Since Little Saigon is our backyard, we are able to share a more comprehensive breakdown of the banh mi scene.  This listing is mostly focused just on the baguettes, since that is such a crucial part of a great banh mi.  Each year the quality seems to continually improve and excel, so some places may be making even better bread than when we were able to try them.  And those who don’t meet the bar, may have ended up going out business.  Only the best for Little Saigon.

DIRECTORY of Banh Mi in Little Saigon, CA

ABC Baguette
13672 Goldenwest St., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Crackily & Crusty. Plain topped w/ sesame seeds.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ some large holes.

Other Notes: A little bit off the beaten path from the heart of Little Saigon, but still worth the effort for the baguette when it’s hot out of the oven. Unique with the sesame seed crust.

*Sandwiches: Good Veggie options here, moist and generous. The grilled pork sandwich was savory and plentiful.

Ba Le
9152 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Smooth & Chewy. Salty.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes.
Other Notes: Baguette quality similar to Top Baguette only crust was saltier. When cold, it becomes more like a soft sub-sandwich type bread.

**Sandwiches: Sandwiches here are a small part of their business. They are known for their pate’s , cold cuts and cured meats. Go for those fillings on your banh mi because it’s guranteed fresh.

Banh Mi Che Cali (all locations similar w/ minor variation in crust)
8948 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, CA
15551 Brookhurst St., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Crackily & Crusty. Buttery.
Baguette Center: Light, but slightly more dense than Saigon.
Other Notes: Very popular. Highest chance of getting one still warm throughout the day. Baguettes bagged in plastic, ask for paper to maintain crustiness. Location off Bolsa & Westminster can be fun & challenging to make your purchase. Just push & shove when needed to get to the front. Everyone does it.

**Sandwiches: Good fillings. Best price for sandwiches : buy 2 get one free. All 3 little saigon locations are always bustling and busy with a continuous rotation of hot, fresh baguettes for their sandwiches. Fillings are flavorful and condiments are always cool and crisp. The veggie sandwich is rather bland and lacking in filling.

Banh Mi Saigon
8940 Westminster Ave., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Crackily & Crusty. Slightly Buttery.
Baguette Center: Unbelievably Light.
Other Notes: Our #1 consensus. When out of the oven, it is so crackly light and addicting. You can eat a whole one plain. Still fantastic cooled. High chance of getting one still warm throughout the day. Also bake a cross between a demi and boule, perfect for hearty, sloppy sandwiches. The crust is incredibly thin, crisp , crackily , meatball sandwich good.

**Sandwiches: Good fillings and very crusty bread. If you choose the round, boule shaped bread, the filling might seem a bit scarce because the bread is so big. The longer baguette sandwiches have a better bread to filling ratio.

Banh Mi So 1
9812 Bolsa Ave. #102, Westminister ,CA

**Sandwiches: They do not bake their own baguettes and only sell sandwiches based on the amount of bread they bring in that day. The menu is small, consisting of 6 banh mi options. Most of the food that is sold there are rice and hot dish items. Sandwiches here are secondary. We recommend eating the hot food items first.

Boulangerie Pierre & Patisserie
14354 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, CA
Baguette Crust: Crackily & Crusty. Slightly Salty.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ large uneven holes.
Other Notes: Great solo, but dense enough to slice & have w/ salami, cheeses, or as any sandwich base. One of the most aesthetic baguettes. Owned by Việt-Parisians. Bread & pastries very reflective of their previous home, Paris.

**Sandwiches: Their selection of fillings are small and simple, focusing more on the baguette. The grilled chicken is popular and tasty.

Cho Cu Bakery
14520 Magnolia St., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Crackily & Crusty. Buttery.
Baguette Center: Light.
Other Notes: Melts in your mouth when hot, but slightly doughy when cooled. Baguette very, very thin, crusty & crackily with little center. Good chance of getting one still warm in the afternoon.

**Sandwiches: Their very, very light and crusty bread is a good balance to their light fillings. Ask for extra meat if you crave more.

Dakao
14550 Brookhurst St., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Smooth & Crusty. Plain Crust.
Baguette Center: Light.
Other Notes: Baguettes mainly used for their sandwiches. Main batch is baked in the morning. Least chance of getting one hot throughout the day. Located in same plaza as Gala.
**Sandwiches: Good fillings and their selection of meat fillings has some unique one, such as the Bo La Lot Banh mi. ( grilled beef wrapped in la lot leaves) . This sandwich is a little pricier, but worth the extra 75 cents. Their veggie sandwiches are savory and satisfying too.

Dong Hung Vien Bakery
8536 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Smooth & Crusty. Plain Crust.
Baguette Center: Light.
Other Notes: Nice thin crust, very light center. Taste is almost too plain. Have excellent other pastries. Baguettes are more secondary.

