Cafe Ume

Cafe Ume is hands down my favorite coffee place in the PDX/Vancouver area. Not only do they have delicious coffees like Salty Coffee and Caramel Popcorn Coffee but their staff are amazing! They have two locations. One in Portland and their new shop in Camas. I can't recommend them enough!

As a few others have already mentioned little bang for your buck. Came here the other day ordered a Saigon coffee and the caramel popcorn coffee. The Saigon coffee was filled to the top with pebbled ice and I would say maybe 4 oz of coffee drink. For over $6, the biggest rip-off since Starbucks. Taste was also way too sweet. The caramel popcorn coffee although not lacking in taste was again a lot of foam not a lot of coffee. I know some of these small businesses struggle to survive these days but in these days where economics draw people to stay in you better have a outstanding product and great customer service to keep yourself afloat. Trust me nothing like Hanoi

Cafe Ume is a charming Vietnamese cafe and boba spot that really hits the mark with its preset drink menu—simple, popular, and absolutely delicious. The staff here are welcoming, and I've heard great things about the owners too. Being a relatively new establishment, they're known to generously offer free drinks or upgrades for even the slightest inconvenience, which is a lovely touch. A small piece of advice from me: toning down the Asian good luck charms might enhance the overall aesthetics of the place. Just a thought for an even more refined ambiance. Regardless, it's a fantastic spot that's well worth a visit.

best vietnamese coffee in town. my personal favorites are the matcha, salted, pandan, and ube coffee. service is amazing as well. one time i had an issue with a doordash order. the owner gave me a free order the next time i came to the shop 🥹 i didn’t even ask for it they probably just recognized my name

It was amazing. Jayden helped us and answered every question we had. He was super helpful and polite and professional and gave awesome recommendations.

Cafe Ume just opened next to my gym, and it's already my favorite coffee spot in Portland! Being a fan of Vietnamese coffee, I was super excited about their selections and the unique coffee flavors like egg coffee, ube coffee or salty coffee. Kyle, the owner, provides the top-notch quality of service and his coffee/tea tells his own story of dedication and passion. We are so happy to have Cafe Ume in Portland. Highly recommended for any coffee lovers!

I'm pretty sure the coffee was pre-made. A coffee shop should smell of coffee and given the brewing technique for Vietnamese coffee, this was lacking. Having said that, if you want a coffee drink the Ube foam and the Salty coffee were delicious. However, I for one feel a bit shafted to spend $7 on 12 oz of ice and have a 50% of the foam stick to it. Portland is a coffee town, you can do better. Given the location, I do suspect they'll last awhile, but I've seen several businesses disappear from this location.

Seriously the very best coffee! The tea and iced drinks are also delicious. The owner obviously is passionate about his craft and I feel so lucky to have this in my neighborhood. Park in the 24 Hour Fitness parking lot for ease or walk if you're close by. The egg coffee was recommended to me and it did not disappoint (though absolutely everything there is fantastic so you can't go wrong).

As one of the few Vietnamese coffee shops in Portland, Cafe Ume offers nice variety of Vietnamese drinks. Known for their coffee, they also have fruity and milk teas to enjoy. The inside of the shop has some seating, but not much. Staff here is kind and service is quick. When I came here, I came to just pick up some coffee for my boyfriend and I. I ordered the egg coffee and the ube coffee. Both drinks were creamy and not too sweet. Although I got the egg coffee for myself, I ended up liking the ube coffee more. The ube coffee here is so fragrant and one of the best I've tried. Highly recommend this Vietnamese coffee shop.

Cafe Ume is a quick service cafe that specializes in Vietnamese coffee and teas. I love the Lunar New Year decorations that they still have up, it gives the space a festive and vibrant vibe. I got an iced A-Taste-Of-Saigon Coffee which is what they call their Ca Phe Sua Da. They poured it into a regular sized cup but even with the full amount of ice in it, the drink wasn't filled to the top. It had that distinct sweet and strong coffee flavor that I am familiar with when it comes to Vietnamese coffee.

was really craving bạc xỉu wanted to check this cafe out. cafe ume is small, with a kiosk and a couple of seating by the window so felt more like a order and go type of place. i was there early so service was quick as we were the only ones there. the coffee did hit the spot but don't expect it to fully taste like the ones you get in saigon! honestly it mostly just tasted like regular ca phe sua da.

