I’m sure you have an answer for those questions! Yesterday, Jordan Michelman’s blog post on the New York Times magazine site, declared that the best banh mi sandwich was in Seattle at Saigon Deli in the very Asian ID (International District). Along with that one, he also gave shout outs to these banh mi hotspots in the nation:
- Seattle: Saigon Deli (1237 South Jackson Street), Sun Bakery & Cafe (658 South Jackson Street)
- Portland: Best Baguette (8303 SE Powell Boulevard)
- New York: Baoguette (61 Lexington Ave, multiple Manhattan locations), Momofuku Ssäm Bar (207 Second Ave, Manhattan), Ba Xuyen (4222 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn), Tan Thanh (5818 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn)
- New Orleans: Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery (14207 Chef Menteur Highway)
- Atlanta: Lee’s Bakery (4005 Buford Highway NE), Quoc Huong (5150 Buford Highway NE)
- San Jose: Lee’s Sandwiches (260 East Santa Clara Street)
- Los Angeles: Nom Nom Truck
- San Francisco: Saigon Sandwich (560 Larkin Street)
Do note that on HuffingtonPost.com, the drunken chicken banh mi from Seattle’s Baguette Box was given the #8 spot for the top 10 best new sandwiches in the United States. We all have opinions like we all have belly buttons, right?
Does banh mi have to be cheap food?
There were many things that stood out to me in Michelman’s story, but one popped the most. It’s something that grates on me because I hear it so much when Asian and non-Asian people talk about Asian food: Good Asian food has to be cheap Asian food. Michelman echoed that sentiment in this sentence:
While these sandwiches, usually found in bakeries and delis in Vietnamese neighborhoods, are endlessly customizable, they should always be inexpensive — beware the banh mi over $6.
Indeed, banh mi are notoriously cheap in Viet enclaves, mostly because of stiff competition. When I was a teenager, I took advantage of many “buy 2 get 1 free” banh mi deals. Cheap Asian food can taste good, bad, or “just okay.”
Regardless of quality, there is a lot of labor that goes into making banh mi, just like with pho and other traditional street foods. Often times, the people who do make banh mi are underpaid and overworked.
I’d love to savor good ingredients assembled by well-paid workers to create excellent banh mi. That banh mi will cost over $6 but it’ll be worth it. I also pray for the day when “cheap” is not so easily attached to tasty Asian food.
We are willing to pay dearly for Italian, French and Cal-Med food. Why don’t we want to pay more money for Asian food?
Your Best Banh Mi in America?
As for the finding the best banh mi in America, there have been more than 150 comments since “The Vietnamese Sandwich: Banh Mi in America” was published yesterday. A few highlights from uppity banh mi lovers:
- Any article about banh mi in America without a mention of banh mi culture in Houston is an article that is half baked.
- Although Saigon Deli in Seattle is a solid choice for this list, the newer Q Bakery in South Seattle on MLK Way is much better in my opinion. They put out a high quality banh mi on much better bread that they bake in house, unlike Saigon Deli where the bread is from another vendor.
- Lee's Sandwich is like the McDonald's of banh mi.
- This article is missing any mention of Orange Country, CA -- home to the largest Vietnamese population in the United States.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada likely has the most Banh Mi shops per square km in North America and also most delicious!
- Banh Mi Che Cali in Westminster, Ca is hands down the BEST Vietnamese Sandwich in America. [This has been a Little Saigon locals’ favorite for years.]
- The Hanoi and Saigon versions are certainly tasty but also monotonous; ironically, they are being crowded out by the 'doner kebab.' The invading species first appeared in Vietnam's cities five or six years ago, reportedly the invention of a Vietnamese 'guest worker' returned from Germany.
What’s your favorite place to grab banh mi? What makes the sandwich good to you? Got a report on the doner kebab in Hanoi? (I only saw one stall last June but wasn’t looking hard.)
What’s the least and most that you’ve paid for banh mi?
Related information:
Recipes:
Master Banh Mi sandwich
Homemade Vietnamese baguette (banh mi)
Easy mayonnaise (sot mayonnaise)
Daikon and Carrot Pickle (do chua)
Grilled lemongrass pork (thit heo nuong xa)
Meatball banh mi sandwich (banh mi xa xiu)
Quick Char Siu Pork (on Asiandumplingtips.com, my other site)
Roasted Pork Belly sandwich (thit heo quay)
Check the recipe index for more filling ideas!
