• Date of O.G. Review: 05/15/23
  • Address: 11 E Exchange Street, Akron OH
  • 4.2/5 Stars

First Time

  • Drink Tried: Vietnamese Iced Coffee

So it was a nice, sunny day and I just came out of a Judge’s call day. Long. Boring. May have lost a few brain cells. But, I digress. Since it was such a beautiful day out I saw that Evelyn’s Coffee and Banh Mi was only an 8 minute walk from the courthouse. Convenient! I was skeptical about trying Vietnamese style coffee since it was out of the comfort zone of my usual latte’s and macchiato’s but that was the point of doing the Drip Drive. To go to new places and try new things.

I said ‘hello’ to some people on the street as I ventured to Evelyn’s. I had never really walked through Akron until that point. So spontaneous lol.

I finally arrived and realized that Evelyn’s was the basement of some building. When I walked in I was the only one. I inhaled that ever so familiar smell of coffee and felt right at home; however, I could tell this coffee shop was still in the early stages because of the clutter. Like Asterisk, it is not a coffee shop you can sit and have a casual conversation in. It’s very small.

In some way’s I do understand why Evelyn’s could be empty at times-people are skeptical of other cultures foods, drinks, etc. Nevertheless, I was ecstatic about trying something new (when yes, I was hesitant). That morning I only came for the coffee but made it a point to come back and try the Banh Mi (as you should, Bella!)!

The barista was very nice and was very quick to make my drink (and my other Judge’s). My first sip of the drink I took in the courthouse…in the bailiff’s seat…watching a murder trial.

The drink definitely had a different (but good) taste than what I was used to. It took a few sips to get used to the flavor: bold, smooth, and definitely a little bitter. When swallowed, the taste lingered on my taste buds which made it even more interesting.

Overall, I would have it again. I was glad I tried something new that day. I’ll for sure update the article once I’ve tried their Banh Mi. I watched the Judge sip her drink to see if she had a facial reaction. She looked like she was savoring it in her mouth and then gave her nod of approval. With this, I will highly recommend you to try Vietnamese Iced Coffee especially from Evelyn’s (and it’s only $2.75)!

Second Time

  • Thing Tried: Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi

One of my first days back from winter break I had to pick up my Drip Drive completion mug. They didn’t have any so they have to send to me. Since I was near Evelyn’s and I hadn’t tried their banh mi I decided to give it a shot.

I walked in and there were only two customers there. I ordered the iced coffee (which has jumped up to $3.5 btw) and the lemongrass beef banh mi. They also have lemongrass chicken, meatball, and Korean beef.

The smell from the banh mi was okay but it’ll fill up your whole house. Inside the banh mi was the beef (duh), cucumber, pickled veggies, cilantro, and avocado mayo. In the first bite, I got every flavor and each bite was consistent. It was overall amazing but the only negative thing I’ll have to say was the beef was a lil dry.