Funny Library Is A Boozy and Instagrammable Coffee Shop Inside the Virgin Hotel

Funny Library Coffee Shop, inside the Virgin Hotel, is a distinctive yet friendly coffeehouse with a wink of cheekiness. This Design District venue is described as a communal worker’s dream spot or a can't miss coffee counter experience due to its urban, contemporary aesthetic and its ethos of both work and play. In layman's terms, it's totally Instagrammable, which was a justifiable enough excuse for us to stop in and check things out.
The shop is flanked by the hotel lobby on one side and the restaurant Commons Club on the other. It still feels very intimate, though, almost like a nook in someone’s home or a members-only club, but without the dues. The magnetic atmosphere from the original, contemporary design, wall of whimsical reads and styled nooks that can fuel any imagination are what sparks most visits to this coffee shop.

What you’ll see upon entering is a long wooden table with a feathered chandelier looming above it. Behind it are interesting coffee table-style books on eclectic topics. Hidden Treasures of Antiquities, Masterpieces of Art, The Star Wars Archives and 31 Subway Drawings by Keith Haring can easily sweep you away for a few hours if you come for leisure.

Velvet seating and varying patterns across the walls and floor fill in the shop's warm wooden frame. At first glance, it gives the shop an upscale and ostentatious appeal, but the details are what brings its whimsical and approachable angle.

There’s a massive comic book mural bridging two cities, Dallas and London, that includes Her Majesty The Queen riding a bucking horse, a King’s Guard sipping from an XL Whataburger cup and Big Tex sporting the Union Jack flag. Just to the right of that is a pair of hands solving a Rubik's cube extending bluntly out of the wall.
The succinct menu offers all the classic styles of coffee, beginning with drip to cappuccinos and Americanos using La Colombe beans. Each can be customized with three non-dairy milk options; oat, almond and soy, as well as caramel, vanilla, sugar-free vanilla and hazelnut-flavored syrups.

What distinguishes the menu is the “boozify your cuppa” section where Bailey’s, Frangelico, Jameson, Amaretto or Hennesy XO can be added to spike your coffee order. It's a rite of passage for most after a night of revelry at the hotel’s fourth-floor Pool Club.

For a more zen morning try something from the J'enwey Tea Company: black, Japanese sencha, Lady Blue, Earl Grey, bourbon vanilla rooibos, citrus chamomile, spiced chai and chai latte are a steep away.
Croissants with or without chocolate are mainstays of the baked goods menu, along with a handful of seasonal pastries on rotation. Currently available are pumpkin-spiced zucchini and spiced pepita muffins, cajun pumpkin andouille scones, espresso pumpkin cheesecake stuffed banana bread and a peanut butter toffee nut cookie. Savory options can be ordered from the bar bites and brunch menus from Commons Club next door, to be ordered and devoured from your workspace.

Our visit was sweetened with the espresso pumpkin cheesecake stuffed banana bread and a hot oat milk latte. The banana bread was an interesting twist on typical banana bread. Not too sweet, and it hit all the marks for a typical seasonal treat. The classic and seasonal blends from La Colombe Coffee, a third-wave coffee pioneer, rendered a rich brew for our work sesh.

The biggest hurdle to a visit is the parking situation — or lack thereof. The hotel has a paid lot next door for $10, which is almost double the cost of a coffee without the frills. You’re better off saving that and trying to snag a spot off Turtle Creek Boulevard next to Commons Club for free. However, it seems you need a stroke of luck for one of roughly five spots to be open. Timing is key for your boozy coffee.

Funny Library Coffee Shop, 1445 Turtle Creek Blvd. (inside The Virgin Hotel). Daily, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.