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5 Quirky Houston Coffee Shops you might be missing if you
only frequent Starbucks
On this gorgeous Cinqo de Mayo, I thought it rather fitting to give you 5 Houston coffee shops that offer a nice alternative to Starbucks. Not that there is anything wrong with Starbucks, mind you. I've been known to frequent a Starbucks or two myself, but if you want to break out of the coffee chains that bind you, and want to experience something quirky and new, then this is the blog post for you!
Dirk’s Coffee
4005 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
Formerly known as Diedrich’s Coffee, Dirk's is a cool alternative to Starbucks. The sign out front often bears off-the-wall sayings like "My kayak's name is Palindrome" and the chalkboard inside offers up much-needed wisdom with the quote of the day.
I still miss the Westheimer and Hazard location that back in
the days before widespread WI-Fi was the landing pad for hipsters and business
people alike, to sit and sip their brews while surfing the Internet. I spent a lot of time there myself, in
my student days, studying and writing about art history. A lot of things have changed since then, my age and naïve enthusiasm among them (I should have majored in business, damn it!). The Upper Hand Salon took over that spot, and I’ll never
quite forgive them.
But, I digress. Dirk's is an edgy local spot located in Montrose that brings out all types from the tragically hip to the stoic conservative, and the coffee is pretty damn good too!
Catalina Coffee Shop
2201
Washington Ave, Houston, TX
Known mainly by the locals, this coffee shop has been serving up fancy coffee in Houston's Sixth Ward for a while. Artwork by local artists is displayed, and lattes are delivered in this cozy, historic space. We're lucky that at least one of the old buildings around Houston has been preserved (for now, anyway) as Houston likes to tear anything with a bit of history down to build a mid-rise.
Fight the mid-rise! Drink more coffee at Catalina!
Black Horse Bar is next door if you're feeling like a non-caffeinated beverage.
Inversion
1953
Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX
A
favorite with the alternative, artsy crowd, Inversion is a little gem of a
coffee shop located in the heart of Montrose right next door to the Art
League Houston and Texas Art Supply. Also for the artist types, the
walls are lined all the way up with unorthodox, if not disturbing original art work that you can enjoy as your coffee is being lovingly crafted by hip baristas.
Also
a supporter of Houston’s burgeoning food truck scene, Inversion offers a different food truck almost every day with favorites like Bernie's Burger Bus and Stick It bringing in the lunch crowds.
You can enjoy your coffee and food truck fare on the outside patio, strung with an installation piece that must hail from the Art League Houston.
Black Hole Coffee House
4504 Graustark St, Houston, TX 77006
Located down the street from St. Thomas University, next door to Graustark Laundry, Black Hole Coffee House is everything but conspicuous. A mangled and rusted old sign proclaims this spot the Quick Food Store #28, but for those savvy hipsters that frequent the joint, it is the unassuming Black Hole.
The interior is a bit worse for wear, with mismatched furniture pieces from the Salvation Army cobbled together...A series of three Warholesque prints of a perturbed looking Lindsay Lohan line a side wall like an unholy trinity of sex, drugs and sex and drugs with rock n' roll stars. And just when I was thinking that this seemed like the kind of place to see someone with a handlebar mustache walk through the door, someone with a handlebar mustache actually walked through the door! Wait, make that two someones with handlebar mustaches. What the what?
Also seen at Black Hole Coffee on a clear, beautiful Sunday afternoon, a girl in a see-through lace top and black tutu with bow-topped stockings, a man with a tattoo of a watch on his wrist stating "NOW" on the face, a fauxhawk, and various and sundry hipsters glued to their MacBooks and drinking superior coffee.
Not in the mood for coffee? Black Hole also advertises a Happy Hour with $2 Saint Arnold and $4 House Wine. The syrups are made in house, and as the sign says, go well in any drink. Oh yeah!
Ok, ok. One more for the road...
Antidote
729
Studewood St, Houston, TX
Technically
not just a coffee shop, Antidote has a wine bar and a lovely patio for
sipping. Food trucks can often be found in the lot, and its retro feel is funky and fresh.
Just the antidote one needs to break the chains of coffee conglomerations!