I really want to like this place more but I have mixed feelings. I came here for chicken rice. They have parking, that's a bonus. They have a vast menu. The specials board alone had 15 or more items on it. Many things I want to try. But I came here for Hainanese chicken rice. Their's is pretty good, but didn't quite hit the level I was looking for. I partial to Singapore style which is exceptional where mom and pop places specialize in it. Thai style comes a close second. What they serve here honestly looks better than it tastes. I'm not saying it's bad, but I have high expectations for chicken rice. The abundance of fried shallot was a nice touch. The rice according to the menu is seasoned with ginger and onions. The bed of rice is GENEROUS portion. It's more flavorful than your average plain bowl of white rice, but I didn't get any sense that it was cooked in the chicken stock from poaching the chicken. It's just not chicken rice unless the rice has that luciousness from being toasted in chicken fat and then cooked in the liquid used to poach the chicken. So disappointing on that front. The ginger sauce was both sweet and vinegar-y. I was not expecting that either. I prefer the sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and/or ginger scallion sauce. Their ginger sauce was more like a salad dressing category of flavor. Also, you can tell the chicken needs to be re-warmed since it's one of those things that by necessity needs to be cooked ahead of time (unless it's the only thing you serve and you serve it all day, every day.) However, mine was still cold in the middle. And the flavor of the chicken itself just wasn't that amazing. I know this was my first visit, so I'm not mad or anything. However, it's a bit confusing if you are supposed to order at the counter or from a server at your table. There is a small sign that says "order here" at the register, but not sure if that is for to-go orders or everybody. There was a long line at the counter, which seemed like a mix of people waiting to pay after eating and people ordering coffee drinks to-go. Even when I asked a server what the routine was, I still wasn't clear but the server came to my table. Not sure if that's the norm or what. Beware, it's a loud space. Partly the music is at too high a volume (I had to find a table in the furthest, quietest corner I could find). A small group came in after me and actually asked them to turn the music down. And they could use some wall and ceiling treatments to reduce the sound reflections. There was a tiny baby cyring normally like a baby does, but it might as well have been a fire engine with sirens going full blast because of the acoustics. The restaurant was only half full. I can only imagine how loud it gets with a full house, even without babies. It's a hip and trendy place but seems like the hip and trendy stuff gets in the way being a comfortable place with the noise level. And that gets in the way of very authentic flavors and menu choices. I'll be back. I want to try the duck congee, chicken wings and their version of avocado toast. But I might actually bring earplugs or earbuds to keep the noise down. read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Chicken rice. Looks better than it tastes, but the fried shallots are nice touch. - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Still on the fence about this place. Service wasn't that great. It's not that they were rude but they messed up a couple of things in our order. The price is a little bit more expensive than other Vietnamese places. The flavor wasn't bad for my Bun Bo Hue and my friend's chicken vermicelli but their coffee was great. read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I went for breakfast on Saturday morning and it was very crowded. There was a long line waiting. The food was delicious. The service was good. The restaurant was clean and the restrooms were clean. There was a wide variety of food to choose from. read more

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Dang, the name caught my eye SOUFEND. Anybody that grew up in south Seattle knows exactly where that name came from. The specials - OMG they were so amazing looking as well. So we tried a couple - the razor clams were freaking delicious. The boar coco curry, delicious - served with warm banh mi bread. We also had a Viet crepe and fish sauce chicken wings. All dishes were simply amazing. I look forward to returning to try more dishes. The chef/owner was so nice and friendly she chatted with us and told us she made the hot sauces herself from scratch. Simply put, I love this joint! read more

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Dropped in since i saw a local place with boba and have been wanting to try it out since seeing it opened! Got a classic black milk tea with boba. The boba a bit on the chewy side, but we're tasty. I usually get. Around 50% sugar, but I forgot to get any sugar mods this time. To my pleasant surprise, it wasn't super sweet! The tea flavor was there but i wish it was a bit stronger. Overall, this place is solid, but im not sure it quite stood out enough for me to come here just for the boba again. read more

