15 Cafes Where You Can Work, Warm Up or Chill

The most human endeavor is, arguably, the search for that perfect cup of coffee. Such a cup takes on an even deeper meaning when it comes time for cooler weather and helps get us into that comfy, cozy state of mind. If you’re a hybrid or remote worker, let the espresso machines at these places become your new water cooler. Dallas has many wonderful coffee shops, but here are some of our very favorites right now, in no particular order. 

La Casita Coffee & Bakeshop
5801 E. Northwest Highway (inside Half Price Books); multiple locations in Richardson, Rowlett and Uptown
The pastries at the award-winning La Casita are truly incredible and paired with a coffee, you can’t go wrong. Here they use La Colombe beans and Nizza for espresso along with single origin Ethiopian for both drip and cold brew. At its location inside the Half Price Books flagship store, grab a coffee and four pastries and snuggle up with a dusty old book for the time of your life. After 5 p.m., the cafe transforms into La Tiki Paisa: a tiki bar with cocktails and a full menu boasting pistachio tres leches and a whole heckin’ branzino (for which reservations are advised). Additional La Casita + Bakeshop locations include Richardson, Rowlett and Uptown. 

Arwa
Multiple locations in Richardson, Irving and Frisco
Arwa offers Yemeni coffee roasted in-house along with teas and specialty sweets like harissa confections and rich stuffed dates (and don’t even get us started on the honeycomb bread). Between its warm, artful interior and the Arabic music that fills it, the aesthetic is truly escapist. We love its Jubani, made with coffee husks (cascara), cardamom, ginger and cinnamon and the red tea, made with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, mint and sugar. We recommend the flight that includes samples of four signature drinks, each paired with a treat which is a fun, cute and lovely way to figure out what it is you enjoy. Do not miss out on the dates, harissa or the incredible milk cakes (the saffron is our favorite). 

Vector Brewing
850 Walnut Hill Lane, No. 405
This Lake Highlands favorite expanded its menu to include breakfast and we’ve loved it even more ever since. Its coffee and espresso, made with locally-roasted beans from Noble Coyote, is best poured alongside pastries made by local bakeries like La Casita and Hummingbird Sweets. Our favorite is the cinnamon roll it gets from Salt Sweets (which is honestly ridiculous). The atmosphere is relaxed and laid back and we’d recommend its cereal milk latte (highly delish) or any of its espresso drinks. Oh, and during breakfast hours, it serves one heck of a biscuit sandwich.

Escape 360
7540 State Highway 121, McKinney
Escape 360, a Thai-inspired coffee shop in McKinney, combines its food and drink with a lush, rainforest-y atmosphere and some of the softest chairs we’ve ever cozied up in. Espresso drinks like its ube and coconut brown sugar lattes are divine. If that weren’t enough, we once called the souffle pancakes as a magical, must-try 10 out of 10, and on that we still agree (the matcha and creme brulee are our favorites). Pro Tip: if you sit underneath one of the larger and leafier floral installations, you can pretend you’re a tiny field mouse taking a rest under a leaf as a coping mechanism (or is that just us?).

Cafe Duro
2804 Greenville Ave.
We love the charming nods to European cafes that define this Greenville Avenue spot’s overall vibe, but we really go to Cafe Duro for the food and drink. Try the pumpkin pecan nitro latte or the prickly pear matcha. The espresso menu is fairly minimalist, making ordering easy. If you love to have something sweet alongside your drink as much as we do, try the offering that won our 2023 title for Best Chocolate Chip Cookie. Still hungry? Order a muffuletta that our very own food editor described as “borderline criminal.”

Be Kinder Coffee
6500 Greenville Ave., No. 120 (inside Plexon Inc.)
Located inside an unassuming tenant building, this little coffee shop has a big heart, a bigger mission and delicious coffee. Doubling as a non-profit, Be Kinder works to provide refugees with a safe space, job skills training and access to resources like English classes. Creamy, hazel-nutty cold brew is the star of the show and you can even grab it by the bottle to-go to stock up if you so wish. Nothing is too sweet, the selection of pastries is wonderful and you can grab a bag of its delicious homemade granola while you’re at it (and you should). 

Eiland Coffee Roasters
32 N. Interurban St., Richardson and 2701 Custer Parkway, No. 917, Richardson
Specializing in unique and ethically sourced single-estate coffee beans that it roasts in a rare 1969 German cast-iron Probat UG-22, Eiland was the winner of our Best Local Coffee Roaster in 2024. Founder Clay Eiland has dedicated decades to learning about the craft, becoming the first to pass the Q Grader exam in north Texas in 2013, a title one of our writers explained is to coffee what a sommelier is to wine.

