Category: Banh Mi

My revisits to the more "modern Banh Mi" at Banh Mi Express and Paris Sandwiches had me wondering how some of the more "traditional" banh mi shop were doing. So, it was time for a couple of revisits.

A-Chau:

Well, I decided to head on up to the place where I did my first post on Banh Mi in June of 2005! My how time flies! On this day I lucked out and the slightly psycho parking lot was only half full. It was just after 8am on a Sunday morning so Minh Ky  wasn't open yet.

It's pretty much "all business" here. You walk in, order, pay, get your sandwich and get the heck out of Dodge.

The Banh Mi Pate Cha here now runs you $7.25. It was $5.50 on my last visit and the end of 2021. OF course I had to get some Cha Gio as well.

I had been a bit critical of A-Chau over the last few years because the place seemed to have slipped a bit over the years.

This version was actually pretty good.

The exterior was crusty, the bread was light and yeasty. There was that "unicorn" of banh mi ingredients, a slice of cucumber present. The pickled veggies were thinly sliced and though there could have been a bit more, it was crisp and sour.

The ingredients was nicely distributed thru out the whole sandwich; the amount of funky pate was excellent, the cha lua nice and toothsome. Perhaps a bit too much mayo, but I think that's splitting hairs. There didn't seem to be a lot of jalapeno; but what those thin slices were pretty darn spicy.

Pretty good banh mi!

But while the banh mi seems to be "back"…the Cha Gio still seemed to be "stuck in a rut".

While it was improved on my last visit, this was much like what I had back in 2018.  While still nicely "stuffed" it is still lacking in crispness, very chewy, the filling cold and lacking in a good pork flavor.

Oh well, at least the Banh Mi is back on my "list" here. I need to return more often.

A Chau Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 7am – 4pm
Fri – Sun        7am – 5pm

Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water:

In my post on Banh Mi Express, "FOY" ST asked if I'd be doing Avian Sandwiches. Well, considering that Avian is one of the closer Banh Mi shops to me, of course I was. In fact, Avian was one of the most recent Banh Mi shops I posted on before this last  spate of visits.

I will say, that this small shop can get kinda crazy, with all the old timers drinking coffee outside, the endless stream of folks playing the lottery or filling up water.

The interior can get positively claustrophobic.

Like now you can get some body wash, shampoo, and conditioner with your Cane Juice, Alkaline Water, Lottery Tickets, and Banh Mi if so desired.

My drill here is to order my sandwich and find some crevice or corner to squeeze into until my number is called.

Like on my last visit; I got the Banh Mi Nem Nuong, which is now $8.95. It was $7.95 last May.

  The bread was crusty, though on the drier end of the scale. It had a good amount of pickled veggies; crisp, sour, and refreshing. Huge slices of jalapeno, some of which was spicy, some not…time for some "chili roulette"? Nice, thick slice of cucumber.

Two thick slices of nem nuong, savory-sour, with a mild sweetness. A bit too much mayo, but acceptable. Good amount of fresh cilantro. All evenly distributed. 

A good banh mi…probably why it's one of my first choices for banh mi these days. In spite of the almost nine dollar price!

Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 8am – 7pm

So, my "Banh Mi Brethren" ("BMBs"), where have you been getting your Banh Mi these days!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

My revisit to Banh Mi Express had me wondering how Paris Sandwiches was doing, after all it had been almost a year since my last visit. So, I drove on over for an early lunch.

What I quickly noticed as I walked toward the shop was that there weren't any "old timers" having coffee outside. This was when I first noticed the sign for Saigon Corner, which has seemed to taken over that duty in this strip mall, at least on a couple visits I made.

I kind of consider Paris Sandwiches to be like Banh Mi Express as a "tweener" banh mi shop; attempting to please a varied customer base. Looking at the posted menu; English descriptions, though the Vietnamese names are displayed below. The place was doing some steady business on this day.

I got the Cha Lua (Pork Roll on the menu – $7.05). The two women working the line were super fast and my banh mi was ready in less than five minutes.

This is what it looked like unwrapped.

 I've always enjoyed the bread from Paris Bakery and this is basically the same. Nice and light; "crackley", slightly yeasty. The Cha Lua was sliced fairly thin and layered nicely. Not much pate. Also light on the mayo which suited me well.

