A New Natural Wine Bar and Coffee Shop Opens in the Old Violet Crown Clubhouse Space

A new haven for wine lovers has arrived in the Crestview neighborhood. The Violet Crown, found in a space formerly occupied by Violet Crown Clubhouse, opened at 7100 Woodrow Avenue in the Crestview Center on Saturday, May, 6.

Violet Crown pulls triple duties as a coffee shop, natural wine bar, and bottle shop. Its caffeinated options include drip coffees, cold brews, espressos, cordatos, and cafe au laits along with chai and lavender matcha lattes. In the mornings, patrons can expect pastries like cinnamon rolls, croissants, muffins, and kolaches, with Andy K’s doughnuts on the weekends.

During the evenings, Violet Crown offers roughly 20 different wines by the glass. Choices for bubbles include pet-nats; options for whites range from chardonnay to sauvignon blanc, to garganega; pinot noir, grenache, and merlot are among the varietals for reds; and there is a selection of rosé and orange wines, as well as two ciders. Customers can drink additional wines found in the bottle shop for a $12 corkage fee. The food menu for nights has a range of snacks like olives, tinned fish, marcona almonds, and charcuterie board and cheese boards. There are three dessert options: Basque burnt cheesecake, cookies from Texas French Bread, and affogato.

Candace Wong of Austin-based firm CWA+D and Heather Pogue of Seattle-based firm Jeunesse Architects were hired to remodel the building. The interior space features green paint and tiling along the bar and wood fixtures throughout the store.

The bar is co-owned by husbands Grant Richardson and Chris Nagelhout and it is their first hospitality venture, although they do have experience in food and beverage. Nagelhout is the co-owner of Crisp Farms, an indoor organic lettuce and microgreens farm located in Smithville. Richardson is the owner of Pangea Selections, an Austin-based wine-importing company.

According to a press release, Richardson and Nagelhout chose the name Violet Crown as an homage to the former Violet Crown Clubhouse and to the historical neighborhood it once occupied, since the original deeds to these properties read “Violet Crown Heights.” Its logo features a flying pig, which is a nod to Domino, a pig that was a part of the petting zoo at the inaugural Violet Crown Festival in 2003. Domino escaped from his pen but was eventually found some months later. After he was returned to his rightful owners, the rascal escaped again. To this day, Domino remains somewhat of a mascot for the neighborhood.

Violet Crown Clubhouse closed in January. According to an Instagram post, Clubhouse’s owners retained some investment in the new bar and “hope to be active participants in its success.”

The Violet Crown’s hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Violet Crown.