Banh Mi Saigon
“I loved the hidden-ness of this place behind the jewelry store under the bright tiffany blue awning.”
“Fatty roasted pork, liver pate, pickled vegetables, hot peppers and parsley all wrapped inside a toasted baguette.”
“Even though Saigon is located in the heart of Chinatown, there is nothing touristy or "dull" about this place.”
Banh Mi Saigon
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Another price hike as of June 1, 2016! *thumbs down.
There is always a line but it moves quick and efficiently. When the cashier takes your order she will ask "Spicy or not spicy" so be prepared to answer SPICY! The jalopenos add the perfect punch of heat.
I've had 3 types of sandwiches here and one stands out as the best:
3rd place: shredded pork
2nd place: pork chop
1st place: bbq pork
Tip: If you want them to leave the veggies on the side and *not* toast the bread (so that you can heat and assemble it yourself later at home), order your food "for tomorrow" and they'll package everything up nicely for you.
I first came here a few years ago, when they had a free banh mi special from LivingSocial. Ha, remember LivingSocial? That was fun. Anyways, they really impressed me with their banh mi, but it took me awhile to come back, mostly because Xe May and Saigon Shack were both closer to where I lived at the time. The inside is your standard shop with random seating strewn throughout the place, as well as the usual jewelry stand on the side. Wait, what?
I tried the BBQ Pork banh mi (Banh mi Saigon), which had a lot of good pickled vegetables, although the cucumber slices were cut a little big for my tastes. The BBQ pork wasn't the best, since the texture was really dry, and kinda hard to chew through. The bread, while not stale, wasn't the freshest, but far from the problem. The pate was fine, although sort of on the greasier side. However, the chicken banh mi was far better to chew through, and something I'd recommend more than the BBQ pork banh mi. I tried the BBQ pork summer roll, as well, which was pretty dry and you have to use the sauce. Again, they use the really dried out BBQ pork, which isn't the best quality, so I'd stick to the regular summer roll or the shrimp one.
Service isn't the friendliest, although they are pretty quick about getting your orders finished. They forgot to take out the cilantro like I asked, but it wasn't the end of the world. The real pull here is the value, as you can get a pretty big sandwich for about $4.50. Despite the ingredients not always being the freshest, it's still quite a bargain. It's kinda nice that they cut the sandwiches into 2, so you can save the second half for later.
I'll be back for a chicken banh mi. I recommend taking them to go, bringing the sandwiches back, and giving the bread a light toast, to give it some texture. Regardless, as of right now, Banh Mi Saigon is the place to go for cheap banh mi.
At $4.5 (used to be $3.75 in the early 2000's), their pork sandwich (#1) is still a great sandwich deal. It is true that during different times that the bread can be extra crispy or stale but there overall sandwich is a great pick me up for a snack or lunch. I like their shrimp chips that they have for $2 as well. The Viet coffee is good and at a great price. All in all, I would try the summer rolls (shrimp or bbq pork) , pork sandwich, chicken sandwich, shrimp chips, and coffee drinks there!
I've never eaten a banh mi from here but I've only stepped inside once years ago. The smell inside was so offensive that I obviously turned around and left immediately. Why would I want to consume something from a place with such foul odor.
However my brother likes this place mainly cuz it's cheap and it was…Good, but even now he's completely turned off… from the sandwiches he bought recently.
As others already commented that depending on the time…The bread might be stale. Well my brother did go rather late in the day, probably close to closing.. Bought a couple and brought them back home. My mom took a few bites but she really couldn't eat more than that and threw the rest away and if you know Chinese parents… They don't throw away food! The bread was stale, the meat was chopped/minced up…and tasted off. Selling old bread is one thing, but expired meat is another. The veggies.. Especially the cucumbers were stale as well. It was chewy? That's how my mom described it.
It's funny cuz he was actually telling me to come and check out the place just 2 mos ago and I kindly declined.
Now I wasn't there at the time since I don't see my family that often but my mom wouldn't lie. Now my brother will never return and my mom told me that there was a price increase as well so they're not actually that cheap. Obviously they're still cheap compared to all the new non-traditional Vietnamese places popping up.. But I'd rather go to Joju if I'm looking for a budget friendly banh mi. Whenever my brother recommends a place it's usually the price and not the taste/quality that matters the most. I'm glad once again I was right.
Out of all the Viet sandwich places I've tried, this place is the best! I've only ever gotten the BBQ pork sandwich and I love it! I love every single ingredient in the sandwich, except maybe the cilantro. I wouldn't miss that at all if I took it out.
The sandwich is delicious, but if you happen to come when they are freshly made and still warm, it's AMAZING! I don't know how to explain it to someone who's never tried banh mi before, but those that have, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! Makes the next time you eat a cold banh mi kind of disappointing.
Service here is super fast, and the employees are generally not rude.
Took off a star because the baguette always cuts the roof of my mouth 🙁
So this is the place to be if you want a Bahn mi while you're in Chinatown. First off, the bread alone is incredible… It's flavorful, delicious, and perfectly accentuates the flavors of the Bahn mi. As for the Bahn mi, this place knows what they're doing and they do it right. The amount of freshness and flavor pumped into what they're serving up is incredible and I find myself craving one of these at least 3 times a week. Best of all, it's $4.50 for a foot long Bahn mi!
Try it. Love it. Thank me later.
I used to come to this place when it was just a hole in the wall in their old location (about 10 years ago). It seems like the quality has gone down. The bread is hard and the amount of meat has decreased exponentially. even my mom who used to love this place would rather go to the other viet sandwich places located in bk.