469504 Fri Dec 14 12:16:39 -0800 2007 40 61 Austin 0 3208455 Where can one find a delicious vietnamese sandwich in Austin? crustily yours. Fri Dec 14 12:16:39 -0800 2007 50460 anita_cocktail 1 3208811 Tam Deli on North Lamar Lily's Sandwich on North Lamar in the Chinatown Center Fri Dec 14 13:46:57 -0800 2007 3208455 81120 foodiegal71 1 3209693 Another discussion here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/319520 Fri Dec 14 20:57:50 -0800 2007 3208455 24991 mkwng 1 3210639 Tam's Deli - on North Lamar. I hear they make a salt and pepper squid version that's not on the menu. Lilly's Sandwich - on North Lamar in Chinatown center. They make a vegetarian version that's not on the menu. Pho Van - on 183/Peyton Gin next to Din Ho. They make a great tofu version that's not on the menu. The bread here is the best in my opinion, very toasty... I don't think Ba Le exists anymore, but they used to have some good sandwiches i hear. I've heard of a place on Grand Avenue Parkway up in Pflugerville. apparently they also sell cell phones there? Don't know the name of the place, but i've heard good reviews on it... Anyone know what i'm talking about? ;) Sat Dec 15 11:29:28 -0800 2007 3208455 146714 abidonfood 2 3212756 There is a relatively new place called Thanh Nhi on North Lamar that is getting some good buzz. Have any hounds tried it yet? I'll try to stop by this week. Sun Dec 16 11:09:33 -0800 2007 3210639 17692 Mike B 3 3236592 I tried Thanh Nhi and liked it very much. The Bahn mi were pork and pate based; I think there was a chicken variation. Ingredients very fresh and tasty. The bread was a crispy bollilo--seems to be the Texas standard for bahn mi, rather than French bread. The pho had a nice tasty broth. I will definitely return. Tue Dec 25 20:08:00 -0800 2007 3212756 151909 Veewing 4 3804786 Second on Thanh Nhi. Mon Jun 23 08:51:12 -0700 2008 3236592 122091 Daisy L 5 3806163 Third on Thanh Nhi. Mon Jun 23 13:49:26 -0700 2008 3804786 94203 brattpowered 6 3806198 Ooops! I never followed up on that post. I agree with all the recommendations. Great food and great service at Thanh Nhi. Get the grilled pork paste spring rolls! So good they are pictured over every table. Mon Jun 23 13:56:28 -0700 2008 3806163 24991 mkwng 1 3210759 Lily's is the best (and most traditional) in town. In the new MT Supermarket shopping center. They had some start up problems, but they've been ironed out. Sat Dec 15 12:23:15 -0800 2007 3208455 136775 sqwertz 1 3213071 Has anyone ever been to Banh Mi Express (on E. Riverside)? I drive past it all the time but have never gone inside. Any other recs on the south side of town? I know it's on Hai Ky's menu, but they don't list any pate in the description so I haven't tried it. Sun Dec 16 13:15:01 -0800 2007 3208455 41163 renz 2 3214203 Banh Mi Express seeme to have been there for quite a while (at least 2004), but I had never seen it or tried it. That might be a destination of mine tomorrow. Sun Dec 16 21:18:58 -0800 2007 3213071 136775 sqwertz 3 3217151 Where is this place exactly ? Am I right that it is on the other side of the street from El Regio & Regiomontana ? I did a drive-by on my way home from work tonight and couldn't see it. I could use another lunch option in that area because, well, I'll admit, I'm actually getting tired of Tomgro and the other carts around there. There, I said it. Mon Dec 17 19:45:59 -0800 2007 3214203 11162 Nab 2 3802488 Just to update, Banh Mi Express has been gone for I don't know how long (sign's still up, though) and Hai Ky took their's off the menu. So one of these day's I'll have to drive over to that trailor everyone's buzzing about. Sun Jun 22 11:46:53 -0700 2008 3213071 41163 renz 3 3833539 Do yourself a favor and *don't* go to Lily's (that trailer that everyone's been buzzing about). I wouldn't say that it's bad, but for $5 dollars a sandwich, it is truly disappointing. It wasn't even that tasty either. You'd be much better off at Than Nhi. That'd buy you almost two sandwiches. Wed Jul 02 11:50:29 -0700 2008 3802488 103045 nk. 4 3833604 Lulu B's is the trailer in South Austin. Lily's Sandwich is the joint in Chinatown on North Lamar. Wed Jul 02 12:04:57 -0700 2008 3833539 24991 mkwng 5 3843721 Gah! Thanks for clearing that up. I was talking about Lulu B's on S. Lamar next the Office Supply Store. Lily's is good for meat eaters, but their vegetarian sandwiches are pretty terrible. Sun Jul 06 20:02:16 -0700 2008 3833604 103045 nk. 1 3217198 i think pho van's is still the best. the bread is key and pho van's is perfect. also tam deli's meat doesn't have that char-grilled texture/flavor and lily's is missing something as well. i have never