Posts on banh mi innovations
Banh mi incarnations from all over the world
Banh mi craze in New York City
john says
Lee's are not my favorite: this seems to be much about personal taste and one man's meat is another man's poison, so to speak.
Calvin says
Somehow, Vietnamese food hasn't acquired the same cachet as Italian or French. The only Asian cuisine with the sort of cachet needed to command high prices in the West is Japanese, and arguably Indian.
Also, I'm sad that there's no mention of Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich in Philly!
Philadelphia Lawyer says
Q.T. in Philadelphia is good, but Ba Le is better. In my opinion, its not that a good banh mi isn't worth more, but that the cheaper ones tend to be more traditional and more reliably good, as opposed to a trendy facsimile, like faux pho.
Kimberlea says
Haha, thanks for including my comment about Q Bakery 🙂 Although, I wouldn't consider myself an uppity banh mi lover, and certainly wasn't trying to sound like one. There are so many banh mi places nowadays, with different variations, price points, ingredients, that the "best" one is probably in the eye of the banh mi eater... Articles like these do facilitate conversation and bring up recommendations for places that people may not have heard of, which is always a good thing. Well, as long as people are civil about it.
Diane says
I totally agree with the SF suggestion. When I lived in the city I went there every week. Now, whenever I have a work meeting in town, I make a special stop to go there. This despite the fact that Oakland/Berkeley/El Cerrito have some damn fine banh mi as competition!
Sandwiches there used to go for a cool $2 (except chicken) but prices have raised to a whopping $3, or even $3.50 for the super-special, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink version. Worth it at any price, but I have to admit the frugalista in me appreciates getting great food at dirt cheap prices. I used to be gobsmacked at how cheap it was. Now that it is up by 30% I am merely totally amazed. True, the place has no overhead, but still...it's unbelievable.
khanh says
Articles like that are absolutely stupid...and pretty useless except, I guess, for white people. I am from LA but have been living for almost 2 years in Seattle. Saigon Deli is my go-to place in Seattle. But is just ho-hum compared to anything you could find in LA, especially in Little Saigon.
I seriously doubt that the author sampled very much in LA. So, the shameless plug for a stupid food cart is transparent marketing. I personally feel that Mr. Baguette in Rosemead is quite amazing, as they make their own French bread and charcuterie. And the French consulate buys their bread from the store (there's a letter proudly displayed certifying this).
If you want to read a blog about the dreadful Lee's Sandwiches, follow the link:
http://diacritics.org/2010/07/21/upon-first-seeing-lee’s-sandwiches-2/
Tazza Lenghe says
I live in New York and I will not claim to know who has the best banh mi in the city let alone the country, but Michelman's post proves that he knows neither. FWIW, the best banh mi I have eaten in the States (this includes a lot of places in the Bay Area, some in Seattle but, sadly, very few in OC) is the house special/đac biêt from Viet-Nam Banh Mi So 1 (aka Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli at 369 Broome, http://www.vietnamese-sandwich.com/—do not confuse with Banh Mi Saigon on Grand).
Tazza
Simon Bao says
Andrea, the author's comment that Banh Mi "should always be inexpensive — beware the banh mi over $6," sounds like some fatuous throw-away line. I hope the author would not, after reflection, stand by that comment.
We all get what we pay for. Banh Mi from shops on Washington Avenue in Philadelphia are cheap, partly because it's comparatively low-value real estate and costs there are cheap. If we want to be able to get comparable Banh Mi in pricey Chestnut Hill or Rittenhouse Square, we need to pay more. If you want Banh Mi in a much nicer-looking shop, we have to pay more. If we want Banh Mi shops that thrive in other communities, OUTSIDE of their traditional Little Saigons and Little Bien Hoas, we need to pay more.
Banh Mi from some places can be inexpensive because labor costs are kept to a minimum through a combination of unattractive practices we should be ashamed of supporting. It's all the usual nonsense of the restaurant and food industries, but a bit worse than usual. Shop employees are paid under the table, incomes aren't reported, taxes aren't paid, minimum wage laws are ignored. We should gladly pay more for a hoagie from a proper shop that pays employees a reasonable wage.
