Once setting foot in Hanoi, you should not miss the chance to taste a special drink which is Hanoi egg coffee. It first seems quite weird, why can eggs be added to coffee? It’s the secret recipe of Mr. Nguyen Van Giang, the father of this unique beverage. After his resignation as a bartender at the 5-star Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel, in 1946, the old man opened a coffee shop of his own, named Giang and invented egg coffee inspired by Italian Cappuccino. A little greasiness of egg blended with the sweetness of milk and some bitterness of coffee defines a flavor that you can never forget.
Though originated in Giang’s, currently, this drink is now widely covered in many coffee shops in Hanoi. Some popular cafés serving egg coffee are namely Giang cafe, Dinh cafe, Pho Co Cafe,..
I - Where to enjoy the best Hanoi egg coffee?
1 - Giang cafe
Giang Cafe - Source: Kenh14
Giang Cafe is where egg coffee starts; therefore, the egg coffee at this address is most original. Its current owner is the son of Mr. Nguyen Van Giang. The store is located in a small lane and has existed for 70 years. There are two storeys, the first one is stuffy and lacks natural light while the second is airier and has green plants. Generally, the space is not so large, small sets of tables are tightly arranged but still comfortable and warm.
Hanoi egg coffee at Giang cafe has both icy and hot versions, delicately made so that the fishy smell of egg is nowhere to be felt. Coffee mixed with sweet milk combined with whipped egg creates a strangely appetizing liquid. Apart from egg coffee, you should also try interesting egg beer here.
- Location: No.39 Nguyen Huu Huan street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Reference price: 35,000 VND/cup ($1.5)
- Rating on Tripadvisor: 4.5/5
- Website: https://cafegiang.vn/
- Opening hour: 7am - 10:30pm
2 - Dinh cafe
Dinh cafe is one of the best places to enjoy egg coffee in Hanoi - Source: Warfiqh
An interesting thing is that the shop owner is actually the daughter of Mr. Giang. Regardless, the shop's egg coffee still has a distinct flavor. Dinh cafe is situated on the second floor of an ancient house, the first floor of the building is a suitcase, handbag shop. The way upstairs is right on the left of the store.
The cafe’s space reflects the breath of Hanoi in the 1900s. The fading green walls, the plain wood table set, flower vases, oil paintings,... altogether combine to shape a warm, rustic atmosphere, contrary to the hectic street of Dinh Tien Hoang in the front. Sipping a cup of Hanoi egg coffee in Dinh cafe while watching life casually going by is probably a very “romantic”, very “artistic” experience. There is a tiny balcony large enough to lay a table where you can admire the whole view of the Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple,... Aside from egg coffee, the store is also known for egg cacao.
- Address: Floor 2, No.13 Dinh Tien Hoang street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Reference price: 25,000 VND/cup ($1)
- Rating on Tripadvisor: 4.5/5
- Opening hour: 7am - 10:30pm
3 - Pho Co Cafe - top egg coffee in Hanoi
Pho Co Cafe - Source: Internet
The entrance of the shop may be hard to find because it is hidden by a fashion store. As soon as entering the fashion one, look to the right hand and you will spot a small passage leading to Pho Co cafe. It has a yard that is spacy, airy and impressive with delicate stone relieves. You are advised to sit on the second or third floor of the building to take the panoramic view of Hoan Kiem Lake, Turtle Tower, Hanoi Old Quarter,... The Hanoi egg coffee of the coffee shop is spoken highly of due to its sweet, not fishy taste. You also have other choices such as cacao, coffee with fresh milk, fruit juices,...
- Address: No.11 Hang Gai street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Reference price: 45,000 VND/cup ($1.93)
- Rating on Tripadvisor: 4/5
- Opening hour: 7am - 10pm
4 - Loading T cafe
Loading T was established in 2014, not as old as Giang or Dinh, yet still attracts a great number of visitors thanks to its unique architecture and delicious drinks. The shop is on the second floor of an ancient building which is constructed in the classical French style, with an iron gate, yellow-painted walls and green wooden doors.
