Coffee News
Indie coffee shop offers cozy, creative alternative for Southlake
Southlake has a new place to get its coffee fix via Beanvoy Coffee Lounge, an indie coffee spot that opened near Southlake Town Square in June.
Beanvoy took over the spot at 2801 E. Southlake Blvd. that was previously occupied by Casual Living Patio & Fireside, an outdoor furniture store, where it's dishing up a full menu of coffee and espresso drinks, plus snacks.
Owners are Wenxin Wang, Ray Li, and Yanlin Qian. Wang and Li became acquainted when they were both volunteering for a Chinese organization, doing community service. That same sense of giving to the community is what fueled their interest in opening a coffee shop, Wang says.
"For us, it's about family, education, and community," he says. "It's not just making a cup of coffee but also to boost our community."
You can feel that when you visit the shop. They're genuinely hospitable, and approach what they do with great conscientiousness.
That said, the coffee part is important.
"We both have a lot of passion for coffee," he says. "Also, we felt like the Southlake area could use a good coffee shop that wasn't Starbucks."
Wang attended famed Texas Coffee School in Arlington to learn the ropes of starting your own shop. They're doing popular drinks such as cappuccinos but also putting their own twist.
"We're trying to offer some drinks that are unique," he says. "We do a cold brew brew coffee with special sea salt and caramel flavoring, and that is very popular. We do iced lattes, not only in coffee versions but also iced matcha, and we have boba teas."
For their espresso drinks, they've got the essential building blocks. "We have good beans, which you need, and a La Marzocco, which is considered the top espresso machine," he says.
They're also offering a few snacks from local purveyors such as coffee cake, and they make panini which were an unexpected last-minute addition.
"At the beginning, we really wanted to just focus on coffee, but we were making panini for ourselves," he says. "People would come in and say, 'I see you're doing panini,' and we wanted to accommodate them."
Their options include avocado pesto, veggie, turkey, ham, and chicken.
They added an outdoor patio as somewhat of an obligatory thing, but with the pandemic, it has proven to be a blessing for customers who want to linger into the afternoon.
Other seating options include a comfy corner with overstuffed chairs and a private conference room. Masks are a must.
They're open Monday-Friday 7:30 am-6 pm, and at 8 am on Saturdays.
"June was not the best time to open because of the coronavirus, but we have a lot of hope and plans for future," Wang says.
