By Pham Tran
Famous Vietnamese coffee brand Phuc Long’s Coffee & Tea arrived at its destination in the most populated Vietnamese area in the United States (US): Little Saigon, California. Being the fifth-largest coffee shop in East Asia wasn’t enough; Phuc Long continued to bring its popularity to the West and opened its first location in the US on Main Street in Garden Grove, California in 2021.
Location
Being located on Main Street, across from Costco, gave Phuc Long the proximity to the Vietnamese people, considering Garden Grove is named as one of the cities with the highest Vietnamese population in the US.
Phuc Long is not only a cafe but a place where a strong sense of Vietnamese culture lives. Many Vietnamese people hang out with friends while enjoying the delicious drinks of their motherland or simply being productive with work for the day. There are no age limitations to become a validated Phuc Long customer as every Vietnamese is welcome to the cafe. Other ethnicities are also welcome to experience and learn more about Vietnam.
Architecture & Design
The spacious cafe is decorated with many trees creating a green area with chill and comfy vibes. Every corner has some green plants placed nearby to generate an airy atmosphere and to help customers escape the outside heat the second they step into Phuc Long. The ceiling adds to the greenness as its vines look perfect with the bright fairy lights.
Bamboo tables and stools add a Vietnamese touch to the cafe as the bamboo tree has significant meanings. Bamboo represents the vitality of Vietnam and its people. It symbolizes that Vietnam could never get destroyed but will only develop and grow even more every day.
As you step further into Phuc Long, you will see a big painting on the wall to your right. The painting was beautifully painted with images of Vietnamese farmers harvesting coffee beans, an essential ingredient that plays a crucial role in the signature taste of Phuc Long coffee.
PHUC LONG MILK TEA | $6.95
Your visit to Phuc Long isn’t verified if you didn’t try their most famous drink: Phuc Long Milk Tea. The drink can be perfectly combined with any toppings on the menu. I ordered it with boba.
The taste of tea is so strong that you can feel it when taking your first sip. The amount of milk in the drink was little so that it wouldn’t overwhelm the taste of Phuc Long’s signature tea. This made the drink not too milky but rather highly caffeinated, which is not recommended for children to try.
The milk tea overall is fresh and can wake you up and keep you alert. This is an excellent drink for office workers as they would need lots of energy to get them through the long day at work.
Phuc Long did a fantastic job in making their boba as they totally stole my heart. The boba was so chewy, just like the taste of gummy bears from my childhood. They were not too sweet nor too plain but had the most addicting flavor.
I gave this a 7/10 and wouldn’t buy it again as I couldn’t sleep at night after drinking it. But I would definitely order the boba again with a different drink and less caffeine.
BLENDED COCONUT COFFEE | $6.25
The gradual transition of colors of the drink as I used my straw to stir it up was the most loveable thing I’ve seen all day.
Organization is the key to success and also happened to be the key to success with this drink. A thick layer of white whipped cream on top with two layers of white milk and brown coffee are organized underneath creating an ombré effect. When mixing these two layers together, the brown color of coffee doesn’t go away but stays true to itself both outside of the color and inside the taste it gives.
The clear smell of coconut spread into the air and had me stop for a second to close my eyes and emerge in that warm smell of coconut like in the summer days.
The coffee wasn’t too sweet but rather creamy. The strong taste of coffee didn’t get overwhelmed by the milk even when stirred up. Phuc Long gets a bonus point for making their branded coffee and tea with such a clear taste.
I gave this an 8.5/10 and would repurchase it if I need something to keep me awake for the day.
TIRAMISU CAKE | $3.95
The moisture of the cake was the first thing that I felt when giving my first try. The cake layers were super soft-blended with a little bit of bitterness of the cocoa powder is the best combination. It was so creamy that you just wanted to close your eyes and enjoy that feeling.
The only thing that this cake got marked off for was its cream cheese. It was more like cream without “cheese” as you couldn’t find the taste of cheese anywhere on the cake.
I would give the cake a 7/10 as it was a good dessert to eat with the drinks, but it wasn’t too excellent to make it a “Phuc Long must try”.
Phuc Long’s Coffee and Tea in Little Saigon is a great place for Vietnamese Americans to visit and experience many memories of their motherland just within a cafe. The strong sense of Vietnamese culture through the decorations, the drinks, and even the music being played can have a big impact on the remembrance of where they came from.
