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Categories: Vietnamese, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: Borough Park9th Ave (D, M)
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WHAT THE crapness
i went to HS in a city with the largest population of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam and here is where i find the best Vietnamese sandwich?!
($500 for the person who knows the city. must respond in the form of a question. actually, since i don't have an extra $500, i'll give you a compliment!)
it was my dinner-to-go and i scarfed down my spicy pork sandwich on the plane. there was SO MUCH STUFF packed in the sandwich that it was exploding out of the bread: pickled daikon & carrots, meat, special paste, meat, more special paste, more veggies and on top of that.. more meat. i could only finish 3/4 of it. this is coming from a gal who eats A LOT.
i found myself talking to the sandwich
Me: "Are you real? Do you really exist? Why are you so delicious? I must be dreaming!"
of course this was going on in my head otherwise the lady next to me would've labeled me as NUTSO
i knew the smell would travel throughout the plane. it was definitely unusually quiet except for my crunching noises, but i didn't care. it was enjoying the best banh mi i have ever had on the small tray table.
yeah, NY is expensive when it comes to food.. but if you find little places like these... you TOO can survive in NY
I think the awesomeness of Ba Xuyen's banh mi has been properly documented, so I'll elaborate on some of the other reasons to love this place:
1. Giant buns filled with meat, egg, veggies - I think these are only available in the morning.
2. Avocado shake - so good, just enough sugar, lovely avocado flavor
3. Good strong Vietnamese coffee - I love the way the lady always looks a little skeptical when I order this. "Vietnamese coffee, you're sure?"
4. Egg, chinese sausage, pork roll over rice - breakfast of champions.
The banh mi is probably the only reason to travel far to get to Ba Xuyen, but if you're in the neighborhood it's worth exploring their other options.
It's been said before, but I'll say it again. Best banh mi in the city, and I've tried my fair share. Probably the least expensive as well.
So very worth the ride out to Sunset Park. If the weather is nice, grab your sandwich, an iced coffee and a couple baked snacks and walk around the block to the park and have yourself a picnic. Perfect meal for under $10.
Vietnamese food is the best in the world, OK? And they make sandwiches! Must be the influence of the French baguette, possibly the most perfect piece of "pain." For some reason, and it's a reason I don't question, because I'm glad for it, banh mi sandwiches have taken the city by storm. If you're willing to make the trek out to Ba Xuyen (pronounced Bah... I don't know), you're in for one of the best at the best value. C'mon, they put fresh coriander on these things! Coriander! At this point, I think I'm just adding stars to the average. My only tip is to bring your sandwich to nearby Sunset Park for stunning views of Manhattan from one of the highest (or the highest?) point in Brooklyn. It feels a little like Mission Park in San Francisco. Goes very well with Asian flavor (tacos to be found on the other side of the hill if you prefer that).
My favorite bahn mi. and fantastic thai ice tea, a real bargain at $1.75
mmm not what i thought hangover food would be but it did the trick!
ordered a special banh mi today from ba xuyen half alive... also asked for a bunch of other random stuff but they don't have it boo... would love to come back and try their hu tieu some time!
ok so the banh mi itself is not the typical bread that i'm used to... its denser... but pretty good quality bread... outsourced... has some sorta flavor to the dough i can't figure out what... regardless crispy crust...
nice amount of butter... should have told them to put extra that and mayo... but balance of meats was correct including that minced pork thing that i oh so love... not skimpy on that part... wish they had more pigs ear cartilage head cheese stuff... good portion of veggies with it as well...spicy peppers not a huge uncut chunk but nicely dispersed throughout the sandwich ... but what bothers me is the lack of maggi soy sauce? i couldn't taste it at all...
i mean its good but something bout it is still diff from the way its supposed to be done in houston!
also ordered banh xeo which tasted diff too... like the cakes were coconut flavored... and the mung bean was sweet... this is supposed to be a savory dish... still nice and soft
i'm interested to try their other stuff now!!
