Alpha Bakery & Deli

I must say I grab a sandwich here every week religiously now since it’s only $ 3 and fills you up. Everything is always fresh. I usually get the pork and the Vietnamese ham with pâté and that butter. They really pack in the meat, too. Make sure when you order, if you don’t want something on your sandwich, tell them then and there and not while they are in the process of making your sandwich…’cause then they will put everything on there! So, I come here if I want my pork and ham… and I go to Nguyen Ngo if I want my chicken and pâté. ;) Bring that cash!

Alpha probably makes as close to the perfect banh mi as you’ll find in Houston. They keep it simple and close to their roots, with sandwiches consisting of their in-​house baguette, meat, cilantro/​cucumber/​pickled carrots & daikon, French mayo, pâté (for combo), and finally a little sprinkle of pepper and Maggi seasoning. Each component is done flawlessly, which I can’t say about any other place in town. Believe me, I’ve eaten so much banh mi here I can’t even count them anymore ( Unilocal does that for me: D). And they sell this for only $ 3 each! I doubt you’ll find banh mi this cheap anywhere else, outside of maybe Les Givral’s on Milam.
4 options here: BBQ pork, chicken, meatball, and combo. I’m partial to the BBQ pork (thit nuong), but they’re also known for their combo (thap cam). I’d say to only avoid the chicken, which is the dry, shredded kind more like chicken floss, not ga nuong.
Starting with their bread — it’s baked in-​house and everything you could want in a Vietnamese baguette, with a thin and crispy crust, and a pillowy, chewy-​soft interior. Reminds me of Parisian Bakery’s baguettes, which I also love. They sell these alone if you want them, 3 large baguettes for $ 1.25. It’s really some of the best bread I’ve had, but sometimes the ladies will fail to toast it properly in their rush to churn out sandwiches. The only fault I could ever pin on them.
Vegetables — truly the best I’ve seen out of any shop I’ve been to. Always fresh and crunchy, with just the right portions. Carrots are consistently cut and pickled just right, not too much or too little. The giant slice of cucumber they give you is GLORIOUS!!! It’s what I look forward to every time I come here.
Mayo — the super savory, yellow French kind, heavy on the egg yolk. Again, spread with just the right amount to taste but not overpower (looking at you Don). Also up there with the best I’ve had, alongside Nguyen Ngo 2 and Thim Hing’s.
Meat — the BBQ pork I usually get follows the same tenet of balance. Slightly sweet with a light but noticeable grilled flavor, and not too much fat. Always tender and juicy. It’s excellent, but I’m still partial to thit nuong with a heavier chargrilled taste like at Nguyen Ngo nearby or Givral’s.
The sandwiches are amazing, but you don’t have to stop there. Alpha Bakery sells a whole bunch of other Vietnamese baked goodies that are often freshly made and still hot. Whatever pastries you may have wanted or never heard of, from banh da lon to taro cakes, colorful rice cakes/​banh bo, nutty sticky rice, and banh bao, they probably have it. Just don’t pick up the Fritos they sell in the back.

Sorry, but I like this place better than Lee’s Sandwiches when it comes to their combination banh mi. It runs for $ 3 each with a good amount of pâté, butter, meat, and veggies. It’s really rare that I crave for vietnamese sandwiches but when I do I like to get them here. Their banh tieu isn’t too shabby either. I usually never have to wait here but minus one star for for cleanliness.

This is probably my favorite place to get pâté chaud!!! Their Vietnamese sandwiches are amazing. I love the fresh bread and mayo and pâté they put on. Super homey feeling everything is good here.

The banh mi here is super fresh and the ladies here fill it with plenty of meat and veggies! The nem and cha here are homemade and warm too, as well as the banh tieu and homemade desserts they have. The che and banh gai were my favorites, so make sure you get these two items to go!

In regards to their banh mi, it’s literally the best banh mi I’ve ever had. Every time I come to Houston I have to get banh mi here; the mayo/​butter mixture and pâté is literally what makes the sandwich SO GOOD.

