Special drink shop

The cafe, jokingly called "mysterious cafe" by many customers, is located "precariously" on the 5th floor, which is also the highest floor of an old apartment building in Ben Thanh ward, Ho Chi Minh City.

To go to the cafe, customers have to take the stairs.   or pay (5,000 VND/trip) to experience the nearly 100-year-old elevator in the apartment building. However, the elevator and stairs only take guests to the 4th floor of the building.

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Outdoor stairs leading up to the special cafe. Photo: Ha Nguyen

To reach the 4th floor, visitors must go through a small outdoor staircase at the back of the apartment building. After a few turns, the staircase takes visitors to the top floor of the building.

It is like another world , in complete contrast to life on the floors below. Visitors feel like they are lost in a small residential area with modest-sized apartments, located along winding corridors.

The coffee shop is located at the end of the corridor along the small apartments of the residents living on the 5th floor of the apartment building. Photo: Ha Nguyen

The small shop is located at the end of a corridor that cuts through some of the old tin-roofed kitchens of these apartments. Stepping through the wooden door, visitors will encounter a peaceful, ancient and private cafe - where time seems to slow down.

In addition to the small, pretty bar, the shop only has 3 sets of old-fashioned wooden tables and chairs. These three sets of tables and chairs are arranged reasonably on the old French tile floor between the old yellow painted walls. The objects and decorations here also remind of the space of old Saigon.

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The restaurant has only 3 sets of wooden tables and chairs to serve customers. Photo: Ha Nguyen

The highlight of the restaurant is that just by opening the window, guests can enjoy the view of ancient architecture and famous tourist attractions of the city such as: Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral; the place where the famous photo Fall of Saigon was taken, Catinat Police Station...

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From afar, the shop's window looks like a photo frame of the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral in the distance. Photo: Ha Nguyen

You must reserve a table to experience this.

Nguyen Thi Hang (born in 1999, from Tay Ninh ), co-founder of the shop, said that the small shop was formed in 2019. Hang and a group of friends rented an old room, came up with the idea and renovated it into a small cafe with a relaxing, peaceful space.

Located on the top floor of an old apartment building, the restaurant impresses with its private, quiet space and decor reminiscent of old Saigon. Immediately after opening, the restaurant quickly attracted a large number of young people to experience.

Since then, the restaurant has gradually become a meeting place for students, artists and foreign tourists.

This place is also a familiar place for nostalgic people who like to learn about the people and life of old Saigon.

Decorative items at the shop evoke an old atmosphere. Photo: Ha Nguyen

When the pandemic broke out, the shop closed. The small room was quiet, returning to a slow, peaceful pace of life.

After the epidemic, the restaurant reopened with a new way of operating, only serving customers who contacted and booked a table in advance.

Hang explained: “Because the restaurant is located at the end of a corridor in a small residential area, the large number of customers will affect the lives of these families. Therefore, we conduct a customer screening process, only serving customers who have made reservations in advance.

This helps us find the right customer base. These are customers who really understand and love the space and the way the shop operates."

When customers contact to make a reservation, Hang will share the restaurant's wishes and requirements. Through this, customers will see if the restaurant is suitable for their needs or not. If so, customers will come to experience and vice versa.

According to Hang, this method helps the restaurant serve customers better and more effectively. In order not to affect the surrounding people, the small restaurant only operates from 8am to 4pm each day and serves 10-15 customers.

The restaurant has many guestbooks recording the thoughts and feelings of customers who come to experience it. Photo: Ha Nguyen

The bar does not sell drinks in the usual way but charges an hourly service fee. The price is 125,000 VND for the first 2 hours.

For 125,000 VND, during your stay here, you can choose to enjoy the famous delicious salt coffee or familiar refreshments, guaranteed quality, comfortably enjoying the peaceful space.

"Because we only serve customers with reservations, after serving drinks, we usually leave, leaving customers free in a quiet, private space.

Therefore, when receiving guests, we clearly inform that the restaurant is not a place for romantic dates of couples.

This place is only suitable for those who like peaceful space, want a place to chat openly, connect with each other or find a place to study, work online...

After many years of operation, the restaurant has built its own customer base. Besides city residents, we also serve many tourists, especially groups from domestic and foreign travel companies,” Hang shared.

The 'most miserable' coffee shop in Hanoi, opened for more than a month and suffered 3 deep floods . After just over a month of opening, the coffee shop in Thai Ha (Hanoi) was flooded 3 times, the deepest of which was 90cm, lasting 2 consecutive days, causing serious damage to equipment and interior.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/quan-ca-phe-bi-an-o-chung-cu-tram-tuoi-tphcm-moi-ngay-chi-don-hon-10-khach-2450933.html