Vibean

Along with Turkey, Italy and Australia, Vietnam is one of those countries where coffee isn’t just a drink, it’s part of the national identity. Vibean, which opened on Lincoln Square in November 2025, brings Vietnamese coffee culture to Manchester, and it’s going down a storm.

Owner Minh wanted to create a relaxed hangout that feels a little different from your standard coffee shop. His sister Jennifer designed the retro-inspired interior, even hand-painting the artwork on the rice paper ceiling canvases. It’s open later than most cafés (7pm or 8pm on weeknights, 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays), and the upstairs workstations and comfy sofa make it somewhere you can happily linger.

That covers the vibes. What about the beans? Vibean uses high-grade Robusta beans, which create a specialty, high quality coffee known for its cleaner taste and chocolatey notes. Vietnamese coffee typically uses condensed milk (a throwback to when fresh milk was scarce after the war), making it sweeter and creamier. Most drinks are served cold or iced, landing somewhere between a refreshing pick-me-up and a sweet treat.

Options range from modern favourites like the best-selling iced coffee with salted cream to Bac Xiu – a more traditional brew that’s been popular since the 1950s. There’s also cold brew, matcha and on Sundays, egg coffee – whipped egg yolk and condensed milk poured over black coffee.

There’s no food (though some of these drinks feel like a meal). The focus is simply on doing one thing – coffee – really well. You might think the lack of cakes would hurt its popularity, but you’d be wrong. It’s just across the street from our office, and it’s always busy, even months after the opening buzz faded. Getting queues in your first fortnight is one thing. Having a steady stream of takeaway customers and only a few empty tables at 11am on a Monday six months later is a sign you’ve got staying power.