A question recently put forth to me: where can I get a good Vietnamese iced coffee to go in Seattle?

Back up. What’s a Vietnamese coffee? It’s basically coffee—finely ground, dark roast—mixed with sweetened condensed milk and served over ice. The ratio is about 2:1 coffee to condensed milk. To make it at home, you should invest in a small press pot—you brew the coffee over the glass. Press pots are cheap and sold widely at Vietnamese supermarkets and online.

But the question was not how do I make one. It was where do I buy one, like a good American. And the answer is…well, you can get cafe su da at most any Vietnamese restaurant, but my favorite to-go stop is Seattle Deli.

While I’m there I like to pick up a banh mi, of course, and I can pay for both items with a $5 bill. You just can’t argue with Seattle Deli.