Words and Images by Will Milne
The long-awaited West Oak Coffee Bar opens today in their space at 114 W Oak Denton, TX 76201. The space is enormous, beautiful and was definitely worth the wait. That fact, alone, is kinda hard to believe when you consider that when we were in the space a few short months ago in July it still looked like this:
Needless to say, when they said they hoped to open in November, we were apprehensive at best to believe them. Here we are, though, a few short days into December and the place isn't a scary-looking pit with a bunch of possibility any more! That possibility was put to use and West Oak Coffee Bar is now open to the masses. You've come a long way, baby.
In our last post, we were pretty pumped about the spot and one thing in particular, chocolate milk on tap. That tap has been installed, and rich, thick, chocolately milk is flowing alongside the well-selected beers and kombucha. Heck, here's a photo of the glass of chocolate milk we received shortly before we gulped it down.
But we were wrong to be encapsulated with just that one thing. Chocolate milk on tap isn't even the star of the show at West Oak. Last night at their preview night, there were all sorts of goodies to be had. We sampled the veggie quesadilla, the cranberry/orange Monte Cristo, some delicious espresso beverages, and all of the pies!
With the thought and care that we've seen go into not only the space but the menu, as well, we're excited to see how it expands in the future.
The space is full of all sorts of reclaimed wood, reclaimed lighting and looks downright amazing. West Oak is a beast of a different kind than our other, local coffee shops. There's beer, wine and fine foods. Not only could you go work on your laptop but it's also a perfect date spot.
The crew at West Oak was helpful, skilled, and ready to give recommendations. In addition, there were more beards, suspenders and vests inside the place than in a Beards, Suspenders, and Vests store.
The Veggie quesadilla.
There are all sorts of seating arrangements depending upon how you're feeling at West Oak. Lots of the old flooring was able to be recycled into the chairs and other furniture in the space. Aside from that, the bar is actually the flooring of an old train cart (we heard rumors of hobo blood stains on it, too!) and the backing of the booths is actually an old bowling alley lane. Keep all of this in mind when you find out how heavy the chairs are.
A slice of pie in the kitchen.
The coconut buttermilk pie sits alongside its brethren in the window.
All in all, a lot of thought, care, and hard work has gone into making West Oak Coffee Bar a reality. We're happy to welcome them into the neighborhood and already know it will be one of our new favorite stops in town. Make sure to stop by sometime and grab some Intelligentsia coffee and a slice of pie. Their hours are limited this week, so call or check their Facebook before stopping by, but soon enough the hours should change to Monday - Thursday: 6am to 11pm, Friday: 6am to 12am, Saturday: 7am to 12am, and Sunday: 7 am to 11pm.