In my post on revisiting A-Chau and Avian, "FOY" Franklin asked if I'd be doing a post on K Sandwiches, or as he calls it "De-K Sandwiches". Funny thing, but I had just revisited a couple of days before. Funny thing, though Cathy has done a number of posts on K Sandwiches over the years. I've only posted on the place once, nearly 20 years ago! Yeeesh…. My reason being that I've found the product at K to be not to my liking. I've had banh mi from there several times since; mostly takeout when our offices were in Serra Mesa and Kearny Mesa, but still hadn't really enjoyed the banh mi. But I felt it was time to head on back. Especially since I had been doing my "rounds" of banh mi shops in recent months.
The parking lot was quite busy on this day and the shop bustling with customers.
There was a short line to order….I quickly noted that other than the employees, I was the only Asian in the place? The folks manning the counter were quite cheerful.
I ordered the Pate Cha Lua ($7.25). I got a chuckle thinking about RD's comment on my recent post on Paris Sandwiches recalling the price of a banh mi a K being $1.99. Those were the days!
Even though K bakes their own baguette, I had never been a real fan of their bread which I'd found to be on "mealy" side. On this day, it was better than what I recalled, though still lacking in the yeasty end of the flavor spectrum and over baked and on the harder side.
The fillings were done haphazardly. Thin slices of cha lua are fine with me; it's all about proportion. In this case the thin slices of cha lua are lining the top and bottom; except that slices are missing from the bottom third of the sandwich. As expected, no cucumber. Hardly any pickled radish and carrots. Ditto the pate. There was one slice of jalapeno locted at one end of the banh mi. The cilantro was mostly stems.
In my opinion, a very poorly made banh mi. Kind of sad, since this is a family run operation, though "FOY" Vi mentioned that the family learned how to make bread from the owners of Lee's and were going to open a franchise here. But decided to open their own shop instead.
Really not my top choice in the area when I want a banh mi; though they are super popular and bustling. And they've lasted nearly 20 years so they must be doing something right.
K Sandwiches
7604 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 730am – 6pm
Sunday 8am – 6pm
I’ve completely given up on their sandwiches (much prefer Banh Mi Express), but sometimes in a pinch I’ll pick up their takeout items, especially their bánh baos, which are usually more moist than most takeout baos you can get around here.
bummer
In a pinch K’s will do. Avian Water is my go-to in LV.
I do like some of the drinks at K-S. But their Banh Mi are not good. That’s why it is De-K Sandwiches
Location, location, location 🙂
If you find a good xiu mai banh mi, let me know!
Yes, the sandwiches have gotten even worse than I recalled Sage!
It was Kat!
I definitely prefer Avian Junichi!
Lol Franklin!
Good point Laurie; though I think Avian is much better and not too far away. But having Kearny High and Mesa College nearby does boost the business.
Oh my Elle! I don’t remember the last time I had a good banh mi xiu mai!
I have also given up on the banh mi at K Sandwiches, and the parking lot isn’t encouraging me to stop very often. I used to get their banh bot chien, but I’m not sure if they’re making them any more after the fire.
I’ll have to give Avian’s banh mi a try.
Agree entirely about the Banh Mi, especially the hard baguette! But I am a sucker for the Breakfast Croissant, which at <$8 is still amazing for the price! Ham is a little meh, but the croissant, eggs and bacon are fantastic!
I think Avian’s Banh Mi is way better Sandy! Let me know what you think!
Thanks for the Breakfast Croissant recommendation Dave! I’ll make sure to try it out!
Looking through my photos, which I delete after a post, there are nine visits to K Sandwiches: each has a shrimp croissant and summer roll and a beverage. We stopped buying the banh mi long ago!
Yes, I really don’t care for the banh mi here Cathy!