**Sandwiches: Sandwiches here are a small part of their business. They specialize in pastries, but do bake their own bread in small batches for occasional banh mi sales.

Gala Bakery
14570 Brookhurst St., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Crackily & Crusty. Plain Crust.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ large uneven holes.
Other Notes: Good all-around baguette. Similar to Pierre Patisserie. One of the most aesthetic baguettes. Currently only Brookhurst location making on-site. Best chance of getting a hot one is in the morning. Often sold out in afternoon.

**Sandwiches: Sandwiches are flavorful, but can be rather light. Ask for extra meat if that’s what you crave. They have good Viet iced coffee, their top specialty.

Huong Huong (Bakery part behind their “Food to Go”)
9262 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Crackily and Crusty. Very Buttery.
Baguette Center: Light.
Other Notes: Excellent hot, yet usually seems like it’s just a couple oven minutes away from a perfect crust & center. Most buttery crust of the bunch. Best chance of getting one warm is in the morning.

**Sandwiches: They have amped up their banh mi offerings recently and now offer a quality sandwich, along side their sweet rice specialties. Their light, and buttery baguette is a great compliment to their fillings.

Lee’s Sandwiches (6 locations tasted, all very similar in quality)
www.leessandwiches.com
Baguette Crust: Smooth & Crusty. Plain Crust.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes.
Other Notes: Good mid-range baguette. Impressive that all locations can all consistently carry this good of quality. High chance of getting one warm. They guarantee the baguettes to be hot. Sometimes you just need to ask for the one out of the oven.

**Sandwiches: Good Fillings. For such a large chain, they have are very consistent in the quality of their meat offerings.

Lily’s Bakery
10161 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, CA
www.lilysbakery.com
Baguette Crust: Smooth and Chewy. Plain
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes
Other Notes: Make the baguettes more for their own use. Selling is almost an afterthought. One of our favorite places for other goodies, just not their bread.

**Sandwiches: They baguette is always nice and warm when they prepare their sandwiches. Fillings are fresh and satisfying. Sandwiches are $2.75, higher than the average sandwich out there.

Phuoc Thanh Coffee & Sandwiches
13191 Brookhurst St. Garden Grove, CA 92843
**Sandwiches: They do not bake their own baguettes and we’re still trying to figure out where they source their bread. It is a good , crusty and light baguette, but the sandwiches themselves are light on the filling. For only $1.75, it is still a good deal. The owner is very personable and friendly. Best chance of getting a sandwich is before 3pm, after that they run out of bread.

Sasha Deli
9537 Bolsa Ave. Westminister, CA 92683

**Sandwiches: Sandwiches are well assembled with an interesting vegetarian option filled with shitake mushrooms and soy product. They do not bake their own baguette , but it is a good baguette ( looks like a Banh Mi Che Cali baguette).

Sandwich Planet
8432 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Crackily & Crusty. Slightly buttery & salty.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes.
Other Notes: Newcomer to the field when we visited them during their 1 st month of opening . This bakery shows great promise considering they just opened at the beginning of the year. Best chance of getting one warm in the morning.

**Sandwiches:

Song Long Bakery
9433 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Smooth & Crusty. Plain Crust.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes. One of the originals of Little Saigon. Still puts out a quality baguette, just so many of the other bakeries have raised the bar. Only first morning batch is warm.

Sandwiches: No Opinion.

Sun Moon Bakery
9635 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Smooth & Crusty. Plain Crust.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ large uneven holes.
Other Notes: Baguettes are more for their sandwiches. Still crispy when out of the oven. Best chance of warm one is in the morning.

**Sandwiches: Sandwiches are secondary here (no opinion), with hot food items as their main focus.Go for the rice dishes first.

Tan Hoang Huong Bakery & Deli
15972 Euclid St., #A, Fountain Valley, CA
Baguette Crust: Crusty and Chewy. Plain
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes
Other Notes: Baguettes are shorter. When cools, the baguette gets softer, but is crusty when warm.
**Sandwiches: Good fillings.

Tip Top’ Sandwiches
Brookhurst St., near Westminster Ave., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Smooth & Crusty. Salty.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes.
Other Notes: Good & Light. Skinniest shape of all baguettes. High chance of getting one warm throughout day.
**Sandwiches: Good fillings.

Top Baguette
9062 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, CA
Baguette Crust: Smooth & Chewy. Salty.
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes.
Other Notes: Only demi-baguette size currently sold. When cools, more like a chewy sub-style bread. Best chance of getting one warm is in the morning.

**Sandwiches: Baguette is usually softer, less crusty.

Zon Baguettes
14081 Newport Ave., Tustin, CA
Baguette Crust: Smooth and Chewy. Plain
Baguette Center: Dense w/ small holes
Other Notes: Bread is baked mostly for their own sandwiches. Gets softer when cools.
**Sandwiches: Good fillings.