Coffee culture in Dalat

Whether it’s potent drip-coffee or world-class lattes, Vietnam loves its coffee. Judging by the sheer volume of cafes in Hanoi, Saigon and just about every other city in the country, it’s easy to assume that Vietnam has always been a coffee-drinking co...

A quick note on ‘Weasel coffee’

Cà phê chồn, more commonly known as weasel coffee, civet coffee or in Malaysia, kopi luwak - is wildly popular in Dalat. If you don’t know the story behind this utterly bizarre delicacy, production basically involves weasels ingesting ripe coffee berries. On...

Best cafes in Dalat: Where to find excellent coffee (and food!)

After three days eating and drinking my way around Dalat, here is my roundup of the best cafes in Dalat.

1. Biang Garden Restaurant

Biang is by far our favourite cafe in Dalat. Recently renovated and relaunched in early 2018, the interior is exquisite; indoor-outdoor spaces are reminiscent of a luxe Balinese villa.We also spotted some touches of Thai design (and a few menu items) th...

2. Le Chalet

Located opposite the popular ‘Crazy House’, Le Chalet is an intriguing melange of French colonial and war-era Vietnam. Indoor and outdoor dining spaces are perfect for bistro-style dining, making it a great place for a long, lazy lunch.The menu highlights fresh, healthy meals prepared with local produce (this is a running theme in Dalat). Vietnamese dishes and light Western meals (e.g. quiche with salad) are on offer, alongside fabulous smoothies and coffee.

3. An Cafe

One of many ‘rooftop’ cafes perched above Dalat’s main street, An Cafe is known for its rich, smooth coffee. The latte here was indeed one of the best I tried in Dalat.The cafe is filled with leafy green plants, which gives it a very chilled, indoor-outdoor feel.We also ate breakfast here - a basic toast with eggs, and a selection of Central and Southern Vietnamese specialty dishes are available. Everything is made from organic ingredients.

4. La Viet Coffee

Dalat’s one and only warehouse cafe, La Viet is the place to sample La Viet coffee, which is grown, processed and roasted locally. The warehouse is located a little bit out of the centre of town, but it’s well worth the effort to get up there.The design and decor is spot-on; a little slice of Melbourne in Central Vietnam. The coffee is obviously the highlight, accompanied by simple Western brunch dishes prepared in the kitchen next door.The best thing about La Viet is that visitors can take a tour of the on-site production facilities and see the coffee sorting and roasting processes first-hand. A staff member will happily take you around without any notice (just inquire at the counter when you arrive).There’s also a demonstration kitchen for coffee tastings, and a wonderful gift shop that sells La Viet coffee and other local products (more on that later).In-depth field tours of the La Viet plantation can also be organised through local tour operators (ask at your hotel/hostel if you’re interested).

5. Dreamers Home And Coffee

We stumbled on this sweet little cafe while exploring Dalat’s French Quarter. Maybe it was because of the rain, which started hurling down just as we found a table, but The Dreamer felt like the perfect place to curl and get stuck into a good book.There are plenty of tastefully decorated, private indoor and outdoor spaces. Terrace tables have views of the Dalat Train Station, visible across the gorge.The cafe serves smoothies, coffee and tea, including Dalat’s famous artichoke tea.

6. BicycleUp

From an outstanding all-rounder to a dedicated coffee house. BicycleUp is a ‘pure’ coffee joint; a tiny hole-in-the-wall serving La Viet coffee and a small selection of teas and juices. The interior is styled with an eclectic collection of antiques and curios.Menus are bound in old Russian schoolbooks; walls are lined with stacks of tomes, old bicycle parts, gramophones and Soviet cameras. The style is similar to Cong, but more crowded and less curated (in a good way).

7. Tiem Ca-phe Co Bong & Tiem banh Totto-chan

And the award for Dalat’s most Instagrammable cafe goes to… Yes, a major reason people visit Co Bong and Totto-chan is to take selfies - and who could blame them. This pair of adorable retro-themed cafes is located in downtown Dalat, behind the train station. Co Bong is styled as a war-era cafe, with plenty of vintage accoutrements.We unfortunately ran out of time to visit, so I can’t speak to their coffee or food offerings—but social media tells me that both specialise in Vietnamese-style drip coffee.Totta-chan is also known for its cakes and baked goods. Located within walking distance of each other, you can easily pair them together.

Where to eat in Dalat: More Dalat restaurants & cafes

One More Cafe

A simple, no-frills cafe serving K’Ho Coffee and fresh juices, One More Cafe also does a tasty, simple breakfast. House-made seed toast with your choice of toppings (salmon and cream cheese; local compote) is a good light option.There’s also more lavish English-style breakfasts - or you could go straight for the cake cabinet (I highly recommend the carrot cake).

Artist Alley

Formerly located in the same alleyway as BicycleUp, Artist Alley recently relocated to a two-storey house. The move has maybe detracted from the restaurant’s atmosphere, but the food still holds up. French-Vietnamese is the focus here, and they make a mean French onion soup (straight outta Paris). The avocado salad with honey dressing is a house specialty; I recommend ordering it to share as it’s very avocado-heavy. This is a step up from the other cafes on the list, and perfect if you’re looking for something slightly more formal and romantic. The dining room is often filled with live acoustic music in the evenings.

Ganesh

If there’s Indian food available, we’ll try it. Our dinner at Ganesh was one of the best Indian meals we’ve had in Vietnam (and we’ve had a lot). Generous portions of mild curries, and a thick and buttery garlic naan were a highlight (be warned: the naan is mammoth!). We were tempted to go back the next night, so good it was. Ganesh is located upstairs on Dalat’s busiest street, close to most hotels and hostels, making it a great option for an easy dinner.

Tiem Banh Coi Xay Gio

Cối Xay Gió is a popular Dalat banh mi chain with a distinctive (and yes, Instagrammable) yellow-painted facade. Local’s favourite and simply a must-try for a cheap snack in Dalat.

Dalat coffee plantation tours

If sipping on a cuppa sparks your curiosity about Dalat’s coffee culture and production, you can delve deeper into the scene with a coffee plantation tour. Here, you have two options: A dedicated Dalat coffee plantation tour, or a general city or countryside easy rider tour, which will undoubtedly include a stop-off at a plantation.We’re not coffee aficionados, so we did the latter. But I wish I had taken a farm tour with K’Ho Coffee, a responsible coffee co-op owned by ethnic minority families. As mentioned, La Viet also offers tours of their coffee plantation located just outside Dalat city.For more information about Dalat coffee plantation tours, check out this comprehensive guide from Grantourismo.

Where to buy coffee in Dalat

La Viet has a small shop attached to its warehouse cafe where you can buy packets of beans and ground coffee. They also sell non-edible souvenirs, including nifty coffee air fresheners made from coffee grounds, and branded merchandise (tote bags and tea towels).L’angfarm is the premier chain of food shops in Dalat, with at least five branches across the city. They stock a huge range of jams and preserves, teas, macha products, nuts, dried fruit, sweets, coffee… And a million other products, all made from local ingredients. We were surprised how reasonably priced the shop is and ended up taking home a few bags of goodies to share with our friends and work colleagues in Hanoi.Most cafes in Dalat sell bags of whatever coffee they serve. And if you leave things to the last minute, you can also pick up coffee and dried fruits at Dalat airport on your way out.Are you a coffee drinker? Have you been to Dalat, or does it sound like a place you’d like to visit? Let me know what you think!

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