Break These Chains of Coffee?

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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

www.catalinacoffeeshop.com

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

www.inversioncoffee.com

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!

Those Arabian Nights are Calling...

Cafe Byblos

6134 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX 77057
http://cafebybloshouston.com/

Burpette writes:

Cafe Byblos is located just west of the Galleria on Richmond Ave., in an area that Big Burp and I rarely venture out to because of its distance from our cozy little nook along the Washington Corridor.  The occasion of friend's birthday party brought us out last night, and since we really dig on Mediterranean cuisine, why not?

Long tables dominate the seating area, proving that this is a restaurant for big families and large parties to come eat Mediterranean food, hang out, and smoke hookah.  Hookah pipes punctuate the tables, and sweetly scented smoke hangs in the air above.  

Around 10:00 pm, the lights dim and the band starts to play mesmerizing Middle Eastern music, guaranteed to make you shimmy your shoulders and gyrate your hips.  A singer, accompanied by a drum kit and two synthesizers, belts out comely tunes with lyrics that I can only guess at (Hey, it's all Greek to me!).  The dance floor opens up, and women rush out to shake their money makers with no hint of embarrassment, or of who might be watching.  I'm told there is a belly-dancer, but as of midnight (when we left), there had been no sign of her shaking it on the floor.

This is truly a place that comes alive with the night.  We arrived a little after 9:30, and the restaurant was mostly empty; our large party was the only one seated at the very back of the restaurant.  By the time that we left, however, around midnight, the joint was jumping with late night revelers, eating, clapping and smoking.  Shamefully expensive cars roll up to the valet, and scantily clad beauties with skirts cut up their booties exit the posh rides to join the party inside.  Make no mistake, this is a place to see and be seen.

Oh, and the food...most people go there for the party, but the food is fun as well.  While it's not the best Mediterranean fare that I've tasted, it certainly has its appeal.

Burp ordered the Kafta Mishwiyeh, minced lamb cooked with parsley, pine nuts and spices, served with light, fluffy rice and grilled vegetables.  

Kafta Mishwiyeh

 

Falafel Sandwich with Fries

I opted for the Falafel sandwich, which did not disappoint.  The highpoint of the evening for us was the hummus, served with sexy, yes I said sexy, pita bread.  I couldn't stop myself from tearing off tender pieces of the warm, inviting pita, and dunking it in the rich, creamy hummus that is so smooth, it will make you slap your "Ommy".  Ok, maybe not, but it is good.

If you're looking for an ethnic venue with good food and good music, this may be the place for you.  If you don't like crowds, hookah smoke, hoochie mamas, or loud music, you might opt for one of the other Mediterranean inspired restaurants along the Richmond Strip.

Big Burp writes:

Decent food, just not a late night person.

Burp Factor: Medium burp, mostly due to the hour of the evening.