tried bánh mi express. Mon Dec 17 20:03:49 -0800 2007 3208455 43533 yimay 1 3803426 Baguette House in the chinatown center on north lamar opened not too long ago. if you're looking at MT supermarket from the front it's the very last shop on the right. I've been twice and both times service has been friendly and efficient. The bread is baked in house and while not as crusty on the outside and tender on the inside as i would like, still passable. They also have croissants and a few other sweet as well as savory pastries, along with some rice and vermicelli dishes. i'm no bahn mi expert for sure, but between lily's and bag. house i would probably go for the latter. Sun Jun 22 18:24:52 -0700 2008 3208455 15880 ktown378 1 3833652 Any word on the Baguette house? (The place next to the tofu place at Chinatown mall?) Wed Jul 02 12:18:32 -0700 2008 3208455 122091 Daisy L 2 3926015 I went to Baguette House yesterday. I think it's the best banh mi in town at this point. As ktown378 mentioned, they are also a bakery, and I saw a steady line of people buying baguettes while I was there. I got a pate chaud (ground pork in flaky pastry) and a combination sandwich. Great bread, fresh fillings. Sun Aug 03 06:58:40 -0700 2008 3833652 24991 mkwng 3 3926470 Do you know if they have a Tofu sandwich? Sun Aug 03 11:23:43 -0700 2008 3926015 103045 nk. 4 3927161 Yes, there was one on the menu. I found a PDF copy here: http://chinatownaustin.com/menus/BaquetteHouse.pdf Sun Aug 03 17:54:56 -0700 2008 3926470 24991 mkwng 5 3951003 So it is only to go, no tables? Tue Aug 12 13:14:22 -0700 2008 3927161 77834 chucklesmcfarland 6 3951511 No, Baguette House has several tables. Tue Aug 12 16:39:03 -0700 2008 3951003 24991 mkwng 2 3927336 Darn. I forgot this place existed and went to Lily's by default. I even forgot about Kim Son, too. I was in soms ort of zone. It's rare I get up that far and I forgot to try out either of the two (but I did plenty of grocery shopping). -sw Sun Aug 03 19:08:55 -0700 2008 3833652 136775 sqwertz 2 3961107 Bqguette House's bread is the best, but their banh mi needs dressing or mayo or something. It's too dry. We liked #2 over #1 or #5. For a point of reference, we think Thanh Nhi's banh mi is pretty bad. How's Lily's? Fri Aug 15 17:11:33 -0700 2008 3833652 51639 kuidaore 1 3928593 I noticed a place at the strip mall at the NW corner of Rutland and Lamar called Cafe de Bella. Haven't tried it but it's there if anyone is interested. BTW, they sell sandwiches. Mon Aug 04 10:01:27 -0700 2008 3208455 60337 singlemalt 2 3931667 I tried it a few weeks back and liked it a lot. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/540061 Tue Aug 05 10:23:05 -0700 2008 3928593 12615 amysuehere 3 3951401 Amysue, I tried it after reading your post and liked it a lot! I really felt like a salad w/ some kind of meat in it, but after conferring with the person behind the counter and the cook, they talked me into the pork sandwich. Sounds simple, but it was delicious, with a lot of interesting things going on in the sandwich, and very flavorful bread. The owner described how she has experimented with a lot of different bread recipes before finalizing on that one. She said they haven't really 'opened' publically yet, as they are having trouble finding help, and they need to do that before they advertise. The menu offerings sound so simple, yet there's a lot of unpublished detail, both ingredients and other details. ex: She pairs different breads with different sandwiches. The example I remember was whole wheat w/ the turkey sandwich. As much as I love turkey sandwiches, next time I'm there I've got to order one that comes with that baguette again. She suggested I get the 'Gourmet' sandwich next time I was there. Tue Aug 12 15:51:29 -0700 2008 3931667 57335 sweet100s 4 3952680 Glad I turned you on to something. Always fun finding new "treasures". Agreed, she's very enthusiastic. I got the gourmet, complete with head cheese (not my favorite), but it was quite good. Wed Aug 13 06:02:58 -0700 2008 3951401 12615 amysuehere 5 3958363 I just got the gourmet and the bbq pork (actually, they have a buy 3, get the 4th free special right now). She told me that she would set the veggies aside for the last two, but I guess something slipped up in the kitchen, because the chicken and the ham have no veggies and there are none to be found. The bread is absolutely wonderful. My impression is that the BBQ pork (which I am chewing as I write this sentence) is served on a sweeter bread. Not like dessert-sweet or anything, but sweet for a sandwich bread. The pork itself is charred, but tastes like it was marinated in some sort of marinade with