11 March 27 - april 2, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Wake Up and Hear the Beats DJs are transforming coffee shops. BY DESIREE GUTIERREZ W hen Guiliana Bernini, owner of The Berni Bean Coffee Shop, wants to dance, she doesn’t want to go to a club. She isn’t interested in flashy bottle service or get- ting drunk. She just wants to dance, have a good time and drink great coffee. Since November, she and a friend group – a healthy bunch whose club of choice is of the running variety – have longingly scrolled Tik- Tok videos of Los Angeles cafés transforming into daytime dance parties where cocktails are traded out for lattes and DJs spin beats with exhilarating vigor. Within a few months, Bernini brought the vision to Dallas. “Dallas is really craving these kinds of events and activities,” Bernini says. Berni Bean in Deep Ellum debuted Berni Beats, Dallas’ first monthly “coffee shop DJ kickback,” on Feb. 1 with a house music set by DJ José, with around 250 people joining in. “It was insane, like that turnout, I posted a TikTok and it went viral, and there were so many people that came,” Bernini says. The TikTok received 32,000 views, she says. Since then, Dallas coffee shop DJ sets have been in high demand, and DJs are happy to oblige. “Cafés are a great canvas for throwing events,” DJ Casie Farrell says, who fre- quents coffee shops daily, typically Hound- stooth on Henderson Avenue. Cafes with brick walls, low ceilings and textured exteri- ors are the perfect setting. Farrel hosted her first event, Coffee Shop Rave, which has long been a dream of hers, in February at Houndstooth on Sylvan Avenue. “Coffee shop parties have been popular in Europe,” Antonio Vargas, owner of bar- tending service StyleBender, said in an email. “Now, many major cities in the states are starting to curate their own. We wanted to jump in on the fun in our home in Dallas.” Vargas and DJ Alexander Chase are launching Breakfast Bender on March 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at La Reunion a breezy cafe and bar in the Bishop Arts District. The goal is to “gain daytime exposure for La Reunion and other Bishop Arts businesses through careful and inclusive curation,” he says. The event will feature a caffeinated cocktail menu and four Afrobeat sets from DJs Dusty, La Taina, Alex- ander Chase and Solsís. Alexander Chase played an energetic set at Sunday Sip Club, “a community, music and culture experience featuring coffee,” on March 9. According to the DJ’s March 8 Ins- tagram story, the sold-out event had 800+ RSVPs, some crowd-surfing and nonstop dancing. Like Vargas, Bernini aims to utilize Berni Beats to promote a “community-based life- style” that will contribute to Deep Ellum’s business economy. “I lived in New York before I lived here and Deep Ellum always reminzds me of Wil- liamsburg and Brooklyn and … I just hope people can come and see that, and I hope that it also drives more business to every- body else around here because it really is one of the places with the most character in Dallas,” Bernini says. Deep Ellum has struggled with a reputa- tion as a neighborhood with costly parking and crime, even though the Observer has de- bunked the parking issues. Bernini hopes the coffee shop DJ sets located in the heart of Deep Ellum (2820 Elm St.) will encourage more Dallasites to discover the neighborhood. “It does mean a lot to us when people ac- tually show up, and I hope that they’ll con- tinue to show up to the small businesses and support that,” she says. “And I hope that they [consumers] understand how much of a positive impact that has on us.” Bernini’s focus includes featuring local vendors, but one thing she won’t do is serve alcohol. A Healthy Dose of Clubbing “We’re not interested in adding alcohol,” Bernini says. “Our whole thing is we just want to create a community through music and through art and activate, hopefully, the Deep Ellum area and bring in people who are like-minded into one space.” The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Coffee shop day parties cast a wide net, si- multaneously tapping those who grew up at the peak of club culture but have outgrown the need for bottle service and a generation at the helm of the sober-curious movement. “This is a very approachable setting for ev- erybody,” Farrell says. Dallas has a thriving nightlife with plenty of college kids participating, Farrell says, but the shift away from alcohol indulgence is undeniable. “Dallas is so alcohol driven that it forgets that there are a good percentage of patrons who want alcohol-free alternatives and, most of the time, that option isn’t readily available at these bars and nightclubs,” DJ Stephen Carmona says. In April, Carmona is launching Labor of Love, a monthly residency every first Saturday of the month from 8 p.m. to