Banh Mii Sandwiches & Food Togo

Cute small takeout restaurant. The banh mi’s are good, a little tiny, and wish the daikon carrot mix had more flavor. The spring rolls 10/10 from the packaging to the sauce flavor. Hellla good

When my friend told me she wanted to drive us up from Orange County to try banh mi in LA, my reaction was “why? lol.” Which I think is a totally fair response - especially when she told me that her reason for wanting to go was seeing a TikTok video with a raving review from an influencer. I was also skeptical because as a USC alum, I’ve had my fair share of whitewashed Vietnamese food in Los Angeles. I was relieved when I stepped foot in the shop and heard the workers speaking Vietnamese to each other. It was a small shop and a bit difficult to find. We wandered lost around the parking lot before we ventured deeper into the complex and reached the main street again. I could tell from the bottle of Knorr liquid seasoning sitting on the front counter that the banh mi would be authentic. I ordered the special banh mi with the veggies on the side since I would be eating it for lunch in my office the following day. After a short wait, we got our banh mi. The girl at the front counter was nice and remembered that I wanted my veggies in a separate bag. I tried a bite of my friend’s banh mi since I wanted to try it fresh. The banh mi was pretty good. I liked the pate and butter and would ask for extra of both if I ever return. Something I especially liked was the inclusion of sliced green onion - which is not something super common for banh mi places in Orange County but something you’ll see a lot with banh mi places in Vietnam. The green onions provide a sharp freshness and, in my opinion, should be common practice. The bread was really good too - crisp and fresh. However, my biggest critique would be portion size. $10 is on the high end for banh mi, which kinda makes sense since the store is in Downtown LA and the shopping complex seems a bit on the nicer side. But even so, I thought that the banh mi was quite small and needed more filling. If I lived in LA (and I mean like LA LA and not 626), I would think that this is a pretty decent option. But it’s not something I would go out of my way to get.

I got the special and avocado shake. The shake tasted like the avocados were browning, it had a weird funk to it. I did not finish it. The special: - was overpowered with pepper and cilantro - there was a salad’s worth of cilantro, even upon removing it, all I could taste was pepper - There wasn’t any pate - individually, the components taste good, but I could not enjoy it unfortunately Overall, I do not recommend this spot. For $11 a banh mi. I expected more from this spot. Disappointing given all the good reviews.

I was near the Arts District in Downtown LA and came across this newly opened Vietnamese sandwich shop. Ordered the house special bánh mì and the kumquat drink. The taste reminded me of the flavors I had in Vietnam. The shop is modern, clean, and beautifully designed. It tasted delicious and I'll definitely be back whenever I'm in the area.

I'm sorry to say it, but this place has the best Banh Mi I've had so far in LA—or even Orange County. Why? Because they do it exactly in the style of Vietnam, where I was born and raised. They make their own pâté and homemade butter (with egg) that is spectacular and stands out compared to others. If they could make the bread in the Vietnamese style like Kien Giang Bakery, instead of the baguette they use now, it would be perfect for me. Anyway, it is still my favorite Banh Mi so far And one more thing, they have a real Vietnamese coffee too. I mean it's really really strong coffee