This isn’t all of the shops, but it’s a good start. Comment to share your opinions on the best places and any that we’ve missed:
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Area Directory – Arizona
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Area Directory – New Mexico
Banh Mi Southwest
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Phoenix Banh Mi
Although Phoenix is not known for its plethora of Vietnamese restaurants, there are two places where I have had very good to great banh mi.
The first is Lee’s, a chain based out of SoCal. The sandwiches are cheap, even with double meat and all the extras. Lee’s also has a great selection for your fillings, everything from BBQ Pork to Sardines. The Valley’s Lee’s is located in Chandler, so the East Valley denizens can have great baguette sandwiches with a short drive.
The second recommendation is Da Vang. This restaurant has been around for ages and the strip mall it resides in shows the age. The neighborhood isn’t Phoenix’s finest (19th Avenue & Campbell), but the banh mi outstanding and that and a big bowl of pho won’t even set you back a ten spot.
You left out Las Vegas. There are a few shops here. First is Hue Thai, they bake their own baguettes for the sandwiches. HUE THAI’S FAMOUS FRENCH SANDWICHES, 5115 Spring Mountain Road #223, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Then there is Thanh Huong, 1131 E, Tropicana Ave #d, Las Vegas, NV 89119, it’s near UNLV and quite good and reasonable. The people are friendly and the service is fast.
There a couple more but I haven’t tried them
There are quite a few good Vietnamese restuarants along Central Ave in Albuquerque but Cafe Trang located at Central and Louisiana, (behind Talin market), makes the best banh mi. The bread used is a french baguette with a thin crisp and chewy crust with a light interior. You can pick your choice of meat, the grilled pork is my favorite, and it comes loaded with pickled daikon/carrot, sliced jalepenos, lettuce and cilantro. There is a good meat to veggie ratio. The price is under $4, you can’t beat it!
Although I like the bahn mi at Cafe Trang, I believe May Cafe to have excellent ones as well. I prefer the grilled pork with pickled slaw; the bun is cripsy and light and the meat is excellent! It goes well with the limeade soda drink and is an excellent summer treat.