Les Givral’s Kahve

closed, closed, closed

Appears this location is closed down and a new business is building in the space.

I walked here for lunch today and I was soooo sad to see that they were closed :(What’s up with downtown businesses not being able to stay open. This place was awesome. So disappointing.

Some of the best Banh Mi (bbq pork is my favorite) and Phở you can find around the city… the service however, at this particular location is sloooooow. It seems like an easy fix considering the system they currently have in place is… well, none.
Regardless, I highly recommend it, very tasty, you won’t regret going. and if you do, hey, it’s just one meal, you don’t have to go back.

2.5 Stars
I accidentally stumbled upon this location with the intent to going to the Midtown one. There was a small line to order and the woman at the cashier (probably the owner?) was super nice and friendly. I ordered two #3 Specials with extra cilantro. It took about 15 minutes for my sandwich to be called out. They have exactly one person in the kitchen putting together dishes and one person in front putting together sandwiches/​delivering the food to tables and one cashier. I felt like they could use an extra person working especially during the hectic weekday lunch rush.
Rushing to catch a flight, I was finally able to enjoy my banh mi (sandwich) at the gate. After finishing it, my lap and the floor around me was covered with crumbs. I tried really hard to keep everything from falling everywhere but every bite I took flung the toasted bread crumbs all over the place.
I’ve had my fair share of Vietnamese sandwiches but this one lacked flavor and didn’t taste like anything special. There wasn’t very much meat and the carrots could have been a little more sour.

In downtown, your options are fairly limited. Mediocre is the absolute best you can hope for. But these guys hit my fairly short blacklist.
Well the last time I came here they were super slow to boot. For some odd reason they decided to go with an ipad payment system that was super slow… and they only had one dude making sandwiches which meant that all in all we waited half an hour to get three sandwichs.
And don’t get me started on their crap phở.

I had the Banh Mi Thit Nuong and white spring rolls for lunch. I really enjoyed the spring rolls. The restaurant was open and clean. Great place for lunch. The sandwich was like $ 3, o yea! The meat in the sandwich was not as charred as I would have liked and there was a lot of bread, not enough of veggies and meat. But I still enjoyed it. Another lunch go to place on my list!

Les Givral is a hidden gem in all of Downtown!
We usually stop there at least once a week for the authentic Vietnamese sandwich and Ice Coffee! It’s a nice restaurant with plenty of seating but get there early during lunch for there can be a long line of people ordering their food. The line moves pretty fast and the food is worth the wait!
The Banh Mi Thit Nuong is $ 3.75 and is very filling and delicious! Top it off with an order of Spring Roll and you’re set for lunch!
The Original is off of Milam is still the best, but this one is a close second and within walking distance from the office!
Highly recommended!

I remember going to Les Givral’s, back when it was only a mom and pop shop, back when it was worth driving all around Houston for. I recently heard that they opened a few blocks from my office and decided to give it a try.
As previous Unilocalers have addressed, the line was short, but the sandwich took a very long time to get to our table. My coworker and I ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet and the Banh Mi Thit Nuong. Both did not meet up to par like the original ones off Milam. Let’s start by saying they were not very generous with the portions. Charging $ 3.50 for a sandwich, which constitutes only one thin, flimsy layer of meat does not fly in my book, especially when you try to make up for the portions by dosing it with too much soy sauce. The Dac Biet was extremely salty. I received only half a slice of a cucumber in it. The Thit Nuong was also the same. It wasn’t salty, but it tasted extremely sweet.
I will say the employees were very friendly. The cashier was extremely nice. She smiled and spoke to us politely. I just don’t think the food is worth going back.

Stay away from the Market Square location!!! I went there at lunch time and waited over 5 minutes in line to order spring rolls and a bowl of vermicelli. They handed me my number and I took my seat. It took between 20 and 25 minutes before I received my food, and that was after asking the waitress about it. When I finally received my food, the grilled pork was cold when it should have been hot.
My colleague is a vegetarian and ordered vegetable rice. She found bacon in her rice while eating it!
This location is no longer associated with the Washington Ave and Midtown location on Milam. Those two are fantastic! This one is just terrible!

