With small coffee shops, it seems like you're usually giving up one of the following, but Sip Stir Cafe really has it all: delightful staff, amazing coffee and a very relaxed yet polished ambiance. It is also woman owned, which is double sparkle bonus points in my book.
Starting with ambiance, this little tableau below where the coffee accessories are makes me feel so happy and at peace every time I look at how thoughtfully it is put together:
Next on my list after setting is quality of the coffee. This is the smoothest cup of coffee in town, thanks to their cold drip process which never uses heat, just a little work from pressure and gravity. This ensures that the coffee is never bitter, and while I always drink my coffee black, my summer intern, who was typically a two sugars, started drinking hers black here as well since it is so naturally flavorful!
This is how the coffee becomes magically smooth!
The cold drip coffee is not the only option worth writing about, though. My coworkers and I each have a go-to favorite. Arti loves the lattes, Amy loves the freezes (especially the peanut butter flavor!) and for the tea ladies in our group we have eight loose leaf options to choose from. When I take Markus soon I have a feeling he will be ordering their pour over coffee, to compare methods and results.That third item on my independent coffee shop list is customer service, and Sip Stir has it in spades. We're recognized as a group when we come in, and the staff is always happy to see us and has our preferences down. When we were there last week, a woman came in and said, "Will you make me what I had yesterday?" and the barista got to work with no question. I always thought that if there was one place in Dallas where you are just another face in the crowd it was Uptown, but Sip Stir has me changing my claim, at least within the walls of their beautifully kept coffee shop.
I am already looking forward to my smooth iced coffee today, and am glad Sip Stir Cafe has brought a little old fashioned java and sense of community to the glittery and over fabulous confines of Uptown.
Do you have an afternoon pick me up? The morning cup of coffee is a necessity, but the afternoon one is like a special secret treat.
