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Categories: Coffee & Tea, Vietnamese, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: Financial District"Birley's a new favorite of mine in the FiDi. I've tried a couple of really fantastic sandwiches and will plan on working through the rest of…" read more »
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on my way to the eye doc at rincon and i passed by this joint.
heeellloooo...i made a beeline to order a pork pate sandwich. warm, crunchy, and filling. who knew that i didn't have to trek through the tenderloin or little saigon for a delicious banh mi?
the peppers are a wee on the too spicy side. it just made me eat the sandwich even faster.
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Sometimes you write a three star review and its really a diplomatic way of saying there is excellent, there is very-good and everything else is taking a trip on the failboat. You review says "Psst, 3 star joint, don't look down or you might realize you are on the Sea of Fails."
Sometimes you write a three star review and you mean that the reviewee has a solid but unspectacular offerings. It is a trusted stand-by, sidekick, wingman, etc. More aptly, it is your pair of comfy pants that always fit and feel good, but are still pants you don't wear out or too often because they don't make you feel good about yourself in public. Oh, but when they they are on at home while watching a movie you can just curl up and be happy.
Les Croissants sells you those comfy pants. They are your funny chubby friend who keeps you from feeling blue.
How? Well their grilled Pork Bahn Mi are solidly satisfying, fresh, but not spectacular or special. Just good, cheap, and best if you don't go to the well too often. The combo strives to be more, taking risks with its mystery meats and pate. A little more edgy to the American palate. I liked it, sans for all the gristle in the most neon of of three mystery meats. Both sandwiches could have used a bit more hoisin sauce and jalapeños.
When I am in the mood; when there is a hole to fill in the lunch rotation; I now know that Les Croissants is there to step in. My three star review is not a knock at all.
Ya, they are overpriced, but it's all about location, location, location, and since they're across the street from work, I ignored their overpriced-ness. But, that purposeful ignorance has ended.
I used to come here for a simple ham and cheese croissant, but I've stopped. Why you ask? Because they switched from a flaky crust croissant (as they should be) to some smooth not flaky crust.
So, I put my foot down. No more mediocre ham and cheese croissants with smooth not flaky crust.
Quick sidenote: The ladies that run/work there are super-friendly, even at 5 freaking 30 in the morning! Alas, still not worth it for un-flaky croissant . . .
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their Vietnamese sandwiches are so gross and soggy. I came here to see the difference between Saigon Deli Express's sandwiches and Les Croissants and SDE was way better. I'm not coming back.
How can I possibly stay across the street from a croissant shop and not get one? I wondered if it would taste good as it's not a patisserie, and not wanting to be a snob, went in for one. It was fine despite not having jam to spread on it. Tender and flakey and one big stick of butter, basically. I suspect the Vietnamese food served there at lunch is good, but I didn't have a chance to try the lunch food.
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Super friendly staff and inexpensive eats. It's not the best pork bun I've ever had, but the walk to Yank Sing is too long. This place satisfies the craving.
Very good sandwiches for a super cheap price (by SF Financial District standards). I get the veggie sandwich which you'd never know from the menu but it contains both thick tofu slabs and slices of veggie "ham." Both are very good with the Vietnamese sauce. It's only $4.25! You can't beat that. They also sell great vegan cookie/energy biscuits. Highly recommended for a cheap, tasty lunch that won't kick your wallet in the balls.
Yum. it was cheap and yummy and filling. Best pate on a beef pate viet sandwich ever!
No seats though so walk on down to the Embarcadero food court/park area and sit there. This is purely take-aways.
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BEHOLD the Vietnamese sandwich shop tucked into a bright corner of the Financial District! TASTE the delicate beauty of their grilled pork sandwiches! FEEL the heat of the spicy pepper garnish!
Just because France occupied Vietnam doesn't mean that you're going to find the world's best croissant here. Try the pate, it's delicious. An iced Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk is the cure to the day's ills. Cheaper than a Subway sandwich, oceans better, and tremendously better for you. AND, they sell donuts too.
New job in the FiDi means lots of new places to check out! How lucky was I to stumble into Les Croissant on my first day?