And we shouldn't hesitate to pay more for a Banh Mi that's featuring different and more expensive ingredients than the 3 dollar hoagie. There's nothing deeply traditional about a Vietnamese hoagie, so we shouldn't pretend that the 10 usual varieties offered at every version of Cafe Saigon are the Alpha & the Omega, the beginning and end and sum total of Banh Mi-ness. Banh Mi should keep evolving, keep developing, keep bringing new flavors and new textures. And when that costs more, that's fine.
Simon Bao says
Andrea, what would the NY Times blogger, think if some Viet writer espoused the notion that one should beware of American sandwiches over $6.
Good luck getting a sandwich under $6 at Katz's Deli on the Lower East Side. http://www.katzdeli.com/menu_download.pdf
If a Pastrami on the Lower East Side can cost $14.95, and Chopped Liver is $10.60, why does a Banh Mi have to ring in at under $6?
(Try the tongue instead. It's $15.55 but it's worth it. It's the sandwich meat that tastes you back!)
Dennis Reed says
I've only had Banh Mi at a couple of places here in San Diego, CA and I thought it was good but I do not have much to compare to so far. I would be interested to hear opinions about "best" Bahn Mi in San Diego.
amy k says
"We are willing to pay dearly for Italian, French and Cal-Med food. Why don’t we want to pay more money for Asian food?"
While I do agree with part of your argument- I feel that Asian food; that is, good homey Asian food that we go back to again and again- is not about pricey ingredients. It's about making the best out of the lesser cuts, the leftovers.
And quite honestly, unless some ingredients are rarer to obtain, I don't think any kind of food (regardless of country of origin) should be so costly to begin with. It's food that can and may be amazing and can blow your mind, but at the end of the day- it's food. It goes in one end and out the other, same as any other food.
Viet Mom of 3 says
I just bought Lee's Sandwiches when visiting my aunt's family fir Tet. If was the most aweful thing I've ever stuck in my mouth. I bought 6 (buy 5- get one free) on Saturday and we still have one leftover in the fridge. My family usually scarfs down Banh Mi Thit, but these were so awful we had to pace ourselves. The bread was skinny, hard, and not fragrant at all. The meat was chopped mush. The Chinese BBQ was too pink. And there was too much mayo, no soy sauce, and scarce pate. Banh Mi in Houston is the best.... But since I live 4 hours away from Houston in a non-Asian neighborhood, I made my own using Bollio bread, Braunschweiger, Walmart Rotisserie chicken, and homemade pickled veggies. So much better than Lee's Sandwiches.
mscinda says
@Dennis Reed - San Diego has many banh mi options. My favorite is Saigon Sandwiches in City Heights for their pate, pickles, and deli meat. My only complaint is that they don't bake their own bread. My second favorite is Cali Baguette Express on El Cajon Blvd. for their bread not fillings. I think selecting a favorite depends on personal taste preferences and convenience. Express Deli inside Lucky's Seafood makes pretty sandwiches with a good bread to filling ratio. K Sandwiches is great for everything except their sandwiches, but they are very popular and inexpensive.
The best banh mi I've ever had would be from San Francisco's Saigon Sandwich on Larkin.
tangledbranches says
Trying to read between the lines a bit, perhaps what the author meant to say is that the best Banh Mi aren't the fancied-up versions?
And I can't believe they didn't even mention the Washington DC area. Our favorites are Nhu Lan and Song Que in the Eden Center shopping plaza in Falls Church, VA, and Banh Mi DC Sandwich just down the road on Rt. 50 in Falls Church.
Andrea Nguyen says
Viet Mom of 3: Love your homemade banh mi from "Bollio bread, Braunschweiger, Walmart Rotisserie chicken, and homemade pickled veggies."
Tangledbranches: Good point and perhaps the author was shooting to be a little to lyrical/writerly/clever with that sentence.
Banh mi is not really a simple sandwich to make in the sense that it requires a multitude of ingredients that are well crafted and fresh. Indeed, the food cost may be low for those ingredients, but the labor and culinary skill required to maintain quality standards cost a lot. Overhead and ingredient costs both factor into the retail price of a particular dish.
Using humble, modest ingredients to create beautiful and delicious food is no easy task. Labor is often undervalued in Asian restaurants. Just think of all the precise chopping that's required!
