Stop Brawling Over Bearistas at Starbucks. These Local Spots Are Doing it Better.

By now, you’ve probably seen the viral Starbucks holiday cup — the un-bear-ably cute tumbler with tiny ears and a hat everyone and their barista’s cousin has been posting about. This season’s Labubu, which sold out in minutes, is reselling for $500 online, and sparked physical altercations between customers (Black Friday foreshadowing or PTSD, anyone?).

Creative crafters could easily DIY their own from a honey bottle or snag a dupe for under $5 from your choice of sketchy overseas e-tailers. But if that’s not your vibe, before you start shelling out resale prices that could fund a month’s worth of lattes, maybe skip the corporate caffeine. There are plenty of local spots serving up their own beary cute creations, especially in a month when we’re feeling extra thankful for our community.

Jubilee Café — The Teddy Bear Latte
1060 W. Frankford Road
A viral sensation a few years back, the chocolatier-turned-dessert shop leaned into the Instagrammable cute craze with its Teddy Bear Latte (see photo at top), a frozen coffee bear floating in a mug of iced milk. Served with a side of espresso, it’s essentially a DIY drink that’s both satisfying and slightly heartbreaking. Just make sure to snap the photos before your drinkable companion melts à la Wicked Witch of the West.

Vanilla & Honey Espresso — Bear Cups
4004 Denton Highway
This tiny drive-through coffee shop in Haltom City has turned cute cups into a small-biz flex. Snag a bear for $5 extra and sip on any of their seasonal faves like Gingerbread Chai or Pumpkin Butter Lattes. Or opt for their light bulb cup if you’re feeling extra smart for skipping the trap of corporate merch.

Okaeri Cafe — Panda Rice Kids Meal
312 N. Greenville Ave
One of our favorite Japanese cafés since opening post-pandemic, this Richardson spot quickly earned a cult following for its traditional sit-on-the-floor dining and adorable rice pandas. Technically, they’re on the kids’ menu as part of a teriyaki or katsu nugget meal, but no one seems to mind when the kids at heart can’t resist ordering one too.

R&B Tea Garland — Bear Bottle Bubble Teas
4570 N. Jupiter Road
This Garland boba spot has been doing the viral bear cup thing long before it went viral. For just $2 more, you can get any drink in a 700 ml bear-shaped bottle — no chaos, no lines. Offering a variety of milk and fruit teas, some of the most popular choices are the Stormy Series, which includes a cream cheese swirl around colorful creations like purple taro and green matcha. And as cute as they are, cupholder compatibility apparently wasn’t part of the design brief, which makes the drive home rather awkward. Consider yourself warned.

Eiswelt Gelato — Character Gelato
3044 Old Denton Road
Serving up sculpted character magic in Carrollton, Eiswelt’s gelato creations are a true work of art. Each scoop is hand-molded in minutes before your eyes into everything from seasonal trends like Labubus to longtime favorites like corgi butts, unicorns, and yes, even teddy bears (which come with three flavor choices!).

Liuyishou Hot Pot —Tallow Teddy Bear
2001 Coit Road
Even hot pot is getting the bear treatment. Part of their special spicy soup, the tallow teddy bear sits in your broth and melts into savory perfection, which is part meal, part performance art. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to forgo boring old seasoning packets forever.

Haidilao Hot Pot — Dining Solo? Not Anymore.
9244 Prestmont Place
Haidilao Hot Pot allegedly enhances the solo dining experience by seating you with a life-sized teddy bear. Think Carrie in the And Just Like That finale, but with soup and side-eye. Adorable or unhinged? Jury’s out. Their phone doesn’t work (of course), so has anyone actually witnessed this?