In Hanoi, Roaster-Retailer Cafes Offer A Glimpse Into Vietnam’s Changing Coffee Culture

The city of Hanoi, Vietnam is thoroughly, completely obsessed with coffee. This is nothing new; the interwoven story of coffee and Hanoi dates back to the middle of the 19th century, during the French colonial period, when the first arabica trees were planted in the country’s north, and French cafe culture was introduced to the cities. In the decades since a distinctly Vietnamese appreciation to coffee has blossomed, impacting every aspect of how coffee is enjoyed here, from growing to brewing to distinctive recipes and flavors for the finished cup. And Hanoi’s coffee love affair shows no signs of stopping. Just walk around the city now, or tour by motorbike, or take the bus, and you’ll see young people spilling out of the many cafes and coffee bars, enjoying the slowness, depth, and relaxation of coffee culture in a city that bustles and hustles all hours of the day.

In 2025 Sprudge published a sprawling guide to cafes in Hanoi, a must for anyone visiting the city and wanting to experience coffee culture. But today I want to take a closer look at the role of quality-focused coffee roasters, and the impact they’ve had on the city’s scene. Hanoi is a place where traditions meet transformation, and you can experience this now within its excellent coffee roasting scene, on major streets and in quiet alleys. These roasting companies are mostly owned by young people who themselves feel inspired and passionate about Hanoi’s traditional coffee culture, while also desiring to develop and modernize it. Along the way these roasters are bringing Vietnamese coffee closer to the world, and becoming known more and more by coffee lovers from around the globe.

Each of the outstanding coffee roasters featured in this guide are very much worth your time in Hanoi. Even if you are a coffee connoisseur, a coffee expert, or just only a person who is curious about Hanoi’s coffee, there’s something here for everyone.

Donkey Coffee Roastery

Donkey Coffee Roastery is owned by a former graphic designer, who now operates a small roastery and coffee shop with the goal of providing a high-quality artisan coffee experience. Located in a small alley on the banks of the Red River, it has a lovely and quiet space with a shady outdoor garden. The cafe’s industrial style mixes with vintage—including DIY decoration details—brings a cozy and intimate feeling. This is an ideal place to escape the noisy city and relax with a cup of coffee.

Donkey is famous for roasting many types of specialty coffee, sourcing from Vietnamese coffee growers as well as producers from elsewhere around the world.  Here you might find a natural processed Gesha grown in nearby Laos, prepared by hand using a pour-over method. In summer months, the cafe’s orange cold brew is especially popular, and regular public cupping sessions help spread knowledge about coffee to the wider community.

Capella Coffee Roaster

Hanoi’s West Lake is famous for sightseeing in Hanoi, and many romantic cafes can be found closeby. This is home Capella Coffee Roaster, whose cafe space is like an art gallery, with paintings hanging on the walls and cozy wooden furniture. Large glass windows overlook their green gardens, and the space is bathed in natural light, bring a relaxing feeling whether you come here to work, read a book or spend time with friends.

Capella is well-regarded here for the quality of their roasted coffee. Start by ordering Capella’s Phin Blend—a medium-dark roasted blend of arabica and robusta—which delivers on rich flavor, echoing the traditions of coffee in Vietnam but with a contemporary twist. The cà phê muối (salt coffee) is also very good here, and pairs beautifully with one of Capella’s homemade cakes (my favorite is lemon cheesecake).

3C Roastery

“3C” stands for “Coffee–Connection–Creative,” represents the philosophy of bringing quality coffee to everyone, connecting coffee lovers and encouraging creativity in the way of enjoying. The style of 3C Roastery combines between modernity and industrial style, spread over many floors, airy and has lots of natural lights. One of the shops also has a DIY pour-over counter, where customers experience to make their own coffee.

Coffee options here include pour-over, cold brew, filter, and espresso. The two best-sellers include Whiskey Drops—which has flavor of spirits like whiskey, honey, chocolate, vanilla, melon, and Peachy Beach—which is sweet and juicy with flavor from peach, strawberry, mango, bergamot. Besides traditional drinks, they also have some coffee-based creative ones like pandan jelly coffee—suitable for cooling down in the summer. They also organize workshops such as “The Art of Latte Art” or cold brew instruction sessions.

