Les Givral’s Sandwich & Café

Best bahn mi in Houston, especially since it’s such a bargain and easy to get to off the metro! The tofu bahn mi with a fried egg is my favorite. The phở and vermicelli are fine, but not the best so the bahn mi is definitely the way to go!

$ 2.50 for a Bahn Mi Sandwich… Can’t say more than that. My friends and I decided on this place because we saw a lot of people in the shop when we walked by. I gave this place a 4 stars because for the value of the food. The bahn mi was very delicious and seasoned well. It was a bit sweet for my taste but with a little hot chili sauce and Sriracha sauce it was pretty good. I would come back here for their sandwiches because you can’t beat the price and value. The phở and ice coffee look delicious and I would probably try that next time.

Best Banh Mi in the country! I grew up in Southern California and frequented little Saigon… the Dac Biet (special combo) Banh mi here easily wins first place! Great Vietnamese ice coffee for on the go too!

Got just the chicken banh mi as I am trying to not over eat/​overspend/​overcaffeinate (the coffee looked so good). For $ 2.71 after tax, this sandwich exceeds ALL expectations! It’s as big as any banh mi I’ve had before, filled with well seasoned shredded chicken, some sort of garlicky spread, and topped with cucumbers, carrots and cilantro. I removed the jalapeño, not in the mood for spicy today. My only complaint is the chicken was a bit on the dry side, but that could probably be easily fixed with some Siracha or hoisin — available by the drinks!

Amazing bahn mi. I could eat it every day! The tofu chicken and pork bahn mi are all awesome. Super cheap as well which is always a plus!

Everything we ordered was delicious! We ordered the phở meatball, tofu vermicelli, shrimp spring roll and chargrilled pork with rice. Paid a total of$ 22.00! Talk about cheap good eats! Busy on a Saturday lunch time but service fast and people come and go, so there was no wait in getting tables. Great place when you are on a budget and craving for some phở!

If I’m hungry and ever in the area, this is my go to place. The banh mi is delicious and tastes even better since it’s so cheap! Another thing to note is the Vietnamese coffee, sweet yet strong. Definitely recommend Les Givral’s!

The waiters canNOT be any more rude. They messed up my sandwiches and acted very annoyed and rude when I brought it to their attention. One of the servers took the sandwich behind the counter and started talking trash in Vietnamese to each other thinking I would not understand what they were saying. Instead of remaking my sandwich they decided that it was more clever to handpick stuff out of the previous one and add more stuff as a quick fix. I’ve recommended this place to some friends and I regret having done so.
To the not so friendly servers, aka BAO– yes I can read and understand Viet just fine, here’s a tip since I decided not to leave you any when I was there thanks to your rudeness, watch what you say when you work directly with people! I’d give you zero star but Unilocal only allows one as the lowest rating.

Love, love, love. Who can beat the $ 2.50 bahn mi? They have so many menu options as well. For just the bahn mi, you can get chicken, bbq pork, beef, egg, tofu… the list goes on! Phở here warms the soul. Vietnamese iced coffee here is large and satisfying. Spring rolls here are also very good. Literally everything that I have had here is amazing, and the prices are unbeatable. Skip any other Vietnamese restaurant you’ve ever been to, Les Givral’s is the place to go!
The only complaint is that they no longer do phone orders, so don’t try to call them, they don’t pick up anymore…

After making the mistake of attempting to go to the location on Washington (no relation between the two anymore), I hit up the real location for lunch on a Sunday. We arrived around 1 and there was a line but you order at the counter so it goes by pretty quickly. Seats are at a premium and we were worried we wouldn’t find a table but lucked out. Same with parking. There’s a small parking lot but there’s also street parking available close by.
Then menu consists of spring rolls, phở, vermicelli, and bahn mi. The bahn mi’s are where it’s at as most of them go for $ 2.50. A good sized, fresh and crisp french baguette with cilantro, carrots, cucumber, and jalapeño slices. I went with the chargrilled pork and put some hoisin sauce on it. Can’t beat the price for the quality. The restaurant is a little shabby but hey, when you’re paying a much for your sandwich as you are for your soft drink, that’s a good thing.

