Ginger Deli

SETTING:
Cute little «shack» that looks like a food truck inside a plastic tent. Although they have a few stools, it’s not really a dine-​in area, particularly in the winter. Also, the door slides open. This is important if you don’t want to look like a fool – like I did – trying to push and pull on the door for a good minute!
FOOD:
We ordered the beef banh mi. The marinated beef had a hint of sweet with its savory flavor. I thought it was pretty well seasoned, and the meat was in good quantity. Some shredded carrots and thinly sliced cucumbers were part of the sandwich. I would say it’s about 8 inches long. The baguette was a bit soft/​soggy for me. I have been used to a more slightly crunchy textures from other banh mi places and would have liked some fresher bread.
SERVICE:
The staff are extremely polite and gracious. It reminds me of the times I have been to some asian countries where the waitresses return your credit card/​money or bring out your order with both hands, as opposed as with just one. Might not seem like a big deal, but it really adds a nice touch in my opinion. Wait was not long at all for the sandwiches like the other reviews have mentioned. Took about 5 minutes.
IMPRESSIONS:
I enjoyed it, and it was definitely a perfect size for a satisfying lunch. For $ 7 the price is a tad higher than what I am used to, but it’s still reasonable.

Convenient little food window, with solid bánh mi and phò. A few small warm-​weather stools, but definitely a quick-​bite rather than settle-​in-​and-​chat sort of place.
Their tofu bánh mi are surprisingly flavorful — many places can handle pork but fall flat without it. The spring rolls are also fairly good, although I have gotten some slightly rubbery wrappers. I’ve got to try the steamed buns on my next visit.
The lack of an indoors can be a downside, but for most of the year it’s fine.

The quality of their beef phở has definitely improved since their opening. More complexity and a richer, beefier flavor.

The food is okay. I had better phở and bahi mi. It’s okay to satisfy a craving. I think the food lacked flavor. I like the whole fusion feel.

So so delicious, but always takes for ever. Definitely get the summer rolls, but be prepared to wait 20 minutes for your take out if you order phở.

I was going to take a picture but I couldn’t resist and ate everything immediately. The food here is so good and always super fresh. I recommend the beef bahn mi and the vegetarian spring rolls, but everything is awesome. I am excited to try the shaved ice too!

their bahn mi is pretty good, and their phở has pretty reasonable flavor as well. the prices aren’t bad either. Service is friendly. Also helps that they are not guest-​restauranting in the UMHS cafeteria which is nice. Overall, some of the better Vietnamese food available around here (although not «amazing»).

Ann Arbor has a lack of good phở. It’s a fact. Or at least it was until I tried Ginger Deli. If you want the best, most flavorful phở in town, Ginger Deli has got you covered. If you’re eating there, there aren’t that many seats, maybe 10 or so, but the workers are very friendly and helpful! They address you by your name and are fairly quick with getting orders ready. I was with a friend the first time I went there, and we got the beef phở, an order of summer rolls, and a beef bahn mi. While the portion size of the phở is a smaller than that from the noodle bar across the street, it’s beefy flavor is so good it doesn’t need any hoisin or sriracha, and comes in an adorable takeout package! It’s very comforting to eat when it’s cold outside! The summer rolls are very good and the bahn mi is super authentic.
Side note: One time when I was there, my friend and I each received a cup of Thai tea for free; the man who took our order was very nice!
TL;DR? There is great service, authentic food, amazing phở.

If you have never tried phở before it tastes OK. I think the
quality and quantity for its price both below average. And the entire restaurant just has one bottle of chill sauce you have to wait your turn to grab it. The last thing doesn’t make sense to me is that since no waiters give you any services and you all do it yourself not even a glass of water was offered they have the nerve to ask you tips (force you). I think they are luck for their location.

Some of the best phở I’ve had… and I’ve ate at some of the best in Westminster. The meats in the Banh Mi’s are lean with none of that suspect funk. No doubt the best Banh mi I’ve ever had! The vegetarian banh mi is the best vegetarian anything I’ve ever had! It’s nice to see they have fresh juices and green papaya salad now. They’re both REALLY good. I like to get the salad when I want something really light. The ingredients in it all come together perfectly for an amazing salad. Also, who doesn’t want a healthy pressed juice once in a while?! You can tell artisan care was put into this places food. The price is SO cheap for the quality you get! This place rivals some of the best Viet food you can find. I’m so happy Ginger Deli opened here!

We got banh mi here during Sonic Lunch which was probably a bad time to go here. The line was very long and it took a long time to get the food. They have a very limited menu and no indoor seating so either get your food to go or sit outside. The banh mi was okay, but not as good as Belly Deli. I would try them again to try the phở.

Great place to visit during the summer when they have outdoor seating. I would warn against eating here in the winter though, since it’s not a real building. Even with a space heater, it’s freezing inside the plastic tent-​like walls they put up.
This is the only place on campus I’ve found with Vietnamese Spring Rolls, and I absolutely love them. They’re fresh and come with a tasty and authentic dipping sauce, so I always come here if I want to get my Vietnamese fix!

I got banh mi and thought it was just average. But I guess since it’s close to campus it’ll just have to do. The one at phở house is much better in comparison though although it’s a short drive away. The sandwich is larger in size and I feel has more meat/​filling compared to ginger deli.
For me personally it’s probably a try once and never try again type of place.

