Downtown Lunch: Banh Mi Battle Royale
Making Downtown office workers jealous is something this blog has been doing for awhile now. To even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the great stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food), and seems to be particularly fond of Chinatown (my dream lunch location). Last week was Malaysian (something we are sorely lacking here in Midtown), but today he deals the death blow. Banh Mi.
Jewelry Shopping in the Banh Mi Saigon Bakery
With Midtown Lunch’ers paying an insane 8-9 dollars for a simple sandwich, it’s good to know that there are still Downtown options where a guy can go to quench his bellys thirst for an inexpensive lunchtime feast. Banh Mi have always been the cheapest lunchtime sandwich option, and while Midtowners are forced to pay almost $8 at Boi To Go (2nd Ave. btw. 42+43rd), we can still do it for $4 or less in Chinatown. And if you’re willing to eat roasted pork with mayo and cilantro inside a fresh baked baguette (and we know you are) there’s no better deal in town. Downtown boasts several Banh Mi spots tucked away in odd places (you want a gold chain with your sate chicken?), and over the past week your downtown correspondent has sampled three of them for your reading pleasure. I’ve listed them in order of “best” to “still really good”, since none really qualify as “worst”.
The complete list, and some Vietnamese sandwich porn, after the jump…
1) Banh Mi Saigon Bakery
138-01 Mott street
212-941-1541
What I had: Banh Mi Saigon (Pork) – $3.75
Wedged into the back room of a jewelry store sits this sanctuary of sandwiches where you’ll find the biggest bang for your buck in the form of a Banh Mi Saigon. Weighing in at about 1 pound (I really have no clue because I didn’t weigh it, but it seems about right) is the biggest of the three sandwiches, and possibly the best. This bad boy is crammed, possibly over the top, with roasted nuggets of pork, a thin slice of salami, cucumber, and daikon (a mild flavored Asian white radish). Throw on a healthy schmear of mayo and some jalapeno’s for heat to off this beast. The sandwich is filled with flavor and love (just like me).
2) Sau Voi Corp Sandwiches & Records
101-105 Lafayette Street
212-226-8184
What I had: Banh Mi Sate Ga – $4.00
Oh how I remember the days when this sandwich was $3.25. I remember them because it was only a year ago. This record/sandwich shop doesn’t seem to move many 45s, but they seem to do just fine selling their toasted Vietnamese sandwiches. From the outside you’d probably never know they have sandwiches inside…and actually that doesn’t change much when you go inside…there’s just a small area of the shop designated for sandwich making while the rest of the spot is packed with foreign videos, cds, and some cassette tapes, remember those? They also sell a good deal of lottery tickets and cigarettes…but you go there (well at least I do) for the sandwiches. The sate chicken sandwich is toasted in a small oven and gets the same treatment as the other Banh Mi’s: cilantro, cucumber, and a shot of hot sauce.
3) Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich, Inc
369 Broom Street,
212-219-8341
What I had: House Special (Grilled Pork, Vietnamese Salami and Sliced Pork Roll) – $3.95
Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich, in Chinese the name is #1 Saigon (don’t brag). This was the most expensive but not necessarily the best of the three places. Maybe they need to charge more because this is the only stand alone restaurant of the 3, meaning that they aren’t hawking fake Gucci handbags or scratch tickets in the front. The sandwich menu here is a bit larger than the other two, including some curry sandwich options. The house special was a tasty mix of thin slices of salami and pork and a smattering of small succulent pork nuggets. Chef (or what have you) went a bit nuts with the cilantro and carrots, making the sandwich look like a forest between two buns.
If you pushed me, I’d say the one at Banh Mi Saigon Bakery was the best, but at the end of the day (or three days for me) you can’t go wrong hitting up any of these spots. Everything is extremely fresh and made to order. If you like it spicy, let them know and they will make your tongue burn, at least as far as a sandwich goes. Remember there’s really not much seating to be had at any of them so have a plan of where you’re going after you get one.
Writing & Photos by Daniel Krieger
Posted by Daniel Krieger at 8:09 am, April 18th, 2008 under Vietnamese.
20 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
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20 Comments
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The Sau Voi Corp Sandwiches & Records is the place I goto when I have to head down to the Court houses! I love how they have all different types of little vietnamese dishes to choose from also and the viet iced coffee is GREAT!
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YUMMMM! Oh my god do all of these look so good. I can not wait to check them out. I love Bahn.
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VIVE BANH MI!!!!
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I dont like the mayo in Banh Mi Saigon sandwiches. I prefer butter or lard, which is what they use at Paris Cafe
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Sigh, I was all excited about working downtown, until I realized all my new coworkers run to the nearest Toasties and come back to their desks immediately. In the face of our proximity to Chinatown! But these look so good, I might just take the trek to Sau Voi since it’s the closest.
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NOT FUCKING FAIR!! When is Midtown going to get it together and get a freaking Banh Mi joint/cart?? How many years shall our prayers go unanswered??
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In terms of Midtown – I’ve heard great things about the roasted chicken banh mi at Dishes (at 54th & Park, among other locations). $9.95, but it’s apparently a pretty big sandwich.
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@commenter #1 – none of these had pate on them but that is an option on some of the other sandwiches I believe.
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I love Banh Mi Saigon’s sandwiches. They’re giant as you pointed out, with those delicious pork nuggets and they definitely don’t skimp on the carrot & daikon like other places tend to. My only complaint is that the bread is a bit clunky.
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man, i gotta get me a job located in Chinatown…
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Sau Voi is my Manhattan go-to for bahn mi. Their Doc Biet, the traditional bahn mi has pate. It’s very good, but I like the Sate Ga that Daniel ordered best. I’ve wanted to try the Bahn Mi Saigon Bakery for awhile. My all time fav bahn mi is the Spicy Pork from Ba Xuyen in Sunset Park, too delicious for words.
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I go at least once a week to Saigon Banh Mi ever since our office moved from midtown to the Wall Street area. You should mention that if you plan on buying more than one sandwich its best to call them in advance since they lots of people in the area that go there to buy their sandwiches. Also, important to know they aren’t open on Mondays which sucks when you’re having the banh mi cravings.
Saigon Viet is decent as well. Not as big as Saigon Banh Mi but there bread is very good.
Last but not least, don’t go to Nicky’s! They are a rip off!
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Saigon Bahn Mi is the greatest and I go there at least once a week. The best! Paris sandwich is a hole and a disgusting one at that. Also worth trying is Nicky’s over on 2nd st and 1st- their pork chop sandwich is pretty damn amazing. (Also kind of small & more expensive, though).
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Had a great one last weekend from an Asian supermarket in Queens (on Broadway). it was $3 something. Delicious. Humongous.
Had a super fabulous one at an Asian market in NJ (my favorite Thai store, in Maywood). $3. Delicious. Humongous too. Fully loaded and nice bread.Chinatown doesn’t have a stronghold on the bahn mi market friends! :)
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omg, chowsue.. which asian supermarket?? name, cross streets? anything would be of great assistance.. must.. eat.. bahn mi!!
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(i refer to the queens gem)
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Each time I come back home from college I usually make a trip to my favorite Bahn Mi joint. (Believe me, center of PA…i’m hundreds of miles from a decent Bahn Mi =(** ) Thaison (89 Baxter St – Btwn Bayard & Walker St). It comes with pate which for me makes the sandwich, unlike several other places I’ve been to.
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I’ve had the Bahn Mi from Dishes – it’s addictive!! SO GOOD and it’s on their “Lean” menu!
Did any of them have pate in them?