Cuddled up on the couch after tucking in their kids, bar owners Amos and Kristen McPherson regularly settled in for a quiet evening watching an episode of the beloved ’90s sitcom Friends. Those late nights spent watching the characters gather over coffee at Central Perk would one day inspire Marcel’s On Grove, a downtown speakeasy hidden behind a secret door inside the bar Old Kress Live.
After experiencing a speakeasy inspired by the movie The Shining, the McPhersons and cofounder Casey Landry realized that their own secret hideaway could be anything and didn’t have to adhere to 1920s style.
From Monica and Rachel’s apartment door to the iconic coffee house couch, Marcel’s On Grove blends nostalgia and themed design elements, making it a perfect place for fans and non-fans alike to enjoy a few cocktails and hang out with their closest friends.
The cozy atmosphere—with coffee mugs, dishes and plates replicated from the show, using mostly passed-down furniture to recreate Central Perk—helped build a space that felt authentic.
“If you’ve never seen ‘Friends’ in your whole life, and walk in here, this is just a fun speakeasy,” Amos said. “The idea that it’s a room completely walled off with no windows and no access holds true to that speakeasy vibe, where it’s truly a secret.”
The 35-seat bar features dim lighting, wooden furniture, neon quotes from the show and a soundtrack of ’90s and 2000s music.
“We really wanted that coffee shop experience, and when you get in here, it naturally happens on its own, because it is cozy, it is a little bit darker—everybody kind of just hangs out like it’s a coffee shop,” Amos shared.
Coffee cocktails were essential, with fresh espresso as the foundation for the menu. The Smelly Cat blends Courvoisier, Cherry Heering with simple syrup, a dash of fee foam and espresso. Other cocktails include the Gladys, with vanilla vodka and Licor 43, topped with coffee beans and espresso; and the Espresso Manhattan, mixing Still Austin liquor, kamina, evaporated milk, simple syrup and espresso.
The “Friends” theme continues with drinks such as the Gunter, which combines Still Austin, dark creme de cacao, simple syrup, a dash of orange bitters, espresso and a few coffee beans on top; and the Ugly Naked Guy, also with Still Austin liquor, simple honey, bitters and coffee beans, with a lemon twist.
“What brings it all together is the idea that from the show, Central Perk was a coffee shop, and the whole place probably smelled like coffee,” Amos recalled, explaining their vision. “Every time [the characters] sat on the couch, they had coffee; everybody in the background had coffee.”
Those rewatches of late-night episodes on the McPhersons’ home couch are now a dream come true, where friends gather over coffee-based cocktails and conversations create connections behind that secret door.
Contact: 619 N. Chaparral St. | (361) 444-5444