This is the first time I’ve ever had phở and it was absolutely delicious! I am now craving it! Having finally tried it, I now understand why it has such a cult-​like discipleship. The broth! That magical broth! I don’t know how to describe the beautiful balance of sweet and savory in a beef broth, but boy will I be seeking out more opportunities to have phở in the future.
My one note for the Ginger Deli is that the unique utensils they provide to eat the phở were incredibly awkward and the noodles kept sliding off. I would’ve actually preferred to use chop sticks.
I would love to see this place eventually get a larger storefront and expand their menu and hours.

Pros: Unique hole in the wall, unique cutlery/​packaging
Cons: Outdoor den can get cold in the winter, food is okay, hours are short
I’ve been to Ginger Deli twice now, and last on a weekday in the beginning of February. There was no wait to order, but there were always a couple people sitting inside. I always heard of this place for being unique, and I went to give it a try. I had the Beef Phở, and it had a flavor full of green onions. I wish there was more meat, and for $ 8.50, there wasn’t enough value in that bowl /​the experience at Ginger Deli.
I probably wouldn’t go back to Ginger Deli if the weather is poor, but I see potential in it being a decent summer spot.

First time here and it was excellent! I ordered and had my food in 5 minutes and service was friendly. I had the pancetta bahn mi, which was about $ 7.
The sandwich was about 10 inches and full of flavor! The sandwich wasn’t jam packed, even though it had all the traditional bahn mi ingredients which made it really manageable. Everything was well balanced, there wasn’t too much bread, not enough sauce, etc that sandwiches can sometimes have.
I say inside which has approximately 10 seats. It was cold in there since it’s not a brick & mortar seating area. Most people were carrying out.
Fast, super tasty, cheap and a perfect lunch spot — I’ll be back!

A MUST try in Ann Arbor! The menu is simple and short but every dish on there is worth trying. We got a smörgåsbord of dishes our first time including: Vietnamese Sandwich with Pancetta, Beef Phở, and Shrimp Spring Rolls. The first two were our favorite. The bread was nice mix of soft and crispy and had great veggie and pancetta filling. Only downside was splitting it with my husband because I could have ate it all! The spring roll and peanut sauce was ok. We make those at home so it’s hard to compete against that ;)
Can’t wait to come back and try the ice cream. Looked wonderful but we couldn’t bare it when we were sitting outside in the freezing cold eating our lunch. Next time… We will be back!!!

I’m obsessed with Ginger Deli. I live around the corner so my wallet isn’t too pleased about my obsession.
Vegetarian banh mi has so many different flavor in it, it’s great. The garlic aioli is really good.
The phở is also great — both beef and vegetarian. I like that the broth isn’t overpowering. The noodles are cooked just right and they give you a lot of noodles too. It comes in a really cute take-​out box too!
I’ve also gotten the vegetarian summer roll. The spicy peanut sauce is delicious. They stuff the rolls with a good amount of vegetables.
Also try the Thai iced tea and Vietnamese iced coffee! They definitely lean on the sweeter side but I appreciate that.

Food — Bahn Mi sandwiches are made on decent tasting chewy bread, however the bread is consistent throughout and not like the ones I had been used to back in Seattle. I was hoping the bread had a crunchy shell with chewy insides. It was rather thin as well. The filling was meager and didn’t overflow even with the sauce and thin bun. Phở is hard to mess up but don’t expect to get a plate of bean sprout/​basil leaves like you would at a normal sit down.
Ambiance — This place is literally a hole in the wall type restaurant. The door slides open to a sort of three seasons enclosure and you give your order through a window. One sriracha and one hoisin sauce bottle are available to sauce up your order. Limited bar and stool seating along the parameter.
Overall — The price and quality, meh.

I think I waited long enough to make my second visit to see how things have changed since my first visit… on the first visit, I recall waiting 40 minutes to get my food. and I just hoped after that visit, they would have worked out all the little details, but it seems they still have lot of room for improvement.
On my second visit, I went with pork banh-​mi… I placed an order over the phone at 2pm on a Sunday… told them I’d be there around 2:20… I didn’t get there until 2:30pm and waited five minutes to talk to someone since they were busy… not a big issue… they were busy and helping other customers…
When they asked me how they could help, I told them that I was here for a pick-​up… they looked and turned back to me and said, «Oh, we will make you a new one since it’s been a while»… they cashed me out and I was thankful that they were making me fresh one… HOWEVER, it turned out that they never made my banh-​mi that I ordered over the phone… they started making it five minutes after taking my order… so I had to wait another 10 minutes to get my banh-​mi…
So, I placed an order 30 minutes in advance… waited 5 minutes to talk with someone and then waited another 10 minutes to get my order… I just hope this is not a norm… just hoping that this was one of those off days on a Sunday… I’m just hoping…
As for the banh-​mi… I think beef is a lot better then the pork… I’m not sure… but looks the the bread size has decreased since they first opened? It just looks smaller… not sure… they also changed the phở bowls… now they are using washable bowls… not sure when my next visit will be, but for now, I’m reducing my rating down to 2 and lets see how things go on my third visit…