I had just gotten off work and I was starving. I see this little donut shop I notice that they sell Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches so I decided to give it a try. Bam. Absolute deliciousness. I got the combination meat and I'm not even sure what it was a combination of (maybe it's one of those things I'm better off not knowing), but it was the first thing on the menu and it was quite tasty, better than any banh mi I'd had in Oakland's Chinatown. Maybe the difference was the toasted baguette that the sandwich came on? Anyways, I hope this is a sign of good things to come in the FiDi.
I spotted this place checking into the Hyatt Regency over july fourth and I said to myself "I will have a vietnamese sandwich here." I've been reading about them for months and simply had not had one yet. So I got my chance at about 11 AM on a saturday: This place delivered the goods: It's like a vietnamese salad roll served in french bread! MORE VIETNAMESE STYLE SANDWICHES!!!!
Oh- also the girl working the counter- who spoke heavily accented english- smartly suggested she make a decal americano when she discovered they were out of decaf drip coffee. That was smart and well beyond the level of service I would expect. If you are staying in the Embarcadero area of San Francisco and haven't tried a vietnamese sandwich... get one here.
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Okay, I've tried the new place in the alley by Embarcadero 4, been to Latte Express 5 on Kearny and so far, Les Croissant is my fav. I made a return trip today, the sandwich was incredibly delicious. #4 grilled pork with extra veg, I'm in love.
I'm new to the Vietnamese sandwich thing, so I popped in here for a trial run. I'm hungry and on… Read more »
Les Croissants serves up standard Viet sandwiches for prices that are fair for the Financial District. Yes, Vietanamese sandwiches are cheaper in the TL by a dollar or two, but that just means you have to work the pole a little harder at the Lusty Lady or other stripping establishment of your choice. Doughnuts are pretty much the exact same as Happy Donut. Haven't tried the bubble tea or any of the coffee drinks.
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I just visited here yesterday. With a staff of three, all were busy in the back. I was the only customer at the time which surprised me, this place has received some rave.
I ordered the grilled pork sammie, it was yummy and delicious! Nice size and I didn't feel cheated with fillers and air. No holding back on the spices here. I love the fresh veggies which included cucumber, cliantro, peppers and julienne carrots. The bread has a wonderful crunch as well, almost too much crunch. Be careful of your mouth, your roof may get a little sanding.
With the drink it was $5.85. Great price for lunch in the FiDi. Grabbed a seat on the stairs of the Hyatt over looking JHP. What else could you want on a warm sunny San Francisco day??? I almost gave this a 5 star but I reserve that for consistancy and since this was my first visit.. . wishin for a 5 here!
Les Croissants was conveniently located right across the street from where I worked, so I was a frequent customer here. Their food is a little more expensive than getting the same exact things elsewhere, but this is the FiDi, and nothing is cheap. That aside, I loved their Banh Mi sandwiches. My usuals were the combination pork, the bbq pork, and the grilled chicken, each one costing $4.25, though you can probably pick there up at a local Vietnamese shop for $2-3. Very good sandwiches though. In the morning I would always pick up a bagel or their ham and egg buns ($1.95). This place got the job done for me and their service is very welcoming.
(See pic)
Also tried the beef ball sandwich as well as the grilled chicken and both were as usual good taste with good amounts of pickled veggies...
And never forget the amazing iced Vietnamese coffee!! And $7.20 both a sandwich and the coffee? That's a great deal!!
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More of 3.5 stars.
I came back around 1:30pm for a quick bite lunch and with the coldee weather I…
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Vietnamese sandwiches in the Financial District! Hooray!
While a bit pricier than their Tenderloin brethren, the Vietnamese sandwiches at this little shop are quite tasty. Granted, I can only vouch for the #4 grilled pork sandwich, but hey...why would you want to get anything else?
The bread is nice and crunchy. The vegetables are pickled well. The pork is grilled and well seasoned. My only complaint is that they sometimes cut their cucumber wedges a bit thick.
I did make the mistake of buying their chocolate cookies once, and I definitely won't do that again. The cookies were quite flavorless, crumbly...I could probably do better buying packaged Walmart cookies. Oh wait, I don't shop at Walmart.
Les Croissant is a great spot for banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with everything on it. The sandwich was pretty good. The flavors were intact and it was not an "Americanized" Vietnamese sandwich. The vegetables were fresh and the cucumbers were very crunchy and added the great amount texture to the sandwich.