mid- night featuring house disco and some R&B music at Wayward Coffee’s Design Dis- trict location. The growing trend has in- creased gig opportunities for DJs. De-centering alcohol is an additional perk, Carmona says. “It’s a joy to change it up and do the cof- fee shop thing because we get to play what we really love and are currently passionate about,” Carmona says. “We also don’t really have to worry about requests or people who may be too inebriated. The people who are attending the coffee shop gigs aren’t there to necessarily get messed up, they’re there to dance and have a good time around people they enjoy being around.” Bernini says that there’s ample space in Dallas for these types of events. “Coffee shops are small. We can’t host that many people. I’m happy to see other people do it and every DJ and every shop brings a different energy. It’s all about what you like and and just getting to see and experience dif- ferent places and different DJs, and then choosing what fits best for you,” she says. Here are other coffee shop DJ sets to catch: • Hyphen Space, The Boba Plug’s rebrand, launched Matcha Wave, a bi-weekly after- noon Saturday DJ set featuring R&B music. • Additional DFW coffee shop party orga- nizers include The Funhaüs, The Louder House Group and First Saturdays in Dallas, a monthly event “bringing good vibes, good mu- sic and good energy – without the negatives.” ▼ BEST ROOFTOPS THE VIEW FROM ABOVE HERE ARE 16 OF DALLAS’ BEST ROOFTOPS FOR DINNER AND DRINKS. BY HANK VAUGHN AND AAREN PRODY R umor has it that spring has finally ar- rived, and while it may only last a week or so here in North Texas, it’s time to start planning and taking advantage of this transitory clement weather by nosh- ing a bit over a cocktail or three while taking in the glorious views and sunsets that North Texas can offer from some of its finer roof- top patios and terraces. While no list can cover all the options avail- able for high-altitude al fresco dining, the fol- lowing compilation is a good start. Each has something to offer, including but not limited to amazing views, strong cocktails and great food — and on a good night, all three. Catbird 1401 Elm St. (Downtown) Perched on the rooftop of The Thompson Hotel, Catbird is an Asian-inspired spot with wraparound outdoor seating, complete with several comfy couches and gas-powered fire pits for those evenings when the temperature dips a bit. On the weekends, a DJ sets up on this balcony where you can feast on some re- ally good Texas beef bao buns, grilled octopus tacos or some nicely roasted Brussels sprouts. This place has a dress code, so don’t show up in your flip-flops and tank tops. But if you take the trouble to put on a decent pair of pants, you’ll be rewarded with great views and even better food and drink. Be sure to check out Catbird’s spin on classic cocktails such as the Manhattan or Collins.(Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 5–11 p.m.; Friday – Satur- day, 5 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.) Culinary Dropout 150 Turtle Creek Blvd. Culinary Dropout is one of Dallas’ newer rooftop bars in the Design District. It’s a British-style gastropub with quirky decor and comfort foods like Yesterday’s Soup, a shaved prime rib dip and crispy chicken katsu. Happy hour is Monday – Friday from 2-5 p.m. on the rooftop only and features a roster of discounted finger food, Long After- noon Iced Teas, frozen creations and sushi. (Hours: Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. – midnight; Saturday, 10 a.m. - midnight; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.) Mirador 1608 Elm St. Mirador, atop the luxury department store Forty-Five Ten, is a sophisticated rooftop bar in Dallas for drinks, brunch, lunch or af- ternoon tea. It runs a seasonal menu with leveled-up classics like salads, burgers and sandwiches served among a lobster roll, whipped ricotta and crispy chicken bites (which could be a fancy way to say chicken tenders). The best views are from the out- door patio, so make sure you’re going in good weather. Not too hot. Not too cold. All you’ll need is a light jacket. (Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sunday/Monday, closed.) The Gallery Lounge 1325 Botham Jean Blvd. The Gallery Lounge on top of the CANVAS Hotel is a retro-industrial bar with an infin- ity pool, fire pits and a nice northeastern view of the Dallas skyline. The menu sticks to traditional American foods like flatbreads, salads, wings and burgers, as does the cock- tail list with all the staples like old fashions and the Leave Me The Espolon (Espolon te- quila, triple sec, lemon juice, pineapple pu- ree, soda and Tajin rim). Take a dip in Beyond Productions DJ Alexander Chase hosted Sunday Sip Club. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish >> p12
