Lee's Sandwiches — Restaurant in Lake Forest

Out of all the banh mi shops I've been to, Lee's Sandwiches served me the worst Vietnamese baguettes. But in south Orange County, where else can I find banh mi sold at working class prices ($3 to $3.50)? Near my office, alternatives for banh mi include a Asian fusion cafe that offers a sandwich + fries combo for $9 and Pho Saigon Pearl that charges $8 a pop, almost 3 times the market price at delis in Westminster or Rosemead.

The base of Lee's banh mi isn't an Americanized version loaded with meats and skimpy on the do chua, but the execution was horrible. I've been told that Lee's baguettes are baked in-house, but how often and much time had elapsed between the bread being out of the oven to being served? The baguettes are rarely crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The type of flour that this fast-food chain is using must be different from what mom and pop bakeries use, because the bread was heavy and not very airy. In addition, the exterior of the baguette has consistently been rock hard. The mouthfeel of Lee's baguette reminds me of "day old stale bread" that's been exposed to air for over 24 hours. It was barely edible. I prefer to eat baguettes that have a flaky crust.

Fillings for Lee's banh mi can be hit or miss. In my opinion, the Saigon special (dac biet) and anything with Vietnamese cold meats are the only solid options. Forget about banh mi with grilled meats like thit nuong or ga nuong, because the meat was not even cooked, not to mention the texture was rough and chewy. I suspect the "grilled meats" are pre-cooked and the employees in the back are just "sandwich assemblers". Recently, I ordered the xiu mai, which arrived as a mush of ground meat in collapsed form. The slimy and soupy texture was very unappealing, I'm not even sure if the meat was properly cooked. The only decent aspect was the sweet tomato and vinegar sauce that was mixed with the meatball.

Despite the relatively high turnover rate at this location of Lee's Sandwiches, the food quality still managed to disappoint. This deli is a decent introduction to banh mi, but those who want fresher ingredients, better tasting bread, and more options for meat, are unfortunately stuck in a lose-lose situation. Either take a 30 minute drive up to Thanh Tam/Banh Mi Saigon/THH in Westminster or fork over a big bag of money ($9) for a more proper banh...

Stopped by here over the weekend on my way from San Diego back to LA! I am a bit glad I didn't read these reviews because I might have not stopped by due to my previous experience at a Chino Hill's location of Lee's... but I actually had a good experience here!

I was originally going to purchase 4 bottles of their Original Frozen Concentrate because I am OBSESSED with Lee's Vietnamese coffee. Sadly where I live in LA, the closest Lee's is a 1 hr drive for me, and thus I wanted to stalk up! When I was about to purchase, the lady working at the cashier told me I should get an entire case (6 pack) since it is pretty much the same price as getting 4 (just a dollar more). So I did! I also ordered my favorite #12 vegetarian Bánh mì. The bread was a bit tough, but other than that it was consistent with other locations! Their price points are cheaper than Chino Hill's Lee's location interestingly. Sandwiches were around $5-6, and the frozen concentrates are $5 each or a 6 pack for $21.

I won't mind stopping by once again. If you're craving Lee's, I say...

I love a good Lee's sandwich with some egg rolls on the side.

What I don't love is that whoever manages here seems to not notice that this location is severely understaffed. The last few times we have been here, there has been one person handling all customer interactions, phone calls, order handouts, baguette bagging, providing behind-the-line support, etc. The employee who has helped us the last few times has been absolutley awesome, but you can definitely tell he was super stressed out and doing his best. Unfortunately, this understaffing ultimately causes a large line out the door, 20-25 min wait times, and some really grumpy customers.

So, if you're planning on heading this location, please be kind to the people working there - they are doing what they can to manage the situation at hand. Don't give them grief.

If you're the person who manages this location, for the sake of those who work there, please consider scheduling an additional employee for the lunchtime rush. It'll end up being a better experience...