our story
The S'mores Saigon - Cao Thắng story
“An alley in the house, a house in the alley!” — the story begins in Saigon's alleyways.
The founder, Hưng, named the first Đa Kao branch “Sài Gòn Nguyên Bản” — childhood memories of glass brick, washed stone, tiled roofs. The Cao Thắng branch is “Nhà trong Hẻm – Hẻm trong Nhà”: the experience of threading through Saigon's alleys to find a refuge.
The house keeps its Subsidy-Period materials: unpainted cement walls, glass-brick walls, corrugated-iron roof, iron grilles. The furniture mixes old and new — a vintage Fender speaker, a typewriter, vinyl records, old Saigon prints. Right at the entrance stands the open bar: baristas brew vợt coffee through hand cloth drippers before your eyes.
The café has two floors, each split into 3–4 seating zones — from the tropical garden to the plant-hung mezzanine. Lively and loud at peak hours with the teen and Instagram crowd; calm and work-friendly off-peak, over a blues and psychedelic-rock playlist. The glass doors read “SINCE 2020”.
- Glass-brick walls that glow at night.
- Hand-brewed vợt coffee at the open bar by the entrance.
- Plant-shaded lanes cutting through the rooms.
- A tropical garden tucked inside the house.
- A house kombucha program: ginger, apricot, very berry.
- Vintage objects on display: a Fender speaker, a typewriter, vinyl.
Steady, quiet, good wifi when the café is calm.
Photo backdrops everywhere: the green lane, glass brick, the mezzanine.
A tropical garden and hundreds of potted plants indoors.
Early mornings are sunny and still quiet — golden hours for workers.
Closes at 22:00 — not a late-night spot.
Peak hours are crowded and loud — avoid if you need focus.