Caphe Roasters in Kensington is Philadelphia's first Vietnamese coffee shop

"Caphe Roasters is the first and only Vietnamese coffee shop in Philadelphia," says co-Founder Thu Pham.

They're also a café, serving up modern Vietnamese dishes.

Caphe means coffee in Vietnamese. Their signature drink is the Ca Phe Sua Da made with their Vietnamese espresso blend and slowly dripped over sweetened condensed milk. They use a Vietnamese filter called a Phin in the interactive brewing process. Thu says it makes for a strong, robust cup of coffee. The Avocado Coffee is part of the rotating menu and is like an avocado smoothie.

Chef Jacob Trinh is a first-generation Vietnamese American and draws from family recipes to create the menu.

He takes the Vietnamese-style hoagies of his childhood up a level.

There's the OG Bahn Mi made with house-cured Vietnamese ham and chicken liver pate. There's Fried Chicken Bahn Mi with a Gochujang glaze, minus the pate. And eight spice wings called Tam Gia Vi Wings, made with citrus, seaweed, sesame seeds and other spices.

Caphe Roasters also offers desserts, including ice cream available year-round. It's made with sweetened condensed milk, an important part of the culture. You can even make a latte float.

Revitalizing the Kensington neighborhood is a mission of Caphe. They donate a portion of their proceeds to a non-profit education group called 12 Plus, while growing the Vietnamese coffee movement.

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3400 J Street, G1, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19134