The only gripe I have is the price of the banh mi. The sandwich cost me around $4. Yes, obviously $4 isn't much, but when I normally purchase them for $1.00 at other locations, it's quite expensive. I guess there is a reason why they say everything is more expensive in San Francisco.
If you're looking for a great banh mi, I would check out Les Croissant. They are fast, quick and serve fresh food.
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I looove Les Croissant. Even though it sounds kinda nasty, you have try the beef ball sandwich with pate! Have to!
The girls who work here are such sweethearts, too. For lunch, I typically order a Vietnamese coffee, the fore-mentioned sandwich, and a single donut hole (don't laugh). I am such a frequent customer and creature of habit that the last time I came in, I was given a donut hole for free.
Haha. Cute, huh?
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When I'm especially hungry in the morning, I walk a block from my office to get myself an iced… Read more »
I grew up eating banh mi, and this place is pretty authentic. It has all the right undefinable meats and pickled veggies, plus cilantro, hot peppers, and pate - yum!
The only complaints I have are that the sandwiches are a bit on the small side and the bread is sometimes over-toasted, which makes it hard to bite into. $4 would be expensive for banh mi in most places, but in the financial district, it is pretty much a bargain!
OMG!!! The best glazed donut ever!!! You can ALWAYS count it being yummy! I should know ... or I my gut can attest because I literally have to tell myself to keep on walking as I head into work :(
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Now I'm a big fan of Vietnamese sandwiches but this place is probably the best I've had to date. If I'm crazy for thinking this please tell me about a spot that is more worthy of praise. The combo rang in at a whopping $4.75 and with a can of Mango Nectar $5.50 out the door is as cheap as eats get in San Francisco.
Fresh bread is key, but also loading on the veggies really put my sandwich on a pedestal of culinary delight! I actually want to go back for seconds. Maybe Monday.
I only come to Les Croissant for breakfast. On days when "God" is smiling down on me I'm able to get off the L and up to the street, make the crossing light to cross the street, have no one in line before me, get my bacon egg and cheese croissant, then make the crossing light again and back across the street only to beat the 20 or the 41 by mere minutes. Ahhh those are good days.
BUt some mornings I wake up craving one of their croissants. And when one of those urges cries out, you should listen. Maybe thats why the ladies behind the counter know without asking what I want every time they see me? Thats depressing.
one star for prices; as most ppl have noted here, this is just about the cheapest lunch you'll get in FiDi, even cheaper than the soup company.
one star for location; i'm all for viet food in the financial district. there needs to be more of it! and yes, it is more expensive than a regular viet sandwich shop but you're paying for location, of course ;)
that's about all there is to rave about here. it's a tiny store that gets really stuffy on warmer days, the workers are friendly but service isn't notable, my sandwich was edible but not comparable to a real viet sandiwich shop, and my mango pearl drink was pretty much milk + sugar + ice, blended. where was the mango flavor? also it was so hot in there i was worried about the meat going bad.
adequate for a quick bite to eat if if you're trying to save money or don't have any better ideas.
Like my very first time. Campari.
Like my first vietnamese sandwich: Banh mi. I got the beef ball with pate, as recommended on this lovely, truthful, helpful and always eager site. This spawned a torturous, feral, CRAVING that made me dream about pate.
This sandwich was ok. The bread was a little dry. The filling was decent BUT SKIMPY. it was only in the center of the sandwich so when they slice it down the center and you open it up, it appears that the baguette is about to give birth to a litter of puppies. The beef balls were nicely flavored but very very salty. I drank a nebacunezer of water after. The pate awoke the werewolf in me. I hunted, I forged, I stalked the next pate-delivery morsel.
It was twice the price of Lee's. But infinitely closer when you have only 15 mins for lunch and fiinals looming dangerously close to the brink of sanity.
There are lots of other bahn mi places around. I will make the requisite rounds.
All discussions of authenticity aside, these are some good sandwiches for the downtown dollar. For lunch I had a BBQ pork sandwich and a hotdog roll on the side. Unless you're just dying of curiosity like I was, pass on the hotdog roll, cute little beastie that it is. The sandwich was quite good; wide, crusty roll, good pickled vegetation, plenty of green jalapenos, juicy pr0k. The adorable girls who work there are efficient and pleasant.