Not enough pickled veggies on this visit and of course the cucumber was MIA. I had to make some "adjustments" to the fillings as all the jalapenos were piled in the middle and a lot of the cilantro leaves were yellowed; which I removed. Kind of sloppy in my opinion.

While this was an ok banh mi; I felt that the proportion was a bit off and it was kind of sloppily put together. On the good side; this led me to wonder about  couple of other banh mi shops that I hadn't been to in a while!

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 730am – 630pm
Closed on Sunday

Getting the rather "Americanized"  banh mi from Poppy Boba had me wondering how some of regular banh mi stops were doing. So, I set out to do some revisits. I decided to start with my most "recent-decent" banh mi, which was from Banh Mi Express, which provides one of the few pre-lunch options that is not fast food or premade bento's in the area on a Saturday morning.

The place was doing some pretty good business on this morning. Remember when this was Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe? Banh Mi Express is kind of interesting as I think of it being a bit of a "tweener" between the more traditional banh mi and more Westernized versions. For instance, the menu only features westernized names for the sandwiches.

For instance, I decided on the Cha Lua….which is on the menu as "Pate – Meat Loaf" ($7.75). It seems that the going price for banh mi seems to run in the 7-8 dollar range these days. I couldn't believe the version at Poppy was over ten bucks!

Once back home I unwrapped my Banh Mi.

I was glad to note that the house made bread was back to normal, not the rather strange version I got on my previous visit. There was a bit too much mayo for my taste, but a good amount of funky pate was provided. The cha lua were sliced thinly, which I kind of liked. The jalapenos were quite mild and I noticed that the cucumber slices were MIA. The cilantro had quite a bit of think stems.

The bread was crusty and yeasty. There were proportionally less pickled vegetables than I would have enjoyed. 

Not a bad banh mi; but it did fuel my curiosity even more. It was time to "make the banh mi rounds" as it were.

Banh Mi Express
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm
Saturday  8am – 3pm
Closed on Sundays

Well, I'm going thru a bit of sticker shock…..I recently paid $23 for a bowl of ramen, yikes! And then I dined at a kind of hipster sushi place for lunch and the menu prices really got my attention; though I did eventually get the sashimi lunch combo which was priced at……yep $23, same as the ramen? What is going on here?

To calm down, I decided to get a Banh Mi wondering what prices were going to be like. Here's what I found.

Avian Sandwiches:

During my shopping rounds I wanted some breakfast and strangely enough there's a real shortage of places that open early in the Kearny Mesa area, though I understand that Banh Mi Express now opens at 8am. Still, it had been a while since I last visited Avian Sandwiches (remember when they were just a water and fro-yo shop?) I stopped by on my way to Nijiya which opens at 9, getting there around 845 on a Saturday.

There seems to be several groups of "coffee old-timers" who hang out in this strip mall; the group who hang in front of Avian and those who do Pho Hoa Huong. Anyway, the interior of the shop still seems packed to the gills with snacks, lottery stuffs, water, and various knick-knacks.

I decided on the Banh Mi Nem Nuong ($7.95). I believe this has gone up $1 since my last visit. I found a corner to hide in while I waited for my sandwich which was ready quite quickly.

Once at home, I opened up my sandwich.

This seemed fairly hefty.

Splitting the halves, I was shocked at the amount of pickled veggies!

Also, the position of the nem nuong…perhaps my mouth isn't big enough, but it was impossible to get everything in one bite at the middle of the sandwich, you'd get the pickled veggies and the really potent jalapeno, but no pork. Things got better as you worked your way to the ends. Glad to actually have cucumber in my banh mi which seems to be a rarity these days. 

The bread was on the dry and crusty side, but better than what I'd had last time. Too many stems from the cilantro, I prefer mostly leaves. A bit heavy handed on the aioli, but at least it was spread evenly and helped when getting a mouth of pickled veggies, cucumber, and jalapeno. The nem nuong seemed to have been seared, enhancing the sweet-porkiness.

To me a certain proportion of protein to veggies to bread is important and this was a bit off.

Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 8am – 7pm

This sandwich had me kind of wondering what was going on in terms of banh mi, so I decided to head on over to one of my newer favorites, Paris Sandwiches, which just opened in Mira Mesa a little over a year ago. So, I decided to head on over and grab a Banh Mi Nem Nuong here as well.

