looking place!! I agree, Michelle, I love it when old homes gain new life as bookstores, galleries, restaurants….or coffee shops. The ambiance makes you want to linger….and therefore purchase more goodies. This is why I love going to Fredericksburg so much; I think they lead the state in number of homes converted into businesses per capita!!
I’ve overlooked this little treasure. Check out that cool blue chair in the background of the last photo. Gotta put this place on mylist…
so cute! i really like local coffee shops that deliver on quality drinks (sometimes you try an off-beat place to avoid the corporate ‘man,’ but don’t know what you’re going to get… the predictability of starbucks is its most powerful spell.) great to hear about a place like this!
i’d definitely like to try out the vegan pastries too, that sounds exciting
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