Dallas Coffee Shops for Every Taylor Swift Era | Dallas Observer
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Taylor Swift Fans: Here's a List of Dallas Cafes for Every Era (Updated)

Which Swiftie "era" are you currently in? Whether you're vibing with the sparkling pop hooks of 1989 or the moody atmosphere of The Tortured Poets Department, there's a Dallas coffee shop for you.
We're pretty "Enchanted" by Funny Library, and we think Taylor Swift would be too.
We're pretty "Enchanted" by Funny Library, and we think Taylor Swift would be too. Aaren Prody
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Coming off a year of Taylor Swift domination (and probably entering another one), “eras” are at the top of everybody’s mind. “Eras” is the term music fans use to differentiate their favorite artists’ album cycles. Swift now has 10 of them, and they are so distinct that Swifties can identify them with a single color. Fearless is yellow, Lover is pink, Red is exactly that and so on.

The things associated with Swift’s eras are hardly limited to music. They're about aesthetics and the atmosphere above all else, which are also important in coffee shops. While there are plenty of coffee fanatics who can tell you about different beans and their preferred method of brewing, there are just as many coffee shop regulars who pick their favorite spot based on vibes.

If you fall into the latter category and consider yourself a Swiftie, here are some Dallas coffee shops we think represent each of her eras.

Taylor Swift: Full City Rooster

1810 S. Akard St., No. 100
Swift’s self-titled debut album sees the teenaged future pop star take on the persona of a 2000s radio country diva, complete with tight blonde curls and cowboy boots. She would’ve fit right in at Full City Rooster, a rustic coffee bar with charming decorative details like a chalkboard menu and taxidermied deer heads. It’s the kind of place where you can go on your first date with your crush and commiserate with your best friend after he breaks your heart.

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Wayward on W. Davis Street is a touch country and a touch pop.
Lauren Drewes Daniels

Fearless: Wayward Coffee Co.

1318 W. Davis St. and 2025 E. Irving Blvd.
Swift’s sophomore album straddles the line between her country roots and her impending pop crossover, and Wayward Coffee Co. captures that energy. Keeping with some of the yeehaw themes of Full City Rooster (the mascot is a cowboy tipping his hat), the interior also incorporates more trendy decor. The menu, which mostly contains basics like lattes and cappuccinos, is simple and accessible, which is the same thing pop radio programmers thought of Swift’s pop-friendly country songs when Fearless first dropped.

Speak Now: Funny Library

1445 Turtle Creek Blvd.
Speak Now is an album that deals heavily in romantic, fairy tale imagery, and Funny Library has an “Enchanted” atmosphere. Velvet-covered chairs, brushed gold accouterments and ambient lighting call to mind the whimsical elements of this album. More importantly, this quirky coffee shop nestled inside a high-end hotel feels exactly like the kind of place Swift would cozy up in one of the plush purple nooks, have some tea and a pastry, and scribble the lyrics to “Sparks Fly” on a napkin.

Red: Hola Cafe

416 N. Tyler St. and 1845 Woodall Rodgers Freeway
To Swifties, Red is known as the album with the most distinct autumn vibes, thanks in no small part to Swift doubling down on the aesthetic while promoting the "Taylor’s Version" re-release. Anyone who was in high school or college in 2012, the year the album was first released, might also associate the album with the rise of song lyric captions on Instagram, which debuted the year before. In addition to a fresh, clean aesthetic that looks straight out of the “22” music video, Hola Cafe’s pint-sized Oak Cliff location is packed with Instagrammable spots. Hold your vanilla latte up against one of the typographic signs, snap a photo and post it with the caption “Happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time.” Your younger self will thank you for it.

1989: Window Seat Coffee

3018 Greenville Ave.
“Grab your passport and my hand.” Even aside from the on-the-nose blue and yellow color scheme, every detail of Window Seat Coffee feels in line with Swift’s monumental 2014 pop crossover. The interior is entirely airplane-themed, which perfectly complements the glamorous, globetrotting narrative described in songs like “Wildest Dreams” and “Welcome to New York.” Even the custom blends sold here evoke Swift, with names like “Joy Ride” calling to mind the questionable driving described in “Style”: (“You come and pick me up, no headlights”).

Reputation: Native Coffee Co.

4319 Alpha Road
In her recent Time Person of the Year interview, Swift described this 2017 album as a “goth-punk moment of female rage.” While that is certainly one way to describe it (albeit not the one goths or punks would use), we think there’s more to it than that. While Swift certainly rages against her enemies on this record, there are also decidedly sweet, vulnerable and even funny love songs like “Delicate” and “New Year’s Day.” Native Coffee is a spot that finds that same balance. It has a color palette that runs dark, with a lot of black details (“Look What You Made Me Do”), but it also has warm and colorful touches that keep it from seeming too cold and industrial (“Call It What You Want.”) Inviting drinks such as the popular lavender latte won’t have you calling a “Getaway Car” anytime soon.

Lover: The Berni Bean

400 N. St. Paul St. and 2820 Elm St.
Some entries are more abstract and require a bit of explaining, but this choice is a no-brainer. The Berni Bean’s pastel paradise interior looks straight out of the “ME!” and “You Need to Calm Down” music videos, with pinks and blues that fit right in with the Lover era’s unmistakable aesthetic. The menu also places a special emphasis on all things sweet, with latte flavors like Choco Banana and Cinnamon French Toast rounding out the candy-coated vibe.

Folklore: Opening Bell

1409 Botham Jean Blvd.
The Folklore era saw Swift take a hard right turn away from pop dominance and into moody, acoustic folk that centered on fictional characters and situations. Opening Bell serves coffee, drinks and meals with ingredients sourced from local vendors. They also host regular open mic nights for musicians and storytellers, including “FearLess Stories,” a monthly event where women and gender minorities come together to share their experiences. All and all, it seems like a place Swift would’ve found inspiring while writing Folklore.

Evermore: The Wild Detectives

314 W. Eighth St.
Evermore is the sister album to Folklore that doubles down on folksy storytelling, with songs like “No Body No Crime” and “Champagne Problems” having clear narratives. We imagine that those partial to this era would want a book to read while sipping on their coffee. The Wild Detectives can help with that. In addition to having a quality selection of locally sourced coffee and tea, this shop doubles as a bookstore where you could spend hours perusing. The woodsy interior located inside a refurbished old house ties it all together.

Midnights: Cafe Duro

2804 Greenville Ave.
Though Midnights is Swift’s return to modern pop sounds, the aesthetic she favored during this era leaned pretty '70s. The "Anti-Hero" music video, in particular, saw Swift sporting vintage patterns against the backdrop of a mid-century house. Cafe Duro’s decor is in that same vein of grooviness, with a similar color palette and affinity for bold patterns. The coffee and tea menu contains fittingly quirky options like Nutella Cold Brew and Prickly Pear Matcha that “make the whole room shimmer.”

The Tortured Poets Department: Hands + Rose Coffee

1350 Manufacturing St., No. 111
At the time of writing, The Tortured Poets Department has not been released, nor have any of its singles. Luckily for us, Swift has gifted us with a wealth of aesthetic hints, from the gloomy album art to the academic, Easter egg-packed pop-up installation in Los Angeles. We think we understand the vibe well enough to conclude that Hands + Rose Coffee, with its crisp, sepia-toned interior, moody and atmospheric Instagram feed and mission to "[express] beauty through the art of crafting coffee", captures what we know of this record's essence. Check it out after listening to the album and let us know if we got it right.
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