Phin La

Phin La Cafe is one of those places we keep coming back to — and we already have, many times. The drinks here really hit when it comes to authentic Vietnamese taste. The coffee is strong, bold, and smooth, not watered down or overly sweet. You can tell they stay true to the traditional flavour instead of trying to please trends. My wife and I usually go for the matcha latte with ube cream and the pistachio drink. Both are strong but so good — rich, well-balanced, and very satisfying. Not artificial, not diluted. Definitely the kind of drink you remember after leaving. One small thing to know: chè is a dessert, not a drink. Some negative reviews seem to come from people misunderstanding this when ordering. If you know chè is meant to be eaten, you’ll actually enjoy it a lot more — and Phin La does it properly. The staff are very nice and friendly. Sometimes they might seem quiet or tired, which is totally understandable. Nothing feels fake or forced, just real and respectful service. Overall, this place is honestly highly recommended. If you appreciate real Vietnamese flavours, Phin La Cafe definitely deserves more love and better reviews. We’ll definitely keep coming back.

I stopped by Phil Cafe in Thornhill and tried their pandan coconut latte. It was amazing! The flavor was perfectly balanced, with just the right hint of pandan and creamy coconut that made it really unique. The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, and the staff were super friendly. Definitely a great spot for anyone looking to try something a little different from the usual coffee order. I’ll definitely be back to try more drinks! Came back and tried the Ube Cream Coffee which is probably my new favourite I recommend trying this drink also tried the Banana Cream Coffee which just as you probably expect and had that cream banana taste with the viet coffee mix.

I believe this spot is opened by the same owners of Dak Lak Coffee, which specialized in egg coffee (they also have it on the menu here) Having tried a bunch of their coffee flavours since opening, my fave would be a toss up between the pistachio cream and salted coffee. The banana cream and ube cream were just a tad sweet for my liking. The only one on the roster I still want to try is the sesame coffee. As someone else already pointed out, it would be great if they had a decaf version of their signature drinks so that customers could get them without having to worry about whether they'd be able to fall asleep in the evening! Service is hit or miss. The owner is sociable and good with customers. There is one female staff member here with black hair and tattoos who always looks grouchy when you see her working her shift. Don't bother asking her for recommendations either. You get the vibe she doesn't want to be there. The coffee itself is strong but smooth, lending to a 5 star rating on the quality front. Pricing is high though for the amount you're given and the amount of ice they stuff in the cups (I'd give a 2 star rating for pricing). On overall aggregate, the drink prices drag the overall score down, hence the 4 stars.

Phin La delivers exceptional iced Vietnamese Phin coffee with a satisfyingly strong, authentic drip flavour. The Banana and Ube specialties were instant favourites. Be prepared for current long wait times due to their recent opening and difficulty finding parking since commerce gate is always busy, but the quality makes it worth the trouble. Highly recommend going for the large size—or two regular cups to sample multiple flavours!

A couple of weeks before opening, I passed by this coffee shop and was happy to see more Vietnamese food and beverage options coming to the area, which is mostly filled with Chinese restaurants. When I heard about their soft opening, we decided to stop by today. You can tell they’re still working to get everything organized, which is totally understandable at this stage. We ordered the Coco Coffee (coconut slushy with ice cream, coffee, and coconut meat) and the Ube Matcha Latte. Both drinks were tasty, with just the right level of sweetness—exactly how I like it. Wishing them all the best with the new business! Definitely worth a try if you’re in the area or just want something different from bubble tea

This morning, I ordered the traditional iced condensed milk coffee and it was unbelievable amazing! The flavor was strong, smooth, and perfectly balanced — not too bitter, with just the right sweetness. You can really taste the authentic Vietnamese coffee style. It’s refreshing and gives a great caffeine kick. My mother-in-law tried the hot Pandan Coconut Coffee Cream, and she absolutely loved it! She’s usually quite picky with caffeine drinks, but this one really impressed her. The pandan aroma is wonderfully fragrant, the coconut adds a creamy richness, and the coffee itself is smooth and well-balanced. Such a unique and refreshing combination — highly recommend! The staff were also very friendly and nice — excellent customer service and welcoming vibe overall! Definitely one of the best Vietnamese iced coffees I’ve had in a while! I will surely come back and recommend to my friends 🥰🥰

