Banh Mi DC Sandwich

Picked up their chicken sandwich for my husband and I for lunch… So good and so happy we live close to this location!

This place is the real deal. I could not have asked for a tastier Banh Mi sandwich. I had one with BBQ pork which had that amazing, sweet Chinese char sui taste to it. I can;t wait to go back and try another. The price was reasonable and in addition, you can get a few groceries as well! Yum Yum!

I’ve been going to DC banh mi since 2009. They have perfect bread for this sandwich. Crunchy outside and soft inside, always fresh and made to order.
My favorite is their chicken banh mi, their grilled pork is really good too. Seasoned/​marinated just right for the sandwich. The veggies that goes in are also pickled perfectly and goes well with the meats. I like it spicy so I usually ask for extra jalapeños.
There’s nothing better than Banh mi DC when you are craving that perfect tasting banh mi.
This place also got many other food that’s great for snacking. They also have these homemade beef jerky.
The service is ok, it’s a carry out so there isn’t much of serving. Just order, get your food and go.
But when they are busy, you will have to wait for a few extra minutes for your sandwiches to be ready.
Buy 5 and you get one free!

I wanted to like this place soooooo bad because the iced coffee and Thai tea was so good. Their sandwiches are ok. I finished my Thai tea and low and behold, a dead huge ROACH was on the bottom of my cup! Traumatized forever.

I got the #9. Veggie mix sandwich. I went around 3pm during the week and was one of two people there. Served e was freakishly fast.
My sandwich was good and less then $ 5. The bread was crusty and fresh– no way to eat it without making a mess of crumbs! Crisp cucumber, deep green leafy cilantro, crunchy Daikon and carrots. There were some fried things (onions?) in there I would have requested to be omitted had I known. Some bites were spicy. Overall the sandwich was packed with flavor.

Tried the grilled and BBQ pork sandwiches. They only take cash, and also sell an assortment of other pre-​prepackaged and fresh snacks/​meals. The grilled pork was a little too fatty for me but the sandwiches themselves were very flavorful and the bread crisp. The BBQ pork had a great flavor as well and I think it’s explicitly «fatless». Standard portions and pricing — definitely a good value for the amount you pay.

Let me just start off by saying that I have ONLY tried the Banh Mi here (grilled pork, to be specific) — so my review will solely go off of that menu item. I have a big love for Banh Mi’s…I used to get them often when I used to live in Richmond and it was difficult to find a decent good place with well made banh mis in the NOVA area. I must say that this is my #1 spot when I’m having a craving. From the moment you walk into the door, the smell of freshly baked bread hits you and draws you in deeper. I have gotten the grilled pork banh mi here twice now and both times the BREAD = amazing. So chewy while also slightly crispy. A problem that I’ve had at other places when ordering Banh Mi is that its 99% bread and 1% filling, whereas here, they serve great portions of meat and vegetables. You also get your sandwiches nice and quick no matter how long the line is and there are so many other Vietnamese food there that you can just easily grab and go.
Two unfortunate things:
1) There is a minimum of a $ 10 purchase if you are paying with a credit card (which was inconvenient bc all I wanted was a $ 4.50 sandwich)
2) There is no place to sit and eat.
Either way, if you love Banh Mi, this place is a must. try.

This place a bit more expensive than its competitors in Eden Center and is also the blandest banh mi I have ever eaten. At first glance, it looks like any other banh mi and the first few bites were okay. After the first few bites, my tastebuds finally caught on that it was lacking all flavor and it got really tiring to eat. I couldn’t even finish half of it before I gave up, and I’m the kind of person who can eat two in one sitting.

The Bánh bao was perfect! I have been searching for a great bánh bao and now my taste buds and tummy are happy. Oops, I devoured it on the road so I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of it. Bánh bao heo with quail egg $ 2.95 on 11÷17÷15.