OK so now that the gloves are off, let's talk authenticity for a second. Vietnamese food is a fairly hybridized cuisine, to my understanding, in the first place. Then we have a sandwich with the basic ingredients and French bread. We're not in Vietnam although I'm sure the fake French bread there is much better than the fake French bread here (or at least more authentic to a Vietnamese sandwich). I think they're doing the best they can with our lame SF French bread. Which has to be better than importing the real fake thing from Vietnam because it would be goddawful hard by the time it got here. Point is, it's a sandwich, it's yummy, who the hell cares if it's on skinny bread? I don't miss that dumb skinny bread, that junk is for Europeans who are used to paying 6 euros for a 3 bite sandwich.
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This place is kinda dingey but the service is nice & quick and the brekky foods they serve do not disappoint. Everything is under $5. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??
Come here if you want...
Chocolate Donuts
Regular Donuts
Sugared Donuts
Donut holes
Donuts donuts donuts
Scones
Muffins
Chicken Bun
Hot Dog Bun
Ham & Egg Bun
Plain Croissants
Ham & Cheese Croissant
Bacon & Cheese Croissant
Tuckey & Cheese Croissant
Bagels w/ or w/out cream cheese
Homemade sandwiches on sliced bread
Vietnamese sandwiches: Charboiled Pork, Meatball, etc.
Tea by the packets
Coffee
Juices
This is my default brekky place since work is right across the street.
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3 bucks for bahn mi in the FiDi. It's no Saigon Sandwiches, but for the price, convenience, and quality, you can't beat that.
I always get the BBQ Pork with "everything on". They do a good job balancing all the favors and I like their pickled vegetables in particular. Nice and tart.
And the ladies who work there are always nice and cheery.
Darn this place! Review is based solely on their tapioca drinks.
After working in the Fidi for almost 3 years and walking by this place without even noticing this place (I was probably on a quest to go elsewhere), I just discovered that they have YUMMY tapioca drinks. There goes my diet! I used to walk to Morning Brew Cafe which was a bit farther from this place, but I like this place because 1) its closer to work; 2) it's cheaper; 3) the ladies are nice; and 4) The green tea and honeydew (real honeydew) with lychee jelly is so good! I haven't tried the tapioca balls (i don't like them) so I have no comment on that.
Morning Brew Cafe is really expensive for the type of place, but I guess they have to do what they need to to stay open. I'll save another review for them.
This place is across the street from the hotel I stay at when I have to come to SF to work for conferences, so it is conveniently located and open early, which is of crucial importance.
At Les Croissant you can even order a Vietnamese sandwich before you order your coffee. The steamed pork sandwich is the best. 4-stars!
I had the BBQ Chicken sandwich for $4.25. Its a small sandwich. The sauce they put in it was pretty salty. The chicken was good but it was a skimpy portion. Most of the flavor came from the pickled vegetables. If this is the best Vietnamese sandwich you ever had you are not a fatty. It may be worth walking 3 blocks down the street to Lee's sandwiches.
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The lady said you can customize any sandwich pretty much however you want. I heard it as "I can add pate to everything!" So I strayed from my usualy combo sando and had the meatball sandwich (with pate!), and it was quite tasty. These are not italian meatballs, but mildly spiced and yummy in the crusty bread. As always, nice crunchy textures from the veggies and bread matched with soft meat, pate, and mayo.
Did I mention you can add pate to everything if you want to?
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Mm... Vietnamese sandwiches...
Even more mmm... Vietnamese sandwiches so close to the BART station…
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I brought 3 donut and the chick gave one for me free. i was on my way to work and stop by to buy some snacks. I know they accept credit cards but with a minimum. I ask for her name an it is Van the real skinny one that smiles. The donuts are huge for .85 cents.
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Heidi Klum reportedly eats 12 hard-boiled eggs each day. Now, I suspect that she actually only eats the egg whites. She probably looks at the fatty yellow yolk, purses her lips and says, "yuhr owt."
Since I desire to look like Heidi Klum, it seems reasonable to note that the only major differences between us are good genes and an affinity for snacking on eggs of the hard-boiled variety; Even though I'm an over-achiever, I'll work on changing the latter one first.
