The best spots to try egg coffee in Hanoi

For the uninitiated, egg coffee may sound like a puzzling idea. Yet once tasted, this northern Vietnamese specialty is sure to win over sweet tooths and caffeine lovers alike. 

Egg coffee, or ca phe trung in Vietnamese, was first invented by a hotel bartender named Nguyen Giang in 1946. At the time, milk was scarce in Vietnam, leading Giang to experiment with other ways to provide a luxuriously creamy coffee to his guests at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi. He discovered that blending fresh chicken eggs and condensed milk into a thick whipping cream and ladling it over a strong cup of espresso made for an amazingly decadent treat. Customers loved egg coffee, and soon after Giang opened his own café in Hanoi to serve his signature beverage. 

These days, you can find egg coffee in every corner of Hanoi, from casual street cafés to upscale eateries. Here are the eight best spots to enjoy ca phe trung, including some of the earliest cafés to serve it and modern locales putting a fresh twist on the old classic. 

Café Giang

Of course, the first on the list has to be the café that started it all — Café Giang, founded in 1946 by the creator of egg coffee. Here, their formula perfectly blends fresh eggs with coffee for the ideally creamy texture. Now run by his son, Café Giang stays true to its humble beginnings. This café is easy to miss — while walking down busy Nguyen Huu Huan street in Hanoi’s old quarter, you’ll need to keep an eye out for their small black sign hung over a long, narrow alleyway. Inside, sit at one of the small clusters of tables to enjoy the original egg coffee recipe. 

Hanoi Coffee Station

Just a block southwest of Café Giang in Hanoi’s old quarter, you’ll find Hanoi Coffee Station. Tucked away on the second floor above shops and spas, this charming café and bistro has the perfect balcony for taking in the chaos of the street below. Here, they put a twist on the classic egg coffee. Using a little coconut syrup and coconut cream in place of the traditional condensed milk, Hanoi Coffee Station makes egg coffee with a lighter taste and slight tropical undertones. Perfect for those days when you still want to indulge in a cup of ca phe trung but already have a stomach full of hearty Hanoian street food.

Blackbird Coffee

Blackbird Coffee is a Hanoi favorite amongst remote workers. With two locations flanking Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake, Blackbird’s speedy wifi, spacious workstations and ambient music create the perfect atmosphere for getting a little work or studying done. Its tastefully sparse modern décor, delectable French pastries and tranquility make Blackbird a tiny oasis from the noise and mayhem of Hanoi’s city streets.The “eggspresso” from Blackbird is a little different from most other recipes. They use fresh egg cream made from eggs and whipping cream according to a secret proportion. This dreamy concoction is then piled on top of espresso made from Vietnamese coffee beans. 

Café Dinh

Owned and operated by Nguyen Giang’s daughter, Café Dinh honors the roots of egg coffee in a charming café just off Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake. It’s a little tough to find, but if you walk up the two flights of stairs at the back of the alley for 13 P. Dinh Tien Hoang, you’ll wind up in this Hanoi haunt favored by local students and artists alongside a sprinkling of travelers. 

The Eastern & Oriental Tea House and Coffee Parlour

The Eastern & Oriental Tea House and Coffee Parlour offers a distinctly upscale egg coffee experience. With beautiful views of Ho Tay (West) Lake and a bevy of mouth-watering pastries to pair with your egg coffee, this is the sort of place you’ll want to sit and relax for a while. As for sweet treats, crowd favorites include the coconut cake and the caramel shortbread cake. Grab a seat on the roof for sweeping vistas of Tay Ho District.

Café Linh

If a cup of creamy coffee made with whipped eggs isn’t enough to impress your senses, you might just need to head to Café Lính. Tucked farther north in Hanoi’s central district, Café Linh is a 2nd-floor respite shaded by leafy tree branches that perfectly frame the view from their spacious balcony. They add a uniquely artistic flair to their egg coffee by crafting images of famous Hanoi landmarks on the coffee’s foam using cocoa. The café itself provides a unique visual experience as well, as the owner Nghia has converted the space into a small museum of memorabilia from the American War. 

The Hanoi Social Club

The Hanoi Social Club is a favored spot for lengthy brunches and weekend work sessions, all set against a backdrop of French colonial architecture. You can find this café only a few blocks from Hanoi’s famous train street, making it the ideal central spot to grab a bite to eat between traversing the city’s most popular districts. And what better way to finish off a cozy meal in their lovely, sprawling café space than with their deliciously indulgent egg coffee? If you’re looking to pair your ca phe trung with a meal, this great spot also offers options for vegans and those with dietary restrictions.

Lermerlermer

Just off the busy throughway of Nguyen Thai Hoc, you’ll discover Lermerlermer café. This quaint and hipster coffee shop is where you’ll want to stop off between visits to cultural hotspots like the nearby Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum and Temple of Literature. Don’t let the funny name fool you, as they take traditional egg coffee to a whole new level. Not only are their drinks absolutely stunning, they offer a fun twist to your typical ca phe trung by blending in a sumptuous serving of Kahlúa. That’s right, egg coffee just got a boozy update. Perfect for a post-meal digestif that’s both rich and intoxicating.

Ready for a taste of Hanoi? Fly directly to Hanoi with Thai Airways and Thai Smile Airways.