Ba Le

Wish they delivered! The vegan papaya salad was great- different from anything else I've had in the Loop. The avocado salad rolls are HUGE and basically three is a good size for lunch. All the veggies were very fresh.

I've never been moved by a sandwich until eating at Ba Le. My first experience with this chain was at their Uptown location. I was up there to attend the Vintage Garage Show and when I came out and saw a Banh Mi place I just had to try it.

This location opened up in late December. I usually go to Hannah's Bretzel which is a few doors down but when someone told me this place was here I had to go. I have tried their vegetarian sandwiches and their crispy chicken sandwiche. They are both really delicious.

The interior design of this shop is a lot better than their Uptown store. It is pretty trendy, modern  and Asian looking but it is somewhat dark.

I really have to commend them on making sandwiches. The ingredients are so well balanced with Ba Le's sandwiches. One would think this would not be a hard task but I've had many a sandwich where there is either too much of something or too little. Another thing is they are consistent at both locations as far as their sandwiches go.

The girl who rung me up on my last visit was very friendly and sweet. I did not catch her name.

To be brief, the banh mi is average.  Very large selection of choices, but they skimp on the meat and veggies in the banh mi.  The bread is decent, but what was hard to swallow was the price point.  About $8 for one banh mi is a little ridiculous in my opinion.