Seattle’s First Vietnamese Coffee Shop Comes to Downtown Bellevue

Seattle’s First Vietnamese Coffee Shop Comes to Downtown Bellevue

Downtown Bellevue’s coffee scene is broadening with the arrival of Coffeeholic House, set to open in Old Bellevue on May 20 – with a soft opening from April 28 thru May 5.

Like anyone else seeking to find their culture in an unfamiliar city, owners Chen Dien and his wife Trang Cao’s inspiration to open Seattle’s first Vietnamese coffee shop stems from nostalgia. Diversity breathes life into urban downtowns, and the husband-and-wife duo saw it as an opportunity to introduce the community to something new. 

“We moved from Vietnam in 2012, and it seemed like there were no coffee chains we could relate to,” Dien said. “While we had no experience of opening a business, we saw that the Vietnamese coffee culture was missing from the market and took it upon ourselves to bring something original to the communities we live in. That’s how Coffeeholic House began.” 

Coffeeholic House first appeared in Columbus City, Seattle in March of 2020 – the start of the pandemic. They had the same struggles as many other small businesses in the area: staffing issues, takeout, social distancing and more. What they didn’t expect was also fighting the rise of anti-Asian racism attached to COVID-19.

“During the first few months of opening, we were getting messages from people that were afraid our coffee shop would attract more Asian people because of the racist stereotypes,” Dien said. “It was hard not to let it get to us. We did our best to focus on what we were trying to do, and eventually, it paid off.” 

With the new opening in Downtown Bellevue, this will be their third location in Washington. Coffeeholic House’s expertise lies in taking the classic Vietnamese coffee and combining it with various Asian flavors. They pride themselves on using organic robusta beans from Vietnam and brew with the traditional phin-dripped methods. Dien and Cao recommend their most popular drinks, like Coffeeholic Dream, Coconut coffee, Bac Siu, and White-hazel latte. 

“Our drinks come from our own research and development,” Dien said. “The flavors are based on my childhood experience in Vietnam and we’re excited to continue sharing our culture with the Downtown Bellevue community.” 

Can’t wait to stop in? Explore their menu online before you go.

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This blog is part of the Heart of Bellevue: our campaign to showcase local businesses while connecting you with stories of activity, creativity and recovery. Find out about our campaign and explore more of what’s happening around Downtown.