Tabebuya - The Ultimate Specialty Coffee Shop That You Will Love!
Tabebuya may be a small cafe but their passion for coffee is anything but small.
Do you wish that your “work from home” lifestyle can be a bit more varied? If you’re anything like me you need a change of scenery once in a while to get your creative and productive juices flowing, Cafe Tabebuya is that escape for me, a 3rd wave specialty coffee shop hidden away in Sukhumvit 23 that boasts to have the “ultimate coffee”.
My workplace happens to be close by and so during my lunch breaks I would visit Tabebuya often, frequent visits eventually turned Tabebuya into my second office. The atmosphere, music, and not to mention coffee is what makes Tabebuya a great place for me to get my work done.
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The Ultimate Coffee
The interior is small but quite cozy
Tabebuya confidently wear’s their slogan on their espresso machine, “The Ultimate Coffee”, brave to proclaim yourselves as having the ultimate coffee is it not? I’ll talk about that claim later in the review...
Cafe Tabebuya is small, only having a handful of seats with a small wall mounted library lined with old books, mostly regarding information about coffee. The atmosphere is actually very comfortable and cozy, supported by the chill and relaxing music that plays in the background.
Tabebuya does have a second floor with a few more tables but the upstairs isn’t nearly as well decorated or cozy as the first floor, the second floor feels like an afterthought or storage room for old chairs and tables.
You can tell the baristas here are experts in their craft
The whole vibe is actually very social. If you’ve been in Thailand for long enough you’ll notice that the locals are quite reserved, Cafe Tabebuya’ customers are mainly office workers and foreigners who wouldn’t mind a little small talk.
The staff here are really friendly as well, they can be seen serving you your Lattes with a bright smile on their face, I had a quick chat with the barista and I’ve learnt that the staff here really have a passion for their craft.
Funny story, somehow I’ve reconnected with an old friend here by chance! I was working on my own things when suddenly a man walked in and stood in front of me, I looked up to see a friend that I haven’t seen in 5 fricking years! This happened purely by change and we were both elated to see each other and reconnect. What a small world.
I swear guys, Tabebuya has some crazy (and cozy) magic working behind the scenes.
Tabebuya’s Menu
Quite a few interesting and unique drinks to try!
When you go into a cafe you expect coffee, that is no different at Tabebuya. You’ll find your typical Caffè Lattes and Americanos but you’ll also find many original and unique drinks that are a signature of Tabebuya.
Before we get on to the special drink, I do appreciate that, being a third wave coffee shop, Tabebuya has filter and cold brew coffees available. With filter coffee, you’ll get the option to choose a type of coffee bean from a few that they have in stock at that time.
Tabebuya Signature Highlights
Red Velvet - Dark chocolate, vanilla milk, strawberry puree
Haru Coffee - Espresso, ginger ale, elderflower syrup, lime juice
Dirty Coffee - Ristretto shot, vanilla bean syrup, milk
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Tabebuya’s menu also offered some teas, although the selection isn’t nearly as extensive as my favorite Teahouse/Cafe, Gimbocha.
Pricing
With Tabebuya being a specialty coffee shop, you can expect the price to be a bit higher, more akin to a Starbucks or a Casa Lapin. A Latte will cost you 90 THB while their signature drinks will go for higher at around 120+ THB.
Cheaper than Starbucks but still quite expensive for coffee nonetheless, but the pricing is a non-issue considering the quality of the coffee.
Clean and Fruity Filter Coffee
It’ll take a while before your order of filter coffee is ready, but it is well worth the wait
My regular order at Tabebuya is the filter coffee, this is not me being pretentious about coffee or anything, those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that I do not like milk-based coffee drinks.
My preferences aside, filter coffee can be difficult to get right as it requires precise technique that takes a while to master. You can order filter coffee either hot or iced, I always go for the iced.
A cool technique that I saw is that once the brewing is done, Tabebuya swirls the coffee carafe in an ice bath to cool down and equalize the temperature of the drink, that was a cool thing to see.
Also, I do not apologize for geeking out about coffee.
My go to order when working at a cafe, a nice refreshing cup of filter coffee
The beans that Tabebuya had at the time were Thai and Ethiopian beans each exhibiting a different taste profile. If I remember correctly, the Ethiopian beans have a more fruity flavor profile, while the Thai beans are more wine-y.
I went recently and they have Kenyan beans now, so it seems like the beans are constantly changing depending on what is available from the supplier.
I went for the Ethiopian beans. The resulting brew is very clean and smooth, little to no bitterness at all, the coffee is really juicy and fruity almost like drinking fruit juice.
Having it iced was also a great way to make it refreshing and to wake me up for the afternoon.
Sour and Tangy Haru Coffee
Don’t mind the caption, it’s not an innuendo
From my 2 seconds of research on Google Translate, I found out that Haru means “spring” or “sunshine” in Japanese/Chinese and Tabebuya’s Haru Coffee does taste something like getting the spring sunshine slapped across your face.
Tabebuya’s Haru Coffee consists of Espresso, ginger ale, elderflower syrup, and lime juice. The combination makes the drink tastes like a fizzy fruit juice rather than coffee, very delicious and refreshing.
It’s hard to describe how this citrus and coffee flavor combo works if' you’ve never tried it before. But if you are living in Thailand, you would know that Orange Espresso is all the rage recently in the Thai world of coffee, that’s the closest thing I can compare this Haru Coffee to.
The Elegant and Spectacular Red Velvet
Never in my life have I thought of adding any fruit jams to a chocolate drink
DO. NOT. SKIP. THIS. DRINK.
I saw this drink on the menu and naturally it caught my eye, “Red Velvet”? What?
The description sounded interesting and I took the plunge and ordered myself a cup. I didn’t think much of it but as I was walking back to my office I took a sip and…
“Holy sh*t this is so f*cking good”, those were the exact words that I blurted out.
All the ingredients work so well together, the tartness from the strawberries, to the smooth vanilla milk, to the deep richness of the Dominican dark chocolate.
Even if you are not a sweet tooth, you should give the Red Velvet a try.
Conclusion
Pros
Expertly crafted drinks, from delicious and simple Lattes to unique signature drinks. Everything tasted great.
Great music and atmosphere, that music from Ratatouille, Le Festin, was playing in the background at one point, great Parisian vibes.
Friendly staff and service.
Free parking at the nearby Young Place Plaza.
Cons
The cafe is a bit cramp, only a handful of seating options, the second floor could use some work in decorations and layout.
Overall I recommend you visit Tabebuya if you are ever in the Sukhumvit 23 area, not only will you be greeted by friendly staff, you’ll also enjoy deliciously crafted caffeinated (and non-caffeinated) drinks. The atmosphere is very cozy and comfortable, plus there is free parking.
The only downside is more like a nitpick really, the second floor could use a decorative overhaul but other than that, Tabebuya is a hidden gem that more people should know about, and it has become one of my favorite cafes in Bangkok.
Tabebuya | 9 / 10
Phone: 082 006 3197
Location: 116 29 Soi Sukhumvit 23, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110
Opening Hours: 8:00AM - 4:30PM | Mon - Fri and 9:00AM - 5:30PM | Sat - Sun
Pricing: ~120 THB | $$
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