Update 1:
Thanks to all the great recommendations, it felt like time to go on another journey to try them out.
East Borough
I remember reading about East Borough a few years back, from LA Weekly and the LA Times. I remembered there was some mention about it on our old board, but I just never had the inkling to go. Spendy Vietnamese cuisine, even though it’s convenient for me, I always felt I’d rather just drive to Little Saigon or the SGV for my fix.
But remembering they had Banh Mi on the menu I was curious…
Grilled Pork Banh Mi (Lemongrass, Oyster Sauce):
Their Baguette Bread is dryish and not very crunchy. The Grilled Pork is on the sweeter side, but fresh-tasting. The Cucumber, Pickled Carrots and Daikon and Cilantro are fine, but together, it made for a so-so Banh Mi Sandwich. They have a Happy Hour Price of $6 for a 6", or they are normally $11 - 13 depending on the ingredient.
Cauliflower & String Beans (Mint, Thai Basil, Peanuts, Fried Shallots, Nuoc Nam Reduction):
Happily, their Cauliflower and String Beans were pretty good! A bit heavy on the Nuoc Nam, but otherwise, it was a lively dish, with the Thai Basil & Mint and Fried Shallots really perking up the Cauliflower and String Beans.
Fried Rice (Salt Cod, Chicken, Rapini, Cilantro, Scallions):
This is Chef Chloe Tran’s interpretation of the famous Chinese Fried Rice with Salted Fish and Chicken (I miss that dish! I last had it a few years ago at some place in the SGV, that my friends took me to). It is tasty and works. It’s not as salty as the Chinese version, but at the same time, it feels like it lacks the soul of the versions I’ve tried in the SGV. It’s not as interesting. (If anyone has a recommendation for a great Chinese Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice, let me know please!
East Borough
9810 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Tel: (310) 596-8266
Thanh Tam Bakery:
Thanks to @A5KOBE for the first of a few recommendations. Off we went to Orange County! In the heart of Little Saigon, Thanh Tam Bakery was popular with 6 - 7 people waiting in line for their Banh Mi Sandwiches.
#5 Banh Mi Dac Biet Sandwich:
As @A5KOBE said, this had BBQ Pork, Spam, Pickled Vegetables and they threw in an Egg as well, LOL. They also had the more traditional style Vietnamese Banh Mi Loaf-style Bread here (as seen in that video from @hppzz). They bake their own Bread on the premises (we could see in the kitchen and they had shelves of Bread out of the oven).
Unfortunately our Banh Mi Dac Biet was a bit dry. I’m chalking it up to the time of day (it took us a while to get down to Little Saigon (I was hoping to get there earlier)), so maybe we went at an off hour (when the Bread sat around too long?). It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have that nice slight crunch and soft interior you get from places like Saigon Bakery. Still for $3.25 it wasn’t a bad deal at all.
(Cash Only)
Thanh Tam Bakery
14095 N. Euclid St.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Tel: (714) 530-1969
OC Market Poultry & Rotisserie
I was super excited to try this recommendation, because getting Rotisserie Chicken is a rarity for Banh Mi usually.
#1 Chicken Rotisserie Banh Mi + (Add Egg):
WOW! Huge thanks to @A5KOBE, you were right! While OC Poultry doesn’t bake their own Bread, they source it from a local bakery, but it’s sufficient: The Banh Mi Bread is slightly crunchy, the inside isn’t dry, and more importantly they have fresh Rotisserie Chicken, coupled with the Pickled Carrots & Daikon, Cilantro and Jalapeno Chilies, and that Egg and it’s… delicious!
While the Egg is definitely not the slightly runny, soft, fresh cooked version like at Saigon Bakery or Banh Mi My Tho, it adds a nice layer of flavor to each bite! What a surprise in the heart of Anaheim! Even if it was “expensive” at $5.50, it blows away Gjusta’s version at $20, and is far more cohesive. We were so glad to drive down to try it.
OC Poultry and Rotisserie Market
2117 E. Ball Rd.
Anaheim, CA 92806
Tel: (714) 780-0225
Viet Noodle Bar
Thanks to @CiaoBob for the reminder about Viet Noodle Bar, I had forgotten about this progressive Vietnamese Restaurant that was ahead of its time. Years ago, Chef-Owner Viet Tran was already pushing his craft, I remember @ThiN on our old board raving about how Chef Tran made his own fresh Soy Milk every day(!). I was super excited and went to try it back then and it was phenomenal!
