Cabbagetown's Ca Phe opens with Vietnamese coffee, matcha, and croffles on Parliament

Cabbagetown is getting a new Vietnamese café. Ca Phe, which officially opened at the end of June, is the work of 24-year-old Lily Huang and her co-owner and partner V — the same team behind the neighbourhood's beloved Viet Bites snack bar.

Unassumingly tucked into a corner space at the front of Rapid Photo Studio on Parliament Street, Ca Phe specializes in phin-brewed Vietnamese iced coffee, served in a variety of ways that pay homage to Vietnamese flavours and traditions. Hanoi Egg Coffee, made rich with egg yolks and condensed milk, is an especially decadent option. There's also blended coconut coffee and a coffee topped with a layer of pandan cream.

Beyond coffee, the café offers an equally vibrant lineup of ceremonial-grade matcha drinks — a piña colada matcha slushy and matcha lattes topped in ube cream among the standouts. For solid food, the menu features a concise roster of croffles (croissant-waffle hybrids) loaded with whipped cream, fresh fruits, pistachios, and Biscoff cookies.

It's a gamble to open even one business in Toronto, but Huang and V are decisively marking their place on Cabbagetown's food scene. A larger sister location to Viet Bites is still in the works. For now, Ca Phe sits at 434 Parliament Street, leaving only wafts of pandan and coconut milk in its wake.