Drinks: - The Ube coffee aesthetically looks great. The Ube foam had a nice thick texture and added a lot of sweetness to the coffee. Honestly it tastes a lot like chocolate milk so for people who like caffeine but isn't a fan of bitter coffee, this is for you. I personally thought it was too sweet and left little room for the coffee - The Matcha Foam Milk Tea was very milky, you're not gonna be getting much tea flavor from this (at least I didn't) so if you're into boba tea for the tea forward flavors, this might not be for you. The boba is good, nice and chewy all the way through. None of that hard center nonsense. Personally it wasn't for me since I like tea forward boba, but it was worth a try Food: - N/A Ambience: - Very clean inside and new - The ceilings are very very high up making the place feel pretty grand - There were some nice year of the dragon décor when I went which I like Overall: It's a nice place, and modern. The Vietnamese style coffee didn't taste authentic to me. I grew up drinking Vietnamese coffee and this was nothing like it. Maybe it's a new spin or an adaptation of Vietnamese coffee, but I didn't quite enjoy it. I tend to bias toward the traditional style Vietnamese coffee, but maybe that's just me. I was hoping for more tea flavors in the milk tea, so that was kind of a let down. The location doesn't offer much parking so I had to park in the Trader Joe's parking lot across the street and walk over. Not a big deal but I thought it was worth mentioning for folks who wanted to try this place. Overall it was okay

Quick and friendly service Amazing cafe sua da aka Vietnamese iced coffee // the lychee tea was also very yummy if you don't like coffee! It's a cute, clean and quaint space. Has a parking garage - that is shared with 24 hour fitness. Easy in and out.

Very small kiosk-like caffeine corner shop. Enthusiasm shines bright from the owner! So friendly & smiley. He took a sincere moment to share about the Vietnamese coffee style. The recent craze of Ube & Pandan flavors are popular. Recently, they hosted a dragon dance to kick off the Lunar New Year. Pretty impressive for a tiny little business! Ample free garage parking next door.

I got the Pandan-Mania coffee and it was delicious! Love how the sweet creamy pandan topping pairs so well with the strong Viet coffee. I got there pretty early in the morning (around 10 am) and it wasn't busy so my drink came out super fast! I was visiting Portland and wow I wish we had these types of coffee shops where I'm from! Pandan coffee has my heart!

Came back today bc I was excited to try the place out. Flavor-wise, did not disappoint! Definitely worth coming back for. I also thought it was very kind of them to explain what happened (glad it wasn't anything bad), and business owner offered a free drink. I did not take up on the offer as I understand shit happens. We got the ube and pandan, SO GOOD!! I do wish there was a little more coffee than cream ratio but otherwise still loved it. It's so cozy inside as well. I wish they sold pastries too, would've loved that.

I've been here 4x times and used to always recommend it to my friends. The first few times I visited (shortly after they opened in December) I was served by the owner who was always so warm, welcoming, and smiley. His charismatic demeanor alone would keep me coming back. I've tried the Egg-Cellent Coffee and the Caramel Popcorn Coffee. The drinks were made well with strong flavors of coffee and a good amount of sweetness. The most recent time I went to Ume, I was slightly disappointed to not be greeted by the kind and joyful owner but instead two younger women who looked indifferent to being there. During this visit I ordered the Egg-Cellent Coffee with boba, less ice and 50% sweetness. The drink was tasty but overly sweet. The cup was filled to the brim with ice which led me wishing for more after finishing. The boba was semi-hard, which may be attributed to going in one hour before closing. I enjoy the drink flavors but overall consistency could be better! There is a parking structure right next to the shop which makes it easier to find parking, although not if you go during prime time gym goer hours since the garage is shared with 24 Hour Fitness. Still a win in my eyes because parallel parking and I are sworn enemies.

This place has been under my radar for the longest time and I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to visit! Cafe Ume might be one of my new favorite places to enjoy some Vietnamese coffee! I applaud the decorations inside the establishment, they were placed tastefully and it made me feel very festive for the Lunar New Year/Tết. The service was very kind, offering me lucky Dragon red envelopes as part of their promotion! The drinks came out at a reasonable pace, we had no complaints about our wait time despite coming in with a larger party. While I had a hard time choosing which flavors to order, I was slightly disappointed that their signature Caramel Popcorn Coffee was out of stock. The ube coffee was done well, the ube foam was subtle yet added a layer of flavor to the coffee, making the drink very creamy and delightful. The egg coffee was one of the better ones I've tried in Portland; the velvety, luscious layer of sweetened egg yolk foam made the drink very smooth and decadent. I did not get to try the matcha coffee but it received my brother's approval! The roast of the coffee beans was quite aromatic and rich, but not as dark of a roast or a strong kick compared to other Vietnamese coffees I've tried. Not sure if it was due to the flavored foam altering the taste profile of the coffee or not. But that just means I need to come back and try their traditional Vietnamese coffee! While I was only able to try their coffees this time, I can't wait to go back and try their teas and the variety of desserts displayed in the case!

