The Workshop Coffee

Editor's Review

The Workshop Coffee is perhaps the most well-known specialty coffee house in Vietnam and early contender for the first mover in Vietnam’s specialty coffee scene. The entrance is hidden at the bottom of a 100+ year old building, just off Saigon’s walking street. If you manage to spot it, start climbing the century old colonial staircase, past the dimly lit cigar lounge, until you see a glimmer of light on the upper floor. Head to the top, draw open the Workshop’s doors and let the sunlight wash over you in a warm liquid glow.

Beneath the high ceiling, the giant square coffee bar draws the eye. Approachable from all sides, it’s a theatrical stage for baristas to perform. Japanese siphons bubbling above a flame, drip kettles swirling and steam pumping from the La Marzocco. It reminds us that first and foremost, the Workshop is about the coffee. Before ordering, we suggest opening a menu and taking a look at the beans on offer. Pull out the detachable coffee cards for details on each coffee, including tasting notes, geography and a date stamp for when that particularly batch was harvested.

Operations Manager, Quynh, tells us of The Workshop Coffee’s past, recounting how the café’s managing partners had led a life of international business, before returning with aspirations of promoting and cultivating good coffee in Vietnam. Quynh goes on to share his prediction for Vietnam’s specialty coffee scene: “Around 80% of our customers used to be expat and now, 50% Vietnamese. Slowly things are changing…”. The Workshop Coffee is certainly an unmissable destination on any Saigon coffee tour.

Reviewed by Micah Thompson.

Cafe Features

Buy Beans

Loose Leaf Tea

Brunch/Lunch

Table Seating

Toilets

Wifi

Coffee + Drinks

Cold Brew

Decaf

Filter Coffee

Iced Coffee