So my husband and I have been on the hunt for the best spot for Banh Mi Chay (vegetarian/​tofu) ever since our go-​to spot in DC closed (like, a WEEK after we found it), and HOLY CRAP we finally found our new banh mi home here!
I can’t speak for the meat sammies yet, because the tofu is so dang good I haven’t been able to bring myself to try anything else yet (though reviews have led me to think I really ought to).
Here’s what I love about this banh mi:
The tofu is similar in texture/​style to what you get when you order the golden triangle or fried tofu appetizers from thai/​vietnamese restaurants, sort of lightly crisp and browned on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
The veggies are crisp and delicious. And the bread is, in my opinion, the best I’ve had. You can smell it walking in, and it does not disappoint! It’s crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and full of beautiful French bread flavor.
Other reviewers have seemed to think otherwise, but for our part, the amount of mayo has been just right – you barely know it’s there, but it does what it’s supposed to. There was one time I felt they could have been a little less generous, but every other time (5 or 6), it’s been spot on.
These sammies are a nice size, about 8 – 10 inches long, and filled nicely.
Our first banh mi spot always included sriracha and hoisin sauce with each sandwich. This place, and no other place we’ve been to since, does not – so if sriracha is essential for you, bring your own, take these home, or buy a bottle here (they sell all sorts of things other than banh mi, including a bunch of packaged goods and sauces).
I will say, I waver between four and five stars, solely on the basis of their bubble tea/​smoothies, which unfortunately leave a lot to be desired. I’ve gone ahead with the 5 stars because the banh mi is really the star of the show, but when my guy and I have a hankering for the banh mi/​bubble tea combo, it usually means we go here for banh mi, then drive about 5 – 10 minutes to Phở Hot (
), which truly has the most kick-​ass bubble tea. Banh Mi DC’s bubble tea has been sort of tolerable at best, and one time was downright gross (something was… not good – perhaps some part of it had gone bad, because that’s what it tasted like). But the sandwiches have won our total loyalty.
A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES:
While they do take credit cards, there is a $ 10 minimum. This is easily met by buying 5 delicious sandwiches, which works in your favor since they have a buy 5, get one free (or is it buy 5, get the 5^th one free? I don’t remember for sure). Or you can just bring cash.
Also, this place does not have any seating – it is carry out only. So if you’re looking for a place to hang out and eat, this is not it. But the banh mi is so good that it’s totally worth finding another spot where you can chow down on the deliciousness.

I love banh mi sandwiches and was having a craving for one all day. I’ve been meaning to try Banh Mi DC and took Shia LaBeouf’s advice and «JUST DID IT…» Right off 50 in a little rundown shopping center is this simple banh mi shop.
The menu is big with a decent variety of sandwiches, 24 to be exact. I ordered the combination banh mi and grilled pork banh mi. The grilled pork was flavorful and had some heat to it, which caught me off guard but I love heat! The combination banh mi was good but I didn’t like the fact it came with mayo. Next time I’ll order it without the mayo. The french baguette on both sandwiches were crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. The vegetables (carrots, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapeños, and radish) added a nice sweet and salty flavor to the banh mi and were fresh.
There is also a little grocery store when you first walk in where you can buy snacks, drinks, baked goods, desserts, and side dishes. They had the bag of guava candy I’ve been looking awhile for and added that to my order. You can’t beat banh mi sandwiches for under $ 5.00 each! They make all sandwiches to order and they made extremely fast. Can’t wait to go back and try the other sandwiches they offer.

Their bubble teas are still no good, but besides that, Banh Mi DC isn’t a bad place at all for picking up banh mi and che (dessert pudding).
I know many others who are great fans of their sandwiches. I wasn’t too impressed the last time I was here, but I think it may have been because I chose their vegetarian banh mi… Sadly, those are usually not as well executed. (Song Que did it right; I miss them!)
If you’re open to trying something different, get their sugar cane shrimp banh mi or banh mi chao tom. It was VERY good. I gobbled it up in the car in two minutes, and I’m a very slow eater, mind you. All the usual suspects – the pickles, the mayo, the jalepeno – were present and prepared right. I still like Nhu Lan’s mayo-​butter blend the most, but Banh Mi DC’s is good, too. They were very generous with the slabs of shrimp paste, so I was sated.
Their sandwiches are a tad pricier than other banh mi shops (banh mi chao tom is the priciest at $ 4.95), but they also have more variety. Pros and cons… Pricier and all, they still are not charging $ 8 like area food trucks. Still one of the most budget-​friendly meals in the DC area.
When I return, I will sample their banh mi chi ca thi la (dill fish cake sandwich) and then hop on over to Thanh Son at Eden Center for superlative fruit smoothies mmmm.

