It turns out Philly could use another Vietnamese breakfast spot

Inside the cheery new cafe-to-be, Hannah K, which sits at the intersection of Federal Street, 20th Street, and Point Breeze Avenue, the lavender paint is fresh and Tiffany-style wall sconces shoot rainbows of light onto the walls. “It has a girl’s touch,” says chef and co-owner Huyen Thai Dinh, 38, who is opening the cafe with her brother, Thai Xuan Dinh, 44. In different circles, both siblings go by the name “Thai Dinh.”

Graduate Hospital’s the Breakfast Den, also known as TBD, has been beloved by the neighborhood since Huyen opened it in July 2020. It’s so charming that it seems to generate sunshine from within through its colorful decor, Asian-inflected tea and coffee drinks, creative banh mis, and carefully constructed rice and rice porridge bowls, each with neat stacks of fresh herbs — not to mention the tiny, precise spring rolls, fragrant lemongrass chicken, crispy tofu, and eggplant.

Soon-to-open Hannah K is a larger, 40-seat concept in the adjacent Point Breeze neighborhood that will allow Huyen more creative freedom. “The TBD kitchen is so small, I was never able to put a lot of dishes on the menu,” she said. “I’m putting all those dishes on the menu here, like the banh mista, a play on an Italian hoagie with turkey, ham, and our TBD herbs [cilantro, basil, and rauram], and the Shake and Steak Banh Mi, which is like the Vietnamese dish bò lúc lắc ,” which typically consists of cubed beef marinated in soy and fish sauce. There will also be pancakes, fried rice, and crispy chicken with rice.

Huyen and Thai signed the lease on the former On Point Bistro space (1200 Point Breeze Ave.) in September 2024. Most of their renovations were minor, though they made some significant updates to the coffee area. A floral-wallpapered counter hosts drip coffee and espresso machines that will serve Rival Brothers coffee alongside boba flavored with mango, lychee, and jasmine tea.

Hannah K is named for Hannah, one of the siblings’ nieces, who is also Huyen’s goddaughter. “She’s always been super-attached to me,” Huyen said. “K” stands for Kudi, the name of Huyen’s late Maltipoo, whose memory lives on both in the initial and the dog menu that Huyen plans to roll out in the spring, which includes rice, chicken, and scrambled egg dishes. Oberon, her 6-month-old Bernadoodle, will advise on the menu.

Hannah K will also have a kid’s menu that adults can order from. “There will be smaller portions and they’re all inspired by my nieces and nephews,” Huyen said. Think “dishes like chicken, rice, and a crispy egg; bacon and cheddar omelet; and two mini pancakes with four strips of bacon, like what my nephew Declan always orders when he comes to TBD.”

You’ll find all of the Dinh family’s favorite foods in some form here — half of the 20-some dishes on Hannah K’s menu are named in their honor. The Dinh siblings had a lot to work with: There are seven siblings in total in their immediate family alone. Huyen’s culinary tributes to her family weave Vietnamese herbs, flavors, and family recipes into Americana breakfast classics.

TBD’s spring rolls will also be on the menu. Barely the size of an index finger, the delicate rolls are filled with taro, jicama, carrots, mushroom powder, and chickpeas — and pork, if you want. They’re still made by Huyen’s mother, who works by feel, not measuring cups — the way all great comfort foods are rendered into existence — even while making 500 or 600 at a time, according to Huyen. “I tell her you need to measure and be consistent,” Huyen said. “She’s very defensive, saying, ‘They’re good! I make them the same! I know what I’m doing!’”

Huyen’s middle name is Thai because she was born in Thailand, at a refugee camp. “Someone sponsored us and brought us to Philadelphia by chance in 1987,” Huyen said. “It was rough. We kept to ourselves. We faced a lot of racism. My dad put my brothers in karate classes and we had monkey bars in the backyard to learn how to fight.”

“We got bullied, people kept stealing our lunch,” Thai said.

“Now the kids in our family are so spoiled,” said Huyen, laughing about all Hannah K’s dishes named for their nieces and nephews.

Huyen fell in love with the idea of brunch and running a breakfast cafe while living in L.A. “I found a job listing for OP Cafe in Santa Monica on Craiglist, went in, trained as a server, and eventually worked my way up to assistant manager,” she said. “I fell in love with hospitality and brunch and learned how to run a breakfast place there. The front- and back-of-house systems and the employee duties at TBD are all modeled after OP Cafe.”

So are Hannah K’s airy, gravity-defyingly fluffy pancakes. There’s a long pause when asked about them. Huyen giggled, and kept giggling. “I used to ask at OP why the pancakes were so good and they would never tell me,” Huey said. “One time, a customer came in who had an allergy and I finally had to go and check the actual recipe. I found out then that they were Krusteaz.”

So while practically everything else at Hannah K is painstakingly made from scratch, they use Krusteaz pancake mix for their ethereal pancakes.

Hannah K soft-opens on Feb. 17 with a limited menu. Its grand opening, with its full menu, is scheduled for Feb. 18. It will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week, for dine-in or takeout breakfast and lunch (no delivery yet). Huyen also plans to have a monthly special dinner. The 10- to 12-seat patio, which will be dog-friendly, will be open when weather permits.

Hannah K’s, 1200 Point Breeze Ave., Philadelphia, 19146, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Sunday.