This has been my current favorite new spot to eat at, SOUFend Cafe. The name itself was already catchy, but I heard about this place from seeing posts of their banh uot tower and it reminded me of this one place I went to in Vietnam. You MUST try it; it's a tower of steamed rice roll sheets that you have a selection of protein to choose from, mixed with fresh herbs and veggies, roll it all up and dip in fish sauce. Oh. My. God. Yum! We also ordered their bun mam dau which is a variety of meats, tofu, noodles, and fresh herbs to dip in a pungent shrimp paste sauce. I guess I'm not a true Viet, the shrimp paste was too strong for me so I opt out for fish sauce instead. I'm looking forward to coming back to try more things on the menu. They have really early hours and actually serve a full menu all day. Tell me about your experience if you've been here or is going to after reading this review:) read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Bun mam dau. Love, @eatoutthao - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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My husband and I have been here a total of three times, and each visit has gotten worse and worse. I hate leaving a bad review because I initially loved the food. I understand they are a new restaurant, but I would have expected the food to improve over time, not decline. Consistency should be of utmost importance--someone should be tasting the food before serving it! Jan 10th: We ordered the bánh ướt tower, bánh mì chảo, bún mắm, and took home bún bò Huế (BBH) and bò lúc lắc. The bánh ướt was good overall but not great--the concept was cute, and the dipping sauce was just okay. 7/10. My husband enjoyed his bánh mì chảo. We received our water container immediately after sitting down, along with paper cups. Overall, I liked the experience. I really enjoyed my bún mắm (a little sweet, but nothing a bit of fish sauce couldn't fix). The BBH at home was also on the sweeter side, so I had to add more fish sauce. Jan 18th: Since we liked the food the first time, we returned and ordered takeout for my mom and father-in-law. Unfortunately, my father-in-law said the cà ri dê was so sweet that he couldn't eat more than one bite and had to throw it away. He said it tasted like it was entirely MSG. I don't have anything against MSG--I use it in my own cooking--but this was overwhelming. I told him it might have been a one-off. I ordered BBH at the restaurant this time, and it was even sweeter than before. I don't like sweet broths, so I assumed it was just my personal preference. Feb 10th: The morning after Super Bowl Sunday, I invited my friends to join me for lunch since they had been wanting to try the bánh ướt tower. I was embarrassed because I had raved about the place, but they left so disappointed. We weren't given water until we asked for it--after we had already placed our order. When we asked, the server just pointed to where the water was, as if we should have known to get it ourselves. If this is a self-serve restaurant, I would have liked to know in advance. But the first two times, they brought the water to us. It was also a quiet Monday morning, with only one other table occupied. My friends ordered BBH, and I warned them it was a little sweet--but they could barely eat it. One of them had to throw up 10 minutes later. I thought she was exaggerating. Another friend ordered bánh canh and said it was also way too sweet. I also ordered two BBH to take home. The next day, I tried it, and it was like candy--BBH should not taste like dessert. I diluted it with two parts water to one part broth, added more fish sauce, and it was still too sweet. We couldn't eat it and had to throw it away, definitely not the same BBH broth we tasted the first time we visited. I also ordered the hot stone phở, and just like everything else, it was super sweet. At this point, I was over it. We also got bánh khọt, and honestly, that was the only thing that was good. To make things worse, the oxtail and ribs in the BBH were extremely chewy and hard to eat. At that point, it didn't even matter how the broth tasted--there was no saving the dish. Overall, I'm not sure if I'll come back unless someone from out of town specifically wants to try the bánh ướt tower. I thought I had found a gem, but now I'm disappointed. read more

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Very delicious Vietnamese food with amazing presentation. Friendly service and clean restaurant. They have a huge menu which includes coffees and Matcha on the backside. Highly recommend this place and would come back. read more

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I saw the banh uot tower on tik tok and decided to come try it. The concept was pretty cool and it was very tasty. You order the banh uot (rice noodle sheet) and pair it with meats that you want. We tried other Vietnamese food there as well and it was pretty good. The service was good, self serve water and utensils. read more

Dropped by Soufend (finally!) based on a friend's recommendation. Nice clean space and really friendly service. I just got the banana matcha with cookie crumbles and it was tasty! I will come back to try the other flavors. Nephew convinced me to order some food so we got the fried rice and fish sauce wings. Wait was a little long as there was only one other table occupied while we were there but that was the only thing keeping this from a 5 star review. Thank u Soufend! We'll stop by again if we find ourselves in the soufend read more

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Came in to order coffee because I love Vietnamese Coffee. The place was busy and the lady that took our order told me that it would take about 10 minutes. I ordered 3 Vietnamese coffees and a Brown Sugar Matcha with Salted Cheese Foam. The lady asked for a name for the coffee and I gave her my husband's name. The order took more than 10 minutes. It was about 20 minutes and my husband's name was never called. I went up to ask about my order and the lady looked confused. I sat back down and after another 3 minutes another lady came with my order in a togo coffee holder. The coffee was lukewarm like it's been sitting for a while. I will definitely never come back. read more