Refined

Refined (stylized refined.) was born with the goal of redefining Vietnamese filter coffee and eliminating prejudices about robusta. Their space makes strong impression when using black color for all detail, from furniture to machines, helping customers focus their attention to cups of coffee and brewing process.

This cafe’s approach to robusta has drawn many friends, and in particular for their versions of traditional Vietnamese coffee drinks improved greatly by a thoughtful and artisan approach to robusta’s potential. In addition, the cafe has also developed their own coffee making tools and products, which are currently attracting attention both domestically and internationally. Among them, the most special is ceramic filter—a crystallization of their passion in creating coffee making tools with a bold Vietnamese imprint and skillful techniques of Hanoi’s famous Bat Trang Pottery Village.

RAAW Coffee

Established in 2019 in Hanoi, RAAW Coffee has been determined from the beginning to elevate Vietnamese specialty coffee. They serve coffee exclusively from Vietnam, with a robusta coffee called Lam Ha being their most outstanding product, featuring a rich body, creamy, dark chocolate color, fragrant chestnut aroma, and sweet caramel aftertaste. House Blend is the most popular espresso blend at RAAW—it has the taste of milk chocolate, creamy buttermilk, and sweetness from caramel and almonds. In addition to popular coffees, they also take you to discover other new coffee varieties such as liberica (known as “jackfruit coffee” in Vietnam).

The “Phượt Set” includes four types of coffee from four different regions in Vietnam, each with a different taste and aroma. This is a good option to try many types of coffee at the same time.

There are differences in design and style between their two locations. The store on Hang Buom Street was renovated from an old French colonial house, and has a high ceiling, cement walls, balcony on the second floor, ivory tones and soft yellow light.  Their second cafe is more in a modern Scandinavian style with rough concrete walls, large glass panels and white-grey interiors. Each space brings different emotions in enjoying coffee.

Gạo Roastery

Nestled in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Gạo Roastery CAFE is friendly and cozy with simple interiors and a gentle vibe. Their name comes from the traditional rice cake gao, which is very familiar Vietnamese people. In summer, the bougainvillea trellis outside blooms brilliantly, adding romance for a small balcony on the second floor.

The roasting and brewing techniques here combine traditional Vietnamese methods with modern techniques. Their workshop names “Vietnamese Coffee Experience at Gạo—The Art of Egg Coffee and Traditional Brews” is widely beloved, especially international tourists who want to learn the traditional brewing method of Hanoi’s famous egg coffee.

Brown rice coffee is also an option for those who want to try something different. The strong and rich flavor of coffee is softened by the flavor of roasted brown rice, creating a smooth mouthfeel. Roasted rice tea is also attractive with its warmth, aroma and lightness—a perfect match with their chocolate cookies. All the coffees here are roasted by the team at Gao.

30S Coffea Roastery

The founder of 30S Coffea Roastery is a barista and roaster with more than 10 years of experience in coffee industry. She has held management roles at leading coffee brands such as Highlands Coffee and Coffilia. The space of 30S Coffea focus on the roasting workshop. The brewing and serving counter are also arranged around this area, suitable for customers to enjoy their coffee while observing all process.

Coffees here come from Vietnam, but not just: you’ll also be able to drink coffees from Ethiopia, Brazil, Colombia, and Costa Rica at 30S. Fine Robusta Top 1 Vietnam Amazing Cup 2025 is a notable product for their seasonal coffee lines—made from high-quality robusta beans come from Vietnam with the flavor of wine, tropical fruits, nuts, brown sugar, and long sweet aftertaste.

30S Coffea is also a reputable address in professional barista training and imparting coffee knowledge to community.

Ta Cà Phê

This brand’s space aims to combine the experience of a coffee shop and a roastery, with multiple stores located in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. The roasting here is well-considered, with offerings inclduing both high-end arabica and Fine Robusta.

Vietnamese traditional coffee drinks are popular here, but a simple black coffee is also available, and recommended by the staff for certain offerings. If you would like something light, you can choose from their flower teas and fruit teas.

Huyen Nguyen is a freelance journalist based in Hanoi. This is Huyen Nguyen’s first feature for Sprudge.