Hands down, the best bánh mì in the city. At just over $ 2, you really can’t get a better bargain than this. The BBQ pork bánh mì is always my favorite, as the charbroiled pork is tender and cooked to perfection. With the perfect balance of meat, carrots, cucumber, jalapenos, cilantro, and lightly toasted bread, Les Givral’s is able to produce the most tasteful bánh mì around. For such great tasting food at an unbeatable price, there really is no excuse not to like this place.
In addition to the amazing bánh mì, Les Givral’s also serves phở, rice plates, and other types of Vietnamese food. Their spring rolls are always a great way to start off any meal (make sure to put generous amounts of peanut sauce on each spring roll for the best taste), and a strong Vietnamese iced coffee is the best way to end the meal off with a bang.
Let’s be real, the hype surrounding Les Givral’s is legit. You wouldn’t be fully experiencing Houston’s Vietnamese culture without trying this place. Although the line may be out the door and the restaurant may close (relatively) early, Les Givral’s is a must-​try. No complaints about amazing food at an affordable price!

Average tasting, but super cheap banh mi.
Sandwiches are $ 2.50 each.
The banh mi bread could be better. Too chewy for my taste. And I wish their sandwiches had more veggies and less cilantro in them. I usually pick out some of the cilantro.
I’ve had their sandwiches before, but this was my first time at the actual restaurant.
I came for Friday lunch at 1:30PM. It was busy, but they work extremely fast. It took ~10 minutes to get food.
It was also loud, so it was hard to hear the numbers they were calling out to get your food. I sat around for a bit, but then ended up standing near the counter. Just couldn’t risk not hearing my food being called.
The parking lot is small. Fits about 15 cars.

Les Givral’s has one of the best Banh Mi’s in Houston! The quality of all the ingredients from the bread to the meat is always spot on. Even the vegetables are fresh and plentiful. In addition, the prices are so low for the items on the menu. Everything is definitely a steal!
My personal favorites are the Rockin Roll Beef and the Chicken Banh Mi. The beef is always so tender and perfectly seasoned. The chicken is grilled to perfection. I have never had a problem with any of the food served here.
Service is always quick, however, I’ve gotten mixed up orders numerous times here. Also the parking is really limited. Aside from that, Les Givral’s is definitely one of the better Vietnamese cafes in Houston!

I used to be a loyal customer. I used to go everywhere and tell everyone I ever met to try this place. However, the customer services was so horrible last time I visited, I won’t come back anymore in the future.
I hope Les Givral improve and do a better job in the future.
I came to Les Givral to order 70 sandwiches for my school party. I ordered pork, chicken and tofu. I paid about $ 190 and ordered 4 days in advance, proving the café had plenty of time to make my order.
The day I came, there were three white paper bag with full of sandwiches waiting for me at the end of the restaurants. After inspecting further, I realized there was no label what type of bread it was on either the bag or the sandwich.
Me: hey, there is no label of the bread.
Staff: yeah
Me: well, there are a lot of them. Is the guy packing my sandwich here?
Staff: No, he has left.
Me: Then how do I know what type it is
Staff: Maybe each type of bread is put in separate bag
Me: Can you help me? My party is in the next hour
Staff:…*Ignored*
So the poor me had to serve my guests by opening each bread to see chicken/​pork/​tofu to serve them. If it was just that, I would think I deserved the bad services as I paid only $ 2.50 + tax for each. Ordering a large order didn’t help either.
However, one of my friend who could not eat pork (due to religious reasons) found pork in her chicken sandwiches. Yes, they mixed the chicken in the pork. I was horrified and couldn’t apologize to her enough.
Please, if you make a large order, please don’t go here. Buy 1 – 2 sandwiches and live in peace.

