The new cafe, located at the same 914 E Elmira St. address as the Midtown Ming's, will make its debut with a soft opening this Friday.
Ming's has long been popular for made-to-order Asian food, including steamed buns, noodles and rice bowls. But made-to-order doesn't always work for gourmands on the go.
Ming's Cafe will address that need by offering ready-made options at a cafeteria-style counter, according to owner Ming Qian von Bargen. The restaurant was able to add the cafe space after taking over the space of the former Squeezers Juice Bar next door.
The cafe will offer a variety of grab-and-go sandwiches as well as boba, tea, shaved ice and coffee options. The sandwich menu will include two variations on the Vietnamese banh mi as well as Japanese varieties and the ever-classic egg.
For those with a sweet tooth, the cafe's sandos will include a strawberries-and-cream and a peanut butter-banana with honey. Desserts will include a gochujang-caramel cookie and a brown butter-miso chocolate cookie.
The venture started in 2011 with a stall called Ming's Thing at the Quarry Farmers Market, later expanding to include a separate stall the Pearl Farmer's Market. This was followed by its first brick-and-mortar eatery, Ming's Noodle Bar, which launched in 2016.
The Elmira Street location opened in 2020. Rather than becoming another culinary casualty of the pandemic, the restaurant thrived and eventually added a La Cantera location.
In 2023, Ming's was invited to develop a presence on the Trinity University campus. It also was selected for a Spurs Culinary Residency for the 2023-2024 season at Frost Bank Center.
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