BUDGET REVIEW: The Pearl Cup on Henderson

Posted on Oct 5, 2010 in Featured

THE PEARL CUP

(Visited on September 24, 2010)

When I asked my Twitter followers which coffee house in Dallas I should go spend a few hours in, the one that recieved the most suggestions was The Pearl Cup on Henderson. I’ve seen The Pearl Cup many a time (mainly from the porch of Barcadia across the street) but I had never actually been inside. So at the suggestion of @bigjondaniel, @OverlyEnthused, and @VeeLaShae, I decided to give it a shot.

The Pearl Cup is a trendy urban coffee shop on Henderson in East Dallas. It looks and feels like hip Dallas: Mac, not PC. Urban Outfitters, not Old Navy. Audi or Jetta, not Camry or Accord. With its urban-modern decor and young clientele, the shop seems what it would be like if a Sprinkles Cupcake and an iPod had a coffee shop baby. And what a good looking and cool baby it was.

The People

Upon entering I found a seat at a shiny steel table and looked around. It being 11am on a Friday, I was surprised at how many people were there (about 20). The first thing I noticed about the people was their age. There wasn’t a person over 35. SMU students, young professionals, and young urbans filled the room. Myself being 27, I immediately felt right at home, as if this is where I should be. I also noticed (strange observation, but significant nonetheless) that there were absolutely no collars. Every guy (including myself) was wearing a t-shirt, and every girl had either the same or a casual top. Additionally, with the exception of 2 people, everyone was there alone. Everyone in the young crowd was either tweeting, blogging, reading, Facebooking, or studying. It was immediately clear that The Pearl Cup was the place to be: A trendy coffee shop where local urbanites can be seen (or be alone) rather than to see others; a  Henderson hangout that feels cool and, actually, is cool.

The Menu

Since nothing at Sprinkles or Apple is inexpensive (but I love both of them anyway), my thoughts echoed the Tweet that @PopMusicGrl sent me: “What is on a budget at The Pearl Cup?” Good question, I mused. But you can do The Pearl Cup on a budget, if you do it right.

The drink selection was reminiscent of the shop itself: Unique, eclectic, and items every young urban enjoys. There’s a little bit of something for everyone, no matter what your preferences are: Drip Coffee ($1.85) or French Press ($4.50), Hot Chocolate ($3.25) or Hot Tea ($2.45), Italian Cappuccino ($3.15) or Italian Soda ($3.25). And there’s food too in case you’re hungry, with items you would normally expect: Fruit Cup ($5.95), Yogurt Parfait ($6.35), and muffins or cookies. But somewhat of a suprise were items you won’t see at a Starbucks: Hummus with pita bread ($7.95), and freshly made Paninis of all types (6.95).

As far as the drinks are concerned, they’re just about 10-20 cents more expensive than Starbucks. I ordered a large Americano ($2.65… normally $2.50 at Starbucks for a medium) and was pleasantly surprised at its quality. I found the quality of the expresso beans to be superior to that of Starbucks, and tastier too. They were perfectly roasted it didn’t have that classic Starbucks slightly-burned flavor.

I was a bit hungry as well, but I didn’t want to cough up 6 bucks for a fruit cup. So instead I ordered the “Breakfast Panini” and was also suprised by it as well. It fit perfectly with the Americano I was sipping. The Panini was a unique cinnamon-raisin sandwich filled peanut butter, banana, and honey, and pressed on a grill to give it a warm crunch. It was served with fresh strawberries on the side, and it hit the spot. Big enough to fill me up for a few hours, and small enough to not be a meal. And at $4.95 for the whole thing, I was a happy camper.

The Experience

After finishing my coffee and Panini at my table, I opened up my MacBook to do a little work and stayed at The Pearl Cup for about 4 hours. And what I loved was that you never felt pressured to leave, pressured to buy, or pressured to do anything other than what you want to do while you are there. There was soft music playing in the shop, ranging from indie rock to Texas blues, and the volume was never too loud or too distracting. They have free WiFi, and its good WiFi: it never lagged, dropped, or asked me to sign up for anything. There’s free local magazines and newspapers to read, board games to play, and bar seating or comfy chairs if you don’t enjoy tables. The lighting was perfect (not too dark, not too bright), and it is a great place to spend a few hours just comfortably being yourself and doing whatever you want to do. I wasn’t bothered, the staff was friendly and helpful, and they seem to welcome a customer coming to enjoy The Pearl Cup for hours upon end, if that is what you want to do. There’s also a great outdoor patio overlooking Henderson with tables and chairs for those perfect weather days.

All in all, The Pearl Cup was a great experience. It’s easy to spend $14 on a coffee drink and Panini, but there are other options for the person on a budget (like myself). And with my final tab being $7.25 for some of the best Americano and one helluva breakfast, along with free WiFi and 4 hours of uninterrupted relaxing work, The Pearl Cup is truely a cool coffee shop to go to if you are in Dallas On A Budget. I’ll definately be returning soon.