The sandwiches aren’t as great as I remembered. We came toward the end of the lunch rush and it was still packed, which is impressive.
Pâté Cha: they could be a little more generous with the pâté and bo. The bo/​mayo could be more accentuated w/​garlic. The crunchy-​to-​soft ratio of the bread was more toward the higher end.
Com Suon (additional egg, egg roll, fried rice substitution): if you want the egg roll fresh, come earlier, otherwise what you get is what’s been out throughout the day. The pork chop was really dry, which was highly disappointing. It didn’t help that there were no knives and an employee basically said there were no other knives… i.e., they can’t be washed now? or all of them are somewhere amidst the chaos? So, cutting w/​a spoon and biting it is, but note, a rather dry piece of meat that was also poorly marinaded. The fried egg was overcooked. The best part of an egg is the luscious deluge of yolk that runs out; this too was taken from me. I would have to say the highlight of that dish may have just been the fried rice substitution.
If you’re coming here, I would recommend to just stick to the sandwiches; however, I have yet to try the phở.

I cant get enough of this place. I go at least once a week because they’re that damn good. You havevto try their char grilled pork (Thit Nuong) or just ask for the #2 unless yoh dont eat pork which is ok because they serve chicken. #1 and #2 are pretty much the same exact thing except one has paté and mayo and the other doesnt. Im told they have the best Vietnamese iced coffee. I tried it and didnt like it but I’m willing to try it again just to give it a second chance I will say the first time i had it it tasted like that alcohol that taste coffee and Im fond of the mixture of alcohol and coffee (im not saying these ice coffees have alcohol in them Im just saying it reminds me of kahlua) anyways they best sandwiches ever for a decent price!

The most frequented restaurant in Houston for me! 6 months here and already ate there about 30 times. Great price and great food, as simple as that. Vermicelli with the bbq pork is my favourite, followed by their special fried rice (ask them to replace chicken with the bbq pork it’ll be worth it)! Portion is huge but it’s so tasty that I can actually finish the whole thing! They sell Asian desert/​pastries too, for takeaway. It’s my partner’s favourite too and she has been frequenting here for the last 13 years!

I cant get enough of this place. I go at least once a week because they’re that damn good. You have to try their char grilled pork (Thit Nuong) or just ask for the #2 unless you don’t eat pork but if you don’t they also serve chicken and phở and entrees so you’re covered.

My ultimate Vietnamese place. Amazing taste and fast service !

I’ve always enjoyed this place. They have great sandwiches, phở and plates.
Favorite is shredded chicken sandwich or shredded chicken rice plate.

Great banh mi sandwiches! Long line but definitely Worth the wait. Awesome prices, $ 2.50. Egg rolls were good too.

Food and value are very good. Customer service, however, is absolutely horrible. The staff is rude and unhelpful. So even though the food is good, there are plenty of other great Vietnamese restaurants in the area with a friendlier staff to chose from.

You can’t really beat this place for value. I got the beef bahn mi with extra beef and added an egg. I then also got the shrimp spring rolls with peanut sauce and a honeycomb cake. Total bill: like $ 9. It was a lot of food for that amount of money.
As for the food itself, it’s not amazing, but it’s definitely good. The bahn mi was good, the shrimp spring rolls were good borderline really good, and the honeycomb cake was ok. Even without the great value, this place would be a solid eat. Combined with the fast service and the cheap prices, this is an easy 4 star place. Definitely a good lunch spot.

Never fails on the classic beef bahn mi.
Simple, cheap, delicious.

This is my absolute, most favorite place to get banh mi. I usually get the shredded chicken with a fried egg on top or the bbq pork with meatball (when they used to have meatball/​xiu mai).
The portions are great, prices are low (sandwiches are no more than $ 3), and they taste AMAZING. Extra meat/​fried egg is 50 cents extra, and eggrolls are 50 cents/​piece.
A serious bargain considering nowadays it costs upwards of $ 3 – 4 dollars for a banh mi along bellaire, and near $ 1 for an eggroll.
But seriously, please please please bring back the xiu mai. I know I hadn’t been there in a minute since I relocated to San Antonio, but for real. Bring it back.

love the bahn mi! PRICES ARE GREAT FOOD IS AWESOME AND QUICK!
the only thing I wish is that they always carry the iced green tea. its yummy but not always in stock

I come here about once a month and get a pork banh mi. It’s always a positive experience.
Pros: the prices are so cheap! $ 2.50, can’t beat that. Taste is ⁸⁄₁₀. The food is ready very quickly.
Cons: lunch line can get very long.