oh and they speak chinese...
recently found that they serve a pretty passable bowl of hu tieu
substantial broth, loaded with tendon, brisket, fishcake, shrimp and quail eggs(!) over your standard dried rice noodles
served with cilantro, green onion, and bean sprouts already in it (though you can ask them to omit any of the above); obligatory sriracha, fish sauce and lemon on the side
not the best i've had, but pretty amazing considering it's off-menu and a far cry from ba xuyen's specialty
hu tieu for a hangover, hot horlicks for these brisk autumn mornings, miscellaneous noodles and desserts rotated on a daily basis, all while continuing to serve the best banh mi in the five boroughs?
living two blocks away and spending entirely too much time here (and only a very modest amount of money)
best banh mi in nyc
crusty bread, proper pickles, excellent meat and cold cuts
try the #4 with extra…
Read more »
This is probably the best Vietnamese sandwich shop I have been to. Their bread is toasted and feels the most fresh. The meats are tasty. Their pickled vegetables are just the right amount of both tangy and sweet. And, as with most sandwich shops of this kind, the price point is nice: $3.75. I can't complain there. Especially since the sandwich is bigger than most you'd see in New York.
Note that it closes at 6.30 daily.
After trying different banh mi all over NYC/Brooklyn, I say with no hesitation that Ba Xuyen has the best vietnamese sandwiches in the area. A fact only made sweeter by the price point here, $3.75 a sandwich.
Although slightly inconsistent, their inconsistency only goes so far as to make "one of the best damned sandwiches you'll ever eat" into "an amazingly great sandwich."
I have taken everyone I can to Ba Xuyen, and even those who have initially been hesitant had to admit once they bitten through that warm crusty french baguette into the juicy contents within that the sandwiches here are seriously good.
There are 8 sandwich variations on the menu including the classic banh mi. I once ate at Ba Xuyen four times in one week. It's that good (although, for the record, as good as it is, I don't recommend the all banh mi diet). I usually opt for the classic (#1 on the menu), but the "Grilled Pork" (#8) is also an excellent choice.
I don''t care for the sardine version, although I do like sardines. It was just too salty, and the sardines really overpowered the rest of the ingredients of the sandwich. The balance between the ingredients in a good banh mi is really something wonderful, and I just don't think the sardine version here at Banh Mi lives up to the high standard the rest of the sandwiches have set here.
Half the sandwich will usually leave me nicely satisfied, although it's easy to pack away the whole thing now and then. If you want to save half, they're great later in the day or even tomorrow. Put it in the fridge, and take it out like 15 mins before you want to eat it so the sandwich wont be all cold and hard.
They do not offer a legitimate vegetarian option (no tofu sandwich), but will happily make one of all veggies for you if you ask. Personally though, I have no idea why you would want this, I'd say you should give up on the whole vegetarianism thing to try a bite of heaven. If you really want it, there are some noodle/rice dishes available in the cooler normally...
As far as those other options go (like the noodles in the cooler), I'd personally tell you to just skip them unless something really speaks to you. This place is all about the Banh Mi.
They also offer bubble teas, vietnamese coffee (condensed milk galore) and shake-type drinks. I got an avocado shake once and it was surprisingly pleasant, with a very refreshingly cool taste.
There's limited seating inside when there are rushes, but if the weather's nice out you can just go sit on the stoop outside, or take your sandwich to the park (I usually find myself unable to wait that long).
oh!! as a post script, you've got two options with the sandwiches here. "Spicy" (jalapeños & sriracha) or "No Spicy." It's not worth trying to explain that you want only sriracha for instance. If you want a milder version, I recommend asking for "no spicy," and when you get your sandwich requesting a small cup of sriracha so you can heat it up yourself.
Goods: toasty bread, fresh toppings, made by a nice Vietnamese lady, clean, no-frills shop, plenty of beverage options (non-alcohol), super cheap and haven't had problem with finding parking.
