Anyone ever try BAO NOODLE on 22nd & 2nd Ave??

I heard they make a good bahn mi sandwich.

Wonder if any Chowhounders have tried the sandwich or can recommend other dishes there.

Thanks!

--PB

[LeahBaila]

Love their beef stew...Solid place

www.thelunchbelle.com

[princeofpork]

They have a sandwich that is slices of pork with Asian vegetables and a ginger/carrot sauce for 5.95 that is amazing. best sandwich in the city IMO.

[deepeshbanerji]

I like this place. I live on 23rd and 1st, so right around the corner and i'd say its a great little neighbourhood vietnemese spot that you can go to when you dont feel like going far away. It's nothing to write home about but they definately do a solid pho, bahn mi for the neighbourhood.

[D...DF]

Eight words:
Spicy Beef and Pork Noodle Soup, Hue Style

Good summer rolls, too.

[jakew8]

I like this dish too, except the noodles. They're always mushy and they're too fat for my tastes. Perhaps I'll ask them to use thinner ones...

[RickTheClamBellyFan]

I like the place. It's not exactly high class, but the iron pot fish is really nice, and the prices are so pleasantly affordable...no, wait...I mean CHEAP!! The cha gio are like any Vietnamese place's cha gio, pretty much, although if you want more of an interesting selection and you don't want to pay "Boi" prices, go to Nha Trang (no, not the city of Nha Trang in south Vietnam)--it's in Chinatown. They have great cha gio, as I recall, although it's been a couple of years since I've had 'em. I make cha gio all the time, but I'd much rather have 'em served to me than make them for myself, and Nha Trang is great because it's a hole in the wall and not at all pretentious.

Had the Pork sandwich there just last week and received the worst MSG backlash I've ever experienced. Tried the Bun as well and it seemed to be better than the Banh Mi, but I'm still not going back.

MSG shock at BAO NOODLE??!! That sounds terrible! Can you tell them not to make things with MSG?

I'm underwhelmed. Relatively small portions with higher prices than merited. The pork sandwich is on beautifully crispy bread, well seasoned but not enough pork to guess the filling.

I live a block away from Bao. When I went there for lunch after it first opened, I had a watery pho and was charged $3 for a cup of tea (a generic tea bag). For not much more than $3 I can get a better meal at a Chinese noodle shop. I also believe the Vietnamese joint on 3rd near 25th is far superior. On the other hand, I notice that the place is quite popular and busy. . . .

If you're referring to the Lanh or however it's called on 3rd ave in the upper 20s, I'd disagree. (IF this is the place you mean.) BAO is MUCH better than this place.

Yes, I think the place is Anh closer to 27th. Different strokes for different folks. I think the NYT likes both places for under $25 and they both do a good lunch business. People should try both and decide for themselves. I also would go back to Cyclo on 1st Avenue & 14th or so and Pongsri (Thai not Viet) on 18th & 2nd. Cheers.

Yes, I think the place is Anh closer to 27th. Different strokes for different folks. I think the NYT likes both places for under $25 and they both do a good lunch business. People should try both and decide for themselves. I also would go back to Cyclo on 1st Avenue & 14th or so and Pongsri (Thai not Viet) on 18th & 2nd. Cheers.

Bao Noodles is very good. The Bahn mi sandwich is pretty good. Other favorites there include the sugar cane shrimp, the thai fried rice with chinese sausage, the whole fried fish, and the salt and pepper prawns.

Ditto.

We had the pork and foie sandwiches, and they were excellent. Their spring and summer rolls are some of the best I've had. Most of their stuff is great & relatively unexpensive.