Vietnam Cafe & Sandwich

Went just before closing on a weeknight and got the pork banh mi and a taro bubble tea for ten bucks. The Banh mi is solid. The pork is nicely marinated and tender, though it may be too spicy for those with a lower tolerance. The daikon and carrots are sweet and crunchy and other ingredients fresh as well. The bubble tea tastes good, but texturally the tapoica pearls are off – too chewy and slightly mealy in the center, a sign that they sat around a little too long before serving. The ratio of bubbles: tea was also off, with too few bubbles for my taste (one or two per sip would be ideal). Size of the tea was generous, however. Will be back, but I will stick to hot tea.

I’d driven past this place several times, even bought flowers from the family that sells them at the gas station next door. However, I never discovered the delicious food that was upstairs until a few short weeks ago.
Parking is pretty difficult in this area, but that’s Ballard. If I lived a bit closer I’d walk here more often.
The food is amazing. Spring rolls, chicken phở, and a bahn mi to-​go were 5 stars all the way. Got a blended taro boba tea too and I still have dreams about it. Just do yourself a favor and go. The service is great as well. Just like you’re family!

I very much enjoyed their Phở. The basil and sprouts were fresh, the chunks of jalapeño were thick, and I felt there was more meat in the Phở compared to Phở Than Brothers. I left warm and full! The perfect food for a cold winter afternoon!

I live around the corner and have eaten here many times. The food is consistently good. Phở is flavorful, the vermicelli bowl is very good. I like that the sauce for the vermicelli is not too sweet. Many other places add too much sugar but the sauce here is perfect. Their Bahn Mi sandwiches are solid too, fresh grilled meat and good bread. The cook is also always very friendly! Highly recommend!

I’ve lived around the corner from this place for a year and hadn’t popped in yet. Decided to give the combination banh mi a try and was pleasantly surprised.
I’ve had a hard time finding a solid banh mi since moving from Orange County, CA. This definitely was a contender. The daikon was well pickled, and the pâté didn’t feel too heavy.
The bbq meats were well flavored, though I prefer the classics (head cheese, jambon, the pseudo-​mystery stuff).
For $ 6 (including tax) it’s a solid lunch option.

Over priced, under filled, and I found a piece of plastic in my sandwich. There was probably one strong if ham in mine. The bread at least could have been good but it lacked crunch.
The other stuff looks good but I’ve had much better sandwiches.
The service was also pretty bad.

Food is good, but their front store sign is ugly! They should invest more in the aesthetics of their logo and shop sign. It looks cheap!

#43

The sandwich is filled with delicious, fresh vegetables all brightly colored and flavorful. Their bread is soft but with a crunchy exterior, pleasing on every front. We got the barbeque pork, which was tender and flavorful as well.
The bubble tea surprised me by its size and wonderful flavor. The iced coffee comes similar to a milkshake with boba and is smooth and wonderfully rich without being overpowering.
It’s a small, quiet hidden gem with great prices and amazing food. Will happily return and look forward to doing so!

OK. Coffee is good.
Overall, maybe it was because the last time I had banh mi was in Asia itself, but the bread is too big for the amount of meat they give you, and everything simply tasted mediocre.
Tried the banh mi, egg rolls, and salt and pepper tofu.

The veggie phở was good but the prices are a little high for lunch.

Scrumptious and richly flavored grilled tofu in the tofu noodle bowl, and also the tofu banh mi. In the noodle bowl, the tofu had been prepared with thinly sliced onions and was just a lip smacking savory mess of yum. My husband had the tofu banh mi — good bread, fresh herbs and veggie and more of that well seasoned and grilled tofu. The fried tofu appetizer was the only disappointment: bland except for some black pepper that appeared shaken on after it was plated, but was okay after dipping it in the accompanying sauce. The 12 year old in our party also declared the tofu phở bowl a thumbs up.
We are soooo glad we stumbled on this place. We had just left the 5 Seasons Grill on Aurora which we discovered is closed for good, to our disappointment. We were on our way to the Monkey Bridge to get our banh mi and phở fix when we drove by this café. What this place lacks in atmosphere is made up by the good food. Appears to be a true family run business with the cook’s young daughter and son serving as cashier and waiter. If you don’t mind eating under a «Smile — you are on camera» sign and aren’t expecting any pomp, try this café. They have a few outdoor tables with umbrellas.
Bottom line: when we are craving a tofu banh mi or tofu noodle bowl, this will be our new favorite destination.

