Our Name — Why Lạc?

Lạc means lost. We named a Vietnamese coffee and matcha shop in Newark, CA after it, because we think getting a little lost is where the good things are.

Say it out loud and "lạc" does double duty. On its own, it means lost — wandering, untethered, off the planned route. Paired with "quan," it becomes lạc quan: optimistic. Hopeful. The kind of person who doesn't mind not knowing exactly where the road goes.

We liked sitting inside both meanings at once. Lạc coffee. Lạc matcha. Be lạc quan. A shop that's a little bit lost, and a little bit hopeful about it, pouring drinks for people who feel the same way on their way to work, to school, to nowhere in particular.

Slow rituals, on purpose

Getting lost isn't really about the destination — it's about slowing down enough to notice where you are. That's the same idea behind how we make everything here. The phin doesn't drip any faster because you're in a hurry. The whisk doesn't move any quicker because the line is out the door. Both take exactly as long as they take.

A phin filter sits on top of a glass and lets gravity do the work, one slow drop at a time. A bamboo whisk works ceremonial matcha into a fine, layered foam, back and forth, until it's ready — not before. Neither shortcut exists for a reason. The pause is the point, not a delay before it.

A little lost, on purpose

Newark, CA isn't the loudest corner of the Bay, and that's exactly why we're here. We wanted a quiet counter where the coffee is still bold and the matcha is still real ceremonial grade, whisked by hand, cup by cup — no shortcuts, no rush, no performance about it. Just a slow drink, made well, for whoever wandered in.

So next time you're not entirely sure where you're headed, that's alright. Come get a little lost with us. We'll have something warm whisked or dripped by the time you get here.