I am writing this review because I was let down by this location that doesn’t have anything to do with the Midtown one anymore. Anyways, I came in this location around 11:30 AM on a weekday. There were probably about 10 people sitting down and about 6 people in line. I waited in line for a long time, probably about 10 minutes. Then I waited 10 more minutes for my sandwich to be made when there were maybe 4 people waiting with me. This would never happen in midtown.
So, I took my sandwiches home to my husband and ate them there. His was ok, but my bread was stale. yes, Stale. That makes it difficult to eat! The meat was ok in flavor but not as tasty as I expected. It is not worth it to go to this one when I can drive 5 minutes to the Milam location and have great service and an AMAZING sandwich.

For what it was, I’m happy. I ordered two sandwiches (the chargrill bbq pork with pâté and the roast pork).
Given the price, I expected the sandwiches to be mostly bread, which they were. But, I wasn’t disappointed about the amount of meat (c’mon folks, they’re $ 3) and got a surprise kick in the tastebuds with a hot pepper. So, I found the sandwiches tasty.
We ordered by phone for pick-​up and it was ready when we got there 15 minutes later. Otherwise, you’ll have to stand in-​line.
For $ 6, I’ll take it to break the Which-​Wich streak I’m always on.

I was in town for a conference and couldn’t stand the thought of one more hotel food meal, so we escaped for one lunch.
We Unilocaled for walkable restaurants in the area and… Meh, I’ve experienced better.
The good: Very fresh food, very clean and pretty establishment. Good prices and the fried rice was decent.
The not-​so-​good: The tofu bahn mi made me so sad! The tofu was completely unseasoned fried slabs of tofu. No sauce, no love. The bread was good but the veggies weren’t lightly pickled, just straight up shredded carrot. I don’t know if you’ve tasted plain tofu and raw carrot together but just in case you haven’t, it tastes exactly as exciting as it sounds.
My friend had a pork noodle dish that she liked fine, once she put about a cup of hot sauce onto it. Before her addition she said it was fine, but really bland.
So it won’t kill you, but it won’t thrill you either.

Where has this affordable eatery been all my 4 fours years of working downtown?! Where else can you get real food and tea for less than $ 4?
Today (edit: after discovering I wrote this for the wrong location, I should tell you that my first visit was more like in March or something) was my first visit and I had the #4 pulled chicken sandwich. It was very simple and very yummy. My coworker had the #2 and I heard no complaints.
Kudos: They feature local artists work.
I think my only con is that it’s a bit of a walk from the office, but that’s not their fault!

This is the sort of vietnamese food that makes me just a little bit sad inside. Normally, this would be a 2-​star for me, but since there is a dearth of tasty lunch options downtown, it gets a little bump up (see also my review of Tree Beards, a three star that is a downtown 4 star – I liken it to wearing beer goggles but with downtown food). To those who have said that this place is used to take advantage of those working downtown – well, it is.
I go to Les Givral’s on Congress for one reason. I have to walk to get there. Sometimes, I end up stuck in my office for hours on end, so the excuse to get a little bit of fresh air is enough of an excuse for me. It’s sad then, that this place is not nearly as good as it thinks it is. If I wanted a bigger waistline, I’d simply walk a little bit further and go to Hubcap. Sadly, Les Givral’s plays on my guilt, even though it’s carb-​tacular food really isn’t that much better than a burger from Hubcap.
The first thing you notice when looking at the menu at Les Givral is how cheap some of the sandwiches look. Pork Bahn-​Mi for less than $ 3.00? Sign me up! Oops, you’ve been tricked. There is so little meat on these sandwiches that to have a chance of getting full, you have to eat two or three of them. At that point, you might as well get some noodles or a bowl of Phở.
Speaking of the Phở, it doesn’t hold a candle to some of the tastier soups in the city, such as Phở Saigon or Huynh. The broth is lacking in any sort of complexity and the meat just isn’t that great.
I think the worst thing is the spring rolls that just sit on the counter, looking sad and droopy. Made probably earlier that day, the lettuce inside begins to wilt and typically, a number of them have burst open their casing. Steer clear of these, as its mostly just noodles.
Do yourself a favor and if you really want to get some Vietnamese food for lunch, hop in your car and drive to Phở Saigon. The place is faster than McDonald’s and it will take you probably as much time as dealing with the service at Les Ghivral’s. (On second thought, maybe it should get 2-​star)

A few of us who work downtown had to take the train ride up north to enjoy this fantastic food. Its to hot to walk 11 blocks both ways.
We got there right at 11.15 and not 10 minutes later there was a line to the door.
As guys we each got 2 sandwiches to fill our big appetite:
-#1 Thit Nuong Pâté
-#2 Thit Nuong
Would definitely go back here again.