I remembered their Banh Mi being OK, but wanted to see how it was progressing, so we journeyed to their original location in Atwater Village to see how things were.
Freshly Made Organic Soy Milk (Black Sesame):
Our waiter confirmed that Chef Tran actually travels back and forth between his original Atwater Village locale and the new Santa Monica locale daily to make the Fresh Soy Milk. Nice!
It was as I remembered it, really flavorful, bright, fresh and unlike regular Soy Milk you buy in stores. Loved the pairing with Black Sesame.
Fish Sandwich (Dill, Turmeric, Cilantro, Daikon, Carrot, Green Onion):
The Fish was very fresh, delicate, and the combination of Dill and Turmeric made it really stand out from the usual Fish Banh Mi (where Sardine is common). The flaw, however, was their Bread: The Bread at their Atwater Village location tasted dried out and a bit… processed. It tasted different from the Banh Mi I last had with them about 3 years ago or so.
Vegan Tofu Basil (Tomato Sauce, Daikon, Carrot):
This one didn’t fare much better. I loved the idea of having a Vegan Banh Mi with Tofu, Basil and Tomato, but their Bread dragged the whole experience down as well. I hope with fresher bread this might be worth revisiting again, maybe at their Santa Monica location next time.
Viet Noodle Bar (Atwater Village)
3133 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Tel: (323) 906 1575
Viet Noodle Bar (Santa Monica)
3221 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Tel: (424) 299 6360
Banh Mi My Tho
I’ve been to Banh Mi My Tho about 3 or 4 times over the years, but since @secretasianman recommended it recently, I wanted to give it a try and see how they were since the last time I went.
#2 Special Cold Cut Ham Sandwich:
Banh Mi My Tho feels like it’s taken a step back over the years. Their Bread was too dry. We ate the Banh Mi literally within 30 seconds of it being ready, right outside the store, so there was no waiting around.
The Dac Biet was OK. The combination of Cold Cuts had a bit of a funk to them, and the dry Bread made it a disappointment.
# B. Egg Sandwich:
I remember someone mentioned Banh Mi My Tho’s Egg Banh Mi as something worth trying, so we ordered that as well. The Bread was still too dry, but the Egg was perfect! Piping hot, Eggs served sunny side up and runny, the extra liquid helped to save this Banh Mi. The Egg was as good as Saigon Bakery’s when you ask them to make it more runny (less well done).
Located in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley and at $3.80, I’d rather drive down the street to Saigon Bakery for their version, but it’s still a bargain for those in the neighborhood.
(Cash Only)
Banh Mi My Tho
304 W. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91801
Tel: (626) 289-4160
Mr. Baguette
I remember a time when Mr. Baguette was really popular a few years ago, when some of my friends would insist it was unique and better than the rest. But I felt they got stingy with their vegetables (lack thereof) and I just forgot about them. It’s been about 2+ years since I last visited Mr. Baguette, but thanks to @Sgee for the reminder I had to see how they were today.
#1 Special Banh Mi (Ham, Garlic Sausage, Pork Meatloaf, Head Cheese, Pate, Mayo, and Pickled Vegetables):
Excellent! Thanks to @Sgee for the reminder to go back and try them again. Their Special Banh Mi (#1), was quite tasty. Their Housemade Baguette was crispy on the outside, and relatively soft on the inside. Their Ham, Pork Meatloaf, Head Cheese, Garlic Sausage all worked wonderfully together!
I was bummed they didn’t have Jalapeno until I remembered @Sgee’s comment about the DIY section and sure enough, the front counter had plenty of Jalapenos to add to your liking. With that, Mr. Baguette’s Dac Biet Sandwich was actually one of the best Dac Biets I’ve had on this journey. My only disappointment was that I felt the Bread was a touch too dry compared to Saigon Bakery, but definitely better than Banh Mi My Tho’s and many others on this trip.