I came back for brunch and we tried the Banh Mi Chao and Bo Luc Lac. Overall, the flavors were very good and the beef for both dishes was very tender and well seasoned. The Banh Mi Chao was missing pate, but all the components that were in the dish were tasty and it was accompanied with enough bread. I also got the Tamarind Mango Black tea which was delicious and unique. The biggest downside to our meal was the wait. After ordering, we waited over 30 minutes to receive our food. The service also needs improvement because our waiter was abrasive when he interacted with us. All in all, I would consider coming back for food if there is an improvement in service but will stick with their drinks for now. read more

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Fantastic food and the service was fast! The environment was chill and there were a lot of options to choose from! Would recommend and come again! read more

Rating this a 3/5 for a few reasons. We got 3 drinks- matcha latte, mango slush and banana cookie coffee. The mango slush was tasty and full of flavor. The other two drinks were good, but had waaaay too much ice. I counted the amount of sips in my matcha...5. I wish the online ordering had an option to do less ice, no ice or ice on the side. I would pay more just to enjoy the product instead of feeling like I wasted money on 5 sips. They were busy and almost forgot one of the drinks in our order. They promptly fixed it and made the third drink. Overall quality is there but please let us customize online if you see this soufend read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Matcha - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Good vibe, generous portions & clean interior & parking lot We definitely will come back read more

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I got the house salad and I would say out of everything I ordered I think that was my favorite dish. It was full of flavor and the beef was tender. My kids loved the fish sauce chicken wings. We also ordered the rice noodles tower, I think that was ok in my opinion. It wasn't bad nor super good it was decent. The ceviche was refreshing but I think they should make it more sour, just all due to ceviche is a Mexican dish that contains a lot of limes. In my experience I would go there again for lunch or dinner. Drinks were pretty good too. Service was really nice and environment is really nice. Definitely tells you about the soufend lol. read more

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I went there 3x with 8 days because the first time was good so my family and friends wanted to try it out. Everyone there is friendly but it would help for them to check up on people more. Parking isn't so great and service is kind of on the slow side. So to avoid this I would recommend going during opening or near to closing time. Now for the reviews on the food that we had: Their com ga hai nam, bo luc lac, and com tam is good. I'm glad we got to try all 3 of them. Banh Uot Tower was better than the one I had in Cali because it came with more protein options and veggies. Didn't like the heo quay because it was more on the dry side and not the crispy crunch I was expecting. I had the nem nuong too and it was good but could make the portions a little better. Banh Mi Chao portion was good but it was on the sweet side. Bun Bo Hue was flavorful but wish it was a little more spicy. I normally don't eat that spicy but this is something I would like to have a little kick to it. Banh Canh was good, bowl was really filling. I like my broth more thicker but my friends said depending on certain parts if Vietnam they don't always make it thick so that's understandable. Overall banh canh was good. Pho was OK, i wouldn't order that again. Overall, if they make some changes it would make the experience better especially with the prices they have. 1. Being more attentive to customers. 2. Maybe cutting down menu so they can improve on their main dishes. read more

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The decor of this place is really cute and clean looking. My more "hood" friend corrected me when I said the name. For those that failed like me, the name of the restaurant is basically "South End." ;] I can see it after she called me out, lol. Anyway, I really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately, my main dish fell short. I got the Hu Tieu Nam Vang since it was one of the specials of the day and because that's one of my favorite dishes, I figure I had to give it a try. My mistake. The soup was way too salty, it was missing the quintessential minced pork, and the dish just tasted all around...different. There was a decent amount of quail egg and I got 3 shrimps, which was a pleasant surprise, but the flavor was just not there. We got the chicken wings with fish sauce and this was actually really good. Not too sweet, and not too salty. Would recommend. The banh uot tower felt like more of a gimmick than anything. The taste didn't really justify the cost for me and took up a lot of space on the small table. I'd probably pass on that next time. I think there were a few things I would go back to try like the bun bo hue tacos, so overall, I'd give it 3 stars and hope that other things I try can bump my rating. read more

