Western tourists squeeze through small alleys and climb narrow stairs to find a 'waiting cafe' in Hanoi

Passing through the small, narrow alley at 84 Hang Bac (Hanoi) and the old stairs, visitors will come across a cafe with a nostalgic space. Interestingly, here, visitors can observe every step of the brewing process, from grinding coffee beans.

Choosing a seat at the bar counter, Megan - a female tourist from Australia - watched closely every step of making a cup of coconut cream coffee.

The coffee beans are ground right at the counter, the aroma stimulates the sense of smell. Then, the coffee powder is put into the filter, brewed with hot water at about 93 degrees Celsius for 1 minute and 15 seconds.

Megan watched the coffee drip into the glass cup. "It's interesting, it looks more appealing than regular coffee," the tourist complimented her friends Tara and Emma.

Megan (sitting in the middle) and her two friends Tara and Emma watched how to make coffee with a filter for the first time. Photo: Nguyen Huy

They had been in Hanoi for a week. On the last day, before going to the airport to return home, the three of them went to the "waiting cafe" located in an alley at 84 Hang Bac (Hoan Kiem). This was a place a friend had introduced to them and told them "to definitely visit".

"We had to walk back and forth to see the shop's sign. The alley leading to the shop was very small, like a secret tunnel with old stairs. But then, a beautiful, ancient room appeared with a pleasant coffee aroma," Megan shared.

Each cup of coffee here takes 8-10 minutes to prepare, with meticulous attention to every step. That's why customers call this place "waiting coffee".

“We waited eagerly, and when we tasted it, the coffee flavor really surprised everyone - both rich and new. At that moment, we knew the wait was completely worth it,” the female tourist said.

Coconut cream coffee with crispy coconut cake was loved by 3 female tourists from Australia. Photo: Nguyen Huy

This cafe received 4.9/5 stars from 1,665 user reviews on the Google app. Videos and images of the cafe "hidden" in a small alley were shared by international tourists on social networks.

During her trip to Hanoi last year, Christine Ha (real name Ha Huyen Tran) - the champion of the 2012 MasterChef show in the US - also visited this cafe, and praised the flavors of egg coffee, coconut cream coffee and jackfruit flavored coffee.

"We were completely surprised when master chef Christine Ha visited, filmed a video of her drink experience and shared it on social media. After that, more international guests also learned about the shop," said Mr. Tran Hoa Binh - the owner of the coffee shop.

Mr. Binh, the shop owner, is passionate about coffee research. Photo: Nguyen Huy

This coffee shop was opened by Mr. Binh in October 2022, in a 40m2 room on the 2nd floor of an old house, deep in a small alley.

When he arrived, the room was in serious disrepair. Mr. Binh kept the original floor tiles, repaired the walls and painted them with concrete effects, creating a nostalgic space, imbued with the traditional features of old Hanoi houses.

"The room is located in a narrow alley, very dark and I have to go through an old staircase. However, when I step out of the stairs, I see a sunny skylight, lush green vines, very beautiful. I decided to open a coffee shop here, creating a peaceful, nostalgic space, far different from the bustling streets outside the alley," Mr. Binh shared.

British tourist Vanessa groped her way into the cafe. She decided to come here after watching a video on social media. Photo: Nguyen Huy

Inside the shop, the customers are all seated. Most of the customers here are international tourists, wanting to experience the taste of traditional Vietnamese coffee. Photo: Nguyen Huy

The interior of the shop is quite simple with a few wooden tables and chairs, decorated with Central Highlands gongs and coffee making tools collected by the owner.

"In the first month of opening, the restaurant had only a few customers. However, instead of promoting it loudly, I decided to welcome and respect each customer who came to the restaurant. They are the ones who spread the restaurant's image the farthest," said Mr. Binh.

Visitors can observe the steps to create a cup of coffee. Photo: Nguyen Huy

Mr. Binh is a traditional coffee enthusiast, has spent 11 years researching raw material areas and raw coffee bean processing methods.

The special feature of the shop is that it uses coffee beans from 10 of the best raw material regions in the country from Dien Bien, Son La to Quang Tri, Hue, Gia Lai, Lam Dong... Coffee from each region is used by Mr. Binh to make a different drink, depending on the flavor characteristics.

The shop owner has many prestigious certificates for coffee tasting and brewing. Photo: Nguyen Huy

For the egg coffee, he uses coffee grown in Dak Nong with a flavor reminiscent of black pepper, which can overpower the fishy taste of the egg and make the drink more delicious.

Meanwhile, coconut cream coffee uses Robusta coffee grown in Gia Lai with a hint of chocolate and caramel aroma, mixed with a layer of cool, fluffy coconut cream.

Egg coffee is a delicate combination of Dak Nong-grown coffee and local chicken eggs. Each cup costs 66,000 VND. Photo: Nguyen Huy

Visitors come and choose dishes, the owner and staff start grinding beans and mixing. Photo: Nguyen Huy

Jana (the girl in black) and four friends from Spain waited for a long time to enjoy the coffee at the shop. But they were not impatient, they even felt "exploding" with the taste of the drinks here. Photo: Nguyen Huy

The restaurant opens from 8am to 8pm daily. Due to limited space, the restaurant only welcomes a maximum of 20 guests at a time. October to March is the time when international guests come to the restaurant the most, sometimes having to line up on the balcony to wait for a seat.

The restaurant is located in a small alley so there is no parking area. If you come by motorbike, you will have to park it at a restaurant 200m-500m away.

This place is suitable for those who like to experience a peaceful, nostalgic space and enjoy and learn about Vietnamese coffee.

If you meet the owner, you can listen to interesting stories about coffee regions across the country, traditional and modern filters, or the different uses of funnels, cups, grinders, etc. That makes the 8-10 minutes of waiting for a cup of coffee to be ready seem to pass by much faster.

A small alley and narrow, old stairs lead into the cafe.

Hidden in a small, narrow, dark and old alley, a coffee shop in Hanoi still attracts international customers thanks to its prime balcony, easily overlooking the beautiful, colorful streets.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khach-tay-lach-ngo-nho-leo-cau-thang-hep-tim-quan-ca-phe-cho-o-ha-noi-2451089.html