🥖 Banh Mi

Banh mi is the Vietnamese sandwich: a light, crisp baguette filled with savory meat, pickled vegetables, fresh herbs and sauce. It is one of the most popular street foods in Vietnam and a lunchtime favorite in Vietnamese bakeries and delis across the United States.

A short history
The baguette arrived in Vietnam during the French colonial period. Vietnamese bakers adapted it with a lighter, airier crumb and a thin crackly crust, and street vendors in Saigon began filling it with local ingredients such as pate, grilled pork, pickles, cilantro and chili. The result is a sandwich that is French in bread and Vietnamese in everything else. In English, “banh mi” can refer to the sandwich, but in Vietnamese the words simply mean “bread”.

What goes into a banh mi

Bread: a small, crisp baguette, often baked fresh the same day.
Protein: grilled pork, cold cuts, shredded chicken, meatballs, fried egg or tofu.
Spread: mayonnaise, pate or both, sometimes with a splash of soy-based seasoning.
Pickles: sweet-sour carrot and daikon (do chua).
Fresh: cucumber, cilantro and sliced chili.

Popular types

Banh mi thit nguoi: the classic “special” with Vietnamese cold cuts, ham and pate.
Banh mi thit nuong: grilled marinated pork.
Banh mi xiu mai: pork meatballs in tomato sauce.
Banh mi ga: shredded or grilled chicken.
Banh mi op la: fried egg, a common breakfast version.
Banh mi chay: vegetarian, usually with tofu or mushrooms.

How to order
Most shops number their sandwiches, so you can order by number or by name. You can usually ask for no chili, extra pickles or no cilantro. A banh mi is made to be eaten fresh, while the bread is still crisp, so eat it soon after it is made. Many shops also sell Vietnamese iced coffee, which is a classic pairing.

What to look for
A good banh mi starts with good bread: crisp outside, light and airy inside, never tough or dense. The fillings should be balanced, with enough pickles and herbs to cut through the rich meat and spread. Bakeries that bake in house and sell sandwiches by the dozen at lunchtime are often a good bet. Browse the restaurants and bakeries below to find banh mi near you.