This isn’t all of the shops, but it’s a start. Comment to share your opinions on the best places and any that we’ve missed:
This isn’t all of the shops, but it’s a start. Comment to share your opinions on the best places and any that we’ve missed:
Banh Mi So #1 – Saigon Gourmet
4071 Grand Blvd
St. Louis, MO
(314) 353-0545
This restaurant run by a sweet Vietnamese couple has the best banh mi I’ve ever had outside of Vietnam. They really do serve the #1 banh mi, like it says in their name. After living in St. Louis for 4 years, I recently moved to Portland, OR. Since then I’ve been searching for good banh mi and have gone to all of the stores recommended by online discussion forums. They have all fallen woefully short of the delicious banh mi at Banh Mi So #1.
The bread (from La Bonne Bouche) is perfect–crispy on the outside and soft and airy in the crumb. The inside contains the perfect proportions of cilantro, jalepenos, daikon, carrots, tofu, mayo, and whatever else they put in to make it so tasty. I can’t really say what the non-vegetarian sandwiches are like, but I have taken friends here and gotten them hooked on their pork sandwich.
Service can be slow because there is only one person in the kitchen–the wife of the couple, who cooks while the husband waits tables. The wait it totally worth it; and while you wait you can chat with the husband, who was a teacher of French literature in Vietnam before immigrating to St. Louis.
Other dishes served at the restaurant are also excellent, especially the curry tofu rice. When eating lunch or dinner here, I would usually order one or two sandwiches to go for later.
The Vietnam Cafe
522 Campbell St.
Kansas City, MO 64106
Located in Kansas City’s Columbus Park, Vietnam Cafe anchors a corner in a tight-knit vietnamese community. Amazing mixed BÁNH MÌ with carrots, daikon, cilantro, pate and a coldcut I couldn’t place. Absolutely amazing. The roll was so fresh it was still steaming hot. It was dirt cheap, too, at about $5.
The rest of the restaurant’s dishes are great, too.
Vung Tau Restaurant
2708 Y Street
Lincoln, NE 68503-1860
(402) 438-9959
Inexpensive and great!
So are spring rolls and the #16 is the most popular dish.
Family is great. Seats are limited at peak times, but worth it. They’re fast.
Ho wun restaurant in Fenton Mo. is now serving these delicious vietnamese sandwiches! They have really taken off at our location. We are an asian restaurant, serving a variety of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai food. We have a more modern atmosphere with upbeat service.
My family is crazy about the banh mi and other entrees at Lincoln, NE’s The Green Papaya restaurant. I live in Omaha and have tried our Vietnamese places, but the chicken banh mi at the Green Papaya is the region’s best by far! It rivals those I had in Toronto’s Chinatown. I have eaten at the above recommended Vung Tau restaurant in Lincoln, NE and it is good, too. Green Papaya is even better! And if you go, be sure to try their green papaya salad! Highly recommended.
The Pho Hoa Noodle restaurant make an awesome Banh Mi – make sure to try one – located at 1447 Independence Ave. Kansas City, MO, 64106. The owner and all the workers are super friendly.
I will be teaching a workshop on making your own Banh Mi from start to finish. . . Bread, fillings and condiments as part of a series on epic sandwiches from around the world.
Wooden Spoons Workshops and Cooking Classes
303 SW School Street Ankeny, IA 50023 515-577-9937
http://www.canyoubakeacherrypie.com November 8th-9th-10th
Banh Mi-The Epic Sandwich of Vietnam, Israeli Falafel, and French Croque Monsieur
Pho Special
2409 E Pawnee St Wichita, KS 67211
(316) 687-4000
Best bread in town, quick service, good portions. $4 each, as of 1/2013.
I love Vietnamese food especially Pho and Bun but have never tried a Bahn Mi until I visited my mom in Wichita. Pho Hot Bistro was close to my mom’s neighborhood and was wanting to see if the Pho was any good. Ended up taking home several Bahn Mis and a Bun with Pork and spring rolls. OMG, the Bahn Mi was so flavorful and satisfying that I found myself comparing other Bahn Mis to the one at Pho Hot Bistro. Was just there several months ago, and the Bahn Mi was still good. They have been consistent so far and I am still using their Bahn Mis to compare with others. Here’s their facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pho-Hot-Bistro/196706819993?fref=ts
Pho Hot Bistro
306 N. Rock Road
Wichita, KS 67206
(316) 440-6698