Ba Le Bakery — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I placed my order online and it was ready for pickup in about 15 minutes. When I arrived, I found a bustling storefront that looked more like a small grocery store filled with national foods and desserts than a typical restaurant. It was super crowded, which only confirmed what the reviews say—this place is legit, and now I totally get why people love it.

We tried their Vietnamese sandwiches, made with freshly baked bread. One was with fish, the other with pork. Both were incredibly filling and struck a perfect balance between meat and veggies. They were under $10 each, and definitely enough for a satisfying lunch.

We also picked up their traditional Vietnamese steamed banana pie topped with coconut cream. It was a whole bunch for just around $5—sweet, comforting, and such a fun find.

Most of the customers seemed like regulars, which is always a great sign. You could really feel the loyalty and trust people have in this place. It was heartwarming to experience that kind of consistency, especially since I’ve noticed that some other Asian spots lose their quality over time. Not this one.

One thing I didn’t love was the spring roll—it felt a bit too dry and plain for my taste. But I’ll admit, it was my first time trying one, so I might’ve just picked the wrong type. Next time, I’ll try something saucier or juicier.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable experience and made me feel connected to Vietnamese culture in a small but meaningful way. I’ll absolutely be coming back the next time I’m in the...

I recently ordered delivery from here through the website. It told me that the food would be delivered by 1pm, and by 1pm I hadn’t gotten a call (as I requested in the delivery instructions) so I checked the website. It was marked delivered, and I panicked and checked the door but there was no food. Figuring it had been stolen off the porch, I tried calling the business multiple times but the call was not picked up.

At this point I figured I would just do a chargeback since the food was stolen due to a lack of notification, and I ordered lunch from somewhere else. Minutes after I place the new order, I get a text from Ba Le saying my food is on the way, and it’s delivered by 1:30.

I can forgive food being late, but because there was no communication I ended up with two separate lunches and paid far more than I wanted to. The delivery system needs to be fixed so that it doesn’t claim to be delivered before the food has even left the restaurant.

That being said, the banh mi itself was incredible and was enough to boost this to 3 stars despite the horrible delivery. It would be 5 stars if you just picked up the sandwich yourself, which I will be doing in the future. It’s just not reliable delivery on a day where you cannot...

I'm vietnamese and if you respect your taste buds, stomach and yourself, I would highly recommend not coming here. You are in the center of vietnamese town when in Washington street, there are too many other options to get vietnamese food for you to come here. I just had to make a return on a purchase because when I opened the container, the food had a slime coating. Clearly the food spoiled and they were nice enough to give me a refund. Aside from selling spoiled food, the older women who work there have no manners or understanding of how to treat other people. Not that they are upright rude, but not welcoming or friendly at all. All their other food options are laid in the open with a few flies buzzing around so I would be cautious also. The place does not seemed air conditioned and I would just give it a second thought about buying things in the summer there. As for their banh mi, I feel like people who gave it rave reviews don't know what a banh mi should really taste like. Cafe Cuong and huong lan are just two other places that make fresh banh mi as you order. Just please don't go here and think you're getting fresh...