Ba Le Sandwich Shop

This used to be my favourite Banh mi shop to go to. But eventually it made my stomach upset whenever I ordered the chicken Banh mi. Also I don’t like how it’s always so busy because u can never find parking which is annoying.

I’ll give it a 3.5, mainly because I found the bread to be not that great. Felt the crust was a bit too hard but the ingredients were great. Bit of a wait during the lunch hour though.

Oh my god how this shop has turned to shit. Okay not that bad but still. Ba Le used to be my favourite viet sub shop. Whenever people asked me where to eat viet subs, I directed them over to Ba Le. But now??? I dont think so.
Ba le used to be the no.1 viet sub shop back in the day, even before tung hing (dong khanh) got super popular. They were consistent with prices, with flavours, with size, shape, everything. I would even consider them bringing the best flavor profiles of all viet sub delis. Good for them for bringing all this.
But recently (within the past 2 years?) they have increased their prices, and guess what. THEY DOWNSIZED THE SUBS TOO. So not only did they increase prices, but they downsized their subs? I know blah blah rent, but seriously. This sounds a little greedy. Because of this, they can barely fill up the sub with anything… and this meant you can literally finish the sub in 4 bites. NOT JOKING.
Unfortunately for them, the asian community [I included] tends to like quantity over quality, and for this, will no longer be coming here unless I’m feeling rich, and will agree to myself, to buy 2 subs to satisfy my hunger.

Quick service, good price, fresh bread, great sandwiches.

delicious! love ‘em. Freshest baked bread and such great prices!

I finally had a chance to try Ba Le’s Banh Mi. Entering the shop it’s quite straightforward with a fridge full of traditional Vietnamese drinks and desserts on the left, a menu and cashier in the middle and seating to the right.
I ordered one of their more popular Banh Mi, the #2 Grilled Pork Sandwich. The person at the cashier asked if I wanted it spicy or not, no spice for my sensitive tastebuds but my friend got spicy.
In less than 10 minutes I had my hands on a very fresh, store-​made crusty French bread that was chewy and satisfied my carb-​hungry self. There was plenty of warm, tender and sweet grilled pork. The pickled vegetables were the right amount to add that crunch and sweet/​salty taste to the savory meat. My friend said the spicy pork had a good amount of spice that wasn’t too overpowering.
I’ll definitely want to try more of their sandwiches, from pork or chicken to cold cuts to head cheese to pâté, there’s a variety of sandwiches on the menu to make my way through.
Overall, a great place to satisfy your Banh Mi cravings for under $ 5!
Note: Cash Only. Parking is a major pain in the wazoo, opt for neighborhood parking just around the corner!

Battle of the Banh Mi. . introducing contender #1, Ba Le.
Usually I am a Tung Hing Banh Mi regular, after all I did hand them 5 stars a few years back on Unilocal.However, I have noticed that a few things about Tung Hing have declined. Their pickled veggies lacked some acidity punch and seemed wilted. Also, the sandwiches were hastily being slopped together. So yesterday I decided to forgo Tung Hing and drive on over a few blocks west to Ba Le.
First impressions — the parking situation sucks donkey balls! Is located in a strip mall with many other businesses and during the lunch rush, it was sheer madness to even attempt to secure a spot. I drove around twice and finally snagged street parking west of the Flag/​Park where Faux Bourgeois is located.
Service: Efficient order taking, but a bit slow during the rush. Ordered the #5 special (more meat than cold cut).
Banh Mi: Size does matter, baguette or otherwise :) I swear the loaf was 3 inches shorter than Tung Hings’ ! And the promise of extra meat. .. was there a joke being played? It was more like just enough meat. Whereas the banh mi at Tung Hing is like a wild child, freely assembled in front of you and is stuffed to the gills with a big personality/​tasty fillings, the Ba Le sandwich is a more stiff-​upper lip kinda distant cousin, skimpy on the fillings and getting upstaged by its more colourful dynamic relative named Tung.
Tung Hing 1, Ba Le 0. Next up will be contender #2 Banh Mi Saigon on Victoria Drive, the new kid on the block. Stay tuned!

I love this place! I have only had one item on the menu– the BBQ pork sandwich. It’s perfect and great every time! I’ve had it about 30 times. Too bad they only take cash…

This is my go-​to for banh mi. Sure, ambiance is lacking, but for about $ 4, I walk away satisfied and full. Cheaper than McDonalds and tastier! My favorite is the viet bacon but I’ve tried most of their sandwiches and all have been good.
My only gripe about the place is that the parking lot sucks. Don’t even bother. Park on the side street or along Kingsway.

Needs more meat on the sandwich. Referred by a friend but just a-​ok.

This is a hidden gem in the area. Not much for atmosphere, however, the subs speak for themselves. Great ingredients, friendly and the price is cheap. It does get very hot in the summer, therefore, it is more of a grab and go situation. I was recommended this place recently by another Unilocaler at a UYE.