Drinks 5/5 Service 4/5 Vibe 4/5 This place has been in one of my to go bbt spot when i go to Vietnam, but now they have opened in Toronto, so here i am. Kinda excited to finally try Vietnamese bubble tea / coffee. 😁 I didnt really know what to get so i got the most basic drink: coffee with condensed milk. Look wise quite basic basic, but flavor wasnt bad at all. Smoother than i expected, not too sweet (for me was quite perfect but if you are the type that drinks bbt with 100% 70% or 50% sugar, this maybe too bitter for you😂) Staff is nice, but they cant really explain much on menu soooooo maybe decide ahead of them😅 Def going back to try other items~ 👏🏻👏🏻

We tried the banana cream coffee. Flavour was 5/5, good balance between coffee and fruit flavour. Definitely a decent amount of caffeine too. Drinks are on the pricey end but I’d say worth what it is. Would come back to try the other drinks!

Obsessed is an understatement for me - it's SO GOOD! So excited that this new Vietnamese coffee spot opened and had to check them out. I couldn't decide on what to get so got 3 options to try for myself - and some shared! It's a take out spot with a few seating. Corner unit with lots of lighting. You can get coffee or matcha with different foam toppings. Here's what I got: Banana cream coffee 5/5 - This is definitely my favourite and go to of the three options that I got. Perfectly sweetened with the banana cream top mixed with coffee. Strong banana flavour. Ube cream coffee 5/5 - Not only does the purple ube cream look super vibrant but it also tastes really good with the Viet coffee. Banana matcha latte 4/5 - The banana cream is again really delicious. Matcha was good as well and the pairing is amazing. Overall, after trying it the first time I've been back a couple of times and find myself always thinking about this coffee!

This place is a tiny shop with some extra spots to sit in the area of the mall just outside the entrance. It is busy and the staff works hard to make each drink to order so we had a little wait but nothing too intolerable. Importantly, these drinks are strong. My friend who prefers coffee over flavoured drinks got the hot one and even she said it was overly strong. My iced banana latte, however, was delicious! The egg cream is the move. Also there are options for matcha lovers as well. It can be a touch expensive - two drinks cost me about $22, though that's somewhat on par with these trendy coffee shops.

A friend recommended Phin La for their Vietnamese coffee. They have a variety of flavours like ube, pandan, durian, banana, sesame, pistachio, to name a few. I got the banana cream coffee and it was good. The two paired well together but the banana tasted a little artificial. It was topped with a few dried banana chips on top. The coffee was creamy and sweet. There are some seatings and tables. It was very busy on a Sunday afternoon but we got our drinks fairly quick. They have ceremonial matcha drinks and non-caffeinated drinks too. I will definitely be back to try their other drinks.

New addition to Commerce Gate! Think it replaced that yogurt place? Anyway, small setup so expect to get cozy here. There are limited tables right outside too. The drinks are alright. The banana cream was noticeable but not really my thing. Viet coffee options are scarce here so I appreciate this spot.

I believe this spot is opened by the same owners of Dak Lak Coffee, which specialized in egg coffee (they also have it on the menu here) Having tried a bunch of their coffee flavours since opening, my fave would be a toss up between the pistachio cream and salted coffee. The banana cream and ube cream were just a tad sweet for my liking. The only one on the roster I still want to try is the sesame coffee. As someone else already pointed out, it would be great if they had a decaf version of their signature drinks so that customers could get them without having to worry about whether they'd be able to fall asleep in the evening! Service is hit or miss. The owner is sociable and good with customers. There is one female staff member here with black hair and tattoos who always looks grouchy when you see her working her shift. Don't bother asking her for recommendations either. You get the vibe she doesn't want to be there. The coffee itself is strong but smooth, lending to a 5 star rating on the quality front. Pricing is high though for the amount you're given and the amount of ice they stuff in the cups (I'd give a 2 star rating for pricing). On overall aggregate, the drink prices drag the overall score down, hence the 4 stars.

