Hoang Dat Coffee Shop

I was craving a meatball banh mi, and I ended up at this little hole in the wall because of Unilocal.I showed up at around 12:45pm and it wasn’t crowded at all. The friendly gentlemen behind the counter took about 5 minutes to make my banh mi, carefully assembling the ingredients and toasting the roll.
The pork meatballs were very flavorful and were very tender and moist. The bread was OK — I would have preferred it slightly crispier. The sandwich was not overflowing with pickled vegetables, as they do at Saigon Sandwich, but the veggies complimented the meatballs very well. The meatball banh mi with a can of grass jelly drink was $ 5.50 — an excellent deal.
A big plus over Saigon Sandwich is that they actually have a few tables and a counter for seating.

This place is such a hidden gem that I didn’t even want to leave a review. But I just had to.
I’m about to get controversial, but I honestly think heir banh mi are better than Saigon Sandwich.
The combination sandwich is just right — everything is perfect, the bread is crunchy, the head cheese is toothsome in just the right way, and the pâté is present in just the right proportion.
But what you should really try is the meatball — in either soup or sandwich form, it’s a taste explosion. The flavours are spot on, and it’s one of my top dishes in the city. I brought a southeast Asian friend here, and despite her initial skepticism about bringing her for southeast Asian food, she was blown away by the meatball soup.
The other bonuses over Saigon — the staff is actually friendly, there’s no waiting in lines, and you can actually sit inside, so you don’t get harassed by the local population while you wait for your sandwich.
I can’t recommend this place enough.

This place has good sandwiches with a traditional price. ($ 4). HD has a different type of Vietnamese sandwich as I’ve tried the others around the TL. It has a bit of a more traditional and fresh taste to it without the overwhelming sauces that the other spots tend to do. Even without asking for a light sauce, here at HD it’s not necessary. They put the perfect amount all the time.
Now the meatball soup is really a must taste. Granted it will not get you full unless you eat it with the loaf of bread that comes with it. It’s a perfect size for the nice snack. Another good item HD Is the Vietnamese coffee. $ 3 is a bit on the hight side considering the size and amount of ice put in the cup.
Remember customers: CASH only

excellent vietnamese sandwiches! and great service! I normally call ahead and walk over with my $ 4 in hand to pay and gtfo.

Time: 11:48am/56°F partly sunny
Purpose: In search of best banh mi in TL area. Cherylynn N said, I should give HD a try. I ask what kind of a sammie is HD? As it turns out the name of place lol. So next my adventure begins…
Ambiance: Located in the TL, this average size shop covers most of your banh mi needs. Inside very simple set up no frills strictly all business. I’m suprise they can fit 5 regular tables set up for four with 2 – 3 stools of counter seating facing Geary street. Place is nothing more than one stand alone beverage fridge, cold deli display case, contour counter, makeshift close tables for potted plants, flatscreen (tune to real estate get rich schemes). The counter all cluster with faux gold/​red plaques, bamboo scroll drawings, figurines, couple of paper money (first dollar ever received since opening). Menu board that still uses the pull/​plug plastic letterings. Rest of the stuff are just necessities to run the business refrigerator, toaster, over register, prepping counter, hand sink. Place is by far the cleanest even with all the cluster surrounding it, compare to others.
Staff: A older man about mid 50s to early 60s speaks perfect English understands what people ask. Very rare in this area to have a person thats so cool and slang like. He didn’t push for me to buy, I just ask if there was meatball left. He nodded yes and we’re in business. I ask if I see the kind of roll they use and he obliged. Shows me the same exact one that I’ve searching for. Having bad luck with the rolls lately, but not here.
Cleanliness: Grade B, What can I say? The place is for sandwich making so crumbs are expected. Falls in the middle catagory of not clean and clean feel. Restroom with a water heater and mop bucket was gross looking. Good thing they shove it in the back, but still out of sight even better.
Eats/​Drinks: Meatball banh mi $ 4. Inside the bread roll generous amount of well seasoned finely minced meat that took me by suprise. Now when we hear meatball, we often think round 2’in size versions. That’s not going to happen here. Its more like smashed up for you, but spread out evenly from front to end on the bread. There wasn’t anything artificial about it. Now if there were any, I couldn’t detect it. The roll was just the kind I had hope for light, airy and toasted to slight crunch. Since it was my first here, I ask for all fixing to be included. The carrots and daikon were grated perfectly soak with just a touch of vinegar. I should’ve ask for extra cilantro, but being first timer, I was afraid. Not sure if he was gonna be upset or not. My conclusion tells me this place is experience sando makers, no novice. First bite, I knew this was the place to get any banh mi sandos. Best part is my jaw wasn’t tiring from chewing, unlike other places with hard chewy rolls.
Main Features: Assorted various banh mi of all kinds. Their bread are the main attraction for me at least.
Products/​Services: Banh mi-​cured pork/​fanci pork, sardines, combination. Cold/​hot beverages, Vietnamese coffee, lemon soda w/​plum, meatball soup w/​bread. Extra meat $ 1. No Wi-​Fi.
Punch Lines: Sketchy area, muni bus, nothing out of the ordinary, friendly, warm service, made to order, inexpensive, average wait time 5 min, drool worthy, pleasing flavors, zippy service, calm vibe, best cheap eats around, well prepared, kept its standard, causal and delicious, plain décor, street parking.
Tradeoffs: You come for the perfect tasty banh mi in an not so friendly part of the city. You won’t see neon lights or flashy signs that ask for $ 6 – 8 per sando. Just a run down place that has more than adequate experience in banh mi making.
Final Thoughts: So the adventure for banh bread rolls stops here, thanks to Cherylynn N again. Lately it just been a journey searching for the right kind of bread. Most are either too hard, chewy or both. I don’t like places that thinks they can get away with over charging customers. Thats because of the area its located in. Here I didn’t feel taken advantage of or received something that turns out to be otherwise. Wish more of these places can perhaps make a comeback. Lastly seems like they raise their prices every year by $.25. When Cherylynn went it was $ 3 then Victor G went $ 3.5. I went its $ 4! HD please don’t go any higher, I may need to break piggy bank.