Bad: nothing really, but, maybe it's just me, I've always asked for "spicy" during my 2 visits without being able to taste any.
One of my favorite places in the five boroughs, hands down. A perfect Brooklyn day for me involves taking the B63 with my boyfriend to Sunset Park, walking up the hill through the park and having iced coffee and sandwiches at Ba Xuyen. This place reminds me of the OC's Little Saigon.
Bar none, the best banh mi i've had. it's cheap & delicious. The bubble tea is very good too! My fav is the taro slushy (make sure to tell them slushy, otherwise they'll make it into an iced tea) with tapioca balls. The balls are $.50 extra, but worth it.
Ba Xuyen's classic banh mi (#1) is one of the best I've tried. There's a certain futility to going around the city in search of THE best -- after a certain treshold of quality it just becomes about preference. Well, my preference may well be Ba Xuyen. Perfect bread, juicy cuts, flavorful pate for the price banh mi is supposed to be ($3.75). Props also to the basic cafeteria-style seating in a field where most competitiors literally leave you standing. Honestly, the only thing the recent explosion of banh mi shops might have on Ba Xuyen is convenience. Sure, this was a trek out to Borough Park, but it was worth it. (4.5 stars)
I've been introducing my boyfriend to new foods. He's a pizza & burger kind of guy so Banh Mi was an adventurous choice. His initial reaction was "ZOMG [unintelligible mumbling due to food in mouth] THIS IS SO GOOD." Well there you go. Ba Xuyen is pretty darn tasty.
I've basically tried everything on & off the menu. The #1 BBQ Pork is always a solid choice -- it has never failed to satisfy my banh mi cravings.
Now, if you manage to satisfy your Banh Mi craving, try the Fish Ball Noodle Soup or the Congee. Those are the items written in Chinese next to the cash register.
If you're not terribly hungry but have room for a quick snack, they have a variety of non-banh mi items such as eggrolls, yucca cake, bubble tea & a cold case stocked with American and SE Asian beverages.
Finally a place that serves authentic banh mae sandwiches in Brooklyn. Nothing more so telling than when compared to Hanco's. Hanco's which seems to have penetrated the gentrified areas of Brooklyn, including my very own Park Slope, does Vietnamese sandwiches a disservice. A proper banh mae sandwich should include generous portions of salty meats, sweet radish, cilantro and a slight touch of fish sauce. The sandwiches are not supposed to be expensive - usually never over $4 even in Manhattan. Sorry Jared, no "five dollar foot longs" here. Hanco's sandwiches run on the smaller side, and their prices are a sin. Do yourself a favor and skip over the clean areas of Brooklyn, head to colorful Sunset Park and get yourself a better sandwich. You wont regret it.
The Best. I go there for coffee almost every morning and they have the selection between their normal great coffee or special Vietnamese coffee. All the prices are perfectly low but this doesn't have any noticeable consequences on the food quality. The lunch sandwhiches are all amazing except I am not such a big fan of the pulled pork they have, try the number 4!
In the pantheon of culinary accomplishments, making the best Banh Mi in New York City (which, to be fair, Ba Xuyen probably does) ranks somewhere between selling the freshest lobsters in Moline and vintning Saskatchewan's finest Riesling.
This city is not kind to fans of Vietnamese food.
Between Thanh Da and Ba Xuyén I will take Ba Xuyén every time. The sandwich was tastier. The staff friendlier and the place seemed in better order as far as cleanliness is concerned.
This place is a bit inconsistent.
Someday's their sandwiches are amazing. Other day's all you get is tons of spam. The cashiers are like that too. Someday's they are super friendly. Other day's they just dont want to see your face.
Overall, I would go back but I dont expect anything outstanding. But their sandwiches are yummy if made right.
PS. my mom loves their coffee. [I have never tried it.]
