Keeping up with Nashville’s restaurant turnover is a full-time sport, but every once in a while, a new opening cuts through the noise and immediately feels essential. Tucked into Germantown at 1244 3rd Ave N—taking over the space previously home to Buds & Brews—Em and Mẹ is trading late-night haze for high-octane Southeast Asian caffeine and deep-rooted hospitality.
The concept is a true family endeavor spearheaded by husband-and-wife team JB Pounders and Tu Trieu, alongside Tu’s mother and brother (who also operate the neighboring ColorMe True Nail Bar). Translating from Vietnamese as “little one” (em) and “mother” (mẹ), the name reflects the generational bridge anchored at the heart of the business.
Robusta Beans, Phin Drips, and Whipped Egg Cream
Trieu grew up in Vietnam’s agricultural Mekong Delta, a region famous for producing bold, high-caffeine Robusta coffee beans. Unlike the softer Arabica blends standard across most American coffee shops, Robusta packs an earthy, punchy profile traditionally tamed with a swirl of rich sweetened condensed milk.
Guests ordering at the counter can take a few different routes:
- Traditional Phin Drip: A deliberate, single-cup metal filter service that slowly extracts over condensed milk at a pace of roughly one drip per second (taking 7 to 10 minutes total). Stirred and poured over ice, it is an unbeatable antidote to humid Tennessee summers.
- The House Espresso Blend: A balanced 70/30 Arabica-to-Robusta hybrid roasted locally for quick-pull lattes and standard morning drinks.
- Vietnamese Egg Coffee: A decadent showstopper finished with a thick crown of whipped, sweetened egg yolk foam.
Southeast Asian Comfort Meets Alabama Roots
With Pounders hailing from Florence, Alabama, the food menu thoughtfully blurs the line between traditional Vietnamese home cooking and classic Southern comfort plates:
- Bánh Mì Chảo: A deconstructed, sizzling skillet packed with steak, eggs, rich tomato sauce, and an earthy house-made mushroom-and-cashew vegetarian pâté, served with warm, crusty bread for dipping.
- Cháo Lá Dứa Tôm Kho: A clever riff on Lowcountry shrimp and grits that swaps cornmeal for silky, pandan-infused green rice porridge topped with caramelized savory shrimp.
- Mama’s 10-Hour Yogurt: A house-cultured morning bowl layered with fresh sliced strawberries, bananas, and toasted granola.
A Living Room for Germantown
The physical footprint feels less like a quick-turn coffee counter and more like an indoor garden sanctuary. The dining room features living plant walls supported by overnight grow lights, a spacious grass patio outside, and a live tree anchored directly through the center of a communal wooden table. Even the restrooms feature ambient video projections depicting Mekong Delta rice paddies and coastal scooter commutes.
Guests order and settle tabs via table QR codes, lending the room a relaxed, living-room flow where lingering is actively encouraged. Between the bilingual book-lending shelf, weekly trivia, jazz trio residencies, and songwriter open mics, Em and Mẹ has quickly solidified itself as one of the most intentional neighborhood spaces to hit Germantown this year.
Visit:
Em and Mẹ
1244 3rd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
Neighborhood: Germantown