Ordered the «meatball special» feature sub for $ 4.50. The lady didn’t know what I was talking about so she came around to look at the sign. Some chatting in Vietnamese with her coworker and I got charged $ 4. A bit of language barrier as I had difficulty understanding her. After opening the sub. well it certainly wasn’t meatballs. It was more like juicy minced pork… not that it wasn’t tasty, just wasn’t what I ordered. I also find the subs here on the smaller side. Prefer Tung Hing or Kim Chau but definitely an alright choice if in the area.

Went in again last week, as we were waiting for the crowd to die down next door, but decided to try their signature sub again: the pork liver. Sounds gross, but really, like a fois gras, so not that bad.
Still has that unique taste, recommend.
Fast, friendly service.
They offer delivery now.

Dropped by after having phở at Phở Long as I still wanted some more carbs. Great crispy baguette for the banh mi sandwiches. I ordered the hose special with chili peppers and the peppers really liven the sandwich. Big fan of the cilantro and glad they put a bunch in mine. Saved one to bring to work the next day for lunch and it held up, bread of course was not as crisp but still tasted great.

After receiving my order, I took a look at my banh mi and was severely disappointed at the size and the lack of meat. I took a few bites only to be disappointed again by the taste. I think i would need to eat at least three to fill me up.
I’m seriously underwhelmed and hungry after eating two cold cuts. This place exemplifies the typical Vancouver food experience: overpriced, overrated and underwhelming. Especially when held up to a comparable establishment in Toronto.

This used to be my ‘go-​to’ as per Banh-​Mi, known thoughout the city as the place to have this handheld treat, they don’t just sell the sandwichs, they make the bread to. Most people know to come here, they are open early, and you can get your fix of these sandwichs or any Vietnamese deli like cooked products, it’s a one stop shop for fast prepared good food.
I can say this use to be my 5 star. but it is my second place, regarded highly by the community, these sandwichs are like heaven… for $ 4 it isn’t gonna break the bank one bit. If you decide to munch on these handheld delights, don’t worry there are tables here, you are not getting served, but you can sit and watch others line up for what you probably just ordered what you are putting in your mouth. While you are in here though… it’s pretty bare-​bones, with many ovens in the back and right up front in the deli-​prep area… they are making your sandwich once you fork over the dough.
I came again on Saturday morning. as this was one of the earlier opened Banh-​Mi joints. and wanted to surprise a kid who loves this stuff and wanted to take it on a flight. I forgot which one was the one we had. and had to re-​read my ‘nomnomnivore’s’ review to remember that it was the chicken… all of them are pretty good, but this was the most memorable. Just remember when you come here… have real bucks. cause I didn’t see any machines taking plastic.
In this small little plaza, sometimes parking is a true cow, park on the side streets and walk, but just know when you are in this area… there is a pretty good Banh-​Mi store… it’s right here! I hope to one day try their other stuff.

Been coming here for years and it’s never disappointing. The lady who run the joint is an absolute pro and has always been very nice despite being busy and always on the go.
The chicken with hot peppers is my go to but the meatball is freaking good too! Love the crispy bread plus they have other offerings such as steam buns and Vietnamese puddings.
Can’t give this place any less than a 5 * rating.

I grew up in the neighbourhood all my life, but because there are so many Vietnamese joints in the area, I never frequented Ba Le all that much (Kim Chau Deli and Phở Thai Hoa were my go-​to spots). Recently, my husband and I were in town and I was craving banh mi so we decided to check it out.
We ordered the chicken, #5 special, and grilled pork. Out of the 3 my favourite was definitely the #5, it’s classic. The combination of cold cut deli meats, pickled veggies, cilantro and pâté is perfect. I dislike vietnamese sandwiches that ooze with greasy butter/​mayonnaise but this wasn’t the case. The baguettes were also nice and crisp on the outside, but soft on the inside (nothing ruins a good Vietnamese banh mi than an over-​toasted baguette when a hard chunk of crust stabs the roof of your mouth). Best to eat them fresh though! We grabbed ours to go and went to the beach, so they were slightly soggy by the time we got around to eating them, but delicious nonetheless. The sandwiches range from $ 3 – 3.75 but from what I read on a printed sign, their prices are going up, if they haven’t already. I would say the sandwiches are a bit smaller than average, but still good value. Cash only!

Get a delicious sub for under $ 5. They are fast with orders, as many people come in for take out. Not too many seats, but that’s ok as people who eat in don’t take long.
The bread is crunchy but so tasty. They have lots of different options. I get #5 which is the special cold cut, the traditional viet sub.
I go out of my way to pick up a sub here!

Not the best banh mi I’ve ever had but pretty average. I have driven past this intersection many times and always thought this strip mall was fairly sketchy. Turns out there’s a popular banh mi shop here that I never knew about. The pricing was great although they had a sign that all the sandwiches will be increasing by 50 cents in the next couple weeks.
For some reason I thought that the chicken sub would be actual chicken but it ended up being shredded chicken with the same texture as a can of tuna. That was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, it was still decent but just average. The special combo is good but not enough for me to give this place 4 stars. Bottom line is that if I’m in the area and need a quick banh mi fix, this place will suffice.