In February, I wrote about Phaidon telling us Where Bartenders Drink in a tome devoted to booze. Now they divulge where to drink coffee. I admit to spending more time than I should ogling and thinking about where to cradle cups of coffee in Reykjavik and Oslo. As for Dallas, we have three entries to our name.
Davis Street Espresso, on its hip stretch of Davis St., and Cultivar in its new-ish home inside Goodfriend Package Store, are intuitive picks. But I was glad—and a little surprised—to find Zenzero in Coppell rounding out the list.
Few people know about the northern ‘burbs spot that has plenty of charm and just as much cred as its big-city sisters. Few know that its drinks are spot-on, expertly pulled on a La Marzocco, or that it’s the labor of love of a woman named Ginger, whose case of sweets is true to her pastry-training background. Zenzero is a pastry shop as much as a coffee shop.
So a good morning might include excellent coffee, but also a London Fog (Earl Grey, vanilla, and milk) to accompany gooey buttercake, the owner’s Italian grandmother’s biscotti or the sweet of the day, that preens beside hand pies, beautiful buckeyes, coconut macarons, and lemon crinkle cookies.
Zenzero features Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters coffee (more overlap with Davis Street Espresso), plus a rotating guest roaster, a practice I like for its fun exposure to new flavors. Currently, the selection is Vancouver’s 49th Parallel roaster.
When you’ve gone up there for a platter of fajitas from Anamia’s, the other Coppell family-owned spot that has tremendous charm and staying power, you should also check out this spot that put our name on Phaidon’s list.