I have been here countless times because the banh mi sandwiches are so cheap, and they are made pretty quickly (even during lunch time rush). I also like that this place is part grocery store; there are various packaged desserts, drinks, and snacks.
I’ve had the chicken banh mi and the vegetarian one. On several occasions, both have had a pretty consistent taste. They are fine but nothing spectacular. I really don’t like the crispy bread here; after about 10 bites, my mouth hurts! And sometimes, the ingredients have been dry.
I think I would enjoy the sandwiches more if higher quality meat was used; I wouldn’t mind dishing out $ 5 instead of $ 3 for that.
Bottom line: this place has been in business for a while, so they’re doing something right. The menu has a decent variety, but sometimes the sandwiches can be dry.

Gotta admit I don’t have much of a yardstick to use here, but I’ll sink my teeth into one of these sandwiches anytime!
I was VERY skeptical about whether I would like bahn-​mi, as I’m not much into Vietnamese most of the time. No very good reason why — I suppose I like a little more veggie to my meal than most Vietnamese meals I’ve experienced have provided. Which I realize could be entirely my own fault for ordering the wrong thing.
At any rate, I was blown away here. We ordered two sandwiches, one combo and one pork. The combo had a little more fat involved for my tastes but was delicious enough otherwise that I bit the bullet and devoured my portion. My preference, however, was for the grilled pork. Both came topped with just enough julienned vegetables (carrots, I think cucumber and something white… I’m guessing daikon?) I love spice but would still caution others that they do not skimp on the jalapenos! To offset that kick, we opted for a sweet pork bun and a bubble tea. I found the bubble tea (we got taro root) a little bit on the sweet side, and a bit icy, but refreshing on the same.

Closer to 1 star, Banh Mi DC has always been rated pretty high for their banh mi sandwiches; I’ve been here a few times for their bubble tea (which are forgettable), but never had the chance to try the subs. It is more of a carry-​out place, offering an array of sandwiches, snacks, desserts, and Vietnamese products. I tried the #2, which was the Banh Mi Thit Nuong (grilled pork sandwich) — I did request for there to be no cilantro, and confirmed several times with the cashier and the ladies preparing the sammies. Lo and behold, when I opened the sandwich up, there were mounds and mounds of that pesky herb! While I was able to pick most of them out, the sandwich itself was just not tasty. The grilled pork had a weird artificial-​like magenta/​pink color to it and it was of low quality; besides the weird coloring, the meat was not grilled and had no grill-​like taste — it was really bland, and the texture was a little weird. While the roll was crispy, the pickled veggies were slightly dried out, and there was a very thin layer of the mayo. It was just not a tasty banh mi sandwich, and after a nibble, it was tossed T_​_​_​T On a side note, this place is cash preferred, and card is a $ 10 minimum. I’m glad I was able to give their banh mi sandwich a try, but will not return!
+low quality banh mi sandwiches
+unflavorful and off coloring of meats
+cash preferred
+$ 10 card minimum

I’ve been looking for an on-​point Banh Mi sandwich, and, by golly, I think I’ve got it! First off, their bread is ON POINT. I would get the sandwich just for that and that alone. PLUS, I just found out you can buy the bread on it’s own from them (you’re welcome!). Lucky for me (and, really, all of us), the rest of the ingredients are pretty awesome too. The grilled pork is my go-​to — classic and flavorful — and the pickled veggies are a perfect compliment, not too pickled. There’s not much mayo on it, which I appreciate as well, and, of course, you can’t have a banh mi without some glorious cilantro (I’m a little addicted).
Last time I was in, I wanted to get egg rolls, but they were already sold out! Luckily, I went early enough this time to snag some, and they are really, really good. Definitely snag some to go with your sandwich!

TL: DR: Some of the best Banh Mi sandwiches that you can get in the area.
I have always been a fan of Banh Mi DC; I have tried a lot of different banh mi sandwiches in Eden and the flavors do not compare.
The restaurant is in the same complex as Vinh Kee and Phở 75 and across the street from the Giant on Graham Road.
There are a large combination of sandwiches that you can choose from, but I haven’t gone beyond the combination sandwich (number 1 on the list) and the grilled pork. Buy five and get one free! And yes, I have sustained on these for an entire week.
I would tell you what’s in the combination, but it may honestly just scare you away. Try it anyway, judge the flavor, and then maybe take a look at the ingredients. You may just forgive.
Banh Mi DC also offers a bunch of smoothies with boba, which isn’t exactly the best out there. They only offer their vietnamese coffee iced, so be prepared. It is good though, pretty much the only drink worth getting.
They have other prepared foods there as well, including garden rolls, rice noodle rolls with vietnamese ham (cha lua), pâté chaud, and steamed buns. I have only gotten the garden rolls, which aren’t amazing, but a great complement to your sandwich and coffee.
Come here for the combination sandwich — you won’t regret it!

