After all, what else is there to do but go to coffee shops?
By Brooklyn Rodgers | August 27, 2024 | 3:46 pm
Foxtrot has left us high and dry in Dallas since April with the closure of its four Dallas locations. Foxtrot had it all: plenty of seating, a clean and stylish interior, lively patrons for people-watching, and most importantly, very good coffee.
During 2023, I lived within walking distance of the Snider Plaza / SMU location and loafed daily on their outdoor patio enjoying their lavender iced oat milk latte while my toy dog terrorized passersby.
If you’ve been to a Foxtrot, you probably wandered through their aisles of heavily branded niche goods. This was their signature element: brightly branded organic snacks, eclectic wines with even more eclectic labels, and uncommon sweet treats like maple-soaked pancake ice cream. For all of the hundreds of days I spent wandering through those aisles and basking in the glow of the Jeni’s pint wall, I think I made just one grocery purchase. Well, the snacks were sure fun to look at.
I now live in the Lowest Greenville neighborhood, which is reflected in this article’s samplings’ limited geographical spread. The following is a chronicle of one girl trying to fill the hole that is Foxtrot and find some lavender lattes along the way.
After all, what else is there to do but go to coffee shops?
Leila Bakery & Cafe – 6041 Oram St, Dallas, TX 75206
Although billing itself as a bakery, Leila’s has all of the classic coffee shop vibes. If you’ve seen the Amazon Prime Video show Fleabag, this unassuming, quaint bakery is reminiscent of Phoebe Waller Bridges cafe (minus the guinea pigs).
Leila’s provides an array of nonfrilly sweet baked goods including cake, cookies, and pastries, and even made in-house savory goods like their staple quiche- the most popular is the sausage and sage quiche. This cafe has plenty of seating and features a communal table in the center. Dogs are allowed, adding to the atmosphere: relaxed, friendly, and unserious.
Best for creative work, not for people watching, or a communal WFH energy environment. For reasons no fault of their own, we rate Leilas two out of five Foxtrot Iced Lattes.
Toasted Coffee + Kitchen – 5420 Ross Ave #180, Dallas, TX 75206
With its sprawling, moody, and industrial interior, Toasted has certainly hit the proverbial coffee shop aesthetic on its head. My rich and creamy lavender latte with house-made syrup was perhaps the best iced latte I had on my pilgrimage around Lower Greenville’s coffee haunts. I was intrigued by their expansive menu of breakfast items, breakfast cocktails, and signature toasts.
Although this cafe was sparsely populated on the weekday morning I visited, the coffee shop vibes are in full force, and it is apparent from their menu, layout, and vibe that this is truly an all-day spot.
We rank Toasted three out of five Foxtrot Iced Lattes for its delicious coffee and abundant seating.
La La Land Kind Cafe – 5626 Bell Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
This bright, airy, standalone cafe is scenic, with picture-perfect drinks to match. For the WFH crowd, this chaotic spot with limited seating is not top of our list, however, for social outings and people-watching with an Instagrammable beverage in hand, we highly recommend this La La Land.
La La Land retains some of the je ne sais quoi (ie. hyper branded goods) that Foxtrot possessed, but is also imbued with a sort of teen spirit, evident in their jovial branding and customer base.
For its try-hard aesthetic and eccentric drinks, we rank this spot four out of five Foxtrot Iced Lattes.
JuJu’s Coffee – 6038 La Vista Dr, Dallas, TX 75206
Being small, white, and barren, there is not too much to say about JuJu’s. They have good coffee. Though their social media presence bills this spot as a small neighborhood coffee shop, there is not much place for the neighborhood to go- I counted just four unpopulated seats on my visit. This is a good grab-and-go stop, but it is just that, a stop, not a shop. They could expand on their vibes, seating, and homeyness. For this, we rate JuJu’s just one out of five Foxtrot Iced Lattes.
Window Seat Coffee – 3018 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
This quaint coffee shop located on Greenville Ave is easy to raise an eyebrow at. What is going on with the airplane theme, the limited hours (7-12 pm M-F), and the vibe? I wanted not to like this coffee shop upon my first visit, but upon reflection, I found it was the only place I wanted to return to to finish this article, and did indeed return.
Despite the quiet vibe and rather limited seating, Window Seat is a haven for the WFH crowd, its airplane seat-themed two-seater booths are the perfect place to hole up and lock in on some work. Due to this spot’s relative newness, limited seating, or whatever magic, it never gets chaotic enough to disrupt you in here. I was not impressed with their lattes either time I visited, though how important is coffee to a coffee shop when there are good vibes?
Window Seat is not Foxtrot, but acts as a shelter for some of the die-hard WFH crowd that Foxtrot used to house, and its quirky theme is appreciated. For these reasons, we rate Window Seat three out of five Foxtrot Iced Lattes.
As the case would be, nothing will ever compare to Foxtrot. Though there are incredibly romantic rumors of the resurrection of at least two Dallas locations, can you really ever get the same love back twice?
While nothing good lasts forever, Foxtrot being gone almost makes the time we shared that much more sweet. For now, there are plenty of local coffee shops including the above that have picked up the slack in our city with their vibes, coffee, and service. Though no coffee shop may be a direct equivalent to our beloved Foxtrot, we will take the lavender syrup lattes where we can get them.
Brooklyn in Dallas 