Three Rivers Coffee Co + Wine Lounge
A cold butterbeer. A warm vanilla latte. A fresh slice of pumpkin cream cheese bread. There’s no better place in Joshua to enjoy any of these than Three Rivers Coffee Co + Wine Lounge. Walking in and glancing around, the hanging plants and woodsy bohemian style of decorating catches the eye. At the front counter is the local mocha girl waiting to kindly take an order. Heading towards the back, there’s a dimly lit room lavished with velvety couches, cushioned chairs, spacious tables, and neon signs. Against the painted wall is a wine bar that contains wines known for their elegance and rich flavors. Lounging on one of the couches with a study group and laptop complete with the Alaskan Special is the perfect way to ace a midterm. The menu contains fun different coffee flavors like Reese’s, praline, and snickerdoodle, as well as teas, smoothies, and baked goods. The shop opens at 7:00 AM on weekdays and stopping by on the way to school or work to buy coffees to enjoy with friends is an exemplary way to start the day.
According to employee Mabry Vest, the best drink on the menu is the seasonal Scarecrow drink that steals the spotlight once fall comes along. She thinks the most appetizing food item on the menu is the fig and goat cheese avocado toast. What Vest believes makes Three Rivers Coffee truly one of a kind is that “the drinks are inspired by Alaskan drinks.” Another unique feature of this coffee shop is that the owners, along with Vest’s contribution, created all of the art in the venue themselves. Three Rivers opened about three years ago in Joshua and has given the community’s coffee enthusiasts a place to enjoy a warm mug in “an atmosphere that feels like home.”
Oh…Wine Knot
Oh…Wine Knot is a fun, whimsical bar that first opened its doors in March of 2024. Comfort and cheerfulness are what people feel upon entrance to the charming, photo worthy venue that has outdoor and indoor seating, weekly live music, occasional dwarf wrestling, and a staff that makes everyone feel right at home. Upstairs is an area to relax and enjoy any order from the palatable menu. Though the menu hosts several adult beverages, some delectable non-alcoholic beverages are also available like different mocktails and teas. Drinks aren’t all that’s on the menu though, there are also numerous food options including appetizers, chicken options, salads, soups, sides and desserts. There’s also a BBQ menu, charcuterie boards, wraps and more. With the setting’s enjoyable atmosphere and diverse menu, it’s the quintessential place for a weekend with friends or even a weeknight study/work session.
The goal of owner, Heather Boyd, in opening Oh…Wine Knot was to, “create an environment welcoming to women” that is close to home. By doing this, more people could enjoy their time locally instead of spending their nights out in Fort Worth or Dallas. Boyd’s favorite seller is the charcuterie boards because they’re really pretty and diverse, containing a variety of flavors. Since opening March 30, 2024, they have already hosted numerous events like baby and bridal showers and will host more in the future. Through doing fun events, Boyd fulfills her goal of making an “atmosphere where people make memories.” In Oh…Wine Knot people feel welcome, comfortable, and overall intrigued by the place’s unique allure.
Charrito’s Aguas Frescas Ceviche Y Chucherias
Charrito’s Aguas Frescas Ceviche Y Chucherias is the most authentic Hispanic snack bar in Joshua. The menu consists of various refreshments called aguas frescas, different kinds of ceviche, candies, and more treats like conchas and pan dulce. From the colorful hanging banners to the pictures of Aztec warriors and Mexican singers, it is evident that the shop makes the most genuine of Mexican snacks and drinks. The staff, usually the owner, remembers her customers after only the first visit and checks on how they are doing the next time they order. While stopping by to get a quick drink is always nice there, Charrito’s can go above and beyond that. Another of their services is catering. Whether it’s for parties, work events, or any other event, it’s the best caterer to have serving guests.
