Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia is the second café from the Kensington roaster, and the owners are aiming for a spring 2027 opening with no firm date yet. Thu Pham and Raymond John, along with business partner Abraham Kwon, announced it as the original café at 3400 J Street turns five on October 16. The new room will take the ground floor of Herringbone Lofts at 2501 Oakford Street, in Grays Ferry and Point Breeze.

What Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia Will Look Like

The new café is more than double the size of the first. According to the release, Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia covers 5,685 square feet and seats 80 to 90 people, including a larger lounge area. The Kensington café has about 40 seats in 2,345 square feet. Pham describes the new room as “more loungey,” and says it is built to host public events and private buyouts.

The layout stays close to the original, but the kitchen is much larger and third-party delivery will be available. Hours start at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., six days a week, with the plan to eventually open seven. The release does not say which day it will close.

There is no roastery in the space. Beans will keep getting roasted in Kensington and delivered to South Philadelphia every week. I think that is the right call, because a café this size needs its attention on the floor, and the roasting already has a home.

The Team Behind Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia

Several people from the first café are moving south to run Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia. Minh Tran steps in as head chef after five years with the brand, and Phat Tang moves from Kensington to serve as general manager. Zoe DeLay, who became head pastry chef in May, will lead a standardized pastry program she built from the ground up.

Pham was born in the Philippines to Vietnamese parents and grew up in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood. She got into coffee while studying consumer behavior at Drexel University. After she was one of the winners of a Kensington Avenue storefront challenge, she and John, her husband, decided to open a café together.

John launched the nonprofit 12 Plus in 2012, which partners with public schools to help students prepare for life after graduation. Since 2021 the café has donated a portion of its profits to the group, and it employs a number of the program’s alumni.

How the Roaster Behind Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia Grew

The company started as a two-person operation roasting out of a studio in Kensington, popping up at events and selling coffee online and through retailers. It averaged around 300 pounds a week for roughly 25 clients. The café’s own site calls it Philadelphia’s first and only Vietnamese specialty coffee roaster, and the release says it now roasts more than 1,000 pounds a week.

The café’s website also lists it as a James Beard Awards semifinalist. The release dates that recognition to 2025, in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category. It sits alongside other Asian comfort food built on family recipes in Philadelphia, and among the coffee shops that give the city its caffeine habit.

How the Design of Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia Works

Brittany Ewing and Telsa Love of CosciaMoos Architecture designed the space. A central coffee bar anchors the room, with low seating that puts guests closer to the people making the coffee. Ewing describes a plywood-inspired finish with an industrial, wabi-sabi feel, and a mix of communal tables, banquettes, café seating and lounge areas. Color shows up in the lighting, furniture, tile and accent walls.

At the entrance, a flexible metal-grid wall lets guests and local organizations post flyers, photos and announcements. Ewing says that gives the community “a literal place within the design.” It is a smart idea for Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia, which wants to be a neighborhood hub and not only a place to buy a latte.

The building has its own story. Herringbone Lofts began as a men’s suit factory in the 1920s, and its redevelopment finished in late 2022. It opened in 2023 and is now nearly full across its 54 units. The ownership group approached Pham about the ground floor two years ago, and says the café’s brand fits what it has been building there.

Why South Philadelphia, and What Comes After Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia

Pham says the move was always part of the plan. “It was always part of the growth plan for us,” she says, adding that South Philadelphia is home to a lot of Asian Americans, and that the partners wanted a neighborhood that would embrace them as much as they embrace their community.

More is coming after Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia. In July 2025 the company announced a Vietnamese restaurant in the former Harrowgate Theatre, slated for late 2027. Pham says more Càphê Roasters locations are likely, though the partners are not actively looking for any right now.

Visit the Original Before Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia Opens

We will have to wait a bit before the new location opens, so the Kensington one is your only option, for now. It’s open Wednesday through Monday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and serves specialty coffee, matcha drinks, Vietnamese egg coffee, bánh mi, porridge and breakfast sandwiches. The beans come mainly from Vietnam and other Southeast Asian regions.

Spring 2027 is a long wait for Càphê Roasters South Philadelphia. Go to J Street in the meantime, order the egg coffee, and say hello to the people who are about to carry it south.

Images: Courtesy of Càphê Roasters.

About Post Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

See author's posts