Charlie’s Coffee closing

Bad news for Main Street Market phở fans: Charlie’s Coffee is closing its doors on July 16. Owners Crystal and Quan Le plan to return to California, to be closer to family. “It was a hard decision,” Crystal Le says, “but we talked about it and decided we missed home.” The simple little coffee shop had recently expanded its offerings from muffins and lattes to include a full lunch menu, with Vietnamese dishes from spring rolls to banh mi po-boys, as well as the popular rice-noodle soup, phở. This marks the closure of the last Charlie’s Coffee remaining in Baton Rouge, a once-flourishing chain started by Baton Rouge resident Quy “Charlie” Ton in 2004, who also owns the successful Regal Nails franchise.