The story
Cafe Giang is the family cafe of Nguyen Van Giang, a former Metropole Hotel bartender who is credited with inventing egg coffee in 1946. At the time fresh milk was scarce, so he whipped egg yolk into the coffee instead. The third generation of the family runs it today, at the end of a narrow alley, with wooden furniture, black-and-white photos, yellow walls and warm yellow light. Hot egg coffee comes in a small cup sitting in a bowl of hot water to keep it warm.
One of Hanoi's best-known addresses for egg coffee, with a lineage story behind the drink.
Founded in 1946 by Nguyen Van Giang, a former Metropole Hotel bartender who created egg coffee when fresh milk was scarce. The third generation of the family runs it now.
What to order
Egg coffee
The 1946 original: whipped egg-yolk cream over strong coffee, served hot in a bowl of hot water.
Egg cocoa
The same egg cream over cocoa, a good pick if you don't drink coffee.
Egg beer / egg rum
House variations on the egg cream.
Coconut coffee
A coffee option without egg, at a similar price.
Local tips
Look for the sign over the narrow alley entrance on Nguyen Huu Huan; you won't see the cafe from the street.
The second floor has a balcony overlooking the street if a table is free.
Service is quick even when every table is full, so a short wait for a seat is usually worth it.
Say it in Vietnamese
“Cho em một ly cà phê trứng nhé.”
One egg coffee, please.Plan your visit
Opening hours
- Monday
- 07:00–22:30
- Tuesday
- 07:00–22:30
- Wednesday
- 07:00–22:30
- Thursday (today)
- 07:00–22:30
- Friday
- 07:00–22:30
- Saturday
- 07:00–22:30
- Sunday
- 07:00–22:30
When to go
Open about 7:00–22:00/22:30. It is busiest mid-morning and in the late afternoon. Go right after opening or later in the evening for an easier seat.
Getting there
39 Nguyen Huu Huan, in the Old Quarter. The cafe is at the end of a small alley, so look for the sign hanging above the narrow entrance. Motorbike parking costs about 10,000₫.
Open in Google Maps →Good to know
Alley access with stairs
Depends on kids’ ages or terrain
- Seating is on low wooden stools in tight rows, so expect to sit close to other people.
Where this comes from
Listed from local research and not yet checked in person. Share what you find in the VietnamGo app so we can confirm it.
- Google Maps listing · Traveler reviews · 2026
- Lux Travel DMC – Giang cafe guide · Operator · luxtraveldmc.com
- Hà Nội Review – Cafe Giảng · Traveler reviews · 2026 · hanoireview.vn
- Tom Henty's Travel – Café Giang Hanoi · Traveler reviews · tomhentystravel.co.uk
- Local travel guide (research report) · Research