Obanhmi — Restaurant in Vancouver

I tried their banh mi before at an event but today was my first time actually visiting the store to get it fresh from the source. I got there around 11:45 and it was empty, and then by the time I left less than half an hour later there was a constant flow of traffic. Lunch rush at noon I guess. The shop is pretty small with just a few seats along the window and some tables outside. Friendly staff. I asked to eat in but got my sub in a bag anyway and I'm not sure if that's because they don't have trays or if it was just oversight. The slim bag works great if you're taking it to go but it was difficult for eating in. I ordered the tofu banh mi, which is available as vegetarian with mayo or vegan without. It's a substantial-sized sub, well worth the $8. I was a little worried it would be plain or dry without the mayo but decided to try vegan anyway, and it was fine - they still dress with it with a bit of soy sauce and the veggies also add moisture. I asked for jalapeno though and I'm pretty sure I didn't get any, but the filling of the sandwich was just fine without, and it felt like a nice healthy lunch. However, I don't really like their bread, it's a little dry and too crumbly for my taste. Got a coconut smoothie too, which was a little sweeter than I expected, but nonetheless very enjoyable. I loved the thick, creamy consistency. I gave them my own cup which holds 16-20 oz, but apparently their normal serving for the smoothies is a bit bigger, so they checked with me to see what I wanted to do, and I just told them it was okay to make less to fit in the cup. I thought what I got was plenty, so if they're giving more than that normally, the price is pretty decent ($6.25). Not the best-ever banh mi for me, mostly on account of the bread, but still a pretty solid choice and I would go back. I have yet to shop around more to be able to say how it stacks up against other veg banh mi...

Best banh mi in the neighbourhood and possibly in the Lower Mainland. Their lemongrass chicken is sooo good. Delicious bread, super fresh, and very generous portions. It also doesn't help I live 2 minutes away as it's very tempting to try everything on the menu. They also have a location in Surrey and in Calgary.

Customer service is on-point and friendly, no mean aunties and uncles here and you can see your sandwiches being made, nothing to hide here and it's super clean with COVID procedures in place and modern.

Right now you can order online with the promo code PICKUP15 on their website and you will get 15% off. Please note, you have to pay with a credit card prior to the order being processed. You will get a text/email on the estimated time that your order will be ready and a text/email will be sent to you once it's ready for pickup with the order number. It took less than 5 minutes for 2 banh mi's to be ready and plenty of free parking in the neighbourhood. I love this system as you don't have to order in person and wait forever if there is a long lineup outside. Literally just order online, get a confirmation number, a text/email when your order is ready and grab and go. This gives you the option of sitting in your car to wait or run errands at other shops which is a huge plus. Even if you order in store, signage is clearly laid out so you know where to order and not get confused with others who are waiting for their order.

Sign up for the loyalty point, you'll get 1 free sandwich after 10 points.

Highly recommend and also very addictive, keep up...

First of all, the prices are reasonable. We got the Deluxe ($8.75) and Classic ($7.25) to go. The service was friendly. The store is pretty clean. It has some space allowing for dine-in, but I don't know why they only offer 1 table and 2 chairs. Both the Classic and Deluxe delivered ham, mayo and some pate. The baguette itself is pretty long, plus it is very crunchy on the exterior with a soft interior.

Now the negatives. -2* for the lack of flavours: overall, both banh mi lack flavours from the meat and spread. The pate is spread too lightly, while the pork belly and Viet ham lacks flavour altogether. It is quite bland for a banh mi, as in, it lacks actual Viet flavours. My husband and I cannot decipher between the 2 sandwiches as they taste almost identical. -1* for charging for a "mandatory" $0.25 bag. Make sure you check your bill before paying. They add in some item on the screen called "Bag fee - Mandatory" and charges patron for $0.25. When we question the cashier as we are about to pay, she removed it. It wasn't an optional thing and I suspect they charge this for everyone that wasn't looking at the bill.

Overall, price is great but at the cost of quality and flavour. With so many other banh mi joints that are way tastier and slightly higher in price, we would likely not come back again and will seek our banh mi...