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The beef skillet comes out really hot so be careful! It was my first time trying this dish and I actually really liked the pâté with the baguette. The cafe has a very chill vibe, you order at the counter and they bring the food to your table. Would highly recommend the matcha latte with strawberry foam. It was really good mixed. And I def want to to try the chicken rice next time! read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Beef in a Skillet, fried chicken wings, matcha lattes - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I've only eaten here once, and I wasn't expecting the food to be this good! Personally, I think the portions are generous, and everything was just amazing. We ordered three different dishes, and all of them were delicious. Even their milk tea and drinks were great! I remember ordering the matcha with strawberry, it was so good! Additionally, I could be wrong, but there were three people at the cashier helping out, and it seemed like two of them had some difficulty communicating in English. However, they were nice and genuinely trying to be helpful to the customers. The place itself is also very nice--spacious and clean. read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Amazing food, the staff are very nice, and the wait for the food wasn't too long. Definitely coming back for read more

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When I heard there was a new cafe called soufend cafe I had to go because I am from the soufend. It's located in South Seattle in between Othello and Columbia city. I love the big signs that say soufend and how nice the atmosphere is. My friends and I got the matcha latte w/ banana cookie and another matcha latte w/ strawberry foam. They were both really good but the banana cookie stood out! I would say the drinks are a bit small for the price but tasted good! The menu has a variety of Vietnamese food and has some fusion options too such as bun Bo hue tacos! They even had specials of the day too! We shared the banh uoc/ rice roll tower. It comes with veggies, sauce, and you can choose your meat. It was a pretty good sized portion and got us full! The banh uoc was silky and fresh. I wish the sauce wasn't very sweet but a little Thai chili pepper can fix that! Next time I wanna try the bun bo hue tacos! Go check them out! read more

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seattle as a city is ripe with culinary gems but there's a distinct situation that tends to happen when people consciously choose to stay in their 'hoods and avoid areas they know little about or perceive are "unsafe." i always try to seek out places that i don't know much about, happen to drive by and find myself curious enough to pull over and go in. it's just how i roll and it might not be something a lot of people feel comfortable doing but when i have the time, exploration of my own city is what feeds my soul. that's what just happened with soufend. anyone that lives here will tell you that south end establishments are well known and beloved by those who live around them but few people come in from outside the area and the south end in particular has had to counter the bad wrap it's been given for years. i just found a place i'll be coming back to and i haven't even left the parking lot. soufend was literally packed on this rainy saturday morning. it sits adjacent to the light rail at mlk and graham so if you'd rather not fight for a parking spot in the tiny shared lot with other businesses, hopping on public transport may be a good move. you can eat there or order to go, which is what i did. i got an ube coffee which was super tasty and a tofu vermicelli bowl that l'll take home for lunch. (note to self: should've gotten some fresh spring rolls as well but it gives me an excuse to come back!) lots on the drink and food menu, especially if you're a meat eater but this is the kind of place that i definitely feels deserves more recognition. the person at the counter was super welcoming, the bathroom was clean (i used it while i waited for my order to come up) and i just love finding places that challenge people to get outside of their normal routine or neighborhood to appreciate the diversity this city has within it. so happy i happened to be driving by and turn in to take a look. read more

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Food was excellent! Service was a bit unorganized but we did catch them in the lunch rush. Space is open without signage as to what you're supposed to do once inside the doors so flow was not ideal. That being said food was great and meant to be shared. read more

Best Vietnamese food ever, casual spot with friendly service and seriously good food. their cumquat tree is real! read more

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This place seemed promising but it was bad from the beginning. Freezing cold dining area. No replenishment of paper towels in the bathroom. Runner not checking order/table numbers before delivering food to customers. Found a questionable clump of tiny black hairs in my soup. Yuck. Customer lady had a bronchitis cough and never covered her mouth. Kid watched her TV show, volume on full blast. No checkups after all food is dropped off. So many red flags. Not coming back. read more