Best Vietnamese sandwiches in the city for its price. Much different then Lee’s and Saigon sandwich. Try it out.

I love my viet sammies! I would drive FAR just to savor in viet sammies!!!
I’ve ordered sandwiches from here a few times. I usually order the Combo sandwich to go AND meatball soup with bread! SOOOO GOOODDDD!!!
I like their bread — warm and crunchy, perfectly toasted. Crust to bread ratio is perfect! And just the right amount of filling! You know. some places just have TOO MUCH bread with not enough filling. as if I paid for BREAD instead of a SANDWICH. –_​_​–
If you decide to come here, as most Unilocalers have mentioned, do yourself a favor and try the meatball soup. Each order comes with 3 meatballs in a broth. You won’t be disappointed! Very flavorful meatballs in a very flavorful broth! Have one try. and you’ll be left wanting morrreeee!!!
Overall. good place for viet sammies, if you’re in the area!

This hole-​in-​the-​wall Vietnamese café does it right. I ordered the combo banh mi and meatball soup on the recommendation of a friend.
The sandwich is very nicely laid out, with a little bit of everything in each bite: cha lua, headcheese, pâté, jalapeño, carrots, daikon, cilantro, even a scallion sliver. And the bread is crisp in texture but not teeth-​shatteringly hard, which is sometimes a problem with banh mi.
The meatball soup is really quite excellent. The dish is like something a Vietnamese grandma would make, homestyle and very comforting. I love the soft, delicate texture of the meat, which crumbles gently as you bite into it. Oftentimes, meatballs tend to be dense and rubbery, but these are really airy in texture. And the soup is a delicately flavored complement.
The meatball soup can be ordered with bread or without, and I discovered that dipping the sandwich in the soup is a great combo; almost like a Vietnamese style French dip. Very addictive!
The shop is conveniently located right along the 38 Geary line. It’s cash-​only and closes at 4pm, so make sure to come early!

do NOT. EVER. go here. seriously terrible.
if u’re in this area, do yourself the favor and walk the two extra blocks to Saigon Sandwich– which is amazing.

Came here with my boyfriend to try the bahn mi and meatball soup. A no-​nonsense place where lots of Asian men come to hang out, drink coffee and watch TV.
The bahn mi was pretty good (but not the best I’ve had) — it had limited meats in it compared to bahn mi’s from other places (similar to Sing Sing actually), but overall still good and cheap! The soup was also pretty good.
The service is very friendly. Would come again if in the neighborhood.

