Vietnamese bánh mì might just be the best sandwich. Fortunately, in Austin, you’re never more than a baguette’s throw—or a quick drive—away from a great one. Here are a few of our favorites that you can get right now. And please, don’t throw baguettes.
THE SPOTS
Fresh Bowl in North Austin is perhaps one of the only spots in town that makes their own rice noodles for phở—which should definitely be part of your order—but our absolute favorite thing here is the bánh mì. The baguette comes out toasted and puffy, resulting in an audible crunch and a small shower of crumbs after each bite, and there are enough pickled veggies and cilantro to brighten up the savory fillings it all holds. While you can get a few different bánh mì here, we like the house special—made with a tiny mountain of cold cuts and roasted meats, plus a very generous spread of pâté and mayo.
The bánh mì at Le Bleu in North Shoal Creek is pretty much the same one that you can get at Saigon Le Vendeur (it’s from the same team), but it just means that you have another access point to one of the best sandwiches in town. The biggest difference at Le Bleu is that in addition to more classic bánh mì fillings—like grilled pork, cold cuts, and tofu—here you also unlock access to a few less-conventional ones, like garlic butter prawns or marinated and cubed ribeye. That, and you have a few more add-on options, like fried eggs or sour green mango.
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The first thing you might notice about the bánh mì at The B’s Kitchen is the bread—it’s coated in an intense layer of microblisters that adds a really great texture to every bite, while the inside remains perfectly soft. They also make their own chili sauce, which packs a little heat and some extra roasted flavor. We like to get the pork belly or pork shoulder bánh mì here, but you can also get the classic with cold cuts, chicken, beef, or tofu.
The sandwiches at Ng Cafe are smaller and more compact than some of the others we’ve had in town, with a generous layer of pâté and house-made mayo. But the bread really brings it all together—a toasted, house-made French baguette with a crispy exterior and a soft center. We’re big fans of the classic here, with Asian ham and pork head cheese, but the shredded pork skin version is a close second favorite.
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The baguettes at Pho Van are small, with pointy tips that feel like little torpedoes—it helps with aerodynamics when you’re trying to launch these at your face as quickly as possible. Our go-to here is the grilled pork bánh mì, packed full of smoky, savory chunks of char-grilled pork, and doused in just enough of a semi-sweet glaze to keep the whole sandwich incredibly juicy.
We usually go with the grilled pork bánh mì at Saigon Le Vendeur, in which the pork is cut fairly thick, so each piece is crispy on the outside with a juicy interior. But you can also keep it classic with the cold-cut and pâté version. If you’re looking for more of a dine-in experience (Saigon operates out of a trailer), you can also visit their sister restaurant Le Bleu, near 183 and Burnet. The bánh mì at the two are nearly identical—a big plus when there’s not much to improve on.
Pho Phong Lu'u might be best known for their pho, but they also make some great sandwiches. There’s only one meat option—with cold cuts and pâté—served warm, with crusty bread, a generous portion of meat, and enough pâté to make its presence known in every bite. And, of course, plenty of pickled veggies to balance it all together.
Baguette House has been serving quality bánh mì in Austin’s Chinatown for years. They have a variety of traditional options, from the cold-cut classic—made with house-made mayonnaise and pickled vegetables, pâté, cilantro, and jalapeño—to the super-savory grilled pork. We can’t really pick a favorite, but at around $6 each, you can probably grab a couple and save one for later.
The bánh mì at Pho Please might be our winner in the bargain category, based on size alone. The sandwiches here are big enough to fill us up for a couple of meals. We could eat their house-made mayo on just about anything, but it’s especially good on the lemongrass beef or the pork belly bánh mì. If you happen to live closer to campus, they have a sister location, Sip Pho, where you can get the same great sandwiches.
We’re fans of the Bánh Mì Dac Biet at Lily’s—aka the Lily Gourmet sandwich—which has a bunch of different cold cuts, including head cheese, roast pork, ham, and pâté. The baguette is crisp on the outside and tender in the middle, but still slightly dense. At around $6, it’s one of the more filling bánh mì we’ve had. If you order one to go, they’ll offer to pack the vegetables separately so the sandwich doesn’t get soggy.
Banh Mi Galang doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside you’ll find a menu of bánh mì about as classic as they come. And while you can get tasty versions of grilled pork, beef, and shrimp, it’s the Combo Sandwich you should be ordering here. It’s packed with Vietnamese pork, pâté, and head cheese, with just the right amount of fatty bits to balance out each bite.
Tam Deli is probably most well known for their bánh mì served on crisp yet doughy homemade baguette. There are a lot of tasty options for bánh mì fillings, including fried butter garlic shrimp and chargrilled pork. Our go-to is the #10 combination sandwich that brings together pâté, roast pork, and roasted chicken alongside mayonnaise and bánh mì vegetables, making for a very delicious ersatz-Vietnamese chicken salad sandwich.
