Banh Mi Spot — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Went to this place on a frigid -10 degree winter afternoon hoping for a bowl of pho to warm me from the inside out. I was not disappointed. As a Vietnamese person that has grown up around homemade pho, this is as close as you can get without having to trek all the way to uptown. The pho broth is clean and packed with flavor. I ordered a loaf of fresh french bread on the side for dipping (yes, it's a thing) and the flakiness of the crusty bread soaked up the broth perfectly to deliver a spongy burst of warm soupy goodness.

The owners are two guys who grew up in their mothers' kitchens eating and picking up the tricks of the trade resulting in a no-frills, straightforward menu of authentic Vietnamese cuisine. I'm always leery of restaurants that have a 10 page menu because everything ends up tasting the same. Banh Mi Spot has pinpointed exactly what the neighborhood needs: fast, authentic, delicious Vietnamese food that feeds your soul without the BS trend of mashing up cuisines calling it "contemporary fusion."

If you go to Vietnam, the establishments that have existed for decades offer 1-2 items on their menu. Why? Because they've perfected that recipe for generations! Banh Mi Spot is that kind of place. Their menu is sparse on purpose - if they can't do it well, they won't offer it to the public.

So, make your way through the current Logan Square construction to Banh Mi Spot. I promise you won't regret anything you...

Such a huge disappointment. If you're looking for Vietnamese food, I would not recommend this place. I saw the 4.9/5 review on Google so I was under the impression that it would be delicious authentic Vietnamese food.

Food: I ordered the beef vermicelli noodle salad with a Vietnamese iced coffee. The entire noodle salad itself was not that great, I think it had to be the worst vermicelli that I had ever had. I could tell that the rice noodles were about a day old as parts of the noodles were hard and dry. The noodle salad does not come with an egg roll like how some other Vietnamese restaurant does. The beef itself is a different kind of beef than what I typically see in a beef vermicelli noodle salad at other places. The type of beef that was used is typically for Pho beef soup. No amount of fish sauce gave the noodle salad any flavor, and there was hardly any crushed peanuts too. The Vietnamese iced coffee on the other hand was this place only saving grace; not too sweet or bitter, it's perfectly balance.

I would suggest other Vietnamese restaurant such as Viet Taste or Pho Home in Norridge. 100% better and more authentic than...

Such a cute little spot!! Us suburbanites don’t usually venture out to Logan Square but my husband wanted a good bahn mi and it was on our way home from NW hospital. The people who own it/work there are the nicest!! The girl at the front was super sweet and kind. Helped out with menu things. The guys were friendly and chatty. The spring roll was freshly made and I liked that they had options of proteins. I had to get the papaya salad, and it was fresh and light. I wish it was just a tad more spicy and acidic. This also came with a choice of protein and that was great. The kids thoroughly enjoyed their beef pho. The bread was ahhhhhmazing. I’d trek out this way just for the bread alone!! It was soft with that classic bahn mi chew and crisp. Proteins were flavorful, we got lemon grass chicken and bbq pork. The seating is simple and it’s nice to get all your own utensils and such. All in all, whilst I am no fan of Logan Square parking and driving, this was a very yummy place with super...