Banh Mi King — Restaurant in Winnipeg

Update 2020: It has been a year and I just had a chance to come back. Honestly I can’t say the experience has been the same. My charbroiled banh mi seems a little dry and not broiled long enough to get those beautiful charred marks. The most disappointing thing though is the banh mi was not toasted so it was cold and a little chewy instead or crispy and warm. I also got deluxe pho and the pho noodle was cooked al dente which is not right in terms of pho. The broth was good and there was plenty of meat. Another thing that I find confusing is the packaging of drinks. They swapped the plastic caps for heat seals but they did not have straws cut at an angle so you can poke the plastic. Instead the drink came with a toothpick and a straw.

I highly recommend this place. As a Vietnamese American from Houston with 50k plus vietnamese in population, this is by far the best banh mi place I have been to (except maybe Vietnam). I got charbroiled pork and porkbelly baoger (banh mi thit nuong, and banh bao). The baobuger is the same concept as fatbao’s from Houston. Pork belly was crispy but tender. But my rave has to be on the banh mi. First of all, it is a footlong sandwich so even if it is a lot more expensive than most banh mi places ranging from $2.75-3.50, it was totally worth it. The charbroiled pork was very well seasoned, moist, and the right amount of lean meat and fatty meat. The baguette is one of my favorite of all times. It was buttery and soft but held its shape with all the stuffing inside. I heard that they made their bread fresh in stores too. The only complaint I have is with the red onion in my pickled veggies. I felt like it wasn’t pickled enough to get rid of then strong oniony taste and I personally dislike the after taste of onions. It came with a coleslaw on the side with a house-made dressing. A little spicy, could be a mix of mayo, siracha and something else. Overall, I loved the experience. The cafe sua da was very good as well, strong and not...

Located opposite the University of Winnipeg on Portage Avenue, Banh Mi King offers northern Vietnamese dishes in a clean, modern setting. The restaurant is very open, and caters to a large number of students has well as out going orders with Skip The Dishes. Despite the popularity, you shouldn't have a problem getting a seat. The dishes are varied and laid out on giant chalk boards. Soups or Pho, are very generous, served steaming hot in large bowls. There are many variations of ingredients you can order, but the chef can make you a special Pho if you desire, at an additional cost. Most Pho are around $10 each and more than enough for most diners. There are also the traditional vermicelli bowls, as large as the Pho soup bowls, made with fresh ingredients and a choice of hot grilled pork, beef, or chicken, or even shrimp with peanuts. A very satisfying meal is the result, again for around $10. But the stand out, and what the restaurant is named for (Banh=bread, Mi=wheat) are the amazing baguette sandwiches. Best enjoyed immediately, these golden crunchy subs have a variety of fillings from seafood to chicken or vegetarian, all flavored with Vietnamese spices. These sandwiches cost around the $7 range. If you love coffee, you probably already know about Vietnamese coffee, served strong and sweet with sweetened condensed milk. BMK's version was prepared behind the counter and made an excellent finish to the meal. They also have pineapple filled cookies, a unique and nice treat. Coffee is $5 and cookies were 2 for $3. Not an expensive restaurant, but with an impressive menu and a clientele hooked on those amazing sub sandwiches. Give Banh Mi King a try, you and your friends won't be...

The floors were sticky and covered with food crumbs. The cutlery didn’t seem completely clean and the table itself was also sticky. On top of that, the whole place smelled strongly of frying, so you leave with your clothes smelling like food.

We ordered three dishes: chicken poutine, chicken pho soup, and rice with beef steak. Unfortunately all three were disappointing. The Kimchi on Poutine had an odd, unpleasant taste. the fries were fine but the chicken didn’t seem fresh. The pho soup was extremely salty and had little in it besides noodles and a few slices of onion. They even left a bunch of parsley stems in the dish, which made it feel careless. The fried egg on top of the rice tasted unpleasantly greasy, as if it had been cooked in overused oil.

On the positive side, the staff were kind and brought everything quickly. We also ordered two drinks, Moonlight and Sunlight, which were actually good and enjoyable. I even asked for lemon juice because the pho was so salty and plain that it was hard to eat. it honestly felt like just noodles in salty water with chicken.

I should mention that I personally love Asian food and I’ve had pho soup at least eight different times in other restaurants. None of them were anything like this. That’s why I can’t say it was just a matter of my taste. the overall quality here was...