Prologue Coffee & Tea: A hidden East Bay gem offering Asian fusion drinks and food

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KGO) -- Nestled in the Walnut Creek Public Library is an unassuming coffee shop that is making a big splash in just over a year of being in business.

Prologue Coffee & Tea is an East Bay gem serving a twist on Asian coffee, tea and food. The shop was recently ranked number five in the top 25 new women-owned restaurants and coffee shops in the nation.

"I thought they talked about East Bay," said Thuy Nguyen, owner of Prologue Coffee & Tea. "I was so happy. But then, when they told me, 'No, in the nation.' I go like, 'what?!' I got so happy."

Nguyen worked in banking for over 20 years and decided to change her career path to have the flexibility to start a family. After years of making a wide variety of coffee for her husband, he suggested that she open her own place. A tea drinker herself, she eventually found an open café space in the Walnut Creek Public Library.

"I was like, 'Let's just do it,'" Nguyen said. "Let's just try and see how it is."

Nguyen said they came up with the name Prologue because of their location in the library. A prologue in a book is an introductory section that provides background information and context. It gives readers an intriguing hook to the upcoming narrative.

"In a way, that's what I'm doing with my life," Nguyen said. "It's a new book. It's a new chapter."

The shop specializes in Vietnamese coffee and banh mi sandwiches, but it offers a wide variety of Asian-fusion drinks and food, as well as seasonal treats.

"(For the banh mi) the most crucial part is the bread," Nguyen said. "Everything else inside also factors in, but the bread is what makes the good banh mi."

All the veggies, the butter, and the pté are made in house, a recipe Nguyen said she borrowed from her mom. She even traveled to Vietnam to learn how to properly make a Vietnamese coffee.

"We add banana milk," Nguyen said. "So, it has a different flavor to it. It's one of the things that I have people travel from Sacramento and San Francisco just to try these drinks."

Nguyen's new book is just getting started. And right now, she's loving this chapter.

"I would love, in the future, to have more Prologues," she said. "But as of now, you know, I'm happy where I am."

Prologue Coffee & Tea is located at 1644 N Broadway in Walnut Creek, inside the Walnut Creek Public Library. More information can be found here.