Magnolia Sous le Pont
2727 N. Harwood St., Harwood District
A French-inspired cafe, Magnolias Sous Le Pont has yet to disappoint us. While we know floral flavors are a divisive topic, we sure love them, and this place serves our white whale of flower-flavored lattes: the Magnolia, with lavender, elderflower, rose and vanilla. If you’re not into that sort of thing, no worries. Try the Flying Squirrel: a latte with a cute name, hazelnut, macadamia and almond. During happy hour (4-5 p.m. daily), hot lattes and hot chocolate are half price.

Opening Bell
1409 Botham Jean Blvd., The Cedars
Opening Bell Coffee is part cafe, part small music venue. Performers from The Voice, American Idol and local artists, including Leon Bridges and Maren Morris, have all graced the stage during open mic performances (Saturdays, 4-6 p.m.), but the coffee shop is great any time. It has a cozy, relaxed vibe, and it’s decorated with vinyl records and guitars with the stage as a backdrop. Signature drinks include specialty drip coffee, black Irish iced mocha and an affogato.

The Boba Plug / Hyphen Space
4100 Commerce St., No. 6, and various locations for pop-ups
Previously a pop-up, The Boba Plug moved its operation into a warm, sunlit brick-and-mortar venue called Hyphen Space earlier this year. Both a boba shop and a co-working space with handmade touches, we love the pandan coffee (so, so much) and its show-stopping pineapple bun (a classic Chinese sweet bun) served with plain or flavored grass-fed butter. We tried ours with matcha butter and can only classify the experience as nothing short of spiritual. It regularly hosts events like floral workshops, movie nights, book clubs and art exhibitions and because it still hosts pop-up events off-site, be sure to double check its schedule on Instagram before you swing by.

Wayward Coffee Co.
1318 W. Davis St. and 2025 Irving Blvd., No. 102
Wayward Coffee has retro yeehaw cowboy vibes, but not in an intrusive way – in a red-hanky-around-your-neck-to-keep-dirt-off way. It’s clean and classy. The menu here is pretty straightforward, and the syrups are made in-house. Beans are courtesy of Santa Cruz-based Cat and Cloud, with rotating guest roasters. They take their coffee very seriously, making this a spot for true connoisseurs or for those who need to kill some time before a tattoo appointment.

La La Land Kind Cafe
Multiple locations 
La La Land Kind Cafe is a bright and cheery gem with sunshine-y yellow interiors and plenty of natural light (so sunshine-y, in fact, that its effect on serotonin production should be studied). You’ll meet a nice crew of baristas and the coffee is strong. We love its espresso drinks and the Butterfly Matcha, which it advertises as tasting like fruity pebbles (it’s true). Better yet, La La hires and provides guidance for youth who have aged out of the foster care system.

White Box Roastery
610 Elm St., No. 1340, McKinney 
Built in 1910, McKinney’s Cotton Mill is home to various businesses, including this precious cafe. White Box is home to a particularly stellar banana muffin which has just the right amount of crunchy, caramelized sugar on top (and also happens to be gluten-free). To drink, we adore the unique combination of white chocolate, apricot and espresso in its white apricot latte. While you’re there, you can explore the Cotton Mill’s hidden gardens, art displays and antique remnants of its industrial past.

Remote Coffee
10999 Garland Road
This locally owned spot is drive-thru only, but you must swing by for a cup of their cafe de jolla, a traditional Mexican coffee made with sugar and spices. It is a Paul-Hollywood-handshake cup of coffee. We love the hearty breakfast tacos too (gotta be three eggs in there). In addition to lattes and coffees – many with a Latin flare (like an amazing horchata) – Remote Coffee makes agua frescas and juices from scratch, in-house. No worries coffee purists, you can get a drip or straight espresso. Remote is roasting their own beans and much of the space is dedicated to a kitchen where they make tacos and salsa from scratch. When it’s a billion degrees out, we’re excited to get our paws on the Chaichata Frozenccino, chai and horchata frozen and blended in a cream base (with vodka, you said?).

Davis Street Espresso
819 W. Davis St., Bishop Arts
We can’t talk about coffee shops in Dallas without talking about Davis Street Espresso. We just can’t. It’s essential to Dallas. Founders Shannon and Jenni Neffendorf wanted to bring Italian espresso culture to Dallas after trips abroad and, to this day, they don’t offer WiFi. We’re here for it. They also don’t have to-go cups. Just sit down and relax, dammit, and channel an old Italian guy.