fish sauce. I detect a hint of mayo, but it isn't dripping like some places. Standard veggies and cilantro but not too much. No lettuce, and I dont' taste any mint. The gourmet is served with a more savory bread, and has several meats on it. Otherwise similar to the other in terms of condiments and veggies. I liked the head cheese and jamon. What is pork roll, though? Thu Aug 14 18:18:41 -0700 2008 3952680 17648 rudeboy 6 3958719 Pork roll is a very fine pork sausage, sort of like a mortadella. It's sort of gray in color. Most banh mi places have one or more "gourmet" or "combination" sandwiches that feature a variety of pork products - head cheese, pate, pork roll, or ham. Thu Aug 14 20:43:45 -0700 2008 3958363 24991 mkwng 7 3959683 When I asked her, she offered to go get some to show me. I sheepishly declined - I don't know why. She didn't exactly tell me about the head cheese on the gourmet. The slices of it looked real good on the sandwich. Tasty. I'll definitely ask more questions next week. Fri Aug 15 08:28:41 -0700 2008 3958719 17648 rudeboy 3 3951513 I'm confused; is it on N Lamar or Research? Or are there 2 of them? Tue Aug 12 16:40:44 -0700 2008 3931667 24991 mkwng 4 3952683 It's at 183 and Ohlen, in the Target shopping center (north side of 183) at the exact opposite end than the Target, tucked "behind" Din Ho, next door to the post office. Wed Aug 13 06:04:05 -0700 2008 3951513 12615 amysuehere 3 3953375 I went to Cafe de Bella today based on the recommendation here and got a #8 Bahn Mi. What a great sandwich! Next time, though, I'm taking someone with me so we can split it. It doesn't look like a huge amount of food, but it is so filling. Light, crusty french bread with pate, pork roll, sweet pickled onion, shredded carrot, pepper, cucumber, homemade mayo, and cracked pepper. It normally comes with cilantro, but I opted to get it without since I'm one of those people that thinks cilantro tastes like soap. I cannot believe this sandwich has a menu price of $3.79. It's amazing. I also got a large watermelon juice. This is the most refreshing thing I have ever had. Light, naturally sweet, and cool. I ended up getting a second one without ice because I knew I would drink most of the first one in the car on the way home. I can't wait to go back and try the other sandwiches and juices. They also have a variety of smoothie flavors, including durian and avacado. Wed Aug 13 09:41:05 -0700 2008 3931667 127276 MyySharona 2 3963678 Gullible as I am, I went looking for this place yesterday, doing laps around the parking lot looking for this place. It's not there. I finally ended up at Baguette House instead (#1 and #5), and some mandatory BBQ pork from First China to go. I was going to go to Kim Son, but I was kinda turned off by the 4-5 sleazy employees hanging around outside the front door smoking and scratching their crotches (~3:00pm Saturday). Sun Aug 17 07:43:13 -0700 2008 3928593 136775 sqwertz 3 3963725 or as Harry Crews would put it"hustling their balls and spittin" Sun Aug 17 08:11:27 -0700 2008 3963678 16897 scrumptiouschef 3 3963869 Were you looking for Cafe de Bella in the Chinatown Center? CDB is in the shopping center with Din Ho and Sunflower. I went, and liked my Gourmet sandwich OK - wasn't bowled over. Too much mayo, bread too dense for my personal banh mi preference, veggies in huge chunks instead of slices and/or julienne. Meats were good, whole thing tasted fresh, just not my favorite. Also took about TWENTY MINUTES to make, with only two other customers in the place. Gonna try Baguette House next. Sun Aug 17 09:43:04 -0700 2008 3963678 140255 televiking 4 3964146 I just called in my order after reading this. It was just about ready when I picked it up. The were waiting to heat it until I got there. Their bread is dense in relation to most - I like that, though. I found out that they don't make their bread. However, the family makes all the meat - including the head cheese, pork roll, and the ham (I really like their version of ham). As I inspect my sandwich now, the daikon and the carrots are julienned. There are three while slices of fresh jalapeno distributed through the sandwich, and there are three long strips of thin cucumber.. Plus cilantro. I think that it needs a little more fish sauce, so I'm adding that at home....... Sun Aug 17 12:41:48 -0700 2008 3963869 17648 rudeboy 4 3964306 I was looking for Cafe Bella in the North Park shopping center at Rutland and Lamar - which is where somebody said it was. Now I know. My order at baguette house took 15 minutes. Not sure why it takes so long - They only take 30 seconds to make. Sun Aug 17 13:49:50 -0700 2008 3963869 136775 sqwertz