I was so enthused with this version that I wanted to return and visit them again for another visit. Return visit:
#1 Special Banh Mi (Ham, Garlic Sausage, Pork Meatloaf, Head Cheese, Pate, Mayo, and Pickled Vegetables) with Sesame Baguette:
Mr. Baguette has an interesting “gimmick” in that they offer Sesame Baguettes for their Banh Mi for those that want that extra nuttiness. I remember 3 or 4 years ago when they were all the rage, back then, my friends dragged me to eat their Sesame Banh Mis all the time, LOL.
On this return visit, their Sesame Special Banh Mi (#1) was too dry. I could taste the toasted Sesame Seeds (and they are every bit as fragrant as I remembered them from my last visit a few years ago), but the bread was much dryer than their Regular Banh Mi Bread. I don’t know if it’s a fluke or not, but on my next visit, I’ll stick with their Non-Sesame / Regular Banh Mi Bread.
Mr. Baguette (Original)
8702 Valley Blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770
Tel: (626) 288-9166
Oh Banh Mi (Silverlake)
I remember reading a recommendation on this place a while ago on Eater IIRC, about how this little Banh Mi shop in Silverlake / Los Feliz would have an entire Suckling Pig and make Banh Mi Sandwiches out of it! I had to go.
Walking into Oh Banh Mi on a Friday, and indeed, they had a Suckling Pig staring you in the face, as you placed your order:
Suckling Pig Roast Banh Mi:
My first visit was about 1 year ago, and the Suckling Pig was tender, very fresh, and like pure pork. Not bad right? But strangely, I got bored of eating it halfway through. The Bread was mediocre (not bad, but not great), lacking that crunchy outside and pillowy soft inside you crave for in a great Banh Mi. I’ve actually held off on talking about this place because I wasn’t sure if it was worth talking about.
So on a return visit 1 year later for this journey, off we went to Silverlake again and this time, I asked the server if we could have some of the Suckling Pig Crackling Skin (yes please!).
Suckling Pig Roast Banh Mi (w/ Skin):
Now, visibly this looks like a guaranteed winner, right? We were all salivating when we got our Suckling Pig Banh Mi this time with their Roasted Pig Skin.
The first bite was great! Crackling Suckling Pig Skin, soft, tender luscious Roasted Pork underneath… , but again, about halfway through the Sandwich I was bored. This time, with more friends who’ve gone and tried a few places with me I asked them: What did they think?
They, too, weren’t really blown away. We talked about it and the best thing I can come up with is that this is a case where 1 ingredient can’t save the entire “dish”: The Suckling Pig is fresh and tender, but it lacks the seasoning. The Banh Mi Bread is too dry. They lack the punch and piquant snap of great Pickled Veggies found in the best Banh Mi. And some of the Pork Skin was under-rendered, not crisp, but soggy and chewy.
If they had Saigon Bakery’s fantastic fresh-baked Bread, and better seasonings, and better Pickled Veggies, this would be a clear must-order. But at $9 and with so many negatives against it, I didn’t really find myself wanting to return.
(Suckling Pig Banh Mi on Fridays Only, 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.)
(Cash Only)
Oh Banh Mi
1997 Hyperion Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Tel: (323) 665-1941
Saigon Bakery & Sandwiches
So capping things off, I had to return to my favorite and see how it still held up, so back to the San Gabriel Valley and Saigon Bakery we went.
Banh Mi Dac Biet Saigon (Pork Meatloaf, Head Cheese, Pate, Pickled Veggies, Cilantro, Jalapeno):
This time we tried their Dac Biet without the add-on experiment I did last time, LOL. Eating their fresh-baked Bread after all of these places, it’s really my favorite. It has that crunchy exterior, soft inside, and it’s not overly dry like many of the other places.
Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi):
It’s just so good! Thanks to @TonyC for the rec and many others, the soft, tender Eggs, their awesome fresh-baked Banh Mi Bread, Cilantro, Pickled Veggies and their Jalapenos is just magic! And at $3.50 it blows away all the fancy versions like Gjusta, Little Sister, East Borough, etc., and still stands above the places I’ve tried in Little Saigon as well.
(Cash Only)
Saigon Bakery & Sandwiches (2nd branch)
718 E. Valley Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Tel: (626) 288-6475
Saigon Bakery & Sandwiches (Original)
8118 E. Garvey Ave., Suite I
Rosemead, CA 91770
Tel: (626) 288-2132