Saigon Sandwich — Restaurant in San Francisco

I went to Saigon Sandwiches on a Friday around lunchtime as I saw it had the highest rating out of all the Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches in the area. When I walked by, I saw it had quite a crowd of people lined up to order, as well as a scatter of people waiting for their food. I was a bit shocked to see the interior with 4 Vietnamese women quickly working in a bánh mì sandwich assembly line. It didn't look like very sanitary conditions, but I still ordered a roast chicken sandwich for $3.75.

I was worried it would take a long time to get my order, but it was pretty fast (5-10 minutes). I could see this getting out of hand with a lot more people because when I placed my order, the lady just wrote down my food without my name or without me even paying. Then, she just called out "one roast chicken." I had to look around to make sure it was my actual order and then paid.

There is a small area at the front beside the cooler with two chairs you could sit and eat at, but with all of the people crowding inside, I wouldn't recommend this. There is no seating outside, as well, so it's more of a "take-away" sandwich shop sort of thing. When opening the wrapping to the sandwich, I saw how messy it was put together. I wouldn't have minded waiting a bit longer if they made it less messy. The bread was a bit too hard for me, and I can see it hurting the top of people's mouths when biting down.

Overall, the sandwich was ok, but you can't really complain about that price. I think that's the only reason why this place has such a high rating. I eat a lot of bánh mì sandwiches personally, and this place definitely was not matching what Yelp had me believe it should be. Maybe I came on an off day? I'm highly disappointed to read on Yelp that this is the best bánh mì sandwich in San Francisco; that's unacceptable.

What I ordered: -Roast Chicken Bánh Mì Sandwich ($3.75)

Pros: -Very inexpensive

Cons: -Sketchy neighborhood with many homeless people -Looks unsanitary in the interior -Messy sandwich -Bread is too hard -No comfortable seating area (take-away only) -Confusing...

man, i used to come to saigon sandwich as a child when my family came to visit SF (can you believe they used to be like $2?). i was craving a banh mi and was ecstatic that they are just as good (and $5, which is unheard of nowadays).

// ambiance // as you know, this shop is located in tenderloin so i would come with a friend or partner. i came during the day and did not have any problems, but i would be cautious. it's a takeout shop with a very small interior so prepare to eat your banh mi at home (or even better, a local park!)

// service // i usually call ahead and order so my sandwiches are ready. the queue is not very organized since there were only 2 employees so i still had to wait a bit until i caught their attention. besides that, they make the sandwiches fast.

// price + portion // $5.00 for a banh mi of a very reasonable portion. i ate half for a light lunch or the whole to be full for awhile. they have some specialty sandwiches for $6.50. you can't get lunch in SF for $5/person most places.

// roast pork banh mi ($5.50) // i always get the pork since it has that roasted flavor. the meat is moist and a really good portion amount. the baguette is crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. there is a good amount of mayo spread on the bread. love the pickled carrots and onions as well as the jalapenos. wish there were some cucumbers in it though? otherwise, a tasty lunch that we enjoyed in a nearby park.

// would i reorder/return? // yes, i will definitely return to saigon sandwich if i want a banh mi in SF or a cheap lunch! next time, i'll even bring some back home...

If I was on death row. A sandwich from here would be my final meal. This place is epic. A sandwich of unbelievable quality and unreasonably cheap price. I almost feel as though I ripping them off. Good things don't come easy though.

I thought I would never find my beloved again. I overcame my despair by doing fervent searches for places that sold Bahnmi, however that turned out to be much of a fools errand since there was tons of places that sold bahnmi. But I didn't want an imitator, I wanted my sandwich. The one I fell in love with on first bite. The tender roast chicken. The sweet sauce that is well spiced. The shredded carrots, the bright cilantro. I wanted the chewy bread. I wanted a sandwich so good that I would easily pay ten times their $3.50 asking price. A sandwich so epic I salivate writing about it. As a stroke of almost dumb luck, I clicked on a yelp entry and saw a picture of the green menu board with tacked in white letters and I knew it was my place. Siagon Sandwich is very much a to go place not far from the UN/Civic center station. The orders are simple and straight forward , not too many options on the menu so ordering is easy. I got my two sandwiches, one pork and one roast chicken. One sandwich is more than enough to be fulfilling if I was of average everyday hunger. Still the sandwich was severed up within a minute of my ordering and before I could even take the three steps from the counter to the door I was enjoying...