See what’s new at Carriage Square! We’ll be highlighting Carriage Square businesses over the next several months in advance of coming renovations to the shopping center. Be sure to stop by this fun section of Taylorsville.

If you’re looking for excellent Vietnamese food, Café Thảo Mi is the place to go. A mainstay of Carriage Square, Café Thảo Mi is known for their Vietnamese coffee, café sandwiches and street food.

Originally located in West Valley City, the business started in 2001 as a small kiosk before moving to Carriage Square in 2007.

“When I first came here, it was only me,” said owner Thão Ly. “I made coffee that all the Vietnamese people liked, so they came out. They sit at the tables and they talk — just like how it is back home.”

The café has attracted people from across the country, who come for its authentic food. “I had a guy from Virginia,” Ly said. “He said he Googled it, and he saw me. So he came here to buy the food, eat, drink our coffee, and he liked it because we make the food authentically.”

Ly’s passion and experience is evident when talking about the café and tasting its food. The attraction of her restaurant is not only the delicious food but the environment where all feel welcome and part of a community.

“A lot of the time, you don’t want to sit down for a long time and eat; you just want to meet a friend and talk,” she said. “Here, they can sit wherever they want, have a coffee, and talk for an hour.”

And Ly wouldn’t have it any other way. “I think to be able to work and manage something like this, you have to love to do it,” she said, “and I love to do this. I come in every day and I'm happy doing it.”

If you want to try the tasty coffee and sandwiches for yourself, visit the café at 1773 W. Carriage Square in Taylorsville.