Càphê Roasters, the Kensington roaster known for egg coffee and bánh mì, is planting its second flag in Grays Ferry. The company has signed a lease for a 5,685-square-foot space at 2501 Oakford St., inside the ground floor of Herringbone Lofts, with an opening targeted for spring 2027.
The new location, to be called Càphê Roasters South, will be more than twice the size of the original café at 3400 J St., according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Grays Ferry café is expected to seat roughly 80 to 90 customers and will include a larger kitchen, private-event space and, for the first time for the company, third-party delivery, per the same report. The café is also planned to include a larger kitchen and space for private events.
Cofounders Thu Pham and Raymond John are leading the expansion along with partner Abraham Kwon, the Inquirer reports. Minh Tran will serve as head chef of the new location, while Phat Tang will be general manager, the outlet adds. Pham said South Philadelphia fits into the company's broader growth plan to serve multiple sections of the city, according to PHILADELPHIA.Today, and the owners chose the neighborhood because they wanted a mutually welcoming relationship with the community there, the outlet reports.
From a Kensington Roasting Operation to a Citywide Name
Càphê Roasters began in 2018 as a roasting operation before opening its storefront at 3400 J St. in Kensington on October 16, 2021, per the Inquirer's reporting. The company has grown substantially since then: it now roasts more than 1,000 pounds of coffee beans weekly, up from roughly 300 pounds in its early years, the Inquirer notes. That growth has been accompanied by demand the original café wasn't built to handle, with the business fielding inquiries for events as large as 100 people, according to the same report.
The recognition has followed the growth. Càphê Roasters was named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program, as reported by PhillyVoice. Despite the expansion, Kensington will remain the company's home base, with beans for both cafés continuing to be roasted there and delivered weekly to the new South Philadelphia location, the Inquirer reports.
A Converted Suit Factory Becomes the New Address
The Grays Ferry café will occupy ground-floor retail space inside Herringbone Lofts, an apartment building converted from a former men's suit factory into 54 apartments, according to the Inquirer. The building's renovation added a fifth floor to what had been a dilapidated four-story structure and converted the interior into 54 residences and artist studios, PhillyYIMBY reported in 2023. A rendering of the refreshed building showed an interior lounge with a clean, modern look, according to OCF Realty, which described the project as another piece of the puzzle in Grays Ferry's ongoing development along the CSX-owned viaduct.
Initial hours for Càphê Roasters South will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. six days a week, the Inquirer reports.
Harrowgate Theatre Project Still in the Works
Back in Kensington, Càphê Roasters is also developing a full-service Vietnamese restaurant, expanded roastery and brewery inside the former Harrowgate Theatre across the street from its original café. Construction on that project had paused but was expected to resume, according to the Inquirer's reporting. Sources differ on the timeline for that opening: PhillyVoice reports the project is expected to open in late 2027, while the Inquirer reports the company now projects an opening in late 2027 or early 2028.
