Ebisu Bánh Mì Bakery — Restaurant in Tokyo

BÁNH MÌ BAKERY in Ebisu is certainly one of the best Vietnamese sandwiches shop in Tokyo. It manufactures its own bread and offera a variety of 9 different varieties, plus a monthly / seasonal selection of sandwich, salad and soup. Prices are running between 680 Yen and 780 yen per sandwich. There is no counter or eat-in facilities, you order at the window and get your take-out items in a few minutes. I love the Saigon sandwich, with fresh paté, coriander, at 780 Yen, as well as the fried spring rolls that comes by 2 (“nems”), which are very tasty. Do not miss the Vietnamese “Kuku coffee”. The shop normally opens from 11.00 to 20.00 but it is better to call before hand after 13.00 or 14.00 as they ay run out of bread quickly. The Vietnamese staff there is very helpful and kind. Menu is available both in Japanese and English, except for the monthly / seasonal selection that is only available in Japanese. Once out of Ebisu Station, you can locate the shop in Ebisu Store えびすストアa old fashioned shop gallery with flowers shop, Yakitori and fish monger...

You know they say not to judge a book by its cover…but I did! And I had such high expectations for this small banh mi shop (you know, because there were signs in Vietnamese all over it) And those high expectations were met!!! We tried the Saigon and the Grilled Pork Lemongrass banh mi and they were both delicious!! The homemade bread was perfectly crispy and the flavors were excellent 😋 The Vietnamese iced coffee was also the perfect treat for a hot Tokyo day. Pretty sure this was because we didn’t eat it right away (~5min later), but it would’ve been 👌👌👌 had the bread been warm and toasty (and if there was a jalapeño slice or 2 😉).

Also, there’s no indoor seating, and they do have plastic stools on the street, but not sure if it’s only for customers waiting for...

Great little banh mi place, which Tokyo could definitely use more of, but a bit off the beaten path, so it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it…and sometimes even when you are!

Personally, I like the chicken or the beef banh mi the best, but they have a nice vegetarian version with lots of flavorful veggies, too. Very occasionally, the sandwiches have been kind of lacking—either a bit skimpy or what felt like lower quality meat—but generally they are right on the money, packed with flavor, and perfect for scratching the particular culinary itch that only a mixture of yummy smelly pickles + cilantro + crunchy bread...