Hungry Lemur says
I'll second Tazza's vote for Bahn Mi So No 1 in NYC. I've been going there for years and love the atmosphere, the people and the delicious banh mi.
On cheapness, I have a more positive interpretation. I find traditional cheap food like banh mi is often aimed at a local clientele and is authentic, regionally specific, and, if good, really flavorful. More expensive versions sometimes come with Americanization of flavors, aiming at a more mainstream audience. It's not always that way: I love David Thompson's very expensive Thai food in London, for instance, but I find mid-range can be too watered down. I do agree that we should support better pay and conditions for food workers, but I don't like to pay extra just for a bland corporate setting.
(Oh and I am never ever going to pay $15 for a Katz's sandwich I have to take 2/3 of the meat out of because it is insanely excessive. I don't eat that much, it's a waste.)
Bsquared2 says
That article was totally lame. To mention Nom Nom Truck over some of the old school places in Little Saigon makes me think they used Yelp as their primary reference.
Ba Le on Bolsa Ave, is my favorite. This place is totally old school. They only had one table and the city made them take it out since they didn't have a permit. They don't have a permit, but they have the best meat of any Banh Mi I've had in the US or VN.
There aren't any places that come close to Little Saigon.
Fran says
Andrea, can you do a post for a tofu version? O restaurant next to Pat's and Geno's cheese steak places makes a really good tofu banh mi (I'm assuming there is a Vietnamese name for a non-meat sandwich). I also like Q.T.'s tofu wood ear sandwich in Philly.
Rob says
I live in New Orleans and have sampled the Banh Mi at Dong Phuong...not bad. The meatball is excellent but I found the others to be just ok. There is another restaurant about a block further on that is much better (if only I could remember the name) and Frosty's in Metairie (while lacking the selection) is tops for quality (for about $1 more)
Thuy says
I am surprise that he didn't mention Houston in his article. My favorites in Houston are: Tan Ba Le, Parisienne Bakery (it's a HIT OR MISS depending on the location) and Lee's Sandwiches on Bellaire. Don't get into an uproar about the Lee's because, I think this location serves it way better than the original in Cali. The bread is softer and their is more flavor to the sandwich than I had at any California location.
I discovered a good place in Orlando, Florida that opened recently. Banh Mi Nha Trang on Colonial Dr. is outstanding. The sandwich is well flavored and has a nice bite to it.
I would have to agree with Dong Phuong Bakery in NOLA. The food was so good there, but the last time I went was 2 years ago when there were only Vietnamese people occupying NOLA (exaggerated but seems to be true at the time.)
I will agree to Banh Mi Che Cali too.
Bun Me ! says
Regardless of quality, there is a lot of labor that goes into making banh mi, just like with pho and other traditional street foods. Often times, the people who do make banh mi are underpaid and overworked. !!!!!!
Jersey Mike charges $10 for a cold cut sandwich !!!
Cie says
My to-go place has been Nguyen Ngo (in the same parking lot as Lee's Sandwiches on Bellaire, just across the HK City Mall). The French music is a definite plus.
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EJ says
Glad to see banh mi getting it's due. I'm fortunate that I live in an area with a pretty decent Vietnamese population and have access to several shops that make banh mi.
Why NYT author didn't bother checking out Boston area is beyond me...
Melissa Wilks says
PLEASE tell me where to go for Banh Mi in San Jose, now that I can't go to Lee Sandwiches...
Magpie says
I have to say, Saigon Deli does not hold a candle to Seattle Deli, which is on 12th, just north of Jackson. That's my pick for the best bahn mi in Seattle!
Doris says
I love banh mi and often reminisce about the ones my mother used to make growing up. I’ve learned to make my own banh mi for a while now (similar to my mother’s; she was from Saigon and prep the pork with the red-seasoning and steamed to perfection). But where I live now (northeast Florida), Viet cuisine is trending upward.
There are 2 Viet restaurants but only one (PK Noodles) serves banh mi on their menu. I’ve tried the traditional w/headcheese and grilled pork versions---both delicious and averages about $6. They charge a $1 more for a shrimp version, and about $5 for a vegetarian (tofu). But with Viet cuisine becoming popular, there are some fancy-schmancy Western eateries that produce their own version of banh mi (and charges about $9!).
