Nostalgia Room redefines what it means to imbibe, consume and socialize.
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Removing alcohol from the equation facilitates social clarity. Clear minds lead to better discussion and more meaningful interactions. Omitting alcohol brings intentionality to social gatherings, dates and in-person conversation. Plus, isn’t it nice to wake up in the morning not worried about what you said or did because you didn’t have too much to drink?
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Nostalgia Room shifts the focus from alcohol consumption to the social nature of a bar itself and the people that imbibe there. Not only do we make excellent drinks, but we cater specifically to the sober and sober curious customer by making their needs our top priority. We also serve a complete list of coffee and tea all day! Whether day or night, our menus are comprehensive and provide something for everyone.
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The Nostalgia Room’s bar program is built to provide the comprehensive “Teetotaler” experience. All drinks and cocktails are created without alcohol and will not cause physical inebriation. We provide a comprehensive menu of temperate cocktails as well as dealcoholized wine and beer.
Coffee & Tea
Proudly brewing Repetition Coffee and Firebelly Tea. While providing a comprehensive list of coffee shop classics, our cafe creates a menu of coffee & tea signatures that often incorporate ingredients from the dry bar as well as local seasonal produce.
Dry Bar
Serving a menu of house-made non-alcoholic cocktails, canned non-alcoholic cocktails from other companies in the dry bar industry, as well as a selection of alcohol-removed wine and beer. Nostalgia Room is a completely dry space, with no alcohol on the premises.
Emily Kate found the hospitality industry at a young age, becoming a restaurant hostess at 17. While this was her first official gig, Emily had been a hostess for many years. At 6 she was emulating the diner waitresses she adored by topping off her grandpa's hundredth cup of Folgers, making small talk and taking imaginary orders.
“I watched the women of my family hold court in their kitchens while simultaneously keeping everyone fed, a classic trait of a true Midwesterner. It only made sense I would feel at home in the service industry.”
The service industry gave her a purpose and lifelong relationships but it also greased the wheels of addiction and self-destruction. After almost a decade-long battle with alcohol, Emily quite drinking in 2020 and began to re-assess a long-time dream of running her own bar.
She had to unravel not only her relationship with alcohol, but the physical and mental spaces in which she consumed it. Emily reexamined bar and service industry culture, cocktails and the act of imbibing itself, including the hugely social component of drinking. In an attempt to combine everything she loved and valued about the service industry with her newfound moderation and intention, Emily created Nostalgia Room.
Press
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The Lawrence Times
“ Nostalgia Room recognizes each individual has a unique relationship with alcohil, and people who don’t drink have a myriad of reasons for teetotaling. “
Tricia Masenthin
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AN EVENING AT NOSTALGIA ROOM
“The conversation is flowing, and after telling Emily an anecdote about a time I received three film negatives in the mail of two people I don’t know scuba diving in Hawaii without explanation or context, she assures me that if I bring them in the next time I visit, they’ll go on the wall.”
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A Taste of Nostalgia: Emily Kate Johnson’s homage to bar craft and sobriety
“Within each drink lies the magic of shifting the focus from consumption to a bar’s natural tendency to glue a community together.”
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KTWU "Inspire" Series
Hosts Betty Lou Pardue and Danielle Norwood interview Owner and Founder Emily Kate Johnson about the dry bar and cafe.
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Best of KC 2023: A taste of Nostalgia
“Nostalgia Room is designed as a resort for the sober and sober-curious. Careful scrutiny is implemented with each concoction, dedicated to the absence of mind-altering substances.”
