A new coffee bar has opened within an existing nail salon in Spokane's Moran Prairie neighborhood on the South Hill to offer sweet drinks and pampering in one location.

Tammy Nguyen, owner of Spokane-based D’Lux Beauty Bar LLC, which operates a salon at 2718 E. 57th, Suite 108, says she’s long dreamed of starting a coffee shop specializing in Vietnamese coffee. 

In January, she opened Ca Phe Nguyen Coffee & Tea, which occupies about 150 square feet of space within the existing 12,000-square-foot nail salon at Regal Plaza. Her son and her sister, who arrived here from Vietnam about six months ago, operate the coffee bar. 

Nguyen says her family also renovated the space.

“We are a family business — we do everything, we don’t hire anybody,” Nguyen says. 

Including plumbing, she says renovations to create the coffee bar, which occupies a small space in the northeast corner of the nail salon, cost about $25,000.

Nguyen, who is Vietnamese, says her desire to bring Vietnamese coffee to Spokane was renewed each time she returned from visiting Vietnam. 

“In Spokane, it's really hard to find a good cup of Vietnamese coffee,” Nguyen says. “We don't have a big Vietnamese community over here.”

Vietnamese coffee is distinctive in that Vietnamese coffee beans create a bolder, stronger brew with a higher caffeine content. It’s traditionally prepared by slowly dripping hot water through ground coffee in a metal filter called a phin into a cup of sweetened condensed milk, and can be served either hot or iced.

“Everybody, after they try the Vietnamese coffee, they say 'oh wow,’” Nguyen says. “The flavor and the smell are so different. Most people fall in love with it. It's a good hit right away.” 

Ca Phe Nguyen already has drawn a handful of regulars, she says. 

Cà phê, pronounced as “café,” means “coffee” in Vietnamese.

This isn’t the first beverage business in the family — Nguyen’s daughter, Kellie Tran, launched Spokane-based Boba B LLC, which does business as Uoni Bubble Tea, in 2023 at 1712 N. Hamilton, near Gonzaga University.

In addition to hot and iced coffee, Ca Phe Nguyen's menu features iced tea, boba milk with homemade boba pearls, and a matcha latte. The coffee bar offers a variety of drink toppings including homemade grass jelly, lychee jelly, strawberry coconut jelly, and crystal boba. Nguyen says the fruit ingredients are fresh, and local honey is used in place of sugar in all drinks.

Sourcing from overseas has proved challenging since opening the cafe, Nguyen says.

"All the coffee beans and tea are shipped here from Vietnam, and we've been hit a lot by tariffs for that,” Nguyen says. “We just started the business, there's no way we can ship by the container, so we have to ship box-by-box — that's a lot of money to pay for shipping."

Tariffs of 20% on Vietnamese goods have also increased costs, she says, adding that enduring high shipping and tariff expenses is worth the price for quality ingredients. 

"It's hard for now, but every kind of business, from the beginning, it's not going to be easy,” Nguyen says. “I want to introduce Vietnamese coffee to a lot of people over here. I think this is a good start.”

In the coming months, Nguyen says she plans to add a snack option or two to the menu.

“I think this summer I will add bubble waffles,” she says. “It's nice for people to have a cup of coffee and a waffle to sit here and enjoy while they get a pedicure or their nails done.”

Looking ahead, she plans to add employees and expand Ca Phe Nguyen to another location on Spokane’s North Side, ideally within the next two years. 

D’Lux Beauty Bar, however, will remain on the South Hill; Nguyen has been providing nail services on the South Hill for more than 20 years and says she doesn’t want her longtime clients to have to travel to get to her.

"I'm lucky to have this opportunity. The nail salon, we're doing well here," says Nguyen. "I would love everyone to give us a chance, try a cup of coffee, and I think people won't be disappointed."

Ca Phe Nguyen's operating hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays, according to the company's social media pages.