Who is making your favorites? High end or low end, any new varieties worth seeking out?
I’m a big fan of the Huang Lan chain in the South Bay, and especially like that they make their own pate. The bread is from Bui Phong bakery. BTW, do any of their current locations make pork buns? I loved the ones I had 10+ years ago.
Mom’s Bun Mi in the tenderloin is a newcomer. They have fancier types like lemongrass beef and curry chicken, but I got their combo. The Bakers of Paris rolls are lightly seasoned with mayo and soy? sauce, and the meats and pickles are layered for maximum crunch. Even though you can’t eat the cilantro in the same bite as the pork belly, fancy pork, and jambon, I like this better than the combo at Sing Sing, a few blocks away. The pate plays a larger role in Sing Sing’s combo (pic below), which I like, but the meats there are layered without loft.
I sometimes get them from Cam Hung since its closer to where I am. It is a hole-in-the-wall little place in a tiny random mall in the middle of nowhere in Sunnyvale. It gets quite a lot of traffic from tech workers who work near by. Mostly for takeouts though it does have 2 or 3 tables.
I also like Huong Lan in San Jose. Phat Tri also seemed to be popular when I was there. It was a while ago for both of these places so I don’t remember much details other than that I enjoyed the banh mis…
Recently I was at Sonny’s Cafe in S. San Jose. It is a nice option.
Not to nitpick, but Mom’s Bun Mi is not exactly new, but a makeover of Simpy Delight by the same owner. It appears that the image polishing is working.
Didn’t finish them all at once though. I’d rather have leftovers than get stuck with theme park food. With that said, leftover banh mis are kinda soggy.
I think that refers to food at Gilroy Gardens. That’s the only theme park I can think of in Gilroy and it looks like the person who posted was headed there.
When in the area I used to like Irving Cafe & Deli but found out they had closed when I stopped by last week (looks like they changed ownership over a year ago). Since I had parking I decided to try their replacement - Que Huong Vietnamese Deli. Roast pork banh mi was fully of fatty pork, no noticeable jalapenos and the carrots and cukes did not have much flavor so nothing to contrast the fat. Spring rolls were similarly flavorless. So I guess I’m posting as a warning rather than a recommendation.
Recently again had Cafe Bunn Mi on Clement and Saigon Sandwich, which remain my top two in the city.
I really enjoy the ones at Cherimoya in Burlingame, they use regular French bread, perhaps Semifreddi, and the sandwich is moist. I find that the lighter bread is a bit dry without enough mayo.
My go-to lunch banh mi used to be a cart at the corner of Main & Market, but I haven’t seen them there for quite a while. They typically don’t set up in the winter, but they stopped appearing there sometime in late summer this year, so they may actually be gone. Anybody else familiar with this one, and anybody know if they’ll be coming back?
I have recently become a fan of Ty Sandwich, on Mission Street in the Excelsior (San Francisco), which I discovered because I work nearby. I am particularly fond of the grilled pork banh mi, which is packed with freshly grilled and marinated pork. I have tried most of the menu and keep returning to the grilled pork, but everything is good. The rolls are a bit more substantial than traditional rice flour only, but still light and crackly with a soft interior. The marinated vegetables sometimes seem to include onion, which I really like. I highly recommend the store, and if you want to have something other than a sandwich, their chicken wings bring the fish sauce funk in the best way.
The last Yelp review is dated December 10 of this year, so they can’t have been gone for long.
Here’s a piece I did 3 years ago. They had a second stand at California and Sansome; have you looked there? The’s also a phone number on the sign you could try.
