Situated inside a century-old building in Bangkok’s old town lies a cafe that serves a good cup of coffee and healthy drinks under a zero-waste mandate.
Na Cafe has become a new favorite of cafe-hoppers and those aiming to reduce their footprint on the planet. The cafe opened in February and is nestled behind a 120-year-old residential building-turned-creative space, Bangkok 1899.
Run by Sakson Rouypirom and Diloklarp Janthachotbutr, the cafe labels itself as a “social impact cafe.”
“We hope to use our cafe [as] a medium for positive social impact,” said Sakson, who also co-owns vegan restaurant Broccoli Revolution.
“We partner with different non-profits and social enterprises,” Sakson continued. “For example, we have partnered with Scholars of Sustenance to use their excess fruits and vegetables as ingredients in juices and food, which support different programs related to underserved and at-risk communities.”
The cafe offers a variety of caffeinated beverages and refreshing kombucha, plus fruit-based drinks – and they are all made from locally sourced ingredients. This means the coffee is prepared using beans from the northern provinces – Chiang Rai and Nan – while the juices are blended from fruits and vegetables grown from their garden just a few meters away from the cafe.
The beverage menu highlights hot cocoa, cold-pressed mango juice and passion fruit soda with mint & chili. The food and dessert selection may vary from day to day, so don’t be shy about asking the staff what the day’s offerings are.
According to Sakson, his cafe utilizes every last scrap of food: All parts of the fruits and vegetables are used for drinks, food, fermentation and composting.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their own reusable coffee cups. If you don’t have one, then don’t worry – the cafe itself has biodegradable takeaway cups and straws, and they’re “made entirely from natural materials.”
Recently, the venue also launched a training program that provides basic F&B industry skills to runaways and refugees in the country. In the future, the cafe plans to host workshops, panel discussions and more with a focus on promoting sustainability.
Na Cafe opens from 10am to 7pm every day except Monday. It sits inside cultural and arts hub Bangkok 1899 on Nakhon Sawan Road in the Nang Loeng neighborhood.
FIND IT:
Na Cafe at Bangkok 1899
34 Nakhon Sawan Road
Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok
Open 10am – 7pm except for Monday
Phone: +66 89 164 4454
