Gion Banh Mi & Tea

To our humble opinion, this was probably our least favorite bánh mì spot in Seattle. Maybe we came during a busy weekend lunch rush, but the quality just did not live up. First, the place is called Giòn, which in Vietnamese means crispy, but the bread was the complete opposite. Instead of being light and crispy, it was soggy, dense, and heavy. Second, the mayonnaise tasted store-bought. A good bánh mì spot usually makes fresh Vietnamese-style egg mayo in-house, with that rich yellow color and deeper flavor. This one really lacked that freshness. Third, the pickles felt off. Normally, đồ chua should have a balance of sweet, sour, and slightly salty flavor, but this one just tasted strange and unbalanced. We ordered the beef and grilled pork bánh mì. The beef seasoning was okay, but way too salty for our liking. The grilled pork, on the other hand, was just not good. The seasoning tasted off—we honestly couldn’t tell what it was, but it didn’t work at all. On top of that, the meat was very dry and clearly overcooked. The vegetables also didn’t feel very fresh, which made the whole sandwich even more disappointing. Maybe the shop was overwhelmed during the rush and the quality couldn’t keep up, but overall this was a really underwhelming experience for us. Unfortunately, for us, this place was all hype and very little quality.

A great little spot to pick up a delicious Bahn Mi. I had the traditional cold cut Bahn Mi and it was excellent. The first thing I noticed was how the bread felt. It was perfect, crunchy on that outside and soft on the inside. And the amount of meat that they stuff it with is simply awesome! I do wish that it had more of the pickle veg to balance out all of that meat. The place itself is tiny with pretty much a counter to place your orders. There is also a self serve kiosk if you wish to place an order that way. There’s only two very small tables outside. Other than like you’ll have to take it to go.

It is wrong that we pretend that the bánh mìis only supposed to be one way. Often folks want to”cheapest best,” or you’ll get one in a sit down restaurant that is beautiful but less than the sum of its parts. I really enjoy Gion because while it may cost a bit more, it’s actually a fair price until you try to finish the whole sandwich. Then you’ll find it’s a great price. But not too big to eat, fresh, thoughtfully balanced, and served warm. Best of all is the bread. The bread is so good that on the rare chance I finish my bánh mìthe next day, the bread still tastes fresher than most sandwiches.

First Time at Gion and Definitely Not the Last! We finally checked out Gion, a spot known for their banh mi sandwiches and refreshing drinks and let’s just say, they did not disappoint. …

Reliably good banh mi, but especially the pork. They always ask if you’d like jalapeño. Yes, but take a small bite of it first! Inexplicably they don’t have Thai iced tea. But you can get this at Srivili Thai one block south.