Phinista Cafe — Restaurant in Cambridge

Phinista Cafe is amazing! I've already been here four times in the opening week, which goes to show something for sure. Everything I've tried so far:

Ca phe trung: Creamy and rich with the egg foam, and very strong because the proportion of coffee to foam is high. The coffee is delicious, smooth and refreshing and not at all bitter or sour. Iced Saigonese: Phinista's specialty for a reason! Perfect balance of coffee, milk, cream and sea salt. Less strong than the ca phe trung. Iced phin ube: I never thought of ube with coffee before, but it's a divine combination. The earthy ube is perfect with the smooth coffee. The ube sauce is really something fantastic. It tastes so fresh. Iced strawberry matcha latte: The strawberry jam is amazing and fresh and works perfectly with the grassy matcha. I do think I've had higher quality matcha, but it's still not bad at all and definitely better than whatever the hell Cafe Nero tries to pass off as matcha. Matcha bun: This is kinda like a melon pan or pineapple bun, except the crispy cookie topping isn't cracked at all, and the bun is like a very rich, soft brioche. Fantastic! Pistachio muffin: "It's just a muffin," I thought, and I got it because they didn't have the buns or tiramisu. But it is a very, very good muffin. Not stale at all, wonderfully soft and fluffy, strong pistachio flavor. Carrot cake: Super cute and tasty, and not too dense. Banh mi chao: I have never had anything like this before from any restaurant. The best way I can describe it would be like a Vietnamese shakshuka? Eggs and meats and pate in a tomatoey sauce served with a banh mi baguette. Paradise on a plate. It's huge, so it's best shared with two people. Breakfast banh mi: I've also never had a banh mi like this, with fried eggs! It's also delicious, and the eggs go perfectly with the pate.

I'd like to try the tiramisu and classic cold cut banh mi in the future, and I'm sure it'll happen sooner rather than later since this place is pretty much right next to me. The interior is great too, nice and spacious and cutely decorated, and it's a great place to work with lots of quiet corners and plugs. Wi-Fi is a bit slow, but it works and doesn't kick you off after a few hours. The kitchen is also on the slow side, but the service is nice and attentive and the staff are all super nice. It can get busy on weekends, but on weekdays I've never had a problem finding a seat. I've been looking for a place like this for a long time--a good cafe to work in but also with great food and drinks, and the fact that it's Vietnamese is an awesome bonus. Long live Phinista! I'm about to become your most loyal customer!

EDIT: BEGGING Phinista to please please PLEASE install some form of curtains on their windows, even just a flimsy little screen that you can pull down if you choose to. I understand the windows let in a lot of natural light, but so many of the seats are right next to the windows and in the middle of the day it's just a full blast of sun right into your face. Makes it almost impossible for me to see my laptop screen! I feel like there needs to be some kind of balance between natural light and making sure your customers don't...

When we heard that Phinista had opened, we hopped on over for lunch. The restaurant was quite bustling at at 12:45pm on a Saturday -- most of the seats were filled and there was a line to order food. By the time we got our food, there were a couple of open tables for two, so though we ordered takeout we ended up eating in the cafe.

We got the Iced Saignonese ($6.25) after seeing rave reviews online, and the drink came out very soon after we ordered. It doesn't have a strong coffee flavor and is quite sweet -- you can probably ask to adjust the sugar level. I enjoyed the foam component and the flavors overall. I would get this again with lower sugar.

We also got the cold cut banh mi ($11.50), which was quite good -- there was a good spice from the peppercorns, the bread and fillings were nice, and I enjoyed the flavor and textures. I think their banh mis are worth getting.

The lemongrass steak rice bowl ($13.50) was pretty good, but the amount of meat was lacking. There's a lot of rice, and though we tried to eat it a lot of it, we ended up with a lot leftover after finishing the other toppings. The fish sauce that comes with it is a bit sour and sweet. I liked the texture of the rice. The lemongrass steak was nothing special -- not particularly tender, reminded me of bulgogi, and there was so little of it. I think the banh mi is a much better deal.

Overall, in the future I would probably come here for drinks/dessert rather than seeking it out for food. I liked the banh mi, but I wouldn't come just for it. The tiramisu looks pretty good, as do the cookies, so I would want to try those next time. The cafe has a nice ambiance and seems like a great place to...

This is a fantastic spot for great Vietnamese coffees and food! The coffees are so unique and addicting and complement the flavorful banh mi and plates.

Food: To start, the Vietnamese coffees and invigoratingly strong while being perfectly balanced with the sweet foam additions. The Iced Saigonese and the Egg Foam Coffee are our favorites. Then, the Bánh mì had the classic taste with generous amounts of filling sandwiched in a wonderfully crispy fluffy bread. We’ve also tried the Bánh Mì Chao, which was our favorite at the Fenway location. The flavor was just as good, but the eggs were admittedly over cooked and there wasn’t as much sauce as it had dried out a bit. But, it’s such a great plate to share among two people so we will definitely give it another try!

Atmosphere: The furniture and decor lend to a younger more modern look with local art lining the walls. It’s very comfortable with much more seating than the Boston location. It’s also a great studying spot for students, but that means sometimes you need to wait a bit for others to finish their meals to ask for their seats.

Service: The employees are all very pleasant and seem to enjoy working at the location, which adds to the...