A roaster's journal
From Saigon specialty pioneer to the brick-vaulted hall — the Slayer, the on-display roaster, the garden and the red telephone booth.
The early pioneer
HISTORICAL RECORD — 2018
Saigon Coffee Roastery is one of Saigon's early specialty pioneers. The old clipboard menu from December 2018 still references two older stores — 151/5 Đồng Khởi, D1 and 12 Đặng Thị Nhu, D1. The official logo: a circular “SAIGON COFFEE ROASTERY” emblem with an intertwined “S” forming a coffee cup, in red and black.
The brick vault
A warehouse-style hall: exposed red-brick vaulted ceiling, black steel beams, skylight strips and track spotlights. White walls, polished concrete floor, long wooden communal tables.
The machine
The espresso bar holds the Slayer machine, grinders and cold-drip towers; chalkboard menus in wooden frames; open shelves of pour-over drippers and colorful cups. Behind the seating sits an actual coffee roaster on display — black body, brass accents — with burlap coffee sacks stored on the overhead rack.
The garden
Arched floor-to-ceiling windows and doors open onto the courtyard: a black-metal pergola, terracotta-tile awnings, mature trees in round concrete planters, wooden benches and low concrete seating. And in the middle of it all — a RED TELEPHONE BOOTH, British-style, the café's photo landmark.
The beans
The coffee-list board is the soul of the place: rare origins brewed by hand drip by the shot, espresso lots, and a retail shelf full of bean bags to take home. Roasted on site, ground at the bar — from roaster to cup in a few steps.