Kava craze: What it is & where to try it in DFW
Kava has been around for centuries, but it’s recently rising in popularity in the U.S. Here are five places to grab some in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Are you the type of person who likes to unwind with a stiff drink or a mug of warm tea? Both are solid choices, but a third option is now rising in popularity: kava.
Kava is a traditional drink from the Pacific Islands made from the root of the Piper methysticum. It’s been used as a drink to treat anxiety and stress and help people sleep. It’s also becoming a trendy recreational drink—with kava bars popping up across the U.S. and right here in North Texas.
Be careful, though. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says there are some severe cases of liver injury linked to kava, as well as side effects of digestive upset, headache, dizziness, and others.
With that said, kava is a legal dietary supplement, and it’s being offered in many drinks at local kava bars. If you want to try it out to see what all the buzz is about, there are plenty of places to do so in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Kava lounges are places to relax, meet with others, and enjoy a night out—without alcohol. (In fact, kava is not recommended to mix with alcohol, ever.) These lounges are places to help you let off steam in a healthier way, and you’ll love the cool, welcoming vibe. Check out a few places to try kava right here in DFW.
1. The Kava Bar
Locations: 109 Industrial Street, Denton
14856 Preston Road #212, Dallas
337 West Jefferson Boulevard, Dallas
5714 Locke Avenue, Fort Worth
With a cozy, calming aesthetic complete with laidback lighting and a community spirit, the Kava Bar is going to be your new favorite after-work hangout. Their menu includes traditional kava, flavored ginger beer, specialty drinks you can add shots of kava to, and juices and milks to build your own kava drinks.
Of course, you can come for the vibes and order coffee, loose tea, or one of the fruity delights on the menu without adding kava. (With names like Pineapple Dream, Lucky Lemonade, Ocean Breeze, and Berry Pound Cake, you’ll want to come back to try them all!)
2. The Fool’s Kava House
Location: 200 North Mesquite Street #119, Arlington
Billed as a “sober social community,” The Fool’s Kava House offers a gathering place to hang out, drink kava, and enjoy a “soothing and uplifting experience.” This is the first woman and queer-owned kava bar in Texas, a place where you can get high-quality kava, tonics, chai, matcha, and coffee—until 2 am every day. Because you shouldn’t have to go to a bar just to meet people, right? Plus, you can even bring your dog!
This kava house also has weekly trivia nights, karaoke, and drink specials. Start with a specialty drink, such as a Lovers botanical with lemonade, strawberry, and mango flavors; an Ace of Swords botanical with espresso, vanilla, and cream; or a Blue Moon botanical with honey lemonade, blueberry, and lavender. Then add kava extract to upgrade your drink.
Can’t decide? Order a flight of four specialty drinks to discover your new favorite. The kava house also serves tonics, sodas, and energy drinks.
3. Frisco Kava Bar
Location: 7151 Preston Road #111A, Frisco
Inspired by the island life itself, the Frisco Kava Bar is decorated with lighted palm trees and tiki birds, turning it into a paradise. Order a Kava-lada, which is a housemade mix of kava that comes in multiple flavors, including mango, strawberry, peppermint bark, caramel, and many more.
There are also plenty of mocktails and drinks made with kratom—another loose-leaf drink from Southeast Asia used to treat anxiety.
4. Kava Culture Kava Bar
Locations: 3529 Heritage Trace Parkway #155, Fort Worth
191 West Main Street, Lewisville
7511 Main Street #250, Frisco
With several locations throughout the metroplex, Kava Culture Kava Bar serves a variety of botanical drinks with your choice of juices, flavors, plant-based milk and cream, and add-ons. You can also order coffee, tea, and drink flights.
Grab a drink to go or stay and enjoy the chill vibe, with live music, trivia nights, and hangouts with other people who also want an alcohol-free night out.
5. McKinney Leaf Café
Location: 405 North McDonald Street
Part café, part kava lounge, the McKinney Leaf Café has something for everyone. They make their kava in-house, processing the kava root juice by hand to preserve the natural calming compounds.
The Leaf Café offers kava mocktails in fruity and delicious flavors, but you can also go straight for the source with kava shots. Create your own drinks with kava base, then choose your favorite flavor, and add milk and cream to customize it for your own needs.
With smoothies, shakes, coffee, refreshers, tea, and lemonade also on the menu, it’s not hard to find something to fit your mood.
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