Drinks 5/5 Service 4/5 Vibe 4/5 This place has been in one of my to go bbt spot when i go to Vietnam, but now they have opened in Toronto, so here i am. Kinda excited to finally try Vietnamese bubble tea / coffee. I didnt really know what to get so i got the most basic drink: coffee with condensed milk. Look wise quite basic basic, but flavor wasnt bad at all. Smoother than i expected, not too sweet (for me was quite perfect but if you are the type that drinks bbt with 100% 70% or 50% sugar, this maybe too bitter for you) Staff is nice, but they cant really explain much on menu soooooo maybe decide ahead of them Def going back to try other items~

Came back for a second visit and this time ordered some of their signature drinks. What was ordered: - Ube Coffee - Banana Coffee - Sesame Coffee Of the three the best were the sesame coffee and then the banana coffee (in that order). The flavour of the black sesame with the coffee gave the drink a nice toasty flavour. The banana was subtle at first but then came across almost artificial. The Ube was really rich. Even mixed with the coffee the drink was a dessert in a cup. Base flavour of the coffee was excellent.

Loved Phin La. I am definitely coming back. Ordered the Ube coffee, a pleasant Ube cream topping, sitting on top of viet coffee. I love strong coffee forward drinks, and the Ube cream was super complimentary and flavourful. Only downfall, the lid could use some improvement for those who like to sip it. I find that the hole to sit it was so far from the mouth piece. Came at around 10am on a Friday, not a long line at all. Perhaps a lil more busy on weekends for sure. I highly recommend; I definitely will be coming back. Would love to try their matcha series.

I love the drinks at Phin La! I've been twice now, and both times I've ordered drinks with the ube foam. SO good. I've ordered the matcha ube latte and the ube coffee. Love how flavourful the ube foam is, and how well it mixed with the matcha and latte. I've ordered a large each time, but the size seems more like a medium to me. I wish it was bigger. Prices are similar to other specialty coffee shops, ranges from $6-8 per drink. There is a 5% cash discount. Service is pretty fast, depending on if there's a long line. Staff are nice. There are a few tables outside the shop to sit, but it's definitely more of a take out coffee shop.

We got the ube cream coffee and pistachio cream coffee to try. I tried to sip it before mixing and the ube cream was really thick and sweet so proceeded to stir with a straw and mixed it up. The balance of the strong coffee and the sweet ube cream was really nice. It's definitely a satisfying treat type of drink. Will come back to try other flavors, and also want to try a regular coffee on its own.

Is Phin La worth the hype? Yes, if you like strong Viet-styled coffee. I tried to Ube Cream Coffee and Salted Cream Coffee and have to say that you should stick with the traditional flavours such as the Salted Cream. The Ube flavour is lost due to the strong coffee flavour where as the salted cream provides a much needed hint of saltiness to balance off the sweetness. The plaza is filled with bubble tea so this is a nice addition though I wish they have a decafe version so that I can get a drink from them during the evening.

They have a nice assortment of drinks with both caffeine and non caffeine options. It's small little cafe, not really one where you can sit and study. But more of a grab and go. We thought it would be a long wait but the line went fast and the orders came out in a timely manner as well!

I came here during their soft opening and they were offering a discount on the drinks. I had the iced ube latte and damnnn it is good. I usually don't drink coffee so for me it's a treat, but the coffee was perfectly roasty and not overly milky. The ube flavour was A++. Would come back.

Came in so excited because there was so much hype, but to be honest, it was just alright. The prices are pretty typical and expected since the drinks are much more elaborate. The interior was cute, I liked how bright the place was. There was seating not only in the inside, but there were more outside the shop (where the lobby is). When we went there was a short line, and we waited about 25 minutes for 4 drinks. Completely understandable though as we did place a large order. Onto the orders: Ube Matcha Latte- I was so excited to try this drink as the combination sounded perfect. But unfortunately, the matcha flavour did not come through at all. Ube cream coffee- The only drink that we enjoyed. The ube cream, although lacking in ube flavour, it overall paired well with the coffee. Phin condensed milk coffee- We had the expectation that this was going to be nice and strong but found it to be too light in flavour. Pandan Coconut Latte- this was unfortunately our least favourite. Although we mixed well, the pandan syrup, tasted very chemically. Maybe it was because the store had opened moments ago, and they had many customers, but the cashier did not seem like she wanted to engage with us at all. To be honest, after that experience I just felt dismissed. Overall, the menu has a lot of variety and to the ear they sound really good! From what I heard from others they really enjoyed this spot, so maybe it was a one off for us.

Great service and a very nice velvety iced ube matcha, first time trying Vietnamese drinks in the GTA