evocation micro coffee roastery amarillo texas cafe sprudge

Thereโ€™s a coffee arms race brewing in Amarillo, Texas. Last summer, we reported on the split between Palace Coffee Company and their longtime roaster Evocation Micro-Coffee Roastery, a once symbiotic relationship that catapulted both entities to barista competition success and national renown. Since the great schism (in actuality, it was an amicable parting; the histrionics are for Texas-sizeย effect), the increase in high-quality cafes is nearing prolific proportions, a veritable cold war of hot beverages. The most recent shot across the bow comes from Evocation, whose brand new retail-only space manages to fall squarely within what you would expect from owners Roman and Amy Leal while still feeling like something completely new to the Panhandle coffee scene.

Only a mere three miles southwest of the original roastery location, the new Evocation is an organic extension of it, a more mature version of its predecessor. Itโ€™s what the original space wanted to be but didnโ€™t quite have the bone structure for. Both cafes share a minimalist aesthetic and reserved color palate of whites and light woods, but the new West Amarillo shop far exceeds the original in its execution.

evocation micro coffee roastery amarillo texas cafe sprudge

โ€œThe simplicity is an homage to our old location. When we first opened our roastery-cafe, we did it on a tight budget and the space was extremely simple and almost spartan out of necessity,โ€ Roman Leal told me. โ€œThat clean, minimalist look came to define Evocation and we wanted to bring the same feeling to [the Western Amarillo location].โ€

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The Leals worked with local architect Charles Lynch to help create that refined simplicity for their new location. Their choice in furniture and light fixtures impartย a light mid-century modern feel, an often geometrically-driven aesthetic that allowed for the seamless inclusion of a few small accents borrowed directly from the shapes and colors of Evocationโ€™s retail coffee bags. The addition of a dozen or so succulents from Chaparral Cactus and Succulents add a touch of warmth to the thoughtful build-out, lending to a space that is clean without feeling sterile.

evocation micro coffee roastery amarillo texas cafe sprudge

evocation micro coffee roastery amarillo texas cafe sprudge

This ethos of well-executed simplicity permeates all aspects of the shop. Whereas the previous location offered a variety of pour-over methods, the West Amarillo Evocation only has oneโ€”Kalita Waveโ€”which gets paired with a black Mahlkรถnig EK 43 grinder, matte black Staggย kettles, and white Acaia Pearl scales. The espresso setup is almost as equally understated, employingย a custom-painted two-group La Marzocco Linea Classicโ€”the only funky departure from the aestheticโ€”and a single black Mahlkรถnig K30 Air.

The menu is equally refined. The majority of the drink offerings fall under one of two headings: โ€œcoffeeโ€ and โ€œlatteโ€, the latter of which is shorthand for any milk-based drink. There are a few teas and seasonal drinks, but the point of most interest on the menu is the food, or rather, that there is a food menu at all. Now, most international readers are probably saying to themselves, โ€œSo what?โ€ Good food in cafes is almost mandatory! But here in the States, the instances of high-quality menus in coffee shops are few and far between. Romanย Leal tells meย they looked to a few of these American outliersโ€”Go Get Em Tigerย and Blue Bottle, in particularโ€”when contemplating Evocationโ€™s streamlined menu. โ€œI love the way that they do food. Simple menus with excellent and unique food items.โ€

evocation micro coffee roastery amarillo texas cafe sprudge

evocation micro coffee roastery amarillo texas cafe sprudge

Gone are the obligatory and generally underwhelming scones and muffins wallflowering their way alongย an otherwise open countertop. Instead, Evocation has two offerings: toast and waffles. The bread for the toast is made by nearby Scratch Made Bakery and Cafeย and is served with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk. The waffles are made in-house and come with a variety of spread options. Small, simple, but well done.

The thoughtfulness of the new Evocation comes as no surprise to anyone who knows the Leals body of work, but perhaps it should. Both at age 24, Roman and Amy Leal are mere babes still; babes who got their first (long overdue)ย write-up at Sprudge just over two years ago. Yet their cafes present as something far beyond their years, the West Amarillo location in particular. Perhaps the Leals are just old souls, or maybe itโ€™s their industry tenure outshining their years orbiting the sun that makes Evocationโ€™s cafes work. But whatever it is, they are going to need it. With an equally experienced frenemy in Patrick Burns at Palace, the race for Amarillo coffee dominance is afoot, and itโ€™s neck and neck.

Evocation Micro-Coffee Roastery is located atย 3300 South Coulter Street,ย Suite 5, Amarillo, Texas. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook,ย Twitter, and Instagram.

Zac Cadwalader is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in Dallas, Texas. Read moreย Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

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