Duc Huong Sandwiches — Restaurant in San Jose

UPDATE! Call in your order before you drive over. Pay over the phone and then just collect your Banh Mi bag of joy at the pickup window. Parking your car will take longer! ††* You come here for the excellent sandwiches, that long line out front should not deter you from your mission. We waited about 15 minutes before we were able to enter the shop. Once you're in, keep your eyes on everything to your left. Specialty drinks and other things in the cold cabinet followed by various treats along the way until you reach the cashier. I ordered the #13. This one is pork belly with all of the standard banh mi veggies. Crunchy pickled daikon radish, shredded carrot, a thin long slice of jalapeno and some cilantro. Plenty of pork belly to go with all of those veggies. The entire thing in the most perfect bread there is. The softness combined with a excellent chew, loaded up with all the meat and veggies. No sides needed for this meal. Comes in two sizes. Small is about 4 in long and is $4. The larger size is easily twice that. Buy four of the large size sandwiches and your fifth one is free. There were lots of people in the line that were leaving with a full bag of 10 sandwiches. Food for the entire family! Sunday dinner, San Jose style! After you pay for your sandwiches and other purchases, you'll wait outside to hear your number called. They have a pickup window that they will hand the bag of sandwiches through to you. I highly recommend this place, it doesn't get any fresher or more authentic. I give the atmosphere three stars only because it really doesn't have anywhere for you to sit. It's just a place to order your sandwiches. The atmosphere is one of waiting with your fellow sandwich devotees for the best banh mi in San Jose. It's...

I love to support small family owned businesses when I can, and even more than that I love to try new food! My Vietnamese friend invited me out to try this new place with him, and I was super excited to order some Banh Mi. Unfortunately, both him and I left with frowns on our faces. To begin with, the line was terribly long, which we both thought would be indicative of a quality place. It would appear on further inspection that this is a result of a poorly run store, and this could be seen no more apparently than our interaction with the cashier. The whole time when I was placing an order he had a very jaded tone and a scold on his face, which I thought was odd but ignored. After placing our order I pulled out my card to pay and the cashier forcefully grabbed it out of my hand and paid for it himself, which was incredibly rude! I said excuse me and he gave a half-hearted apology, but while I was walking away I could hear him mutter something under his breath while looking back at us. I could forgive bad service, but what really ruined it was the food. The meat was cold and tasted expired, like it had been sitting in the back for weeks. The texture was also ruined because they wrapped it in plastic making it incredibly soggy. The only good thing I could take from this is that my friend apologized and promised to take me to an actually good Bahn Mi spot in the near future, so I suppose it's nice having a frame of reference for what bad...

Ideally, I'd give it a 3.5/5

Duc Huong Sandwich is a popular spot in San Jose for a reason. The lines often extend outside the shop, so expect some wait time. One thing I appreciate is their display of photos for each sandwich, making it easy to choose. While you wait, you can also grab some light Vietnamese snacks to tide you over.

I tried their #4 banh mi ga nuong, which was packed with all the classic fixins: cucumber, daikon, cilantro, and peppers. The peppers definitely added some heat, which I enjoyed. However, I found the sandwich to be a bit dry, possibly due to a lack of dressing.

The prices at Duc Huong are very reasonable, and the large banh mi is incredibly filling. Parking can be a bit of a challenge in the area, but you should be able to find a spot eventually. Service is quick and efficient; you order at the counter and wait outside for your food. They'll call your order number when it's ready.

One thing to note - There is a small surcharge if you are paying using your credit card.

Overall, Duc Huong is a decent choice for Vietnamese sandwiches in San Jose. I've definitely had better Banh Mi in San Jose While the #4 banh mi was a bit lacking in flavor, the other aspects of the experience were positive. If you're looking for a satisfying and affordable meal, Duc Huong is definitely worth...