Kita Coffee House seems to fly under the radar a bit when it comes to Saigon’s western-style cafes. Others like Au Parc, Juice and La Fenetre Soleil are justifiably popular and you always see them mentioned in local mags and guidebooks, but Kita’s – not so much (it is fairly new though). It serves really great, healthy sandwiches and salads (especially yum – the goat cheese and roast red pepper salad on brown baguette), a deli counter for takeaway gourmet goods, and excellent Lavazza coffee at slightly cheaper prices than the norm (30,000 dong for a cappuccino or latte – a bit less than US$2). I really like the decor too – it’s fresh, contemporary, bright (yellow/white/browns) and tiny. I’m obsessed with tiny places at the moment – I guess it’s the cute and cosy factor, which Kita’s has in droves. New favourite!
[Update: as of February 2010, Kita can no longer be described as tiny! It underwent extensive renovations that transformed the decor from contemporary to Parisian, plus the ground floor was expanded and two more floors were added!! While it’s no longer a cosy bolthole, it remains one of my favourites, retaining the same great menu with new additions. And the coffee’s still the best!]
Hai Liz… I also live in Saigon, & Kita Coffe also my favourite, their healthy sandwiches & Jasmine tea..hmmmm love it! Actually I love this place since they were Au Tresor…. 🙂 nice to meet you
30,000 dong for a cappuccino! it sounds pretty steep. but then again, when we went to Vietnam in 2002, the $100 USD we exchanged gave us 1.5 million dongs! we were millionaires in Hanoi!
by the way, i really enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire. i like Danny Boyle.
Hi Jude – thanks for your comment. Your blog seems like a good place for healthy food tips :-).
Jen – it’s expensive compared to a Vietnamese coffee from a really local cafe (around 8,000-9,000 dong), but on the cheaper side for the western-style cafes in district 1. Some places charge around 45,000 dong for a coffee – insane, I know! Sometimes things cost more here than in Sydney!
Oh and I really loved Slumdog Millionaire too!
thank you for visiting my blog & your comment 😉 trying to be more healthy here… 🙂
your blog is great, great writing also..for sure
Let me second (or third) the kudos for Kita. It has actual cafe atmosphere without completely foreign prices. But it’s only got like 8 seats, don’t tell too many people 😉
Hi Anh Duoi Ga – I should keep these things to myself shouldn’t I :-). But I can barely get a seat there sometimes so I guess it’s not too much of a secret! Please share if you have any other cafes you recommend.
I’ll have to get my ass over to Vietnam one of these days…Sounds like a great place. Thanks for sharing
I really like this place but your information that they had “transformed the decor from contemporary to Parisian” came as a big surprise. Hey, I thought that Kita had had this Parisian look for decades! Fooled! Anyway, great coffee and they even passed on my Tiamisu-test.
I am so thankful to read this amazing post.