I wouldn't call myself food expert by any means, but I can confidently say that I know a thing or two about what makes a great Vietnamese iced coffee. For those who haven't tried one - give it a go for something different. Intstead of coming up with a description of my own, I have lifted the following straight from everybody's favourite assignement writing resource Wikipedia:

Vietnamese iced coffee, also known as cà phê đá or cafe da (Vietnamese: cà phê đá, literally "ice coffee") is a traditional Vietnamese coffee recipe.

At its simplest, cà phê đá is made using medium to coarse ground dark roast Vietnamese-grown coffee with a small metal Vietnamese drip filter (phin cà phê). After the hot water is added, the drip filter releases drops of hot coffee slowly into a cup. This finished cup of hot coffee is then quickly poured into a glass full of ice making the finished Vietnamese iced coffee.

A popular way to drink Vietnamese coffee is cà phê sữa đá, which is Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk. This is done by filling up the coffee cup with 2-3 tablespoons or more of sweetened condensed milk prior to the drip filter process.

This review will focus on the version with condensed milk as that is what is often found around these parts, the black version seems to be a bit too hardcore for the masses. So without further adue, here are my top places in Darwin to get a great cup of ice cold sweet brown caffeinated delight.

The top three Iced coffees in Darwin according to science

Chow 

Close your eyes and imagine you're on the side of a busy Ho Chi Minh street on a plastic stool that has no right to hold the weight of a full grown human, inches away from being run over by hundreds of passing motorbikes and then... sip, slowly.... passionality.... shazam! You're in the motherland without having to hop on a plane and bribe your way through Vietnam airport customs. Served in a legit narow tall glass with the right sized crushed iced and legit Vietnamese beans, this was an instant addition to the list. Not too sweet, lovely tones and strong enough to get you through the day without breaking into cold sweats. Pairs really well with a banh mi.

Three Mum's Kitchen

I have a number of clients near Three Mum's, so I'll often swing by aferwards for a cup of brown liquid gold. These guys make it fresh, I know this because I'm usually waiting for them to brew a batch, even long after my parking ticket has expired. Most importantly they make it nice and strong. After many years of Vietnamese iced coffee substance abuse, I need my hit to be brimming with caffeine. Pairs really well with a banh mi.

La Pho

Even though it's a 35 minute drive from home, or about the same time as it takes to find a park at Casuraina 12pm Saturdays, there has been many a weekend where I'll drag the family along just to grab one from here. Totally worth the drive, totally legit. Beautiful smooth rich flavour that lingers long afterwards. Minor point deduction for being a bit on the small size. Pairs really well with a banh mi. 

Honorable mentions

Taste of Viet

You'll usually find me at Casuarina on Friday night with one of these in hand and a bag of spring rolls int he other. A tad too sweet once you make your way past the half way mark to make it to my top tier, but extra points for being within close proximity to home.

Saigon Street

Pretty good, but could have a bit more oomph, I think they put too much ice in it which waters down the flavour after a while. Very generous serving size.

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So if you're looking for something beyond an almond milke latte, try a Vietnamese iced coffee! For the next review I should probably do the best banh mi's in Darwin, somethign I've been trying to write up for the  few years now :\