Banh Mi Express Sandwiches Reviews | Chicago Restaurants & Bars

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I am a sucker for inexpensive yet tasty sandwiches and Banh Mi Express foots that bill. Â I like the beef sandwich which has enough meat in it to satisfy my hunger for under 4 bucks (tax included) unlike a nearby Ba Le eatery on Archer Ave which leaves you wondering "where's the beef!" and costing $6.60 (tax included).

I also enjoy the beef with vermicelli, plenty of food for under $5 (tax included). It comes with nice crushed peanuts & shredded carrots. Â The young man working there is quiet but a pleasant fella. Â I would soundly say two thumbs up. Â Go give it a try.

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Posted on 01.21.12 popeye a.

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i used to come here sometimes to grab lunch for work... i would say it was just average compare to all the other places i been to for the viet sandwiches..the beef would be the best one there.. the pork, beef, and chicken uses the same sauce which was weird. the bun on the sandwich is a hit or miss and most of the time its a miss...the spring roll i ordered falls apart easily .. and one time my chicken sandwich had a bone in it... after ba le opened , i never came back and doubt i will be back..

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Posted on 12.09.11 Darren F.

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Awful baguettes - super stale and chewy. This place has no chance with Ba Le coming in.

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Posted on 08.16.11 Alfred K.

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When all you do is banh mi (your namesake), you should be making damn good banh mi. Probably the most important part of the sandwich is a perfect baguette; otherwise you're just getting mouthfuls of dry white bread that gets in the way of the filling. Didn't love the bread and was left wanting fresher veggies in the filling.

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Posted on 07.26.11 Brad W.

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There is an almost empty newly erected shopping center near "New Chinatown." There isn't a lot of traffic in this area, but hopefully for Banh Mi Express's sake, there will be soon. This small sandwich shop is located inside on the bottom floor, all the way in the back of the food court. Their location is not ideal, especially since one of the more well-known banh mi stores, Ba Le, is opening up a second location right next to Mandarin Kitchen.

Phuong told me that they opened approximately three weeks ago. He is of Chinese-Vietnamese decent and can speak Cantonese. He asked me if I've ever had a Vietnamese sandwich before. I responded that I have and I'd like to order the banh mi dac biet (special sandwich). I also ordered some spring rolls. They currently have a special going on until the end of the month and he took a dollar off my order and gave me a free cup of Vietnamese coffee.

The Vietnamese coffee was excellent. The sandwich was excellent. The spring rolls were good--I wish they hadn't refrigerated it though. The noodles hardened and the peanut sauce became chunky-like. Also, I wish they had cut my sandwich in half. I'll explain my reasoning.

I used to work in a Vietnamese deli, and I know how to make one of these sandwiches. I can also make my own spring rolls. I hope this bit of information gives me some credibility. If they'd like to refrigerate the food, that's fine... Turn up the temperature of the fridge a little. Hardened noodles are not great. Chunky peanut sauce? Meh. I like mine a little more smooth. As for the sandwiches? Eating a 10-inch (this was the standard for the deli I worked at, so I'm guessing it's more or less the same at Banh Mi Express) sandwich filled with meats and vegetables is a little hard. I normally could eat the sandwich in its entirety. I did not finish my sandwich when I went--I was able to attempt only half of it. There's a psychological reason for this: when sandwiches are cut in half, our brains get tricked into thinking that it's a small portion and so we'd end up eating the other half. When sandwiches not cut, we think "Man, this is too big!" Yeah, a bit crazy, but that's food psychology for you.

Even though Ba Le's more well-known in Chicago, I'm not as fond of their sandwiches as I am of Banh Mi Express or even Tank Noodles (and they don't even specialize in this area!). Still, I'm glad that Vietnamese sandwich shops are coming to Chinatown. Now, if only they'd come closer to the Magnificent Mile.

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Posted on 06.14.11 Jennie T.