Phin Coffee House Opens in Harvard’s David Rubenstein Treehouse

Phin Coffee House, a Boston-based Vietnamese coffee shop, opened Monday as the first retail tenant in the David Rubenstein Treehouse, Harvard’s new three-story conference center in Allston.

The opening drew more than 100 customers to the Treehouse, which is now open to the public Monday through Saturday.

Phin founders Oanh T.H. Nguyen and Tran H. Tran were first approached by Harvard officials early last year about opening a second location. The pair opened Phin’s first storefront in downtown Boston in 2021, hoping to create a coffee shop that blended Western and Southeast Asian flavors, Nguyen said.

“I had the idea to collaborate Western coffee with Southeast Asian coffee, so that’s why on our menu you see the classic Italian coffees and also the Vietnamese-style drinks,” Nguyen said.

Phin’s menu includes Italian espresso-based drinks alongside Southeast Asian-inspired offerings, including coconut water espresso and traditional Vietnamese iced coffee.

Nguyen said she and Tran had been looking to expand beyond downtown Boston when Harvard approached them about opening in the Enterprise Research Campus.

“We had landlords from Back Bay and Seaport who wanted a Phin in their buildings, but we like the neighborhood,” she said. ““The purpose of the coffee house is not only to do business and sell coffee. We want more connection with customers, with neighbors.”

Nguyen said Phin chose the ERC in part because of a “really good contract.” The coffee shop signed a 10-year lease after Tishman Speyer, the developer overseeing the ERC’s construction, offered to complete the build-out of the storefront.

The Treehouse is part of Harvard’s developing Enterprise Research Campus, a 36-acre complex slated to include commercial lab space, retail storefronts, and more than 340 units of housing.

While Phin is the only retail tenant of the Treehouse so far, it sits steps away from the luxury Atlas Hotel and Ama restaurant, which both opened in the ERC earlier this year. Global biotechnology company F. Hoffmann-La Roche will also occupy 100,000 square feet of the ERC — a sizable jump from the company’s initial 30,000 square-foot lease.

Phin is offering a 25 percent discount on all purchases through May 23 to celebrate its opening. After that promotion ends, Harvard students and affiliates will receive a 10 percent discount after presenting a valid Harvard ID.

Though Monday’s opening drew a crowd, Nguyen said Phin intentionally limited advertising for the event in hopes of first reaching residents closest to the new shop.

“We don’t do much marketing because we don’t want to have a restaurant,” Nguyen said. “I want to serve the neighbors first.”

—Staff writer Thamini Vijeyasingam can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @vijeyasingam.