OMG you must order the #1 Combination sandwich. you won't be sorry! Skip the bakery items on the right of the restaurant and opt for the things in the steel container. Deviled eggs, Vietnamese friend rice, spring rolls, and delicious sticky rice desserts should make your mouth drool with delight. You can also wash down your tasty Vietnamese goods with a nice Thai Milk Iced Tea, Papaya Shake, or Avocado Shake for a refreshing end to your glorious meal in a not so glamorous place.
This is THE place to go for your Banh Mi fix. All the different sandwiches are filled with tasty goodness and served in a real French roll. Perfect crispiness, excellent taste combinations in a clean environment with an outstanding and friendly staff. After my first time, I wanted to go behind the counter and give the ladies a big hug, but that would have been weird. So I just strolled the neighborhood with a big grin on my face and a bubble tea in my hand.
While you're there, try their taro or red bean cakes and a bubble tea or durian shake (if you dare). You won't be disappointed. A truly perfect lunch experience.
Oh, did I mention your Banh Mi will cost you a measly $3.75!! Subway can go stuff it with their $5 subs.
Best Banh Mi I've had out of the 5 or 6 different places I've gone to. Everything is done perfectly, the counter staff are friendly, and I've yet to be disappointed by any of the desserts. The traditional sandwich is best, but you can't go wrong.
Coffee is pretty good too.
Love this place! Incredibly cheap, delicious, and not crowded. The employees are always friendly and even make veggie-only sandwiches if you ask (only $2.25!). The desserts are really good too - my favorite is the taro-filled sticky bun. It also helps that it's only 2 blocks from my apartment.
Hands down the best Vietnamese sandwich place to go to.
I come here all the time with my gf or by myself. I've already brought all my friends and family there too. They love it . They're sandwich are sooo delicious. The two ladies working there are very nice and hilarious. She's always cheerful. That's a very good mentally to have. They open very early and close at 6, which is perfectly fine. Price is def reasonable.
You guys should try their soup with meat, shrimp, and quail eggs. Its $5. and is hands down again the best soup on 8th Avenue. Its healthier too. They use a different lighter base but has great flavor. Aw man, writing this makes me want to drive down there and get one!!!
Love their smoothies too!!! seriously the best tasting smoothies ever.
Stawberries and Lychee Yum!
Oh and there hot horlicks drink is the best ....
This place rocks.
* also to fellow hard to please yelpers who make complicated orders please don't go here and expect them to pamper you. go to like a fancy place to do that. there place is has good food and good people. don't ruin it :-)
I've only been here once so far, but I'll certainly be back. I got the traditional banh mi--it was my first. The baguette was perfect--crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. The vegetables were fresh and crunchy and a perfect complement to the meat and the hot sauce. And I have to comment on the size--almost a foot long for only $3.75. Those stupid Subway ads for $5 footlongs mean nothing to me anymore.
The women at the counter were friendly and the place has a comfortable hole-in-the-wall atmosphere while still seeming very clean. And I love the Brooklyn Chinatown/Sunset Park neighborhood. I'll just have to head down there more often now, since I don't want to cut back on my taco eating...
I used to prefer Mott St., but this is better. And it's much better than Hanco's. The bread is good and the ingredients are good and the sandwiches are properly composed to maximize textural contrast. I like the meatballs and the pate. Obviously, the "classic" is good, too.
I'd bike here from 21st St., when I lived there. But I'd also bike from Brooklyn Heights, and once biked from Midtown when other options were obviously closer. The drinks, both prepared and packaged, are good, if alien to some palettes. I had a little trouble with the texture and color of a canned soursop drink, but what's life if you can't chance a dollar now and again?
best bahn mi ive had and tremendous thai ice tea
Ba Xuyen was suggested as a "local" alternative to the new (expensive!) Hanco's in Park Slope.
Yes, this is a great place to get banh mi. Cheap ($3.75 for a sandwich, heck yes!) and delicious. Vegetables are appropriately crunchy, the bread thankfully not soggy, and the meat is flavorful. (I could eat the grilled pork all day long.)
