Saigon Sandwich is a restaurant that is famous for its banh mis in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.

More banh mi for you and me

A cult favorite that stands on its own outside of pho and other popular Vietnamese cuisine, the venerated, affordable and obsessively beloved banh mi is yet another treasured Southeast Asian export. Being a tasty utensil-free meal cheaper than the typical local price point, the French-Vietnamese sandwich has especially high value in the Bay Area as a quick go-to, day or night.

Layers of pork and pate, pickled and diced carrots and daikon, fresh cilantro, cucumber and hidden jalapeno or serrano chili nuggets coalesce between a light baguette for what may be one of the most in-demand subway sandwiches around. Try the traditional recipe or fusion options by one of these casual BARTable banh mi experts where quick counter-service is often the call.

Meat and tofu banh mi sandwiches fly out the door of the tiny counter-service favorite that keeps things barebones in ambiance but bountiful in flavors.

Saigon Sandwich

Civic Center/UN Plaza (SF)

Around the corner from El Cerrito Plaza Station, Banh Mi Ba Le Vietnamese Sandwich Deli dishes out plenty of banh mi sandwiches, soups, salads, rice plates and ever-popular Vietnamese iced coffee.

Banh Mi Ba Le Vietnamese Sandwich Deli

El Cerrito Plaza

Eschewing any restaurant feel for straight-up supermarket kitchen counter simplicity, Mission Banh Mi draws more than a few hungry lunch-goers into Duc Loi Market.

Mission Banh Mi

16th St. Mission (SF)

As of September 2018, this restaurant is closed.

Cam Huong Cafe (Closed)

12th St. Oakland City Center

by Linda Koffman

Linda Koffman is an SF-based freelance writer and editor. Also a beginner gardener by day/performing songwriter by night, she feels grateful to live a life of extremes balancing plenty of contemplative silence with rocking out in a band. When not writing, she keeps her hands busy (and dirty) with old guitar strings and soil, and enjoys engaging with the Bay Area’s diverse environmental and cultural beauty. She loves puns to a fault and shamelessly laughs at her own jokes.