So, each morning, I walk into Les Croissant and say, "6 hard-boiled eggs, please." They look at me like an egg fetishist, but collect my $3.60 and hand over my beauty serum. At $.60/egg, this is a much more affordable crash diet than others I have tried, and I'm just thrilled it doesn't involve a salt-water flush each night or a silver vacuum suit.
They have oat cakes that my co-worker loves and offer faster service than other little breakfast places in the area. Their donuts smell tasty, but I don't think Seal would approve.
Unfortunately, after a few days of this egg-white snack habit, I am feeling less 'Victoria's Secret Model' and more 'Cool Hand Luke.'
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I now work around this area and noticed the "vietnamese sandwich" sign while walking around during lunch and couldn't resist trying. It is a small little shop, very cramped, and I can't believe the people behind the counter can keep smiling and being cheerful because the location this place is at results in them being visited by the homeless that hang around the area.
Anyway, the sandwich I got (combo) was decent. It was a little too crunchy for me and it was on the small size but it was decent and tasty. Price was as expected considering the area the shop is located in. I've been back here a few more times in recent weeks and they are consistent with the sandwiches and the donuts aren't too bad. It's not bad that I'll stay away - it's good enough that it'll be one of my go to places for lunch.
"how are you today, what can i get for you?" she asks me briskly while never turning around or really taking the time to acknowledge my presence. thus i am greeted by the girl with the bob hairdo every afternoon i come to get a sandwich.
it took a few months of coming in once or twice a week for her to recognize me and ask if i want my usual, which is the only sandwich i've tried. grilled chicken, no mayo, with pate. i'm tempted to try the others, but why bother. at first i thought that just one sandwich wouldn't be filling. but it's like having a mini salad with the full length cucumber slice, shredded carrots and... it's white, and i'm ashamed to say i have no idea what it is. daikon? a radish of some sort i'm sure.
there are a couple other vietnamese sandwich shops within walking distance of the office. i wish them well, but i'm not going to bother.
Every week I come here a couple of days - conveniently right outside my office.
Love the girls that work the counter here. Can't help but crave a ham and cheese croissant "warmed up?" with a carton of milk. Or how about dem Hot Dog Buns??!!?? Oh, how I miss Japan and the random food offerings - luckily this place pulls off a nice balance of both here. Supposedly the vietnamese sandwiches are really good here, as my co-worker eats them frequently, but the cilantro is too much of a deterant for me to try one.
They recently remodeled so the flow in and out works better and displays are better set. A staple in my weekly diet and not expensive either!
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I liked their sandwiches and you can make the way you want. Sometimes I get their donuts.
If you want to taste their sandwiches either the grilled pork, BBQ pork or maybe the combo. They are all tasty. Their baguette is ok.
The prices are great especially in the Financial District.
Oh my gosh, the best cheese danish I have ever had, ever! The danish is about as big as my face (which is huge). It is covered in a delicious, sugary goo. The rim of the flaky danish is about 3 inches, the rest - a beautiful tasty mixture of sweet cheese.
Damn, now I really want a cheese danish!
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My Yelpers let me down.
I just started working on a project in the FiDi and found that this place was a couple of blocks away. With a name like Les Croissant, I ordered their ham and cheese croissant. Imagine my dismay when I saw the girl cut open a regular croissant, put in a slice of ham and a slice of American cheese, and then microwave the thing. Gross! The cheese got this velveeta texture and I picked it out because it was that bad. How could they not have a "normal" ham and cheese croissant, where the ham and cheese are baked inside the croissant??
I came back a couple of days later to give them another try. All the Yelp reviews were about the banh mi so I ordered a banh mi xa xiu ($4.25) and a Vietnamese coffee ($2.95). Normally, I wouldn't pay over $3 for a banh mi, but I was trusting my fellow Yelpers. The sandwich meat was old and tough! I should have gotten a clue when I saw the girl microwaving the meat, probably hoping to revive its flavor. Whatever. I will not be back. The only thing I enjoyed was the coffee, which is why this place gets 2 stars instead of 1.
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Complimentary Madeleines
Neighborhood: Financial District
Relocation Special: FREE SODA…
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
San Francisco, CA
Category: Food
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Donuts
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Vietnamese
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