I was pretty disappointed in this place. Remembering the time when Les Givral’s was the original great Vietnamese sandwich shop in Chinatown, this restaurant that bears the same name came up short.
They make a fairly good sandwich, with less meat and less flavor, but for a greater price. Their phở is pretty weak too. Again less meat and less flavor for a greatly increased price.
If your in downtown for lunch, this place isn’t too bad, but if you’re really jonesin for a good Vietnamese sandwich I suggest heading down to Don’s café in Chinatown instead.

Wow… If I worked downtown, I would probably hit up this place 2 – 3 times a week.
I came here on a Friday afternoon to have lunch with the hubs and his coworkers. I arrived at 11:45am and it was already packed. I went ahead and grabbed a table for 6 of us.
As you walk in, you see the silverware section next to the counter and the bathroom is towards the back to the left. You walk up to the counter and order. The menu is in bright colors on the wall. Once you order, you are given a number to put on your table, exactly like La Madeleine’s.
The guys arrived at noon and stood in a long line to order their stuff. I had the xa xiu/​bbq pork banh mi with pâté and also the chargrilled chicken rice plate. Everything was good. The chicken plate came with lots of crispy fried shallots, which is one of my favorite things!!! It was your standard plate with grilled chicken breast, fresh sliced tomatoes and fresh sliced cucumbers with a piece of lettuce and steamed rice. We killed it.
The rest of the group ordered the eggrolls and vermicelli dish. They told me that they usually order that dish bc it is really good. I could tell it was good with all the fresh veggies that came with it AND their bowls were empty in a matter of minutes. Hungry boys I tell you!
I had a good experience, but the only complaint is that they do not serve alcohol! Most Viet places don’t serve alcohol anyways, but still! I could have used a drink from walking in the hot sun!

The universe was screaming at me one day last week; I ignored it. Dumb.
It told me not to park along Congress in front of Givral’s Kahve, but wouldn’t tell me why. Market Square was being renovated, and the parking meter was smooshed up against a makeshift chain link fence. I parked there anyway.
As I contemplated leaving my car parked illegally, the universe tried several times to change my mind. «Go to Treebeards, it’s right around the corner. Mmm, Gumbo.» «Go to Bewitched, your favorite one closed a year ago.» «Nothing beats the best, go to Givral’s on Milam.» This all passed out my other ear.
What the universe should have told me was, «Girl, this is a half-​assed restaurant meant to trickster the poor schmucks who work downtown, whose cars are trapped in gigantic parking garages. You are free like the wind. Go! (Somewhere else.)»
I think I heard the universe call me a moron as I walked across the street.
Inside was dead empty, except for a few workers. I waited a full five or ten minutes for my «standard Givral’s order.» Tofu Banh Mi and Tofu Spring Rolls. Ugh and sigh and trickstered. Not the same Givral’s as my beloved Milam location.
Everything was baby sized and well, I had to look in my Banh Mi to verify they’d put the tofu inside. Yes, it was there. Thin and fried to a crisp. Like a soggy tofu chip. It was hard to find inside the comparatively vacuous french bread.
The Spring Rolls were the size of those itty bitty pre-​skinned carrots that are so popular these days. I shouldn’t have bought them; they were prepackaged. I could see them prior to purchase. Unfortunately, I didn’t have cash on me, so I needed to bump my order over the five dollar mark. All I could taste was vermicelli and coriander.
I suppose the most perplexing part of this experience was that (to me) a Banh Mi should be equal parts salad, carbs, and protein. I had to throw out most of my meal as it was pure carbs and fat that really tasted like nothing. I left not comfortingly sated, but rather gouged for money.

Good place. For the truly amazing Vietnamese sandwich, head on down to Chinatown and visit a little place called Don Café.
For 150% mark-​up, you can alternatively visit Givral’s downtown. Their sandwiches are slightly healthier, slightly bigger, and slightly less tasty. They’re still delicious, but they’re just not Don’s sandwiches. In any case, it’s still a good value, and you’ve got a wide selection (chicken, pork, beef, the «special,» etc.).
If you’re feeling additionally adventurous, they’ve got the standard selection of Vietnamese cuisine, and here’s where they have Don Café beat. Much more delicious and for good value. Just do me a solid and don’t order the chicken fried rice, ok? Save that for the PF Chang’s of the world.