4 stars because while I absolutely LOVED the bubble tea, the banh mi was a bit disappointing. 5 big stars for bubble tea and 3 stars for the banh mi. I visited earlier this week to pick up sandwiches for my fiancé and I.
I ordered two chicken banh mi sandwiches and though it was a generous portion (12″ sandwich), we both felt like it was a bit dry and there was definitely not enough sauce or flavoring. The chicken and the bread were both too dry. Still, a very generous portion for just under $ 4 per sandwich. Great prices!
On the other hand, I am in LOVE with the bubble tea here! I wasn’t even planning to get bubble tea, but it was a hot day and I wanted to meet their credit card minimum ($ 10, for your reference). In the decade I’ve been drinking bubble tea /​boba, I’ve always gotten peach slush (with the exception of the one time I got strawberry). They don’t offer peach slush/​smoothie at Banh Mi DC Sandwich, so I opted for pineapple slush instead. I was very pleasantly surprised — perfect flavor, and perfect amount of boba balls! So so so good! I was surprised that they didn’t have peach flavor (that’s never happened in all the years I’ve been getting bubble tea/​boba), but they do have avocado smoothies… interesting, but not something I’d personally order.
The restaurant isn’t really much of a restaurant — it’s more of a store and take-​out place. There isn’t anywhere to sit, so you have to take your food to go.
Parking is not too tight here — there’s parking right outside the restaurant and around the corner near the market next door.
Bottom Line — Not impressed with the banh mi sandwiches, but the pineapple bubble tea with boba was wonderful. I’d visit again for the drinks, but probably not for the sandwiches.

Wow, you can’t beat the price. $ 4.20 for a tasty sandwich? Yes, please. Go with the «number one» as it comes. No adds, no removes (though I did peel off the jalapenos) and enjoy. This is what bahn mi is all about. Crunchy bread, sliced meat, cucumber, carrots, cilantro. It’s just awesome.
They have a $ 10 credit card minimum but they do have all the Vietnamese delicacies you can possibly imagine.
Food is prepared as it is ordered, but it is FAST. And it’s take out only.

4.5 stars, because I’m knocking it down half a star for price (by the way, it’s cash only, unless you spend a minimum of $ 10!).
I have always driven by this banh mi shop/​bakery, ever since… well, ever since I could drive, and geez, that’s about 9 years that I have been deprived of such delicious vietnamese sandwiches! I have had my fair share of banh mi sandwiches in the DMV area, and this place by far trumps them all. I decided to try it out on a whim, and boy, am I glad that I did.
I ordered the #1 combination banh mi as well as the #2 grilled pork sandwich. Both came out lightning fast in less than 5 minutes, wrapped in sturdy white packaging to hold in all of the deliciousness, and cleverly stamped in red to identify each one.
My bf and I split both of them, and both flavors ended up being great! I didn’t find that I preferred one over the other. The bread, ohhhh the bread was amazing! It tasted unbelievably fresh, as if it had just been baked and came straight out of the oven (lightly crispy on the outside, and soft like pillows on the inside). Both the vietnamese mayo and pâté spread were on point. They were very flavorful and complimenting to the sandwich (I usually can’t taste the pâté in other banh mi places i’ve been to, so my taste buds were pleasantly surprised).
My bf and I both raved on for at least 15 minutes to each other about how amazing the banh mi was, describing each little detail about the bread, the meats, the spreads, the whole 9 yards!
After visiting Banh Mi DC sandwich, I don’t think I can bring myself to buy banh mi from anywhere else any longer. The only complaint I had, was that it is significantly more expensive than any of the other places I’ve been to, ranging from $ 3.95 to $ 4.20 per banh mi. But other than that, I will definitely be back, and was very happy with my decision to try it out.