Easily the most praised and most well recognized banh mi sandwich restaurant in all of Saigon, with almost what seems to be a cult following, is Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa (Banh Mi Huynh Hoa).
Many people from the YouTube video, and even the great bloggers at Eating Saigon, call it the best in Saigon.
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The amount of pre-sliced meat will blow your mind!
You’ll know you’ve arrived by the scores of motorbikes out front, the bright white fluorescent lights shining in the restaurant, the red shirted sandwich makers, and the insane quantities of pre-sliced cold cut meats – plus a small mountain of pork floss – all stacked and lined up, and ready to be loaded into toasted baguettes.
Their business is so successful, there isn’t just one, but two fully loaded glass cabinets, brimming with all the ingredients needed to make monstrous Vietnamese sandwiches.
If you’re going to get a sandwich from Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa (Banh Mi Huynh Hoa), the first thing you’ll have to do is be a bit aggressive – they handle a lot of customers, and there’s no real system of a queue.
But just be persistent until someone takes your order, and your money, and you’ll eventually come out of the restaurant with your sandwich in hand.
The first thing I noticed is that the banh mi at Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa (Banh Mi Huynh Hoa) was extremely heavy – it was probably the most heavy of all the versions I tried… and the weight didn’t come from the bread, that’s for sure.
After unwrapping my sandwich, and dissecting the insides, I could see they added the most layers of meat of any banh mi I ate in Saigon.
Along with a substantial layer of mayonnaise and pate, there were easily 6 – 8 layers of salty luncheon meats and grilled pork, ranging from pink to white, and quite a generous sprinkle of pork floss tossed in as well. It reminded me of the Vietnamese version of the monstrous Mexican torta.
While it was heavy on the meat, it was light on the vegetables, with just a few slices slices of cucumber, cilantro, and a small amount of thickly cut Vietnamese pickles – daikon and carrots.
best banh mi in Vietnam
The super-rich banh mi at Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa (Banh Mi Huynh Hoa)
The Verdict
banh mi
How many layers of meat!?
Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa (Banh Mi Huynh Hoa) is the most well known banh mi in Saigon (and many people’s, both locals and foreigners favorite for best sandwich in Saigon) for a reason: it was incredibly good, and incredibly meaty and rich.
However, I thought it was packed with almost too much meat.
I know for meat lovers, like I am myself, that might sound impossible, but with so much salty hot-dog like luncheon meat, and with a thick layer of mayonnaise, it was honestly almost too rich for me.
But perhaps I’m more of a fan of a balance of meat with cucumbers, green onions, cilantro and pickles, and I thought their version was a little lopsided.
Don’t get me wrong though, I did thoroughly enjoy all of it (to the final bite), and if you’re looking for Saigon’s most meat filled banh mi, this would likely be the best you can find.
Address: 26 Lê Thị Riêng, Bến Thành, 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Open hours: 3:30 pm – midnight, daily
Price: 30,000 VND ($1.40) – this is one of the most expensive in Saigon, but it’s also one of the most meat packed, so it’s easily worth the price
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