Drugstore Cowboy, which opened mid-January in Deep Ellum, has a little something for everyone, whether you’re in the mood for an upper (coffee), a downer (cocktail), or something in between (the $8 shakerito, a mix of bourbon and cold brew coffee).
The Atmosphere: Drugstore Cowboy is a long, narrow space, with exposed brick walls, large windows, and picnic bench-style seating. Décor-wise, the place is rather sparse, with a warm-tone color palette and a shiny wooden bar lined with bar stools. At the end of the bar, closest to the entrance, is the coffee station – or at least, where the coffee-making materials reside and coffee-ordering people gravitate. Farther down the bar, you’ll find the bartenders taking special care to craft lovely cocktails. Whether you’re drinking booze or a brew, the vibe is laid-back and fun, and you’ll be comfortable here whether you’re working alone or hanging out with friends.
What to Order: The drink menu has some necessary staples: a solid Old-Fashioned, a Sazerac, and a Bloody Mary. There’s also “regenerative” cocktails, like the Corpse Reviver (cognac, calvados, botanical gin, and falernum) and the Enlightener (mezcal, agave, and citrus), which sound so fresh that you could almost imagine drinking them in the morning. They also offer “cheese shots” (whisky and cheddar), a small food menu, and a few wines and beers. The coffee comes from Cultivar and Noble Coyote Coffee.
Who’s There: Drugstore Cowboy is open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., so the crowd varies. On the evening I visited, I found a few groups of folks in the late-twenties age range, a couple people working on their laptops, one considerably well-behaved baby (with doting parents), two published poets, and the owner of local publishing house Deep Vellum.
What I Didn’t Like: This place has a lot of empty space, which gives it a very clean feeling, but also seems like wasted opportunity. It’d be awesome if they used the empty areas to sell a few locally published books and/or the wall space to showcase local artists’ work. The bar is brand new and obviously evolving, so this’ll probably a moot point soon enough.
What I Did Like: Drugstore Cowboy is the perfect bridge between grabbing a brew and grabbing a drink, bypassing the potential awkwardness of bringing a nondrinker to a bar or bringing someone who really wants a whisky to a coffee shop. Make it your new go-to for informal business meetings, social gatherings, and meetups.