Pretty good sandwich and super cheap, but did not leave me wanting more. You know a place is legit when there are tons of old Vietnamese dudes sitting around on a weekday just hanging out and drinking iced coffee. There are about 5 sandwiches to choose from, and a few items like meatball soup. The cashier was an old Asian man who I assume was the owner, and was very pleasantly surprised when he washed his hands after handling money and before making my sandwich. Small wins…
I ordered the Meatball Sandwich (aka Cha Siu) thinking it was BBQ pork, but instead got a warm meatball sandwich which I was OK with since it was a hot sandwich and so many Unilocalers raved about the meatball. It tasted homemade, and exactly like you would expect. I think I am not a fan of meatball banh mi.
I might return if I’m in the area, and would encourage sticking with the combination sandwich. If you want to try the meatball get the meatball soup. Saigon Sandwiches is still my cold standard for banh mi.

It’s all about the combo banh mi ’cause I’m in love wit a sandwich!
Three types of pork packed into a flaky roll is where it’s at.
Why…WHY isn’t this open past 4pm? Surrounded by bars, this place should be shelling these out to the alcoholics! This dive has seven no smoking signs in a little bitty area and is a tad off putting upon first sight. This was hands down the best $ 3.50 I’ve spent in a long time though and a reminder not to judge a book by it’s cover.

Second stop in bahn mi haul. I got both the combination and fancy pork bahn mi. The sandwich is a little bigger than Sing Sing’s and they really pack it with meat! The carrot and radish salad is a little more flavorful than other places. They also put a sauce on the sandwich that I haven’t seen before. The bahn mi was greasier than what I’m used to. And by greasy, I don’t mean in a bad way. It made the crusty baguette easier to bite into and chew. Definitely a must have if you’re a bahn mi lover!

The best Vietnamese sandwich I’ve had in sf so far! I’m from Socal/​Westminster where Vietnamese sandwiches are made in a manufacturing line and tossed together in two seconds. i was extremely (and pleasantly) surprised when it took several minutes to make each sandwich, they toasted and wrapped them with care! it was awesome.
we ordered the combination sandwiches. i ordered the normal combo sandwich (with extra jalapenos) and my friend ordered the same with double meat. even though he paid an extra 2 bucks, there was no noticeable amount of extra meat.
the place is a bit run down so i suggest just getting it to to go and eating it at a nearby park or something more «scenic» than the TL. still a great spot that i would highly recommend!

Stopped by for the xiu mai nuoc (which I still think should be called banh mi xiu mai) and was pleasantly surprised.
The meatballs were very well seasoned and you could tell that they were most certainly home made. The bread was crisp and soft on the inside (could have been softer and airier).
The man who helped me was very helpful and even let me change my order after he had already started building my sandwich.
The only gripe I had was with the iced coffee! I like seeing my coffee drip at the table so you know it’s fresh but they serve there’s pre-​mixed!

One of the best banh mis I’ve ever had!
I enjoyed the flavors a lot more than Saigon Sandwich. While Saigon Sandwich is packed to be brim with things, Hoang Dat’s banh mi seems strategically packed. It’s a short and stout sandwich. The bread is perfectly buttered and crispy, and not too thick nor too thin. It’s exponentially better than Lee’s bread, which is like cardboards cutting up your mouth. I’ve noticed they put a cucumber and a green onion in their sandwiches that makes the taste more fresh. Also, I like that there are different ingredients in different parts of the sandwich which makes every bite taste different, resulting in me not getting tired of eating the same flavors over and over. It’s very rich while still tasting healthy. Very hearty sandwich indeed. Watch out if you can’t handle the spice because they use HOT peppers — hotter than any other banh mi places I’ve been too.
Their meatball soup is also very good. If you get it with bread, it could be a meal in itself. I tried splitting the soup with my own side of banh mi, and couldn’t even get though the second meatball. The portions of everything look pretty small but they are actually really filling. All very affordable at $ 3.75÷3.50 per sando and $ 3.75 for the soup (4.50 with bread).
As far as for ambiance, this place is super legit. I would have never gone in here without the help of Unilocal.I think my party was the only non-​Vietnamese in there and I was a bit intimidated. The outside (beautiful Tenderloin) does not help either. Despite all this, the owner was very accommodating and super friendly though his broken english.
Btw, cash only and if you dine in, you pay after your meal.

