Banh Cuon

I love this place. I believe that this is the best Vietnamese sandwich in town! I love the combination with no mayo. I heard that their noodle soup is great too. Have to try next time I’m there.

When I was first introduced to the vietnamese sandwich, they cost ~$ 2. Now most places average $ 4 each. I’m glad that this restaurant can still maintain a low price without sacrificing quality. Their sandwiches taste fresh and delicious! My favorite is the combination or grilled chicken. Others have mentioned that they go heavy on the mayo, but I don’t mind that all: P However, I am taking off one star due to their bread. It is waay to «bulky». They should opt for a slimmer one which would make it a lot easier to eat.

Been there twice. Standard fare, good and fresh

I’ve been to a fair share of Phở restaurants around Oakland, Hayward, and Union City but this place takes the cake. I’ve wanted to write something about this place for a while and now, they can get the credit they deserve for some damn good beef noddle soup.
I only order one thing, and that is Phở. The other items on the menu, though a bit limited, just aren’t my cup of tea. Once you step inside you are swept away with the culture of the Vietnamese. The good luck cat waves you in and ushers good luck, in the very back there is a shrine to Guan Yu, and behind the counter are friendly people who are genuinely interested in how your day is going. One of my pet peeves for restaurants like this is the constant bombardment of flies that plague your every bite. Not here. They are very sanitary and magically keep flies out of their establishment.
So, I ordered the beef noodle phở and didn’t have to wait long before they brought out a fatty bowl of the delicious noodles. The portions are HUGE and barely slurped the last of it before my pants became too tight. The flavor was extraordinary and made with love and perfection. They have great taste in cable television as well; I watched some King of the Hill while I ate.

Fast, friendly, great food– I’ll be back!

To be quite honest, I HATE THIS GOD DAMN PLACE.
Why did it take me a dozen times to realize it? I have no idea.
I wont be going back anytime soon. You can count on that buddy.
Theres a lady here that takes the orders and someone else makes the food. This lady always has this stuck face, thats a lost&confused facial expression that pisses me off every time I place my order. Nobodies trying to see that shit early in the morning or anytime of the day. It just throws you off course which is pure bullshit.
The customer service is like talking to a gorilla. Its hard for her to understand anything, so I have to slow it down and bring it to her level. I always have to repeat it a couple times, which is really fuckin annoying. What the fuck am I, a Zoo Keeper?
The sandwiches are a little cheaper than most places in the town and has some good weight on it. I used to like it at first because of the portion but not anymore. It grew pretty nasty on me and they go real heavy on the mayo/​butter.
I also tasted the banh cuon. Not a fan to begin with so I dont have much to say about that nasty shit.
PREPARE TO WAIT AT LEAST 30 MINUTES FOR ANYTHING YOU ORDER. MAKE THAT 40 MINUTES.
One thing I cant stand is waiting. And all I do here is wait. You have the choice of calling in your order and I did that one time. Its suppose to be more convenient, but theres really no point of that shit because I still had to wait.
Ba Le Sandwiches on E 14^th gets you IN and OUT which is how its suppose to be done. And Believe you me — they taste much better than any other.
Basically, I’m the motherfuckin customer. I have the choice to spend my money where and when I want. and I choose NOT to spend it here.

I always go here for Banh Cuon. I used to go to Ba Le for it, but this place makes it with more effort. Food takes a long time, but thats because they make it fresh I think. Small menu, but there are only so many ways you can make Banh Cuon?

I found my to-​go spot for banh cuon. For alot of you folks that don’t know what banh cuon is, it is a Vietnamese rice roll stuffed with ground pork and sliced mushrooms. Different places use different fillings, but this is my favorite filling. It usually comes with a side of bean sprouts and some cilantro. Alot of places like this one, also comes with sliced pork cake with fried garlic on top. You usually dip everything in the nuc mam (fish sauce) and everything goes together perfectly.
This spot has the best bang for the buck, you can get the #10 which is the Banh Cuon dac biet (combo special). Which comes with about 8 rolls for only 5 buckaronni’s. ($ 5). For sure this will fill you up, im a big guy and it got me stuffed. I also tried the sandwiches and i got the #1 regular with head cheese and pâté. I have to say the bread is very good, it almost taste like the bread from Saigon sandwiches across the bay in SF.
The service here is real good, very nice and friendly folks. But i think they make their banh cuon fresh, so if your in a hurry you gotta call in first. It took a few seconds to make mines at 7am.
Overall this place is a great grab and go type of place, but they also have about 4 tables and a big round table you can dine in.
4.5 Stars for Banh Cuon Oakland

It’s a smaller take-​out restuarant than Cam Huong, but it makes you feel like you’re part of the family when you dine in. =) Although their menu consists of only a handful of items, what they lack in quantity, they more than make up for it in quality. You can tell their food is made with extra TLC.
Personally, I can eat their Vietnamese sandwiches all day, everyday. I love their combination sandwich with extra pâté. When I got my sandwich, I could tell that they didn’t just hastily slap on some meat and meager portions of veggies on it and called it a day. It was constructed perfectly, packed and over-​flowing with pickled vegetables and fresh herbs that is simply deliciousness.

Bread is an oft overlooked component of a sandwich. Partly because bread is a given, without bread it’s not a sandwich. Perhaps that’s why we don’t often notice bread as distinct component of a sandwich. I never have, at least not with Banh Mi.
The bread here is quite possibly the freshest baguette I have ever had on Banh Mi.
The menu is small and focused, their menu probably offers no more than a dozen items. But all of their sandwiches are less than $ 2.50. I had two banh mi and a soymilk for $ 5.50.
Again, bread is awesome, inside, the vegetables have a god mix with the mayo, but I thought that the daikon was just a little bit soft. However, I’ve noticed that many Oakland Banh Mi places have a more savory (five spice?) grilled pork than their counterparts in the South Bay. I wonder why is that.

will a culinary food fight war break out amongst vietnamese foodists now that this eatery dares to offer hanoi style cuisine in oaktown? bahn cuon offers a limited menu of bahn cuon (rice rolls), bahn mi, vermicelli, and phở. they open at 6 a.m. for who can’t wait for their bahn mi/​phở fix. this place is very small, only 8ish tables.
limited bahn mi menu no meatball, just chicken and vietnamese cold cuts, combo bahn mi (2.25) had large slices of head cheese, pork, and ham as well as the usual veggies. pretty good sized and not dominated by veggies. tastewise, it was ok.
phở bo hanoi (hanoi style beef noodle soup 5.95)had 4 pieces raw steak as well as 6+ pieces of well done beef brisket. the broth was sweet with a hint of beef but blandness dominates. msg is present in some amounts.
unlike turtle tower in sf which also sells hanoi style noodles. bahn cuon offers hoisin sauce as a condiment here.
definite value here. no tax charged on take out. i don’t what the hello kitty is doing here. they usually appear only in japanese restaurants. (maybe the kitty is spreading out to help all eateries prosper.)