A little Vietnamese bakery and sandwich shop located in the Hong Kong City Mall. There is usually a line here around lunch time. The bread is made fresh on site, as is the mayonnaise and pâté. The place is running with fast food in mind, and there are two minimal tables and chairs if you want to eat on the premises; otherwise, the mall’s food court area is a better idea if you would like a place to sit down.
The sandwiches are made to order in front of you, and are stuffed with generous amounts of pâté, mayo, bologna, head cheese, etc. However, keep an eye out on the fresh jalapeños – they oftentimes they put in too much which could be overbearing on the palate! Each sandwich is $ 3. Cash only.

What I’ve known this place for is the combination banh mi. I’ve been coming here for over 10 years and the quality has remained the same. The quality cuts of meats, the pâté and butter, the pickled carrots and daikon, the fresh cucumber and cilantro, all on a fresh baguette ties everything together perfectly.
Yes, the price of a sandwich has escalated over time, but what hasn’t. $ 3.00 for a fresh banh mi is pretty good bang for the buck. I usually order in bulk to bring out of town to the family and have them put the vegetables separately.
What took off a star on this place, is probably similar to all other Asian restaurants, the cleanliness. I’ve seen the cashier prepare a sandwich, handles cash, then goes back to preparing another sandwich without washing their hands. Then again, I toast my sandwich and meat when I get home, so all good. Hopefully, that’ll kill off some germs! Haha. FYI – THIS IS A CASH ONLY ESTABLISHMENT!!!

Alpha Bakery… your banh mi are lovely I already know. but really… what I come for.
…YOUR BANH BAO. HOLY MOTHER OF HOUSTON… THEY ARE AMAZING.
I have had banh bao all over this city, but I find only yours hits the spot. Many lazier bakeries will only include a pork mix. maybe some cabbage, and push it on as a wonderful product… but their pork is lacking spice and substance, and their bread is either too dense or too spongy to really absorb those cooking juices. Worst of all, many don’t bother to throw in an egg.
But you! You offer a high quality banh bao! You give me a pork bun with well spiced meat with onions, peas, and I used to find mushrooms. You even throw in a quail’s egg and sausage link! Ahhhh!!! Your buns didn’t used to have all of these and were $ 1.15−1.25 each… but now. with their higher quality and value, I adore your $ 1.50 banh bao, and easily shell out whatever it takes to take 10 – 12 of your delicious buns home with me, to feast on throughout the week.
My only tiff? You don’t let me pick my buns anymore… although I haven’t visited in over a year and went in today at 11am, I noticed no buns were laid out, and I had to talk to a very cut-​throat sounding lady (who could never deter me from my love of their banh bao), to get them from the back. I miss when I used to walk in to a wall of banh bao waiting to be picked and placed in a bag by and for you. Maybe it was just I came in to early.idk.
In addition, similar to many other restaurants nearby, they don’t accept cards of any kind. or at least their sign told me so. Which is a big mistake. I had $ 10 in cash on me. but if I could’ve used my card. I was prepared to drop $ 20-​$ 30 down right there just in banh bao.
Bottom line. if you’re going to this bakery or tired of mediocre or bland banh bao. this is your place!!! Order one, heat, eat, then come for more.
–Your number one meat bun fan,
Melanoo

This is an incredible Banh mi right here in Houston, Texas! Alpha Bakery and Deli has everything you need for a perfect Vietnamese sandwiches and desserts.
I started to ordered a combo Banh mi due to the long line, but it’s quite faster because of the faster ordering and incredible service. When I completed my order paying with cash, the sandwich tasted remarkable! The 3 meats (Vietnamese styled cha lua, grilled chicken, and salami) are very tasty. The carrots and daikons are much flavorful as I feel it into my mouth including a slice of jalapeño too. The baguette is very baked; not that hard to eat it completely.
Of course, there’s also have a Vietnamese styled yogurt right here, and it tasted outstandingly good!
In the end, Alpha Bakery and Deli is the best Vietnamese sandwich shop right here in Houston. Highly recommend!

