92766 Tue Oct 18 10:09:18 -0700 2005 11 5 Texas 0 509543 So...with the plethora of Vietnamese restaurants/shops in Houston to choose from, which one has the best banh-mi? It's hard to sift through the good/bad... Tue Oct 18 10:09:18 -0700 2005 0 smirkrevenge 1 509544 The best IMO is at Miss Saigon but it runs $5-6. Its a nice little place in the Village. After that, the original Givrals is damn good at $2. Tue Oct 18 11:12:21 -0700 2005 509543 0 John Scar 1 509545 I like the place near the intersection of Pease and St. Emmanuel, but I can't remember the name of it. They have delicious Vietnamese beef stew, also. Jim Tue Oct 18 15:39:56 -0700 2005 509543 0 Jim Washburn 2 509551 The name is Thiem Hung Sandwich, 2108 Pease at Saint Emanuel. The food is very good, the place is simple, the staff (owners?) extremely nice. Their baked goods don't list any preservatives, unliked the packaged Vietnamese baked goods at most other places downtown. As for the banh mi, it's fine. I usually get the roast pork wonton noodle soup, I think that's a number 10. The place is inexpensive. They never charge me for hot tea and when the bill is $5.40 they round it down to $5 when I pay. So what's not to like. Tue Oct 18 22:12:23 -0700 2005 509545 0 Tex Nosh 1 509552 I can't seem to pick up on the subtleties between banh mi at the various places. Perhaps that means that most of them are very good. By the Original Givrals, I think Scar means the place that's in a Vietnamese shopping center that has a lot of empty stores. I agree that's good. But I also like the Givral's on Milam. That gets a busy crowd of non-Asians, which makes me nervous that they're making the food less authentic, but I've found it's fine and less depressing than the one in the old shopping center. However the Milam Givral's makes only so-so cafe sua da (iced coffee w/ sweetened condensed milk). Tue Oct 18 22:17:17 -0700 2005 509543 0 Tex Nosh 1 509563 I have tried them all in Midtown, and think they are pretty good. It's all about the bread. Stale bread is the deal breaker. Wed Oct 19 13:02:26 -0700 2005 509543 0 MidtownCoog 1 509564 In addition to the Midtown places, here's one for you on the west side of town. It's near my office, so I stop by on occasion for a cheap, quick meal. It's called Them Hung, in the Asian grocery store shopping center at Harwin and Gessner. The place is near the end of the shopping center next to Gessner. It's a tiny, one-woman shop, but I love the sandwiches. Her large sandwich is $2.50. I usually get a large "special combination" and a chicken (shredded chicken). It leaves me well satisfied for $5.00. Wed Oct 19 13:16:55 -0700 2005 509543 0 Timmy Chan 1 1802719 I can never remember the name of the restaurant, but it's on the corner of Bellaire and Boone - across Boone from the Hong Kong shopping center, next to the donut shop and Domino's. They use baguettes instead of the usual "submarine" rolls and it makes all the difference. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside... best thing ever. I could eat their bread by itself! Fri Aug 11 20:40:39 -0700 2006 509543 25181 shaotime 1 1816729 I'm particularly fond of Cali Sandwich Shop close to Elgin and Travis, which in a roundabout sort of way is owned by the owner of the original Givral sandwich shop (back when Givral was a hole). Cheap as they all are, and seems to have a lot more flavor than most. I normally go for the Cali Special (charbroiled/seasoned pork) with a fried egg on top for a whopping $2.50. Their Mango smoothie is great as well for $2.00. FWIW: I personally wouldn't be caught dead in the new upscale Girval these days... feels vaguely like it should be in an airport somewhere (though not Houston... that would be too cool for IAH). Fri Aug 18 12:38:29 -0700 2006 509543 26905 Mikeflan 1 1822502 I'm going to agree with Mikeflan about Cali Sandwich. The worst, I think, is at Lee's Sandwich on Bellaire. Mon Aug 21 17:31:14 -0700 2006 509543 27591 Sahel578 2 1864123 Lee's is a chain out of San Jose, CA. I couldn't believe the size of that place (from the outside) when I first saw it. It's at Boone and Bellaire but presumably not the one shaotime referred to above. http://www.leesandwiches.com/default.cfm Fri Sep 08 23:23:19 -0700 2006 1822502 24422 brucesw 1 1865832 Banh Mi Hoang is located in the same building as Le Bec Fin and the jewelry store off of Milam and McGowen. It looks like a mostly deserted building but it's truly a hole-in-the-wall eatery. The sandwiches are warm and ready to eat when you order. You can get the basic banh mi sandwich for $1.50. I do agree with the comment above: the bread is the key. Stale bread spoils the sandwich. Also, they take cash only. Sun Sep 10 00:17:42 -0700 2006 509543 20066 dcembrtulip