When asked what it was like when owner, Santiago Muñoz, first opened Charrito’s in August of 2023 he revealed that it was a little overwhelming at first, “like waiting until the last day to do a big school project,” but they were a success from the beginning. He said that the support they received was “more than expected,” making the risk worth taking. According to Muñoz the best menu items, separated in two categories, food and aguas frescas, are elote, ceviche, and pink dragon fruit soursop. What makes Charrito’s unique from other Mexican snack shops is that they have over 200 aguas frescas recipes which they rotate every day to add a “fun, surprise factor,” for their connoisseurs. They also prepare all of their snacks from scratch. Muñoz said that he doesn’t “expect people to feel any certain way when they first come in, since they may be coming in with stress, but they should leave joyful and refreshed.” He also likes to be generous, giving out free drinks with whatever is left over at the end of the night. In his words, his family likes to “bless so [they] can get blessed.” Muñoz revealed what his biggest inspiration for starting this family business was, his 8-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. A family business at heart, Charrito’s is an exquisite snack bar for town wide indulgence.
UniverseTea
With an amusing bubbly environment, local boba and Japanese ramen shop UniverseTea is a great place to go to with friends and family. There are food and drinks enjoyable for all ages. On the boba menu, there are options of Universals, Milky Teas, Slushes, Refreshers, and Hot Drinks, as well as add-ons like different bobas, jellies, and Oreos. As diverse as the menu is, there is something for everyone, every season of the year. On the food menu, there are different types of ramen like chicken misu, shio, creamy vegan and appetizers which include gyoza and edamame. The venue has a beautiful mural on the wall, couches to relax on while enjoying any order, and potted plants to complete a natural-feeling atmosphere.
Victoriano Parilla, owner of UniverseTea, said that his inspiration for starting the boba shop was that he owned businesses while living in the Philippines and wanted to start one in America as well. Not knowing what to start, he didn’t open one until his children were teenagers. Having busy careers, Parilla and his wife couldn’t always spend time with their children but had family time while going out to get boba which his teens loved. “We would play the board games and spend time together,” he said, talking about his memories from before he opened his own shop. He wanted to provide the same sense of familial community to the citizens of Joshua and Keene (where he owns another UniverseTea shop). The best boba drink on the menu, in Parilla’s opinion, is the Thai Milky Tea, with the Mango Passion Fruit Slush as a close runner up. His favorite ramen is the Shio ramen. When people are there, Parilla wants them to feel like it’s a safe space for them, where people can hang out and have a good time together, which was the inspiration for his company motto “Brewing Communitea”. This is a unique business in Joshua because “there’s not really any Asian representation in Joshua,” according to Parilla, except for UniverseTea, making it a new experience in the Joshua community.
CW’s Authentic Tex-Mex Cuisine
Southern charm is the best description of what CW’s Authentic Tex-Mex Cuisine has. This 4.5-star restaurant has walls covered halfway with metal panels separated from the blue paint by wooden lining. Hanging lights and potted plants also add to the restaurant’s allure. The breakfast menu consists of morning beverages like juice and coffee as well as regular breakfast foods and entrees. But what makes CW’s breakfast menu different from others is the flavorful traditional Mexican foods like chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, and chorizo and eggs. Appetizers, burgers and Tex-Mex Favorites on the lunch and dinner menus never fail to impress. The homelike atmosphere of the restaurant and kind diligent staff give the guests a top-notch experience like no other.
Upon an insightful and heartwarming interview with CW’s owner Wayne Lemkelde, he told of how CW’s originated. First opening, the restaurant began as a food truck, later becoming a building called “Funtime Cafe.” It was a scary venture starting his own business, but as he put it “The community came together to keep [them] running,” which made the risk well worth it. He revealed his inspiration for starting this family business, which was that he “wanted to share his experience in cooking with people.” A desire to share his gift that he honed to perfection by whipping up food in the kitchen with his grandmother was one of the larger reasons he started CW’s. He also wanted to introduce his children to the world of business so that they could learn the secrets to success. Another reason was because of the community that food provided. “We would have home cookouts and invite the neighbors to enjoy,” he said, which paints a picture of the “home atmosphere” he wanted to give his place. In CW’s, Lemkelde wants everyone to feel like family by being treated with friendliness and care by his lovely staff. He also wants his customers to know there’s a “wow factor” to his food, that what they order is prepared in the same delicious way every time they order it. His best seller and personal favorite, the chicken enchiladas with sour cream, are an exemplary example of this. Lemkelde added at the end of the interview that he is honored to be a business in Joshua providing food for such a close community.