The space is very small, but it's cute. There's still setting and a table as I recall. Service was great! Staff were very friendly. And the drinks were made quickly. I wished my drink was stronger. In both the Ube and coffee flavor of that makes sense. Ca phe usually packs a punch. I feel like the Ube foam may have toned down the taste of the coffee. I mixed the drink up very thoroughly, the Ube foam was prettt thick so mixing it took a little work. I want to try more of their drinks though. Whatever was printed on the cups did come off. I read in another comment about this issue and I saw the owner had responded and is already looking for a solution.

My biggest complaint is that there was just too much ice in the drink. It was absoutely SO good! The soft top coats your mouth in the most delicate fashion and the coffee follows soon after for such a great transition. Anyone coming here for your first time like I did, make sure you ask for light ice otherwise your $7-$8 will be over way too fast.

Cute place with yummy drinks! Their teas are delicious I would definitely come back again, just wish the coffee came with more drink than ice :(

Being a fan of pandan and ube coffees and also vietnamese coffee in general, I was so excited when I saw this place pop up! I knew I wanted the bac xiu aka a lighter take on cafe phe sua/vietnamese iced coffee and let me tell you, it was the PERFECT little cup. Strong coffee flavor without quite so much of the punch and sugar of condensed milk -- aka exactly what I was going for. My friend had the pandan coffee aka pandan-mania and they definitely did not skimp on the pandan foam AT ALL. She loved her drink and overall we both felt quite caffeinated :P I will say the strange thing for me was ordering a coffee without the foam (aka not a ube or pandan coffee) and getting a cup that was not filled up to the top. It was filled up almost to the to with ample amt of space for any of the foam toppings. I found it a bit odd and will say it was the one downside of this place -- particularly given the prices these days. My friend also tried their pandan cake which she enjoyed so would recommend that too! The interior is bright and cute; there are a few seats inside but probably not the best for giant groups. Parking is fairly easy so definitely an added bonus there. Prices are fair for today's standards and I'm so happy to have an addition to the vietnamese iced coffee cafes in the area. I hope to go back and try their fruit drinks and their boba so I can see how they stand up to the coffee as well!

I personally like sweet coffee and Vietnamese coffee are usually very strong. The coffee was the perfect amount of sweet and it was so good! It's a small coffee shop but the ambience is cute. Service was great and quick. Definitely will come back and try their other drinks. Ube 8.5/10 (you just have to mix the topping in very well) & egg 8/10

overall: 4.5/5 drink: 4/5 food: TBA (they sell desserts!!) service: 5/5 ambiance: 5/5 came here with my friends on a rainy afternoon, and we got the pandan-mania coffee, the egg coffee, the bac xiu, and the ube coffee (yes, i came twice in one week). out of all the drinks i tried, the ube and the bac xiu are the winners for me. only thing- i do wish that there was more coffee and less ice, but it is understandable since viet coffee is meant to be enjoyed slowly. i like how the coffee tastes without being too overpowering or sweet in comparison to how phin can be at times (both places are really good!!). a second note- the print on the cups wiped off after a while, leaving us with black letter stickers on our fingers which was a bit silly, and the coffee for the bac xiu was not filled up all the way (as pictured below) when served to us. other than that, a solid viet coffee place! service wise, i was helped by a wonderful worker named kimmy! she was very kind and gave us her recommendations while being patient with us when we were deciding what to order. i can see myself coming here again in the future!

OMG the Vietnamese coffee here is so good and strong. I love it! Lots of coffee and refreshing drinks. Must try if you're in the area.

Delicious drinks. Craving coffee so I got the ube xceptional coffee w/ oat milk. And my partner got the Milky Way coffee. Both fantastic. Ube had a Ube cream on top as well made from coconut milk. And the Milky Way was a regular Vietnamese coffee but milkier and sweeter. Definitly would recommend coming here

Great drinks - nice people. The drinks are unique and they've got a good sense of humor. Highly recommend!

Great, friendly service and delicious Pandan Mania Coffee. I don't live near but this is worth driving back for.

