Bun & Mi

Everything about Bun & Mi is 5 stars. The authentic, bold, fresh, umami flavors. The warm, attentive, intentional, and caring service. The charming, inviting, cozy, hole in the wall ambiance. 5 stars all around.

First, a special shoutout to Alvin and his wife for holding it down. What incredible service. Immediately upon entering, Alvin made us feel right at home. So personal and caring. I felt like I was eating a home made meal at a family member's house!

The food? Divine. Everything that we had was out of this world. The shrimp springs rolls, the rice bowl with shaken beef and chicken, the bun rieu... all of them hit HARD.

The menu is simple and unassuming. But don't be fooled by its simplicity. Everything is made with fresh and wholesome ingredients, and with plenty of love and intention.

This is the spot that Santa Monica needed. Needless to say, we'll for sure be back!

My husband and I LOVE eating at Bun&Mi. The kind and friendly owners Alvin & Pamela have created an atmosphere that is like visiting family or friends. The food is delicious & FRESH Vietnamese. I could eat it every day. I love the salad bowl with grilled chicken, the turkey egg rolls, & the fried tofu bites. This neighborhood really needed a place like this- a welcoming, warm, delicious Vietnamese eatery that encourages community eating and a neighborly hello! I look forward to summer picnic boxes for the beach!

Seriously, the best ever.  Banh Mi is to die for, and wash it down with a iced Vietnamese coffee.  

Next level.

The owner Alvin and his wife are the kindest, so attentive. The food? Mouthwatering and fresh. Beautifully seasoned.

The atmosphere is simply decorated with lots of bright light. Super clean as well.

Excellent Vietnamese bun and banh mi specialist on Montana Ave in Santa Monica. They've just opened in Jan 2023 on the same block as Father's Office, a couple doors over from The Brothers Sushi. Proprietors Alvin & Pamela also operate Brew Kitchen Bar in Monterey Park.

Bun & Mi organizes their menu in a very easy to understand manner. You have 5 proteins to choose from: grilled chicken, braised pork belly, tofu & mushroom, garlic shrimp & shaken beef. Then you pick 1 of 4 styles to have that protein: banh mi (sandwich), salad bowl, rice plate (com tam), and noodle bowl (bun). In addition there's 4 appetizers, 4 drinks and 2 desserts. They can't offer much more than that given the small size of their kitchen, but it actually helps to streamline their menu, making it easier to navigate for those who find a full Vietnamese restaurant menu daunting.

The banh mi is fantastic! I love their firm crusty sandwich rolls, unlike the too soft rolls I usually get from most banh mi shops. The sandwich is also the largest banh mi I've had. The proteins are of better quality than most. Given the quality of ingredients, the size of the sandwiches and the Montana Ave location, it's no surprise that prices run a little higher than your run of the mill banh mi shop.

The tofu and mushroom noodle bowl (bun) was very good and very large. The crispy cha gio was also very good, with a healthy bunch of greens, herbs, pickled vegetables and fish sauce to wrap and dunk your egg rolls.

My fave dish is the bun rieu. It's a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup with a rich broth made of tomatoes, blue crab and shrimp. The soup is loaded with tofu, super light and tender blue crab/turkey meatballs, and vermicelli noodles. So far it's only a rainy day special, not on the regular menu. The small kitchen (the space was a former shoe store) limits the number of orders of bun rieu they can make each day.

Alvin runs the front of the shop while Pamela heads the kitchen. They both are exceedingly nice, service is always on point.

Bun & Mi has amazing food and great service, it's definitely worth a try if you're hankering for Vietnamese food in this area of Santa Monica.

What a wonderful addition to Montana Ave! I came here because I heard that it had just opened. I ordered it on line -- got the braised pork belly Banh mi. it is pricier than what you'd spend for a banh mi in SGV, but it's worth it! The sandwich is large. It actually ended up lasting me 2 meals! It's chock full of fresh veggies. They are also generous with the pork belly. And the pork belly just melted in my mouth! Oh my gosh! It's not the traditional dac biet sandwich, but I do like it. The bread is perfectly crispy, without being dry. It's fluffy and soft on the inside.
My one request is that they remember to fill the sandwich all the way to the ends... It was a bit sad to get to the end of the sandwich and just have a plain bite of bread :(

Service and the owners were wonderful! Super nice and personable. Food is good but my favorite was the ube coffee. They serve pretty good size portions.

Ok first of all, the owner is SO SWEET & CHATTY. Attentive service.

Food is great! Loved my rice noodle bowl. Fresh ingredients, tasty sauce, generous (!!!) portion.

Shared the tofu spring rolls, also delish.

Small counter space. Clean & airy.

Will be back for a bahn mi!

AWESOME!  Absolute 5-star Vietnamese delicious food experience on every level.  The owners, Alvin & Pamela, are gregarious, kind, professional, friendly and all around fantastic.  They have created a small, comfy, adorable atmosphere that is warm and inviting.  The restaurant is small (only seats around 10 people) and is mostly designed for take out...but worth sitting at the counter and chatting with Alvin.  His suggestions are awesome and he is friendly and fun and compelling and the food is delicious, fresh and creative Vietnamese. We loved the salad bowl with grilled chicken, the amazing BanhMi, the turkey egg rolls, and the fried tofu bites. They offer great Vietnamese coffee.  We will be back again and again.  Welcome to Montana...great to have you in our charming neighborhood!

You definitely have to try this new Vietnamese sandwich shop.

I'll drive anywhere to have a good banh mi And it's great that it's now around the corner. I recommend the chicken banh mi personally but I would think most people would say some more along the lines of the four legged animals.

Really big fan of the presentation and the crispness of the bread. The owners drive it in every morning themselves straight from the bakery.

It's a great addition to Santa Monica, giving a diverse cuisine that's much needed in this very, um, homogeneous area!