Vietnamese Coffee Chain Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe Is Opening in Portland | Eater Portland

"One of Vietnam’s largest coffee franchises — with four factories and more than 110 cafes, three locations in Shanghai, and a Los Angeles shop that attracted a lot of press when it opened in 2023, and which has exported coffee to the U.S. for over 20 years — is opening its first Pacific Northwest outpost at 8435 SE Powell Boulevard in Portland. The 1,800-square-foot space will occupy a former billiard hall and restaurant called Pho Le II and is slated to open in summer 2025; franchise owner Brad Tran says he hopes to have the cafe fully functional by the summer. The menu will feature European espresso drinks, but Vietnamese coffee drinks are the main attraction: phin coffee made with condensed milk, richegg coffee, and cà phê chon, otherwise known as kopi luwak, are all on the menu. Kopi luwak can be divisive — it’s coffee that’s passed through the digestive system of a civet cat, and the animals are sometimes held in abusive conditions. All the coffee beans come from Vietnam, flown in from Buôn Ma Thuot, a city in the Central Highlands, according to Eater Los Angeles. Tran says there will be specials beyond the franchise coffees, including a full restaurant menu with banh mi, pho, and rice platters, and that fried chicken could also make an appearance: “We’re still fine-tuning the food,” he adds. He is also pursuing expansion in the region: “I’m working to get a Beaverton location,” Tran says. Vietnamese coffee has been growing in popularity across the Pacific Northwest and particularly in Portland, where phin-brewed drinks have become common at spots such as Phin Caphe & Boba, Cafe Ume, and Gạch Viet Teahouse." - Paolo Bicchieri