Tip from David Nguyen
Order the rich egg coffee, which incorporates a whole raw egg yolk stirred into black filter coffee and sweet condensed milk. Watch the owner hand-turn batches of coffee beans in a wood-fired steel drum.
Café Ba Lù
199b Phùng Hưng, Phường 14, Quận 5, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
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Overview
Café Ba Lù is a traditional coffee stall on Phùng Hưng in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. The stall sits inside the busy Phùng Hưng wet market in Chợ Lớn. Lâm Thiệu Điện founded the business in the 1950s after migrating from Hainan. His children now manage the daily brewing and roasting operations at the stall.
The venue retains traditional Chinese-Vietnamese coffee-making techniques. The family roasts coffee beans by hand inside a rotating steel drum over a wood fire. They add butter, salt, and rice wine during roasting to soften the bitterness of the beans. This manual roasting routine produces a rich aroma throughout the market alley. The vendor grinds the roasted beans into a fine powder for each morning.
The stall brews coffee with long cloth filter nets suspended over charcoal stoves. Staff steep the coffee grounds inside traditional clay herbal medicine pots to maintain heat. The drink list features classic black coffee, iced milk coffee, and rich egg coffee. The egg coffee blends a raw egg yolk directly into hot black coffee and sweetened condensed milk. The menu also lists Chinese-style iced black tea with lemon.
The stall features an open street counter beneath protective tarpaulins and large umbrellas. Customers sit on low plastic stools along the market walkway among neighborhood vendors. Local market shoppers and Cantonese speakers gather at the tables throughout the morning. Café Ba Lù represents one of the oldest surviving sock-filter coffee vendors in Ho Chi Minh City.
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What reviewers say
Google reviews
4.3
413 reviews
Reviewers value Café Ba Lù for its traditional sock-filter coffee, known for its light and slightly woody profile, and the friendly hospitality of its longtime owners. Located inside a bustling wet market, the stall provides a communal setting where patrons share tea and watch daily market life unfold. The absence of listed prices has led to occasional concerns about higher rates for tourists, and some note that the drinks and basic market seating may not suit everyone.
Café Ba Lù is rated 4.3 out of 5 on Google from 413 reviews. Summary written by PinGuide from Google reviews, figures as of 3 Oct 2026. Read on Google ↗
1 insider tip
Where it is
199b Phùng Hưng, Phường 14, Quận 5, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Questions & Answers
Where is Café Ba Lù located?
Café Ba Lù is located at 199b Phùng Hưng, Phường 14, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. The coffee stall operates directly inside the Phùng Hưng wet market in Chợ Lớn.
What are the opening hours of Café Ba Lù?
Café Ba Lù is open daily from 06:00 to 18:00.
What is Café Ba Lù known for?
Café Ba Lù is known as one of the oldest surviving traditional sock-filter coffee stalls in Ho Chi Minh City. The family roasts coffee beans by hand over a wood fire and brews drinks using cloth filter nets and clay pots.
How is coffee brewed at Café Ba Lù?
Coffee at Café Ba Lù is brewed using cloth filter nets suspended over charcoal stoves. Ground coffee is steeped in traditional clay herbal medicine pots to maintain consistent brewing heat.
How does Café Ba Lù roast its coffee beans?
The beans are roasted by hand in a rotating steel drum over a wood fire. Butter, salt, and rice wine are added during the roasting process to soften the bitterness of the beans.
What drinks are on the menu at Café Ba Lù?
The menu at Café Ba Lù includes traditional black coffee, iced milk coffee, and Chinese-style iced black tea with lemon. The stall also prepares an egg coffee made with raw egg yolk, hot black coffee, and sweetened condensed milk.
Who founded Café Ba Lù?
Lâm Thiệu Điện founded Café Ba Lù in the 1950s after migrating from Hainan. His children continue to run the roasting and brewing operations today.
What kind of seating is available at Café Ba Lù?
Seating at Café Ba Lù consists of low plastic stools arranged along the market walkway under tarpaulins and large umbrellas. Customers sit outdoors directly amid the everyday foot traffic of the wet market.
Is Café Ba Lù suitable for remote working or studying?
No, Café Ba Lù is not suitable for working or studying. It is an open-air street stall situated in an active wet market with plastic stool seating and no modern workspace amenities.
Can you make a reservation at Café Ba Lù?
No, Café Ba Lù does not take reservations. It is a walk-up market stall where customers take open stools along the walkway on a first-come, first-served basis.