Although I applaud their effort and recognition of Viet cuisine, I was disappointed by the taste and texture. It seems that there is something amidst with the flavors in the meat, pickles, bread, etc. I still stick to making my own or grabbing one to go from a Viet market/restaurant (^_^)
Supra Skytop says
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TL says
Best banh mi in Westminster, CA is Gala Bakery on Brookhurst and Hazard. I quickly forgot about Cali after eating here.
Executive Dishwasher says
As a big banh mi fan I've got to say that I am wary of a sandwich that goes for over $6. It has nothing to do with preconceived notions of Asian food that "must" be cheap. I've traveled all over Asia and banh mi on the streets of Saigon is, well, cheap. That just is what it is. I live in NYC right now after some time spent out west. I've eaten banh mi all over and every single one that has been over $6 has been made with the same exact ingredients as those that sell for less. They are not ever better. Why should I not be wary of steep prices given that experience?
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3174 says
I'm from Melbourne, Australia, so things are obviously a bit different over here, but I have to agree that more expensive Bahn Mi from the inner cities are never as good as the cheaper (almost half the price) ones from the outer suburbs. In saying that, I'd gladly pay top dollar for any Bahn Mi from anywhere as long as it were the good stuff.
Here's a bit of trivia. They've come to be known by the rather generic term 'pork roll' here.
mbt online says
That was my thought,too.
James says
Saw the list and saw the absence of Falls Church, VA. tangledbranches mentioned it already, but Falls Church has got to be one of the better Vietnamese food hotspots outside of a huge city (it's a suburb of DC).
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Matt Rich says
Good to see Atlanta's Lee's Bakery on this list. Maybe it is personal taste but I think they have the best pork Banh Mi in the world. Yes world!
Good write up on Lee's here: http://www.hmgdesigns.net/banhmi/
Canada Goose says
Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass.
I Just Want To Eat! says
Katz's is not very good! Junior's or second avenue deli!
Katz's deli review
marlon says
There were many things that stood out to me in Michelman’s story, but one popped the most.
Khuyen says
I am a bit uppity about my banh mi, but like pizza, there are no bad banh mi's but just better versions. Lee's might be the "McDonald's" of Vietnamese Sandwich Cuisine, but it makes good in a pinch and when I want a banh mi, I want a banh mi and I'm not going to complain. It will do like a Big Mac.
Los Angeles Vietnamese caters to people that, forgive my snobbery, wouldn't know any better and competition amongst Vietnamese eateries is very small. Especially ones doled out of a food truck. You either didn't grow up with a banh mi as a pacifier or the flavor is so new to you that you will appreciate what is out there. No judgement there! Thanks for liking Vietnamese food! New food is awesome....now to the bitchery.
I tried the Nom Nom Truck and was sorely disappointed in my overly priced sandwich that didn't know subtlety if it hit them in the face. Way too salty and overpowering in savory ingredients. Banh Mi Che Cali bread has an overly weird buttery taste which has been a turn off to me.
Vietnamese food is a play of savory, the intentionally bland, texture and the vibrant. Balancing this these takes work; not just dumping salt/sugar/ willy nilly on food. People's tastebuds are different....my tweaked palette is most certainly a bit pickier than this list contains. I love a sandwich that has splashes of Maggi, good butter, crunchy baguette crust, bright greens and relish. And yes, shame for leaving Houston off the map! I'm partial to the Banh Mi Ga....the chicken sandwich and for those that love this shredded chicken sandwich staple, I highly recommend....in the following order if you ar ever in Orange County, CA :
Pierre Boulangerie (Westminster, CA) where one can find the best baguette in all of Little Saigon and very high quality inexpensive sandwiches. Banh Mi Ga here is of excellent preparation and flavoring.
Zon Baguette (Tustin, CA)....it's a steal and all around one of my new faves in Orange County. Try the grilled chicken or the shredded one. Hell, all of the sandwiches kick ass except for the Tofu. Falls kind of flat.
Cho Cu on Magnolia and Hazard in Westminster, CA . Flaky bread, yummy chicken....Oh my.
All of these places offer sandwiches for $4 or less. Bon appetit!
table top fridges says
Somehow, Vietnamese food hasn't acquired the same cachet as Italian or French. The only Asian cuisine with the sort of cachet needed to command high prices in the West is Japanese, and arguably Indian.