Note that spicy is actually spicy. Those with mild tastes will want to be careful when they ask.
The staff is friendly, and all you have to do is order sandwiches by the number anyway. Don't be afraid of the hole-in-the-wall look.
All in all, is Ba Xuyen worth the hour round trip from Park Slope? If you have free time on a nice weekend afternoon, yes, absolutely. If you're coming from further? You'd have to be really thrilled by the prospect of cheap eats.
About a year ago I spent two weeks in the motherland (specifically, Quy Nhon and Ho Chi Minh City), and there are very few places (about 2) in the U.S. that have produced banh mi that have lived up to the ones I ate while I was back in Vietnam.
Some key criteria:
1) Right combination and pickled-ness of the radish and carrot. The sourness that these bring is very important to creating the overall banh mi experience.
2) Cuts of meat -- if you are in Vietnam and you get a banh mi off the street (this is how most locals get their banh mi), it will almost always come with a combination of cuts of meat -- that usually includes head cheese, cha lua, shredded pork, thin cuts of ham, among others.
3) Pate -- must have pate, and not just any pate -- really porky, livery pate. Also, there tends to be a mix of mayonnaise and some sort of bbq sauce.
4) Hot peppers - they always have hot peppers (I'm a bit of a wimp, though, so I tend to take them out).
5) BREAD -- this might be the most important component if you ask many Vietnamese people. The French roll cannot just be any roll; it must be crisp on the outside, but airy and light on the inside and overall. A heavy roll is a big mistake. "Airy" is the word of the day for banh mi-suitable bread.
Few places I have been to in the U.S. that make banh mi have that airy quality in the bread roll, perhaps because it's pretty hard to replicate. But Ba Xuyen succeeds -- the bread is so light and airy that it's almost like it has less carbs in it because it seems barely there!
The #1 banh mi combination option hits all of the above criteria. MAN is that pate good, and all the different components together create perfect harmony for the ideal banh mi.
This place is also great because they serve a good variety of other authentic Vietnamese dishes/snacks, like banh beo and mung bean sweets.
I cry and cry thinking that it's taken me 9 months to find this place since moving to New York, but now I know where to get my banh mi fix.. Even if it takes an hour from my apartment to here, this banh mi is more than worth it.
Stumbled on this place when I stupidly got off the D train at 50th Street instead of Bay 50th Street (oops!) and stumbled around a bit, got some heat stroke, and then figured out I was absolutely, without a doubt in the wrong place...But hey the pork Banh Mi I had were awesome (yum yum, lots of nuts, fresh cilantro, delicious pork...and hotness!!) and they had a much better selection of choices than some of the Chinatown spots I'm used to.
If I'm ever in Sunset Park again by mistake, I'm definitely stopping here.
ahhhhhhhhh!
i have been here like 46 times and haven't written a review? what is wrong with me? for shame, molly c., for shame.
so. yes. i stay with the traditional or the roast pork. yum yum. great bread, perfect ratio of fillings to bread.
can't be beat.
Went to Ba Xuyen for some Banh Mi per a fantastic review on Serious Eats. And I just thought it was alright. I much prefer the Banh Mi at Vanessa's Dumplings.
This place is pretty good.
They have alot of variety of the vietnamese sandwiches (I find that alot of other Banh Mi places only sure the original Banh Mi Sandwich) such as the pork sandwich and my favorite, the vietnamese meatball sandwich. At least once or week or a few times a month, I send my brother to grab sandwiches from here since we are like 3 blocks from this place.
Their teas/coffee drinks are great.
I also get the vietnamese spring rolls which are decent (make sure to ask for the spring roll fish sauce or else they will not give you it).
Adding to my rave review of this hole-in-the wall piece of heaven...
I might have to say that the rice box specials might be better than the noodle soups. They are definitely equally delicious as the noodle soups, but I can't definitely say which is better.... have to make another trip and order both the noodle soup and the rice box for comparison!
