Sibling-Owned Gara Permanently Parks in Berkeley with Vietnamese Focus

Inside the new Gara coffee bar (styled GA•RA by the company) in Berkeley, California. All images courtesy of Gara.

A new sibling-run Vietnamese coffee shop in Berkeley called Gara (styled GA•RA by the company) is turning out drinks and foods inspired by the founders’ heritage, along with retail bags of coffee grown on the family’s farm in Vietnam.

Inside the approximately 2,600-square-foot cafe, a tall mural wall nods to Vietnamese life, culture and family history. Across the room, customers line up for classic Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk, plus espresso drinks and specialty options topped with salted cream and flavored with pandan and ube.

A kumquat hibiscus cold brew and floral, herbal Mekong teas broaden the menu, alongside drinks prepared with traditional phin brewers and espresso pulled on a La Marzocco KB90 paired with two Mazzer Kony grinders.

A jasmine-green tiled wall behind the bar softens the overall feel of the cafe, which is designed to feel both productive and homey — part workshop, part hangout — mixing industrial elements with warm materials that nod to the residential garage that inspired the brand.

“The design of Gara is meant to reflect the spirit of a garage as a modular, creative/work/lounging space,” Gara Co-founder Thomas Nguyen told Daily Coffee News. “We wanted the cafe to feel like a place where people can gather, work on projects and spend time together.”

Inspired by a 2023 family trip to Vietnam, siblings Daniel, Kasmira and Thomas Nguyen debuted Gara as a garage-based pop-up and roasting project before building toward a permanent cafe. The name references Vietnamese slang for “garage,” and the project extends a three-generation family tradition of garage-born businesses.

The Nguyens’ grandparents sold chả lụa pork sausages locally out of their garage after immigrating to the United States. Their parents later launched a garage-based business called Comtek Computer Systems, selling hardware to computer companies.

“That history is a big part of the inspiration behind Gara,” Thomas Nguyen said. “Gara continues that theme of building things from small, practical beginnings and turning garages into places where work, creativity and community come together.”

Daniel Nguyen roasts coffee for Gara on a Stronghold SX9 roaster in a dedicated facility in Sacramento, supplying the cafe and wholesale customers. Much of the company’s robusta coffee comes from a farm run by the founders’ uncle in the Dak Mil region, with additional Vietnamese coffees sourced through family relationships. 

Fresh foods at Gara include dishes such as a breakfast bánh mì with lạp xưởng and grilled pork with broken rice, inspired by everyday Vietnamese home and street cooking.

“In Saigon, some of the most memorable food isn’t found in restaurants, but in alleyways where families cook their most treasured recipes right in front of their homes,” Gara Chef Mai Pham told DCN. “It’s not just the food itself, but the stories behind it, the pride in providing for family and the traditions passed down over generations.”

After debuting its Telegraph Avenue storefront in February, Gara held its grand opening March 17. Thomas Nguyen said the long-term vision focuses on expanding roasting through retail and wholesale while continuing to build the cafe as a community space.

Gara is located at 2424 Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley.

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