The Porchetta House — Restaurant in Denver

Food: Got the Banh Mi, after tax final price was $17.41 and holy cow is that overpriced for what you get. The sandwich is super flavorful and hits better notes than an actual Vietnamese restaurant nearby. However, the bread is not a baguette. I get that this is supposed to be a play on the sandwich, not a purist take, but the bread got a bit too soft from all of the moisture on the sandwich. Pretty heavy on the miso, sometimes a welcome addition, sometimes a bit too heavy-handed. Carrots were nicely pickled without being too acidic but were cut into long thick strips so made some bites a tad hard to chomp through. Not so much a problem with the cucumber. There’s a nice spice level on the sandwich from the jalapeños, not overwhelming at any point. The meat is awesome though so I’ll definitely need to try the porchetta too at some point. Overall, a decent sandwich but the amount of meat was lacking a bit and the bread wasn’t sturdy enough in my opinion, basically a narrow torta loaf. Would have made more since to charge around $12 because of these issues of lower quality.

Service: Ready at the time estimated, one employee only and they greeted me on entry, gave me my food with a friendly attitude.

Atmosphere: Had to walk all the way around the building before finding the door and when you get inside it clearly isn’t intended to be a sit down restaurant but a corner cafe where you might only sit if you’re having a quick lunch. A bunch of food service stuff all along the back wall and lights that would give me a headache if I had to sit in there for longer than a few minutes. Would definitely only do takeout again in the future.

Overall there is a huge mismatch between the prices being charged plus the sleek website, and the reality of a kind of dingy location and lower quality than expected elements of...

Stumbled upon this newly opened business via google search! Thank goodness! What a find. They’re a small business with great vibes and the owner is so nice! So welcoming & friendly! If you like amazing sandwiches please support them! You can tell he spends so much time making the porchetta. Rich, filled with flavor, and not dry at all.

& let me tell you even though he only offers 3 sandwiches, boy are they FREAKING GOOD. Bread on them has great chew & they are packed with meat. The Al pastor sandwich & original were insanely flavorful. They also offer an original style banh mi that I regret not trying!!!! For you banh mi lovers, these sandwiches are PACKED.

They also source bread locally, from places that fit with the sandwich. (The banh mi is from Vinh Xuong, the pastor bread is from San Antonia bakery) We love attention to detail!

PS open late bonus points!

Casual vibe! You order via QR & seat yourself. Keep that in mind if you’re one of those people who gets taken aback by that.

UPDATE: We tried the banh mi and it is good!!! As a Vietnamese person I’m not too caught up in “authenticity” so long as the origin and essence of the food is respected. Chef Paloni does his spin on the banh mi in a way that I feel is respectful & captures the necessary flavor profiles. Perfectly pickled vegetables, jalapeno, cucumber, cilantro. & a SUBSTANTIAL amount of porchetta over Vinh Xuong...

This was an accidental ultra-lucky discovery!

Quick backstory, because I'm feeling like it: :)

It all started when I left a disappointing show before the intermission. Not only had I spent a while stuck in traffic to get to it (parade of lights was going on); I couldn't stop easily to grab a bite because of said traffic; but when I arrived, I was told the show was starting much later than advertised.

Lots of time investment with poor visible returns. 😬

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So I wondered how I could flip the script. Cutting my losses was a good start. And I thought I'd really like to have something good for dinner before going home.

And I have... Not just good, it was a fireworks of flavors and textures! 🤯

I had never had a porchetta before. In fact, I've usually been disappointed by American Italian food, and I'm not even a sandwich person, but oh man, it appears I have found the unicorn. 🦄

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I was told by the chef that he aims to make authentic Italian street food. He was awesome to interact with and after hearing his descriptions, I ordered the Al Pastor.

When I had the porchetta he prepared for me, I felt my taste buds jumping, high-fiving, and chest-bumping; and I felt like I had my warm figurative hug for the night. 🥰

It was totally worth the evening hiccups and next time, I can just go straight for the delicious...