Paris Sandwiches:

Like Avian, there are a bunch of guys hanging out on the tables to the side of the shop.

The Banh Mi Nem Nuong is now $7.05, it was $6.75 last July. I walked up to the counter and placed my order, then retreated to the counter to wait.

On a funny note, the gal who brought the sandwich to the counter called out my number….in Vietnamese! After trying a couple of times, she called out "39", I cracked up and walked on over to pick my sandwich up. She also had a nice laugh as well. As did the woman standing next to me, who laughingly said; "no, you don't look Vietnamese!"

I know where the bread is baked, thus know what to expect in that category.

The bread this time around was really light and crackly….like so flakey it exploded upon my first bite! I actually found "baguette shrapnel" in the pocket of my shirt later that evening!

This sandwich was more balanced in terms of ingredients, though I missed the cucumber and the jalapeno was not nearly as hot as Avian's version. It was also put together so you could get all of the ingredients in each bite,

I did like the nem nuong from Avian better and the cucumber, but in terms of bread and proportion of ingredients, I though Paris won out.

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri  730am – 630pm
Saturday   730am – 6pm
Closed on Sundays

This was fun little comparison. I should do them a bit more often. This brought back some fond memories if doing a Mira Mesa banh mi comparison over a decade ago and that when I did my very first Banh Mi post back in 2005, the Banh Mi Thit Nuong cost $2.50! Yikes…..

I was driving on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard when I noticed a Grand Opening sign. It was on the shop that was Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe. Heck, I didn't even know that Phuong Nga had closed. So I headed into the parking lot to take a look.

The sign read "Banh Mi Express". Well it was nearly lunch time, so I decided to walk in and get me a Banh Mi.

They had taken out all of the tables from one side of the place, but the interior looks basically the same.

I just decided to get the Dac Biet….which well….it's the "Banh Mi Special" on the menu. It $7.59, which is sixty cents more than what it cost during my last visit to Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe.

I recognized the young man working and had a brief chat. He told me that yes, the shop has new owners, they still bake their own bread fresh, and that the place is not associated with another "express"; Banh Mi Paris Express.

Here's the Banh Mi Dac Biet.

 Well, this is about the same as Phuong Nga. The bread is very crusty which I like, though a bit more chewy than I prefer. These days, many banh mi shops don't even include cucumber in their sandwiches; but it's present here. The jalapeno was pretty mellow on this sandwich. Of course, one of my pet peeves; the cilantro was mostly stems….I already floss daily; I don't need to have my sandwich doing it as well. The proteins are sliced on the thicker side and there are less pickled veggies than before. What I really liked about this sandwich was the amount of pate. Upon biting, the pate basically  oozed out…a funky, earthy, creamy, savory "puss" of the most delicious sort.

In terms of proportion and bread, I do prefer Paris Sandwiches, but Banh Mi Express is my favorite in the area. So, it looks like things are about the same as Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe. And that'll do just fine for me. And I'm glad they are open on Saturdays as well.

Banh Mi Express
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri    7am – 5pm
Saturday    10am – 3pm
Closed Sundays

Man, did some one flip the "summer switch" or what? I was actually planning on doing my post on Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai last night but it was just too hot to even think about ramen. So, I thought perhaps I'd do it today….but after stewing in my juices (literally) I decided to just put off that post until next week. I think folks would enjoy a post on ramen more when (if?) the weather is a bit cooler or at least when we're at the point where we've grown a bit more used to the heat.

Of course the rather warm weather has changed my eating habits a bit……..so here's what I've had for lunch this week.

Tadian Café:

It had been a while since I've had a sandwich from Tadian. The fact that they open at 9am is convenient as is the fact that an online order can be placed with no service fee. So, I can order online and head on over and pick up my sandwich in no time at all. As always, my sandwich was waiting on the counter when I arrived. The young lady who works here is always smiling and friendly.

As before, I got the Thai Roast Beef ($10.75), on which I requested jalapenos and extra toasted (no charge), and avocado ($1.25).

I removed my fairly hefty sandwich from the package and quickly noticed the, ahem, "skid marks".

