Trung Nguyen Legend
909 Story Rd, San Jose, CA
Crema's Take
“This spacious Vietnamese café specializes in bold, traditionally-prepared Vietnamese coffees like their signature Roman blend and Legend variety, with knowledgeable staff who'll guide you through the ritual of mixing condensed milk properly. The bright, welcoming atmosphere is perfect for lingering over work or catching up with friends, though service can be slow and inattentive to table maintenance—you're really here for the coffee and the unhurried vibe, not quick turnover.”
What to expect
Google Reviews
The waffle, coffee and Thai tea were pretty good but the wait time was absolutely egregious. Waited almost an hour for everything and they never come to clean the tables, only when you ask them to. The trash cans were also all full so trash was just piled on top of the trash bin self.
The café is clean, bright, and has plenty of seating for both individuals looking to work or chat and groups of friends wanting to hang out. I ordered their signature Vietnamese iced coffee, and it was phenomenal—strong, rich, and perfectly balanced with sweetness and creaminess. It had that bold, smooth flavor Trung Nguyen coffee is famous for, and you could taste the quality in every sip. They also have a great selection of other drinks, including teas, smoothies, and specialty coffees, so there’s something for everyone.
Second visit: Got the Roman iced coffee and blended coconut ice coffee. Don't forget to mix the condensed milk with the coffee before pouring into ice. The Roman coffee is more acidic. The blended coconut ice coffee tastes delicious and refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness. First visit: Great phin coffee experience at a premium price point. The legendary is the weasel poop coffee which is very chocolatey and smooth. The creative phin is a bit earthier. Don't forget to get it iced because Vietnamese coffee is very concentrated. Their green waffle was uneven with about half of the waffle being too dry (too little batter). They are still working out the kinks for the grand opening so hopefully they will get better.
Nice coffee shop. The coffee we ordered tasted great and it was during their happy hour so we received a free one from purchasing two. We opt for an iceless coffee to bring back home. Coffee was strong but not overly bitter nor sweet. It was a nice blend. They close at 6:45pm on a Sunday so you want to get there on time to place your order. The cashier was friendly explaining all the different types of coffee drinks they had on the menu.
I had Trung Nguyen Legend in Saigon recently and enjoyed it...the Legend coffee, aka as "weasel poop" coffee. Lol. This is a specialty coffee and price reflects it. SGN was already 180k vnd, approx $7usd. The shop experience in SGN was definitely much better. The coffee here tasted just as great, unique aroma and taste with depth (of course, better than Starbucks, Peet's, Philz). Next time, I'll try the Zen Coffee set. Only annoyance, it's a coffee shop, why on earth does it open Soooo late at 0900? Very odd. Should be at least 0700, latest. (Multi-story Legend and sunflower pix was in SGN). 12.15.24: tried the Zen Coffee. Not a coffee connoisseur but has a tart kick and unclear whether this is truly worth the price. Guess paying for the "experience" and the aesthetics. 05.26.25: tried the Roman coffee. I enjoyed this coffee better than the Zen and Trung coffee. Will try the Ottoman next. Egg and cappuccino were ok. Cappuccino shape showed inexperience. Oh, and they finally caught on to open at 07:00!!
Crema Reviews
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