Banh Mi Saigon Gives Fast Food A Good Name

The stars aligned one day when I had to head up to Little Italy/Chinatown, and just so happened to be right across the street from Banh Mi Saigon Bakery on Grand St. (btw. Mott & Mulberry). It turns out this site has never done a proper review of the place, although it did fare well in a Banh Mi Battle Royale that Daniel conducted. I am never one to turn down a cheap sandwich, especially if it’s from a combination jewelry store/banh mi seller. This works way better than combination Pizza Hut/Taco Bell.

This place seems to have been renovated somewhat recently, although still retains the jewelry counter that Daniel noted in his roundup of the area’s banh mi . The ladies at Banh Mi Saigon don’t mess around during prime lunch time, and about five seconds after I placed my order for the BBQ pork sandwich ($4.25), spicy, I had it in my hand. It was still warm, so I wasn’t overly worried about it being premade and sitting around.

The sandwich was nicely balanced between pork and pickled vegetables, although only one half had a couple of slices of jalapeno in it for spice. Luckily I keep a bottle of hot sauce handy at all times, but if you like yours truly spicy it might be best to squirt some of the bottle of sriracha on your sandwich on your way out the door.

The sweet BBQ pork was great and the lighter slice of pate in there added a little savory. Also, I was thankful there wasn’t an overabundance of cilantro like they tend to do at some places in the Financial District. Was this banh mi life changing or awesome enough to head up to Chinatown for? A couple of years ago I might have said yes, but now that we have Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches, Baoguette, the Banh Mi Cart and Mangez Avec Moi Express to choose from, I’m going to say no. But if you’re in the area and need a big sandwich on the cheap, Banh Mi Saigon’s pretty great.

The + (What someone who likes this place would say)

  • You can get a giant sandwich for less than $5 and it’s not Subway.
  • They have a banh mi in your hand before you can say “extra spicy.”
  • It’s been renovated, for those of us who like to feel clean while eating super cheap food.
  • Two words: Jewelry counter.

The – (What someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • Why are you premaking my sandwich?
  • This place is a little too nice for a Chinatown sandwich shop.
  • The spicy’s not all that spicy.

Banh Mi Saigon Bakery, 198 Grand St. (btw. Mott & Mulberry), (212) 941-1541

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4 Comments

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    Thanks Andrea! I’ve been wondering where Banh Mi Saigon went off to ever since that new supermarket took over. Definitely making a visit very soon :)

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    Yeah they actually moved up the street a block or so. It used to be REALLY tiny and difficult to find, as it looked like a jewelry store from the outside. Now they’re obviously advertising their sandwiches much more.

    I never had a premade sandwich there, but I’ve never tried during lunchtime on a weekday.

    IMO banh mi saigon is the best banh mi in manhattan. Unlike many others, they get the bread right– it’s not a french baguette exactly, the outside crust is more crackly and the inside crumb more easily compactable.

    They also make a great summer roll, something like four bucks for two giant rolls.

  • If it was not spicy enough for you, ask for “Extra Spicy”… they put Thai Bird’s Eye Chilis on it. I’ve never seen them premade before. The chicken is arguably better than the pork here (which is a really rare statement from me).

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