The Abridged version:
- Em Coffee House will open this spring in Elk Grove’s Laguna Pavilion shopping center.
- It’ll replace The Alley boba tea shop with traditional Vietnamese coffee as well as colorful, creative lattes.
- You’ll be able to order tasting flights of any four drinks for $23.
Em Coffee House will expand from its San Diego base to Elk Grove this spring, the Vietnamese coffee shop announced on Instagram last week.
Em will open at 7440 Laguna Blvd., Suite 111, in Laguna Pavilion shopping center, replacing The Alley boba tea shop. It’s the first Northern California incursion for the fledgling coffee brand, which has one cafe open and another on the way in San Diego.
Bubble tea shop franchisee Nick Truong opened the first Em (a literal translation for “younger sibling” used affectionately for many Vietnamese loved ones) in San Diego’s Mira Mesa neighborhood just over a year ago.
The cafe exclusively imports beans from Vietnam and uses a phin, a Vietnamese coffee-making device that’s like the hybrid of a French press and a pour-over. A second San Diego location is expected to open soon, in addition to the Elk Grove one.
While traditional Vietnamese coffee (cà phê) will be available, Em specializes in colorful concoctions such as a white truffle tiramisu cream coffee or egg Biscoff latte. There are cold-brewed fruit teas and ceremonial Japanese matcha, plus flights of any four drinks for $23.
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The San Diego location doesn’t offer food, and it’s not clear if the Elk Grove one will. The Alley served loaded “croffles,” waffles made with croissant dough, in a small dessert case but didn’t have a full-scale kitchen.
Em Coffee House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Benjy Egel is the senior food editor at Abridged. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, he has covered its local restaurants and bars since 2018. He also writes and edits Abridged’s weekly food and drink newsletter, City of Treats.