+ Xanh Coffee ( Cà phê Việt Nam, Sinh tố , sinh tố bát, Cháo yến mạch , các món ăn truyền thống Việt Nam...) — Restaurant in Ninh Bình Province

The vibe alone was enough to steal our hearts. This charming coffeeshop is set in a garden of lovely green foliage, with a pretty koi pond running down the middle. It’s tucked down a quiet side street and makes for a very peaceful atmosphere. There’s also a nice sheltered area for rainy weather. We’ve explored their coffee, tea and food.

They make the best lemon, ginger and honey tea we have ever had. Everything is in exactly the right proportion of spicy, sour and sweet.

The delicious coffee is Phin brewed. If you order condensed milk it comes served on the side so you can sweeten it to your liking. They also provide a fresh milk option with sugar on the side. If you’re looking for a decadent sweet treat, try their egg cream hot chocolate! They egg coffee is also fabulous, with a nice measured sweetness.

Their goat pho is amazing! Lots of noodles, green onion, carrot, shiitake mushrooms. It came with a side of calamansi, cilantro and hot peppers. The broth is some of the best pho we’ve had in our three weeks of travel through Vietnam. The goat in the soup is a bit tough and cartilage-y. That don’t stop us from loving the soup, but some readers might not enjoy that.

We have been exploring their fruit coffees during our visits. The banana coffee is fantastic, it comes with a banana blended into coconut milk, poured on top of the coffee. The flavour combo is delightful! The ginger coffee blew our minds, it’s one of the best things on the menu. We never imagined the spicy warmth of ginger would pair so well. It is served with sweet milk which provides some nice balance. This is a must try! The mango coffee didn’t really work for us - the mango over powers the coffee and the coffee removes the complexity of the mango. The end result is just a bit bland.

We enjoyed the stir fried lemongrass chicken, it’s all about the sauce! And the seafood rice has a generous amount of shrimp.

The peach, orange and cinnamon tea is interesting. The cinnamon tea goes wonderfully with the fruit - it comes with some fresh orange juice and a bit of peach nectar. That does mean the tea arrives more lukewarm than hot. But it...

Really good food but make sure you’re not in a rush to get somewhere! I wish I had more time to relax at the restaurant. It’s in a very cute garden setting. Our food took about 20-25 mins to come out but it was very flavorful and fresh. Unfortunately, we had to catch our bus and didn’t expect it would take that long so I didn’t get to finish my piping hot pho 😭

One thing I would add is avoid sitting at the round table in the back with the large plant in the middle of the table. It takes up so much room that it’s hard to eat over your bowl without having the leaves/branches in your face.

We each ordered breakfast and a drink and our total was 150k VND. The owner was so nice and gave us a free large water to go since I didn’t finish my food.

And of course I’m writing this review while I’m waiting for the 11:30 bus that is...

I came here for a coffee, and left with so much more.

It's situated in a tranquil garden, 2 minute walk off the main road. The family who run it are incredibly friendly and the service is 10/10. Neighbours stop by and stay hello to the family as you stay - it feels like your a fly on the wall of a beautiful Vietnamese life.

I ordered a coffee, which arrived as a Vietnamese speciality cafetiere-type coffee. I've never had a coffee like it and it was delicious.

I then ordered a 'gotu kola' juice. It turned out to be another speciality and one of the best 'health' drinks you can have. If you're into detox or boost juices, highly recommend trying.

Finally I ordered a goat pho. It was again very tasty and was home cooked.

Overall, very peaceful place to stay for some food or...