Since its origins as a coffee truck in 2020, Café Cà Phê has always been proudly offbeat and proudly Vietnamese. Owner Jackie Nguyen, who was an actress on Broadway before owning KC’s first Vietnamese coffee shop, sources her beans from the woman-owned Vietnamese Nguyen Coffee Supply. In fact, Nguyen pays homage to the entire Asian community throughout the Café Cà Phê menu, with drinks such as a latte inspired by the traditional Thai dish of mango sticky rice.
Don’t worry. There’s no rice in this caffeinated beverage (although, if there were, I’d trust Café Cà Phê to do it right). Instead, there’s mango syrup and a Robusta true-grit espresso blend to round out the sweet coconut condensed milk. Iced or hot, it’s delightfully sweet, thick and a morning meal all on its own.
It may seem a month too late to be celebrating the New Year, but for many in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, the celebration is right on time. The Lunar New Year is on Feb. 10, and one of the city’s biggest celebrations will be happening at Café Cà Phê.
While the sticky rice latte remains a menu staple, the Columbus Park location (916 E. Fifth St.) will celebrate the Lunar New Year on Feb. 10 with a menu change. The big celebration, however, will happen at their second location in the West Bottoms’ 12th Street Post building (1501 W. 12th St.) with vendors, food, dragons, dancers, raffles and, of course, coffee.