I've been so excited to try this new spot right in my neighborhood. Plus it's a brand new restaurant in a business park that has sat dormant for years...maybe even close to a decade! Brand new building with parking in the front & rear, Soufend Cafe is a cozy eatery with fun flavored Vietnamese coffees, bubble tea & matcha lattes along with an equally interesting menu. We had a group of 4 for a Saturday brunch and were able to walk in and get seated right away. The first thing we ordered were some of their drinks, my hubby ordered a Vietnamese coffee topped with Ube cold foam. My friend ordered a brown sugar Vietnamese coffee topped with salted cheese foam. I ordered a matcha latte with oat milk...so happy they had milk alternatives. The drinks were really good and came in a 10 or 12 oz cold cup. We also ordered a couple of appetizers, crispy double fried wings salt & pepper style(they also have fish sauce) and Vietnamese Salad topped with beef. Our group really enjoyed both of our picks...the wings were really crispy and flavorful...plenty of crisp garlic bits and thinly sliced jalapeño. .While we were enjoying our appetizers, a friendly Vietnamese woman came up to our table & started speaking Vietnamese to us, until she realized none of us were Vietnamese, she switched to English and asked us if we liked banana, mango sticky rice with coconut milk...we said YES & she said she would bring us some on the house. When the server came by our table she told us that the woman was her mom & the owner of the restaurant! I thought that was a sweet personal touch. We also shared a couple of entrees, we ordered the Rice Roll Tower with crispy pork & the broken rice plate that came with grilled pork chop, shredded pork, egg pork cake, and fried fish cake. The server should have let us know we would most likely need one or 2 more protein options for the rice cake tower...as one protein order will not be enough for all the rice paper wraps. We ended up having to order grilled pork which was so tasty, marinated well & grilled...so much flavor. I'll definitely go back, it's got a fun vibe and I can't wait to try some of their soup noodle dishes...they have lots of options and a whole special list on the wall. read more

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Holy moly this place was awesome. Food was incredible, inside was clean with plenty of seating. Service was friendly and well informed. Some of the best Vietnamese food I've had around this area. read more

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Highlights - Great flavors but it feels like they're trying to cover too many bases with their menu - Great service and attentiveness by the staff - Tip options start at 10% (compared to some really aggressive cafes/restaurants these days) Soufend Cafe & Eater is a promising new cafe that seems to be going through so opening pains. But with a knack for identifying flavors that work together I hope that they come out on top rather than getting bogged down by little decisions and too many offerings. Here's some things I would love to see - Paring down the menu a bit, there's no need to have so many items on the menu and then daily specials on top, it leads to too much indecision and declining quality in some dishes that really benefit from freshness. The poached chicken for example was good in flavor but it was dry because it had likely been sitting out for a long time (it's not the quickest dish to prepare). If not enough people are ordering it to keep it fresh it might not be worth having on hand. - Rounding up their specials menu to the nearest dollar, it sends really weird mixed signals to have a menu that rounds up like it's a gourmet restaurant and then a special menu that looks like I'm shopping at the bargain bin. It feels like they're trying to appeal to different types of customers only to confuse them all. - Some specials have gimmicks (mostly the stone pot pho) that end up not making sense. Yes, it holds heat better in the bowl but I can't pick up the bowl and slurp it. Well, I really can't touch the bowl at all because it's so hot. I'll chuck it up to being a new restaurant but I feel like a few decisions could really improve the cohesiveness of the place! read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Seafood ceviche - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Service sucks.. the girl act like she don't even wanna work there. Give you just just what you ask for. Not even polite about it. Food quality is great but yall needa stop hiring these people paying them low and giving us an attitude just because she ain't happy working there. 3 stars because the food was good but I would not be any to see that waitress again. I usually always tip at least 15% but that service was barely worth 10% tip. read more

Super expensive, really poor customer service and drinks were so filled with ice I only got less than two sips!!! Told the lady working the desk my complaint and she said "that's the way we do it" and showed no empathy to me as a customer. Wait time for food was over 20 minutes for one dish!!! read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

So memorable! I had to come back twice in one week for the crab udon special. So much soup it can easily be shared. Super nice staff and clean, modern, warm ambience. read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Crab udon special - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Drinks are really good. Not to compare but the Ube Vietnamese coffees tasted similar to Coffeeholic and it was delicious. Matcha with Strawberry foam was super good as well. Strawberry fizz can compare to an Italian soda without the cream and was also very tasty. Side note, not all dishes can be taken to go. The skillet dishes have to be eaten in house. Service had always been 10/10. Super nice workers. Food: Chicken and rice: 5/5 one of my favs. Very flavorful. Only down side is it is a bit spicy if you don't like that and the chicken is bone in. Bon Bo Hue Tacos: 4/5 super unique dish. Good flavor, downside is that the dish only comes with 2 tacos and ours was lacking in filling. Vietnamese Salad: was okay, 3/5 Beef skillet: 4/5 love the presentation Fish sauce wings: good flavor 5/5 Salt and pepper wings: 4/5 Pho: 5/5 nice flavor to the broth read more

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This was my second visit, and I had the Pho Dac Biet again, it's just that good! The broth is flavorful and rich, with a generous amount of protein and noodles. I also tried the Banh Canh Tom (crab udon), which was yummy. They use real crab meat, and the house-made fish cakes were delicious . I'd highly recommend this spot! The Vietnamese iced coffee was perfectly balanced & not too strong but just right. The staff were friendly, and the overall experience was wonderful. Looking forward to coming back! read more

