Ba Le Deli & Banh Mi - Rupert — Restaurant in Vancouver

Super disappointed.

Wanted catering for a small party. Website says you need to book a consultation call. I booked, no one called. I called them instead and no one knew there was such a thing as a consultation call.

I was told there’s no difference between catering and ordering online, both get you one sandwich free for 10 purchased. I bought 15…no free sandwich.

Last time I saw bale sandwiches at a party they were individually packaged so you can place them on a table and know what was in them. This time they were just wrapped with ends exposed in parchment with a barely readable number on them. What does that number correspond to? The only way to tell was an illegible grease soaked receipt.

Without an overwrap I had to individually plate them, but didn’t have the room, so the sandwiches took over the party area. Though I couldn’t really tell what the sandwiches were without a label, I know for sure the order was wrong because I asked for two vegan sandwiches (no mayo) but only got one and there was no cold cut. In total there were 3 sandwiches I couldn’t find. My second vegan friend had nothing to eat.

I wasted so much of my party trying to deal with the sandwiches, plating and sorting, trying to get my friends to eat the mystery sandwiches. It took so much away from the party. Was it so hard to add paper bags?!

In the end my friends decided not to bother. Of the 15 sandwiches I ordered, only 6 were eaten. Since I’m vegetarian myself and a bunch of them are meat, I guess I’m tossing the majority of them. The sandwich I ate was delicious as usually but overall: waste of time, waste of money, party ruiner....

I generally love Ba Le as it's my go to place for banh mi. Today, I decided to give the Rupert location a try. I ordered 2 drinks and 2 sandwiches, as I was ordering, the person taking my order let me know that they are currently out of buns to make the sandwiches. They quoted me 20-30 minutes for it to be ready. Mind you they told me they were currently making the buns. I told them sure, no problem, i will wait. I had 2 kids with me, and I'm so thankful they had the patience of waiting so long. We, along with many others waited over 1 hour!!! That is totally unacceptable. Shortly after the 1hour mark i even asked if it was okay if they could just call another location if i could just pick up my order there instead. The lady tried to ask, then she said they should be delivering the bread soon, to just wait a bit longer. This whole time i thought they were still making the bread in the back because that's what they originally told me. They offered to give me a refund, but this was already 1.5 hours after I have been waiting. As I was in the middle of processing the refund, the bread was delivered at the same time. She asked me if i still wanted it, of course i did, my kids were the ones who really wanted it, otherwise i wouldn't have waited for that long! Then she quickly canceled the refund and just told me to wait at the hand off area. No compensation or apologies...

Ba Le Rupert – What’s Going On?

This used to be our go-to spot, but things have really changed lately. My spouse and I have noticed a noticeable price hike—nearly a $1 increase per sandwich—and unfortunately, the value just isn’t there anymore.

Not only have the portions SHRUNK (blame this on inflation or greed?), but the lemongrass chicken has been consistently dry and lacking flavour, echoing what others have already mentioned in their reviews a year ago, yet still no improvements to this day.

Even with the coupons you send through email and text, it’s still cheaper to go elsewhere—and honestly, the quality is often better too. We’ve found other banh mi places around the city (including just across the street at the supermarket) that offer bigger portions, better bread, fresher, and more consistent flavour at a lower price.

The only highlight that remains is the Hanoi Drip coffee—still a solid choice. Bring back the coupons please.

Ba Le Rupert, we hope you take this as constructive feedback. Vancouver is already expensive and a foodie paradise, diners will naturally go where they get the best value. Do not become a Subway.

Please don’t lose what made you special in the first place and fall behind with the competition. Also, I don't prefer a generic response to my review. Actions/changes speaker...