Review: Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge, Fort Worth, Texas
When you think of Fort Worth, Texas, often cowboys, boots and cattle come to mind. It is where the West begins, but with its upscale urban center of Sundance Square, it is also home to Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge, a sleek and modern place to light up.
When you walk in, you feel like you are walking into a high-end restaurant, and that is by design. Owner Tom Cavinder said that was the look he wanted. He had the idea of a cigar lounge in Fort Worth for years, but even he was a bit taken aback when the Sundance Square developers came to him asking if he wanted to put one in the new building they were erecting. He jumped at the chance and now Silver Leaf has been in business for almost six years.
Manager Jake Kesteloot says there is an implied dress code, but in hot Texas summers patrons wear t-shirts and shorts. At night things get a bit more formal, but Kesteloot says “We are here for everybody. We have longnecks and draft beer, wines, Louis XIII Cognac, Caymus and Faust wines. We have everything from Jim Beam to the Macallan M.”
The humidor also has about what you’d expect with a wide range of cigars, including the popular Padrón core line (starting at $8.50) up to the Padrón 1964 and 1926 lines, which cost up $30. Others are Rocky Patel The Edge at $7.99, Ashton, La Flor Dominicana, La Aurora, Oliva, My Father, Liga Privada and Undercrown.
The Micallef brand is a big seller with eight different vitolas from $9 to $45. The reason for the strong Micallef showing is that Silver Leaf was where owner Al Micallef started his brand and the lounge serves as a de facto office for him. And being a Davidoff White Label account, the entire Davidoff range is available, including the very rare Davidoff Oro Blanco ($500 each).
The lounge also carries a complete line of accessories and lockers for 30 people. But because of its success and a waiting list of about 20, Silver Leaf is adding another 35 personal lockers. Cavinder says about 40 percent of his customers are women. Part of that may be the ventilation.
“My wife hates cigars and smoke. I need her to be able to come here so we paid extra for all this ventilation and filtration. We can turn it up and you won’t smell anything,” Cavinder says. There are even intake vents on the bar so smoke from the ashtrays doesn’t even make it into the air.
Seven televisions are scattered around for watching sports or whatever, but don’t expect a quiet night at Silver Leaf. Thursday through Saturday there is live music and usually the place is packed every night. But parking is never a problem because Silver Leaf validates valet parking in Sundance Square. Not only that but Sundance Square has its own security team that keeps it safe.
Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge
428 Commerce Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
(817) 887-9535
silverleafcigar.net
Open Sunday through Thursday: 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