Got these a couple of days ago and it was sitting in my fridge. Opened them tonight and it was a piece of shit that they sold to me. Very disappointed that their quality of food are all spoiled. Now I know not to return to this place again.

No fuss banh mi spot inside of Hong Kong mall. I love their red pork sandwich and my boyfriend loves their combination. Great portions, quick service, and definitely great prices. This is my favorite banh mi shop in Houston.

I have been on a huge banh mi kick lately and Alpha certainly has hit the spot.
Combination Sandwich break down
⁴⁄₅ Bread — bread is airy, light, and crispy. It’s just the right amount of crumble without falling apart.
⁴⁄₅ Mayo — I love the mayo here which is more of a buttery texture than the the white mayo. I think they use tons of egg yolk in ratio to oil here.
³⁄₅ Pâté — I thought the pâté was ok here. I light my pâté a bit softer.
⁵⁄₅ Head Cheese — I love pork and I love fat. Their head cheese is just the right around!
⁵⁄₅ Cha Lua — can’t really go wrong with Cha Lua anywhere you go.
⁴⁄₅ Sliced Pork — Tender and flavorful
⁴⁄₅ Veggies — The daikon/​carrots were pickled well and the all the veggies were very fresh.
I haven’t tried their BBQ pork sandwich, but my brother said that it was great because it was flavorful and not fatty like some other spots.
I’m not a fan of going to Hong Kong Food Market shopping center, but when I do go, I always get a sandwich.
Tip: If you want to save it for later, ask the ladies to put the veggies on the side.

Favorite banh mi place!
Can never go wrong with the barbecue. Friends enjoy the meatball and combination as well.
Good, affordable prices at $ 3.00 each.

Best banh mi in Houston. The baguettes are to die for. Try the cha lua and the smaller breaded sausage to the left of the register, sorry I can’t pronounce them!
I drive from Spring Branch about once a week caue they are the best!!!

the banh mi is good if you’re in the mood for a quick bite and dont have time to eat anywhere else. before i didnt like this place but now it has grown on me due to its convenience and it’s fresh banh mi. my mom likes the banh tieu here and their spring roll peanut sauce is super good. the banh mi here are dirt cheap– $ 2.50 but now it has gone up to $ 3. they have 4 kinds of sandwiches– bbq, chicken, cha lua and combination. their banh mi is good but not the best i’ve had but it will do. they dont put alot of meat in their sandwich like Don though but i do love their butter mayo in the sandwich. the staff and owner though however is RUDE af. this is the reason why i hate coming here having to deal with them cuz its always the same people. the owner/​cashier is never friendly and always talking shit about people when they come and leave. she is rude and yells all the damn time. She acts like we need her instead her needing us for the business. Bad customer service and very unwelcoming. the two ladys who makes sandwiches are dumb and slow– takes their time rolling up banh mi and putting meat it them like they got all the time in the world. this place is always pack. also tried the che– dont know whats it called but it has little balls in them– it tasted hard and old

even with the price increase from 2.5 to 3 this is number 1.
I love Don’s café, but Alpha does it best for me. Only 4 types of sandwiches BBQ pork/​chicken/​meatball/​combination
They pack it nicely when you order togo w/​veggies on the side. Plus the other nice things at the deli such as the sticky rice w/​cha and chinese sausage is a fav!

My favorite place to get Banh Mi’s whenever I’m in town! I always pick some up when I leave houston just so I can have them for lunch the next day or the following week. The service is super quick and the ladies working are always friendly. The sandwiches are always stuff with meat and veggies, unlike some place who tends to put more veggies than meats. The sandwiches here were $ 2.50 each a couple of months ago, however they raised their price to $ 3.00 a sandwich now.

Sandwiches are dirt cheap here (2.50) and very fresh. The combo banh mi was tasty and service was fast. Cash only and don’t be scared that they keep their meats in open air.

I always get the same thing over and over again, Banh Mi Xa Xiu with extra pâté and extra butter. I like my veggies on the side so I can save these sandwhiches for lunch the next day! Delicious!