Old East Dallas gets a much-needed coffee shop from Urbano Cafe owners

The owners of Old East Dallas restaurant Urbano Cafe plan to open a casual coffee and lunch spot on Dec. 14, 2021.

2DD, located two doors down from the restaurant, will sell quiches, kolaches, sandwiches and pastas. Co-owners Kristen and Mitch Kauffman stopped selling lunch at Urbano Cafe during the pandemic, so the addition of the pesto chicken Caprese or roasted portabello mushroom sandwiches will likely be good news for regulars. Other lunch menu items include tomato basil soup and hearty dishes like fusilli with braised short rib and veal Bolognese.

Old East Dallas residents and shoppers are surely ready for a new coffee shop with 2DD, from...Old East Dallas residents and shoppers are surely ready for a new coffee shop with 2DD, from the owners of Urbano Cafe. There’s been an indie coffee boom in Dallas-Fort Worth for the past decade or so.

(Kevin Marple)

In the morning, 2DD will sell breakfast pastries, coffee, and a combo called the French Breakfast: cafe au lait, a baguette and berries. Muffins, croissants and the like come from Leila Bakery in East Dallas; baguettes come from Dallas company Village Baking Co.

It will be open 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

While Dallas has seen the debut of dozens of independent coffee shops over the past decade or so, 2DD opens in an area that is not over-served with espresso. Some of the closest options are Fiction Coffee on Ross Avenue, Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters in Expo Park, and Toasted, Houndstooth and La La Land on or near the Lowest Greenville area. There’s not a coffee shop in this pocket of Old East Dallas, on Fitzhugh Avenue between Ross and Live Oak.

But, this Old East Dallas neighborhood is certainly a destination spot among foodies. Urbano Cafe and 2DD’s neighbors are Jimmy’s Food Store, a long-beloved Italian grocery; Khao Noodle Shop, once called the No. 2 best new restaurant in America; and Mai’s, a Vietnamese restaurant.

Urbano Cafe has been open since 2009.

2DD is at 1412 N. Fitzhugh Ave., Dallas. It’s expected to open Dec. 14, 2021.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.