my least favorite DFW coffee shops

bad feelings are a brewin'

These places left a bad taste in my mouth and I won’t be going back; but if you live in DFW, I highly recommend trying these places for yourself (except the place at the end. yuck.) Some of them also have alternative locations, so I put which location I had a negative experience at. I do believe in grace, and they are small businesses so they deserve a chance to grow and improve. Leave a comment if you think any of these places have improved recently!

Collective Coffee (McKinney)

There are so many coffee shops in Downtown McKinney that when this shop inevitably shuts down, no one will miss it. Plagued by poor treatment of their employees, review bombing, and a space that is way too big for them, I fear that this shop won’t see the end of the year. Rumors abound on the Square about the owners, investors, and general business plan that are highly unfavorable. It is this author’s wish that Collective changes its ways and turns around, but as of right now (May 2025) that is highly unlikely, which is a shame as their baristas were friendly, the space was beautiful, and their annual fall Coffee Crawl drink was phenomenal (butternut squash latte. yum!!) I doubt this place will do the hokey pokey and turn itself around - but one can hope.

One butternut squash seasonal latte out of five.

Lemma Coffee (Plano)

If I were ranking this place solely on their sandwiches, I’d give them five out of five stars. As they are a primarily a coffeehouse, I have to factor in my criteria for a good coffee shop. Besides another shop on this list, this one had the worst service by far. I’ve had more than one snotty barista at this place cop an attitude as I walked up to the counter. One time, they made my drink wrong and I asked (very politely!!) for them to remake my drink, and they started to refuse. I gently insisted that I ordered oat milk and it tasted like cows milk, and they reluctantly remade my drink, but not without a nasty attitude and an eye roll. I’ve worked in coffee and retail, and if someone asks their drink to get remade…you remake it. Because of this, I only go here if 1418 is so packed I can’t sit down. They also only have uncomfortable industrial seating and no cushions, so scoliosis plagued customers such as myself have a hard time sitting around for the long haul. I recommend walking in, ordering a sandwich, and sitting outside, but then walk to 1418 to lock into whatever project you’re carrying on your laptop.

Two ham and egg sandwiches out of five.

Mudleaf Coffee (Plano)

If Mudleaf has no haters, I am dead. I’ve been to this shop twice and got some of the worst customer service in a restaurant I have ever seen. The first time I went in the baristas were super rude and started laughing at me behind the counter, and both times the coffee was so awful I took two sips and threw it away. I reallllllly hope this place has changed, and if they have different locations, maybe go to those. Try it for yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!!

Zero out of five judgmental barista stares.

And finally…last and very least…Toasted Coffee (Dallas)

Ah yes, the infamous coffee shop known for the Dallas Vietnamese Coffee Scandal of 2021. TLDR: Food blogger Melody Vo ordered the “Vietnamese coffee”, only to realize that the drink was a pathetic mixture of cold brew and condensed milk. Confused, she asked the barista about the recipe, only to be told that the way they made the drink was “the way they made it in Vietnam”. A huge online scuffle ensued (which included the owner making threats, read here if you want all the messy tea), and I haven’t heard anything about them since. On my part, when I visited (long before their social media hiccup) I ordered a coffee that had coffee grounds all on the bottom (yucky!!). Their menu was not tasty or large enough to warrant the price tag. I have not gone back, and probably never will. If the ownership has changed, it might be worth a try (but I’m not gonna bother).

Zero condensed milk cans out of five.