Coffee at 9am, cocktails at 9pm: Plot Twist brings a new "third place" to Plaza Midwood
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Plot Twist will open April 21 at 7am. To start, it'll serve coffee only with cocktails to follow in early May. Photo: McKenzie Rankin/Axios
Plot Twist, a woman-owned coffee and cocktail bar, opens April 21 at 7am in Plaza Midwood.
Why it matters: Co-owner Nikki Velazquez describes it as a true "third place," the kind of spot where you can move from morning coffee and co-working to evening drinks without changing locations.
State of play: To start, Plot Twist will serve only coffee. Its cocktail menu will debut in early May.
What to expect: Velazquez describes the space as "somewhere you'd go debrief with your cool older sister."
- Located inside a former auto shop, the 1,627-square-foot interior seats 50, with room for around 90 total once the patio opens later this summer.
- "We built a bar to spill the tea," Velazquez tells me — and she means it literally. Two vintage rotary phones sit inside the space, where guests can pick up and record anonymous confessionals. The team plans to turn them into a social series.
Sip on this: The menu revolves around eight house-made syrups that customers can mix and match across coffee, cocktails, mocktails and dirty sodas.
Flavor profiles include: Ube coconut, mountain berry, Thai tea, lavender vanilla, matcha banana pudding, brown sugar cardamom, chai and espresso martini.
What they're saying: The idea is to remove the "veto vote," so every group can find something that works, whether that's coffee at night, a cocktail at noon, or something in between, says Velazquez.
Yes, and: Plot Twist will offer a small beer and wine list and light snacks like nuts and pretzels.
- There's no kitchen, but guests can expect rotating pop-ups with local vendors.
The vibe: Soft, warm and feminine while keeping its industrial roots, including open ceilings and concrete floors. Velazquez calls it "effortlessly cool without being pretentious."
Zoom out: Plot Twist joins Trope Bookshop and Wiloe Home & Gift nearby, creating a small, women-owned cluster just off Central Avenue.
Stop by: 1518 Lyon Ct.
- To start, hours are Tuesday-Friday 7am-4pm and Saturday-Sunday 8am-4pm.
- Following the launch of the cocktail program, they'll extend to Tuesday-Thursday 7am-10pm, Friday 7am-11pm, Saturday 8am-11pm and Sunday 8am-9pm.