Just read through all the other reviews and I'm surprised that NO ONE has written about the noodle… Read more »
I had a viet sandwich from here for lunch and can I tell you I would walk here from my home to get one of these and thats a really long walk.
Not only is it filled with tons of meat but the sauce and whatever else they put in here tastes so damn good.
The bread is toasty on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Every bite theres a crunch in your mouth with a yum in your head.
I want to eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and as a midnight snack.
MMMMMMmm!
I perfect sandwich for a summer day. You at the park? Good. Go get a sandwich from this place. Order a number one and eat the sandwich they give you. Crisp veggies, soft bread, light flavors that don't weigh down the experience.
While the trendsters are debating bánh mi shops of Manhattan's Chinatown, head to Sunset Park for the absolute best (not to mention cheapest, most are $3.75) sandwiches in town. On a recent morning visit, I was also pleasantly surprised by the excellent regular coffee ($0.80, small). For something more unique, order the Vietnamese coffee (listed on the board in English as "hot coffee (special)", $1.75). It takes a few minutes to prepare, but it is fun to watch them as they filter it and the ladies prepare sandwiches for all the hungry customers.
this banh mi sandwich shop makes really great bubble tea. they have tons of varieties. i've been looking for superb bubble tea for over a year.
well in the glorious words of Survivor, the search is over:
http://www.youtube.com...
I have gone back again to get a banh mi and sadly have to give this place 3 stars from my initial 5.
It turns out they use MSG in their banh mis. This really stinks since the last time I went their I started wondering why I suddenly feeling really weird and crappy (numbness and horrible hives).
After taking two Advils did I realize what was going on. So I went today and asked the lady behind the counter if they used MSG in their sandwiches which she confirmed that yes they did. I asked if there was any way I could have my sandwich without it which I guess it was too busy but she couldn't answer. I don't think she was avoiding my question but sadly will have to stop eating here.
Trust me, I am far from being a health nut but have to put my foot down when it comes to eating food with MSG (I am extremely sensitive to it).
If MSG doesn't effect you, don't stop from going there. I also ate a mochi there which F'ed me up just as bad. ARGH! Why do all the good places have to use this??? Back to Saigon Banh mi I guess....
I am humbled by this amazing sandwich. I snuck out during my lunch hour and headed out to Sunset… Read more »
To comment on emcee b's review, it's hard to appreciate the beauty of the banh mi if one is adequately stuffed with delicious taco.
No sandwich place gets bread/meat/filling/proportions right, but Ba Xuyen comes closer than anything I've had in the two boroughs. It is the only sandwich I'd feel comfortable pitting against Boston, Oakland, or San Jose's. Other Manhattan Chinatown sandwiches would get a fugly comeuppance (Banh Mi Saigon excepted).
Five stars for the Banh Mi Nem Nuong. The savoriness of these meatballs is the Platonic ideal. Other Nem Nuong should aspire to such greatness!
Four and a half stars for the Banh Mi Pate Thit Nguoi (the Banh Mi #1). Flawless execution. I dock it half a star for the simple reason it's an easier sandwich to get right. Banh Mi Pate Thit Nguoi is by nature a drier sandwich because it is essentially a sandwich of cold cuts. If a juicier sandwich is truly what you seek, you're best off sticking to the Nem Nuong.
filling: 5. Lavishly stuffed.
bread: 4. It might have suffered from over-toasting.
pickles, peppers, cilantro, etc: 4. Unstinting.
assembly: 5. Ingredients an ideal ratio to each other.
perks: 3.5 for the assortment of snacks, and the fact that it's so dang far away from me. There's a cashier there that refers to me as "Be" -- the quintessential term of endearment used by all Vietnamese aunties! If the banh mi didn't already earn a 5, I'd give this place a 6.
Brooklyn, NY
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Boerum Hill
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Bath Beach
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Sunset Park
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Borough Park
Category: Vietnamese
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