Cà phê trung, or Egg Coffee
at The Note Coffee, Hanoi, Vietnam
Vietnamese coffee is perhaps the best in the world. This blog started back in 2018 when we spent three months backpacking through Vietnam, and during that time we both fell in love with Vietnamese coffee. One of the most special and unique coffee drinks that you'll find in Hanoi is ca phe trung, or egg coffee. The friendliest place to have an egg coffee is at The Note Coffee, which sits just off of Hoan Kiem Lake in the center of Hanoi's Old Quarter.
I visit The Note Coffee every time I am in Hanoi. It is by far my favorite cafe in the city!
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| Cà Phê Trung, or Egg Coffee in Hanoi, Vietnam (The Note Coffee) |
In the 1940s, a wartime shortage of milk forced hotel bar owner Nguyen Giang to improvise. He mixed us a sort of custard using egg yolk as a replacement for the traditional sweetened condensed milk that is normally used in Vietnamese coffee. The drink was a hit!
The custard has a sweet, rich vanilla taste, and is sometimes topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon. In fact, "egg not coffee" might be more accurate to what it tastes like!
The name "egg coffee" is sometimes a bit off-putting to those who have never tried it, but I've yet to meet someone who doesn't instantly love this very unique Vietnamese drink. Today, egg coffee is a major part of Hanoi's thriving cafe culture.
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| a cup of hot egg coffee in Hanoi, Vietnam |
You can find egg coffee at lots of different cafes throughout Hanoi, but my personal favorite place is at The Note Coffee, a super cool cafe just off of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi's busy and bustling Old Quarter. Besides the delicious drinks and the super friendly English-speaking staff, what makes the cafe unique is that every inch of it is covered in post-it notes!
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| inside The Note Coffee, Hanoi, Vietnam (post it note cafe) |
When you get your coffee, it comes with a pin and a blank sticky note. People from all around the world have plastered the cafe with sweet and encouraging messages, words of encouragement and good luck, brief messages to friends and strangers, or just with a quick word or two of their own lives. It's quirky and super fun. You're always sure to find an inspiring message if you take a moment to look around. Maybe it's exactly what you needed to hear that day.
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| you can't argue with a recommendation like that! |
Read more about Vietnamese coffee
The original egg coffee at Cafe Giang
Salt coffee in Hue
Official site and social media
The Note Coffee (Post-It Love) Location
The Note Coffee is located in a "tube house" (a very traditional tall and narrow Hanoi building) just off of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. When you're walking around the lake, you really can't miss it! The building is bright red, and there's usually a friendly English-speaking cafe employee waiting outside to say hello and welcome you to the cafe.
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