Taste just like my phở meal in Vietnam ! Absolutely love it and would recommend it to all my friends! The place has a nice vibe, defiantly a family place. I got the #63 phở. Nice and warm on a cold day. That’s all I can eat when it’s freezing outside.

Maybe I’m spoiled, but this place isn’t quite all that it should be. My Mother is Vietnamese, and I grew up in the area where Phở and Vietnamese cuisine basically spawned in the US. The best Bahn Mi I have found is actually in Chicago, and the best Phở in Washington DC. The Phở here is not even in the same league and tastes like Phở I could make at home with chicken broth and seasoning packets. Like a glorified ramen noodles. Sorry for the harshness, but that’s the truth. It’s not that special and I really hoped it would be as good as back home.
The Bahn Mi, well I’ve only tried one of them and it was decent. I may go back for the sandwich since it is very convenient to my place, but once you’ve had proper, delicious Bahn Mi, it’s really hard to appreciate anything less.

Excellent spicy tofu Banh mi. Seasoning was fantastic! The man working there was very nice too, great customer service. Will certainly go back.

Went here a few weeks ago to get a Banh Mi to-​go for my husband and me, after I had just gotten a pedicure next door. I was quite surprised to see the gentleman who just finished my pedicure taking my order for my Banh Mi. Looks like there is some secret passage way between the two businesses. ;) Not going to lie, it was a little unnerving to have the guy who just finished scrubbing my toes now making my lunch. But I must give credit where credit is due. The Banh Mi was quite good. Maybe it has just been a while since I’ve had one, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think this business owner should stick with what they do best… Banh Mi’s and not Pedi’s!
(See review for Salon de Paris for the Pedi review)

Omg, the best vegetarian banh mi tofu sandwich in Seattle. I’ve had both take and out and eaten here multiple times, never to be left disappointed. I should say, I only order the banh mi sandwich (spicy tofu with veggies) — it’s SO amazing, my mouth starts to salivate just thinking about it.
I love this hole in the wall!

I’ve been by this place countless times and never really noticed. I was in Ballard looking for something to eat and ran across this business.
As has been noted, it is located upstairs so it is not accessible to everyone. Everything was very clean but a little plain. There were two employees there and a 4-​top table when I went in. The service I received was quick and friendly.
I originally went in to order a bahn mi but called an audible and ordered a pork vermicelli bowl instead. For $ 8.50, it was a good sized portion. The pork was perfectly tender but slightly under seasoned. The noodles were perfect. I got the order to go and I will say that the container it came in was not conducive to mixing everything up (lack of space).
I found this to be a reasonable lunch for the price and someplace I can return to.

I really enjoy this place for lunch, much over other Vietnamese places in the area actually. Very fresh ingredients, the sandwiches have the freshest bread and whatever they’re cooking their tofu in, is DELICIOUS! Nicely grilled and lemongrass-​y. Often I find lunch places taking short cuts and I get a pile of overcooked mushy noodles in my vermicelli bowl, but this place is way better! I hope to come here more often.

First of all, the food was hot, fresh and tasty. BUT… The place was empty at 6:30. (Not a good sign) The service was lousy. (Especially since we were the only customers) The atmosphere was unwelcoming. Harsh, bright, unappetizing fluorescent lights. The background music was Christian rock. They don’t serve alcohol. The condiment jars on the table were stuck shut. The waitress refilled our water, but never asked if we needed anything during the meal. She never cleared the finished plates. She nearly forgot to bring our check at the end. And they were closing up at 7:30 p.m. before we were ready to leave.
I can’t recommend this place And I won’t be giving it another try. The way this space has turned over so quickly lately, I can’t imagine it staying around much longer.