High on my roster, Cafe Ume exceeded my expectations bubble tea/boba with this Ume Milk Tea. The Boba is chewy and soft but, yet very flavorful. The service was great, a kind man was very kind and patient and answered any questions we had. They were efficient and sweet. The environment seemed happy but a little awkward due to just normal human interaction. Extremely well decorated in my opinion. A little more on the minimalistic side, but still enough not to feel trapped. Also love their stools looking out to the sidewalk. The stools are carved and will fit your butt nicely. Overall service is amazing, drinks are very well made, and the environment is exactly what you need on a rainy day. Must try in the area. Definitely will come back!

Man! I love the coffee but I feel like I'm getting more foam than coffee itself. I seriously took just a sip and I left with ton of ice and foam! The port is grande. Pretty disappointed!

A great addition to the PDX Vietnamese coffee scene. I am a sucker for ube and I knew I had to try this place as soon as I saw it on the menu! Lots of coffee and desserts choices. Drinks were also really good. It does take some stirring as the foam is a bit too thick for the coffee to seep through if you're sipping through the drink hole. But once it's stirred and mixed, delicious!

finally got to try cafe ume after seeing all the cute ig posts and recommendations! I'm definitely addicted and got my entire family hooked too. Their drinks are superb. Finally a shop that can do soy milk right with different flavors of viet coffee. the shop is very cute and staff is friendly. will definitely be back whenever we're in the area again

Cafe Ume, situated in NE Portland, stands out as a captivating Vietnamese coffee gem, offering a unique departure from the ordinary coffee shop experience. With its distinctive Vietnamese coffee creations, my go-to choice is the salty coffee--a perfect fusion of sweet and salty notes, complemented by a foam crown on rich Vietnamese coffee. The staff's expertise shines as they guide patrons through the array of coffee selections, making every visit a delightful coffee exploration.

Gotta try out new coffee shop in the area, it's environment, lovely design and tasty coffee. Definitely will come back.

The Egg-cellent coffee is delicious! Wish it was closer. Will be coming back to try the other drinks.

Wow, this place is so yummy so good so tasty. Me and my fiancé came here and I got the coffee and she got the tea and it was so fire.

Flying back from Vegas for the weekend and I have to visit this new Vietnamese coffee shop since I just recently open, when I see they're having egg coffee and ube coffee in the menu which is a must get for my wife. I used to live in Oregon so I know there aren't a lot of places that have good ube nor egg coffee so when my wife try the Ube from Umê definitely didnt disappointed, she fall in love within the 1st sip. Beside that I got 3 others coffee drinks since I love Vietnamese coffee so much, their Caramel Popcorn is a must try (a signature drink) and I'll tell you a secret it will only be a seasonal drink so try it before its gone, Egg coffee is also good as well. Besides them drinks, their service is very patient and very nice to every customers coming thru that door. The place might be a small shop for people to get their drinks and hangout but it's a pretty cute place. 3 out of 4 days I'm here, Umê really did make my business trip very memorable. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Cafe Ume yum, yum, yum! Especially the matcha flavor is a bomb! ! Must try!!! Im addicted to to it now lol

Are you looking for an authentic Vietnamese coffee - cafe phê sữa đá? Trust me you won't regret!! I have tried many places and Cafe Ume is actually now my first go-to on the list!! Check them out! Can't believe they have only opened for a week! Should have been earlier!!!

The hospitality is great and the service is quick and friendly. The ambience was festive for the season when I arrived. The owner was a joy to talk to. Highly recommend if you're a fan of Viet coffee, but want to try some creative taste profiles.

I came in on the opening day. The store is clean, well-lit, and decorated brilliantly. The workers were extremely friendly and happy to answer any questions I had. The coffee is fantastic and the Tiramisu was absolutely incredible.

great Vietnamese coffee!! been in the PNW for 33 years and it's the first fairly authentic Vietnamese coffee we've found. nice staff as well. :-)

The egg coffee is good but do not order large size here, it is 2x the price ($13.50) for only 25% more coffee. It is better to order 2 regular size if you want a large instead.

Another Vietnamese coffee shop in Portland, which is great to see! The service was friendly and quick, however it seems like a boba shop instead of a true coffee shop, you cannot get an espresso drink here but they have an espresso machine? We got a hot ca phe sua and the drink wasn't filled up all the way and it was boiling hot. We also got an ube coffee and it was fine. We wouldnt return as my partner only drinks cappuccinos and I enjoy the sweeter drinks.