Loading T is a popular place to enjoy the best egg coffee in Hanoi Old Quarter - Source: CfLoadingT
Before drinking, you should take 1 to 2 minutes to discover the space inside. Sets of tables and chairs are randomly arranged and each and every corner of the store is meticulously and beautifully decorated. There is also a small area to exhibit antiques such as white elephant statues, different types of bowls and dishes,... Egg coffee here is loved because of its good decor and appetizing flavor. Its taste is not so sweet, combined with whipped, fatty egg but not fishy at all. Along with Hanoi egg coffee, some other rinks such as iced black coffee, coconut coffee, osmanthus fragrant tea,... are also highly recommended.
- Address: Floor 2, No.8 Chan Cam street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Reference price: 50,000 VND/cup ($2)
- Rating: 5/5 on Tripadvisor
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/cfLoadingT
- Opening hour: 7am - 10pm
5 - Lacafe Hanoi
Lacafe Hanoi - Source: Fb lacafe.hanoii
Egg coffee at Lacafe Hanoi is very distinguishing. It has a typical greasiness of chicken egg whipped at a moderate smoothness, different from traditional coffee houses. You can order a separate set of cream eggs to pour on the top and ornament the cup the way you like. In addition to the conventional Vietnamese egg coffee Hanoi, the shop also offers melting egg coffee, especially for summer. The menu of Lacafe Hanoi includes other drinks made from eggs such as egg cacao, egg matcha, durian egg coffee,...
- Address: No.35B Nguyen Huu Huan street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Reference price: 45,000 VND/cup ($1.93)
- Rating on Tripadvisor: 5/5
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/lacafe.hanoii.
- Opening hour: 7am - 11pm (weekend and holiday opens until 0am)
6 - Lermalermer
Lermalermer coffee - Source: Lermalermer
The name Lermalermer is actually the funny writing of “lơ ma lơ mơ” (dazed) in Vietnam. The shop’s space is really “dreamy” like in accordance with its name, with cream and yellow as the theme color. The building neatly fits in a small alley which is a suitable place for those who prefer to taste coffee alone. Hanoi egg coffee in Lermalermer is edible made and appealingly adorned. Besides, there are fruit teas, herbal teas and breakfast foods on the menu of Lermalermer.
- Address: No.16 Ngo Yen The street, Dong Da district, Hanoi
- Reference price: 55,000 VND/cup ($2.37)
- Rating: 7.8/10 on Foody, 5/5 on Tripadvisor
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/lermalermer.
- Opening hour: 8am - 11:30pm
7 - Blackbird coffee - famous egg coffee in Hanoi
Black Bird Coffee - Source: Blackbirdcoffeevn
The shop is designed in a modern style with a warm wooden theme color. The interior is quite small and there is nothing special about both arrangement and architecture. Egg coffee here has a very Italian name_“Eggspresso” on its menu and is labeled as a signature. “ Not just egg coffee, Eggspresso is a creation of Blackbird Coffee. A layer of characteristic cream egg blended with a single shot espresso makes a soft Eggspresso” the shop owner quoted. Customers are recommended to try it in a brand new manner which is to taste the cream egg separately, and then sip a spoon of coffee at the bottom of the cup, finally mix the two components together to feel the difference between it and conventional Hanoi egg coffees.
- Address:
+ No.5 Chan Cam street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
+ No.63B Lan Ong street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Reference price: 65,000 VND/cup ($2.8)
- Rating: 5/5 on Tripadvisor
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/blackbirdcoffeevn
- Opening hour: 7am - 9:30pm
II - How to make Hanoi egg coffee?
All coffee houses above have their secret recipe for egg coffee, hence the taste of the dish is different from shop to shop. Should you would like to have your own cup of egg coffee at home, please refer to the following: (the flavor probably can’t be compared with that of these shops but is still worth an attempt):
- Prepare ingredients: roasted and ground coffee, eggs, condensed milk, a little cinnamon powder, boiled water and sugar
- Make filter coffee to get the tastiest coffee drops
- Whip eggs and add condensed milk to
- Pour cream egg already whipped on the top of the coffee which you have just made. Complement milk and sugar based on your sweetness preference and scatter cinnamon powder on, and done!
It is to say that Hanoi egg coffee is a special drink of Hanoi. Let slowly take a sip to gradually enjoy the sweetness of egg, milk and bitterness of coffee.
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— Giang Pham