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I wanted to like Soufend Cafe & Eatery. The concept and location are solid, but the service really missed the mark. When we walked in, the staff didn't make any effort to be friendly or welcoming. It wasn't busy either, just two other tables, so the cold attitude stood out even more. We ordered two dishes and waited over 20 minutes for our food, with no other orders ahead of us. The delay didn't feel justified. As for the food, the shaken beef had potential but was way too salty. This spot could be great with better customer service and more attention to food consistency, but for now, I can't recommend it. read more

A little bit wait time but the food is good as well as service. Pho and Bo ne are recommended and drink is good too I try ca phe muối it's salt coffee read more

My daughter's favorite drink here! Also, bought drinks here for her painting & boba birthday party! It was hit! read more

Soufend Cafe & Eatery - Taro milk Ube Foam - Cafes Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Wow what a great addition to the community!! I love how they stayed true to the traditional Vietnamese dishes! They have a wide variety of dishes that I couldn't find at other Vietnamese restaurants. My absolute favorite is their combination broken rice dish, super delicious!!! The drinks are so creative and DELICIOUS! I am in love of their taro with ube foam and matcha latte with banana cookie foam! The vibe and decoration is chefs kiss, I love how they had art work to represent the southend! I can't wait to come back again and again!!! read more

I've been here twice and the first time it was alright but the second time the food hit righhhhtt. You got the Co Hais cooking in the back, and the seasoning is on point like authentic Viet food with fresh and fragrant aromatics. The bo luc lac came with a very crispy and well flavored rice that was legit. The nem nuong spring rolls were fresh and well made. The banh canh cua broth was the perfect consistency/thickness and the flavors were on point. Even the chili paste at each table is freshly ground and spicy as hell. I don't love some of the Seattle Viet food places but this place is very Houston Texas -esque in taste and style. This place is definitely going in my rotation ! read more

Rewind: The Little Café That Found My Soul I wasn't looking for magic that morning. Just coffee. It had been a long week -- the kind that sticks to your bones, weighs down your shoulders, and drains the color from your days. I needed quiet. I needed warmth. I needed something small and kind. And I found it. Or maybe it found me. The Hidden Door Tucked between a bookstore and a flower shop, the café had no flashy sign. Just a hand-painted wooden board that read: "Juniper & Steam" in delicate cursive. Ivy crawled around the doorway, and the windows fogged just slightly with warmth. It felt like the place had been waiting for me -- like a secret the city only shares with people who need it. The First Breath The smell inside? Unreal. Not just coffee, but brown sugar, vanilla bean, citrus peel, cinnamon -- it was like someone roasted comfort into the air. The barista -- smiling with soft eyes and a wool cardigan -- greeted me like I'd been there a hundred times. "Rough morning?" they asked. I nodded. "Chai latte. With oat milk. And a whisper of honey?" I blinked. "How did you--" They winked. "We've all had one of those days." The Cup That Held Me Together I sat by the window in a mismatched armchair. The sun crept through stained glass panes, throwing jewel-colored shadows onto my table. My drink arrived in a handmade ceramic mug -- heavy, imperfect, human. The first sip made me pause. Smooth. Spiced. Gentle. Like a warm hand on the back of your neck when you're trying not to cry. They called it a "hug in a cup." I'd call it therapy in liquid form. The Cake I Didn't Know I Needed I hadn't planned to stay long, but the playlist was soft jazz, and the laughter of strangers was the kind that didn't ask anything from me. So I ordered a slice of their signature lemon-thyme olive oil cake. I don't know what magic they baked into it, but it tasted like sunlight. Bright, moist, tender -- the kind of flavor that makes your eyes close involuntarily. The Moment I Remembered Myself As I sat there -- chai in one hand, book in the other -- I felt my jaw unclench. My shoulders drop. My mind quiet. That café didn't just serve food; it restored people. You could tell by the way strangers lingered, by the way every detail had love behind it: handwritten menus, wildflowers in old jam jars, a little shelf of poetry free to borrow. The Kind of Place That Stays With You I've been back since. Often. Sometimes for the lavender matcha. Sometimes just for the atmosphere. Sometimes to write, to read, to think. But that first visit? That one stays with me. Not every place changes your day. Some change your rhythm. Some remind you of your humanity. . read more