A Haltom City grocer’s kid opens the ‘Asian Starbucks,’ with Vietnamese coffees, teas

The “Asian Starbucks” has come to Spur 303.

California-based 7 Leaves Cafe, an Orange County favorite known for handcrafted. house-steeped iced and milk teas and craveable Vietnamese iced coffees, is opening a location and drive-thru this weekend at 2609 W. Pioneer Parkway in front of the Asia Times Square shops.

There’s also a taste of Haltom City in 7 Leaves. Regional franchisee Tony Nguyen grew up sweeping aisles and stocking shelves in Vietnam Plaza, the first large Asian grocery in Tarrant County when it was founded in 1987 by his father, Frank Nguyen.

“The grocery store was my babysitter,” Tony Nguyen said this week, celebrating the region’s third 7 Leaves Cafe to go with locations in Carrollton and Frisco.

Tarrant County’s Asian population has grown tenfold since Vietnam Plaza opened, and the region is now home to about 500,000 residents of Asian descent.

The 7 Leaves Cafe locations bring together tea and coffee lovers of all cultures.

“People are used to the Taiwanese milk teas, but we’re not like that,” Nguyen said.

The flavors are distinctively Vietnamese, and the teas are steeped and brewed from fresh leaves, fruits and herbs cooked on site.

The house coffee alone is addictive, and that’s before you even try all the iced teas.

The 7 Leaves “summer mint” and “mint sereno” iced teas are particularly refreshing, and the strawberry hibiscus notably has more flavor than at other chain coffee stands.

There’s a “sea cream” hazelnut coffee or jasmine tea, and a calming decaf artichoke-pandan-chrysanthemum herbal tea made from seven leaves.

There’s only one food item: macarons in a choice of eight flavors.

The 7 Leaves chain started in the Little Saigon neighborhood of Westminster., and now has 33 locations across California, Nevada and Texas.

The Southern California stores sell more than 3,000 drinks each day.

Tony Nguyen is not the only restaurateur from the supermarket family. Family members also own the highly successful local Lisa’s Fried Chicken and Seafood chain, a local standby known for chicken and fried catfish

(He also owns the Arlington location of New York-based The Halal Guys, moving soon from off-the-beaten-path Champions Park to a South Cooper Street location in Arlington Town Center.)

The 7 Leaves Cafe is open daily; 7 Leaves Cafe.