Bánh Mì Ơi — Restaurant in Regina

I went here just before leaving Regina to go home to Winnipeg and was looking for some quick hearty food with flavor, and some extra food for the roadtrip home. We had baos, a savory ham & cheese bun, a sweet pineapple bun, vietnamese iced coffee & iced milk tea, and of course the bánh mì.

The person at the counter felt like the owner and her personality shined throughout our whole visit. She reminded me of a young version of my mom, cool but friendly, smart, strong, passionate, and had that thing that makes you want to try everything she has to offer you. Not (just) because she was selling her food to us, but because she knew what was good for us lol.

All the food was delicious and worth the price. The star really was the bánh mì, with the bread made in house it had an amazing crispy chewy texture. The bakery buns were actually perfect car food, and hit the spot exactly right taste and texture wise. I wish I was hosting a meeting or get together in Regina JUST so I could order their buns to serve.

The baos were pretty good, I had the pork belly and beef satay, I would say it could elevate the baos if they had different sauces to compliment the different protein instead of one yummy sauce. The sauce's flavor was very abundant and memorable so it took over the taste of baos making them similar in taste. The housemade bao bun.....I'm speechless - they were absolutely perfect. Perfect texture, warmth, durability, shape, size, color, everything.

The iced coffee was strong and not shy at all. It was refreshing, and rich.

All in all, I will come again and I'm bringing my friends and family. Next time we will try the other food too. This shop must have an amazing baker because their breads and pastries are stuck in my mind.

Please, if you're reading this: go try this place and make it your regular spot for a date, to go study (they have great lighting and lots of seating), or just your spot for some real food. If you do, you'll get to be one of those people who say "I was a regular here before this place got...

The first thing I noticed is how cozy and nice the place is. Plants ornate the shop, and the blue accent in the place is something I appreciate. The shop, I think, is better suited for dining alone, a cute date, or for a small group.

My brother and I ordered drinks and food, and they were all great! If you're a coffee lover like me, please try the Vietnamese coffee! The coffee was smooth, has a kick, but the condensed milk is what ties it all up! The Oolong Milk Tea is a solid choice too if you're not up for the strong caffeine. Trying to think what to order for the kids? They also have slushies; we had the strawberry one and it's pretty good.

As for the food, I forgot to take a photo of the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi, but let me tell you, I want to go back for more! Idk what to get next, but they offer quite the variety. We also had ham & cheese pastry and pork floss bun on the side, good for a quick snack!

All in all: the staff were friendly; I love the ambiance; and the...

I really was looking forward to trying this place based on the Google reviews.

First, the sign on the place is oi Cafe and not banh mi oi, which after walking by 3 times, I finally figured it out.

Next, this is a pay and seat yourself place after tipping 15 %. Not a restaurant table service.

The gentleman behind the counter was friendly, and food came out in 10 mins.

I ordered a lemon grass beef banh mi and the beef pho soup.

Then I heard the microwave go off, door open, then go off again. Red flag, I was expecting fresh, not microwave reheated.

Unfortunately, the pictures online compared to what I was served was inconsistent.

Overkill on the black pepper for both the banh mi and pho. Additionally, the pho broth had too much of a cloves flavor, which was overkill and deemed it not edible, so after 4 bites, I called it quits. The banh mi had better days when it was fresh. So I left this place hungry and...