Hoang Dat is a storefront selling vietnamese coffee (3), superior coffee (?), and banh mi. the few tables are occupied by elderly vietnamese. many seem surprised at outsiders coming in to patronize this coffee shop
flatscreen: vietnamese videos
menu: 4 kinds of banh mi (3.5+)
eats: combo (dac biet) banh mi (3.5)
–different kinds of vietnamese deli meats within toasted bun + cilantro, daikon, carrot. mostly meat, little veggie, slight msg taste (in pâté).
*good value, meaty eats, 4.5 stars
(seems prices up recently).
crumbs:
–asked to take a seat by owner, no room to stand
–sat in front of gaming machine
–elderly vietnamese asked me to move
–guessed my ass was soaking up someone’s future fortune.
–cash only

My continued search for authentic banh mi led me to Hoang Dat Coffee Shop following good reviews but alas it failed to measure up against its great contemporaries around.
The hallmark of a great banh mi is great crusty fresh bread but I found the bread here to be so-​so… even a little stale. (
) The flavor profiles on my combination banh mi weren’t better either. The veggies didn’t taste pickled and the mayo, in addition to the meat, led to an overall fatty taste. I missed the bright and crisp balance of flavor that I had come to expect when eating a banh mi.
The lady that runs the place is really friendly though and it is a cheap eat but I doubt I’ll be back since there are other great banh mi places in the surrounding blocks.

«Smack that, all on the floor»
«Hoang Dat, Banh Mi some more»
«Smack that, oooh!»
Despite my off-​key lyrics from Akon’s classic jam and my unusual visits to casual lunch spots, you can’t beat the price of the $ 3.00 Combination banh mi from this tiny shithole deli. The Vietnamese sandwich had slices of head-​cheese, pâté, shredded cucumbers, carrots and daikon on a toasted roll. Add that sandwich with a «strong» $ 3.00 cup of Iced coffee you will get a complete meal.
That is all; the small deli serve are sandwiches, gourmet Cup of Noodles and other few items.
I can’t leave the bakery without learning a lick of the Vietnamese language from many of the regulars who was hanging out at the shop.
Despite my first visit, service was nice. The owner’s dad was also cool too, despite continuing to offer me tea. Despite not speaking the language, I need to tell him several times that «I’m not a tea-​drinker». But the thought and offering was thoughtful.
For my next visit, I need to learn the language… and work on my lyrics.

THE BEST $ 3 I’VE EVER SPENT… Gotta Love Your Hole-​In-​The-​Walls!!!
Hoang Dat Coffee Shop epitomizes what hole-​in-​the-​walls are all about: cheap, quick and most importantly, serves tummy-​filling food bursting with flavor. The menu is very simple, there are 5 types of Banh Mi’s and several drink options. Everything is $ 3-​$ 4.25. You can add extra meat for $ 1. CASH ONLY!
Even though HDCS is located in the Civic Center/​TL, it’s more towards Van Ness Avenue, so it’s not in the shady area part of TL. As you walk into DHCS, you will find many Vietnamese regulars which is always a good sign of a solid, authentic joint.
On Saturday, 5.7.11, I came to HDCS looking for the Xiu Mai (Meatball Soup), but unfortunately my errand running went a bit longer than anticipated so when I got there at 3 PM (closes at 4 PM), they had already sold out. As the friendly owner suggested, I got the Banh Mi Dac Biet — Combo Banh Mi instead.
BANH MI DAC BIET ($ 3): PARTAY IN MY MOUTH – WOOT WOOT!!!
Inside, the toasted baguette were layers of the roast pork, steamed pork, head cheese with a light smearing of pâté and mayo (non-​egg yolk based) that was topped with accoutrements of pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, scallion and jalapeño.
The bread was high-​quality which was exhibited in its crusty and chewy texture. It didn’t crumble or fall apart like some cheap baguettes tend to do after being toasted. I liked that the baguette was hollowed out which allows you taste all the fillings instead of just the bread. The combination of the meats and fresh and vibrant accoutrements created layers of salty, savory, creamy, tangy, sweet and sour flavors with a fiery kick that EXPLODED in my mouth with each bite!
Saigon Sandwiches still has my favorite Banh Mi Dac Biet, HOWEVER, HDCS is a great alternative to it as it has less mayo and pâté making it a much lighter sandwich. The bread doesn’t cut the roof of your mouth like Saigon Sandwiches’ tends to. Also, you don’t have to bother with a crazy long line and there’s 4 – 5 small tables where you can enjoy your Banh Mi at. Unlike other hole-​in-​the-​walls, HDCS is well-​lit and the tables are spiffy clean with no dirt or grime.
Strapped on cash and looking for an authentic Banh Mi that will tantalize your every taste buds? Look no further, HDCS is the place to go!