And yes, the bread at the bottom of the sandwich, even though I ordered it extra toasted was saturated. The sandwich is quite "bready", so the addition of jalapenos really adds some umph. I enjoyed the interplay of the creamy avocado and the pickled, banh mi-ish veggies. Also enjoy the cucumber, though I wish there was more cilantro on this. I can barely make out the "peanut sauce" used on the sandwich.

Like I noted previously, this is almost like a bready, pseudo banh mi. I think I'll pass on the mayo next time.

Tadian Cafe
5955 Mira Mesa Blvd. 
San Diego, CA 92121

Paris Sandwiches:

I know, I just posted on Paris Sandwiches two months ago. I actually drove to the area thinking that I'd do some takeout from Ngon Ngon. But when I got out of my vehicle it felt so darn hot that I turned right instead of left and headed on over to Paris Sandwiches.

For some reason, some nem nuong sounded good to me so I ordered the Nem Nuong Banh Mi ($6.75). 

    I enjoyed that the bread was airy, crusty, and slightly yeasty. The bright and acidic pickled veggies pared well with the good amount of cilantro which was mostly leaves…having a banh mi full of cilantro stems is a pet peeve of mine. There were two slices of sinus clearing jalapenos in the sandwich. I enjoyed the savory, slightly sour, nem nuong, which also had a nice slightly chewy-meaty texture.

I'm appreciating the consistency of the banh mi at Paris. Heck, I may have just found my new favorite banh mi shop in San Diego!

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

I hope everyone is keeping cool and staying hydrated!

Back in June of last year, I noticed that a place named "Paris Sandwiches" was opening up next to LHK in Mira Mesa. When I did a quick check on the listed URL a familiar name came up. Yes, Paris Sandwiches is under the auspices of Paris Bakery, an old favorite of mine. Paris Bakery and wholesale Le Chef Bakery produces the bread for many Banh Mi shops in San Diego. So, I'd know exactly where they are getting their bread from, right? To digress, I actually had someone send me an email regarding a really "special" Banh Mi I made and posted on over 15 years ago! Read it if you dare. I guess nothing disappears on the Internet?

Anyway, the shop opened back in January and I finally got around to visiting in between recent trips.

It's a simple counter set-up with a couple of tables and chairs outside. On both of my visits, the young lady working was very nice.

And yes, this is 2023, thus I didn't expect a $3.50 Banh Mi like I used to get at the ECB location, but I was glad that none of the Banh Mi's were in the $9 range!

Since JeffP was in the office on this day, I decided to order two sandwiches, the Dac Biet ($7.25) and the Bi ($6.75).

I got back to the office and split things up for us.

    First off, the bread was as I recalled from the "old school" location, crusty and fairly dense, with some yeastiness.

The Bnh Mi was much more "stuffed" than the versions I've had from the ECB location. And man, the jalapenos in all the sandwiches were no joke. The folks making the sandwich tend to bunch them together, so I learned to do a quick check. The pickled veggies were crisp and the flavor quite "bright".

The proteins were good, I especially enjoyed the generous portion of the funky-offally pate.

In my opinion, this was the better of the two sandwiches.

 I did find the ratio of Bi (pork skin) to be kind of small compared to the amount of pickled veggies and even cilantro. And of course, I think that it's all about ratios when it comes to these sandwiches. Strangely, I found that the Bi had an almost sweet-sour flavor? Though those jalapenos did a good job of clearing my sinuses.

A couple of days later I had a chance to drop by and grab another sandwich. Even though it was a weekend, I arrived early and the place was empty.

I decided on the Banh Mi Ba Chi (Pork Belly – $6.75).

 Much like the Dac Biet, this version had quite a bit more meat than what I've had from Paris Bakery. In terms of consistency, Paris scored well as the bread was crusty and yeasty, those jalapenos nice and spicy, and the pickled veggies nice and refreshing.

I did find the pork belly, while porky with a hint of sweetness, to be on the waxy side. So perhaps next time I need to go with the nem nuong?

Overall, this was much better than the mediocre banh mi I last had which cost me $9. It's great to have another option. I'm thinking I need to compare Paris Sandwiches to Phuong Nga one of these days?

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 630pm
Saturday 8am – 5pm
Closed on Sundays