If you’ve stopped by Austin’s famous Central Library at 710 W. Cesar Chavez recently, you may have noticed a lot more activity on the West Second Street side of the building. Café Crème, a longtime fixture on East Oltorf, recently opened a second location in the iconic space.
“We get a lot of tourists, so it’s nice to show people a little taste of authentic Austin,” says co-owner Kimmi Black. At the same time, she says, “there’s so many regulars and people that live in the area who are so happy we’re here because there’s really nothing around here that has this much space to sit, hang out, and work.”
Black and her sister Sue Duong, both of Vietnamese descent, grew up in San Diego and moved to Austin for different reasons. Black originally arrived to pursue a biology degree at UT, and Duong sought a change of pace after working in finance in Houston.
“Our parents are both entrepreneurs, so that was something we’ve always had in us,” Duong says. “They’re very successful and it was really a cool thing to see. I just saw [what they did] in their business and modeled what we did after them.” She handles Café Crème’s administrative business, while Black hangs in the front of house. Black also decorated the library space.
“Obviously we’re Asian, so we love a good deal. I got so much of this stuff on Facebook Marketplace,” she says, while she and her sister laugh. “I was driving all over town [buying things] because I really wanted a more eclectic look. It’s nice because some of the people I bought from have come by to see the space and for them it’s fun to be like, ‘Oh, my little table’s here!’”
The business, which started as a bakery before expanding into a cafe, is well known for its French- and Asian-inspired menu, with crêpes, croissants, and bagels. “My husband, Cédric, is French, so that’s where the French-Vietnamese thing comes from,” Duong explains. They also keep it funky with different teas, dirty chai, and Vietnamese coffee featured next to an Austin staple: housemade breakfast tacos.
“We’re really proud of our tacos because we do make them fresh with all of the salsas also freshly made every morning in house,” Black says.
Both sisters cite the scenery and culture of the Central Library as some of the key attractions to the area. “Here, you get everyone,” Black says. “There are field trips, a lot of college students sitting and working, and we see a lot of people take business meetings here. It’s a convenient place [to go] before you go on a run or to work, but it’s also such a nice space to have brunch.”
Duong adds, “The views are so beautiful. I could just sit out here on the patio forever. Second Street is so beautiful with all the lights.”
Café Crème recently added cocktails and boba tea to the menu and expanded the operating hours of the cafe from 7am to 9pm, so with high quality salads, sandwiches, bagels, crêpes, tacos, and croissants available all day, there’s literally something for everyone here at the Central Library.
Café Crème’s grand opening party is scheduled for Saturday, July 12, from 3-6pm.
This article appears in June 27 • 2025.