When you’re hungry, looking for banh mi, and not wanting to break the bank, Les Givrals is the place you want to be at. Banh mi is flat out cheap here, costing a mere $ 2.50. If you’re worried that because it’s cheap, it won’t taste good, then fear not, the banh mi here is delicious. You’re getting the real deal at and incredible low price. Consider it a steal! If you’re craving for something else, they also serve rice platters as well as noodle soup which are just as delicious. Best part of all is that it’s all at a reasonable price too! The portions here are pretty generous as I find myself being full every time I make a visit here.
My only major gripe here is that parking here simply sucks. The parking lot barely holds like ten cars although there is some additional spaces to fit more in the back. If you’re coming with a group of friends, I advise you to carpool to make your life easier. Another thing is that the place can get extremely packed inside cuz who wouldn’t want cheap banh mi. Aside from that though, coming here will keep both your belly and wallet satisfied! :))

Great place to get banh mi inside the loop. Its cheap, fast, and convenient.
I always get the shrimp/​pork spring rolls. It tastes good not only because of their peanut sauce, but that they use fresh veggies. I also get their banh mi thit nuong pâté with an egg. You’ve got to eat it when its hot so you can taste their buttery pâté and the runny egg yolk that completes the banh mi. All of this is cheaper than subway, so why wouldn’t you eat here.

Les Givral is such a hipster shop… their Vietnamese food isn’t on point, though.
Their interior is modern and clean, but the food doesn’t add up. Although I do highly appreciate their vegetarian options, the taste is lacking in flavor. I had the tofu banh mi and it was soaked in soy sauce… I think some light mayonnaise would’ve done the trick. The tofu was well done, though. They didn’t have enough veggies in their banh mi…

Full disclosure: this is the only place I’ve had Banh Mi, but I’ve fallen in love with this sandwich. Especially since it’s only about $ 3 and extra meat is a mere $ 0.50. I really like the chargrilled beef. I’ve also tried the shrimp and pork spring rolls which are great with the peanut sauce. The Vietnamese coffee is extremely strong (guessing that’s part of the appeal).
Tips — If you’re coming for lunch, get there early. The line is out the door usually, but it moves quickly. $ 5 minimum for credit cards.

This is one of the better banh mi place in Houston. They also have very good Café Su Da and phở. Their spring rolls are fresh and fried egg rolls are good.
The sandwiches are pretty tasty and they give you a good amount of meat and typical banh mi veggies. The Phở is okay, not the best but okay. The Café Su Da is awesome.
The service is good and you get your food pretty quickly. It can get very crowded during the typical busy times, especially lunch time. Parking can be a little tight.

It’s furry good!
Came here for the first time today with some coworkers. It was actually very good and a cheap find! Me and my coworker split the #2, chargrilled bbq pork, which was delicious! It came with cilantro, carrots, cucumbers, and a jalapeño. I tried the boisson au chrysanthemum drink in a yellow soda can it was very light and very sweet — kind of tastes like a sugar water.
Another coworker got #42, chargrilled pork. Basically the same the as the pork sandwich but instead of the bread it’s over rice. The first time her order came out, there was a tiny piece of hair. I guess they forgot to skin the cat before they served it. Just kidding, they forgot to skin the pig. Kidding again, it was clearly hair of human origin. Anyways, the guy up front swapped it out and brought her a new one. I do always wonder if they swap it out or just rearrange it. Next time I’m just gonna mush everything with my hands to make sure it’s not the same plate. Anyone ever wonder that too? Anyways she said it was good just a little hairy for her taste.
The next coworker got #50, tofu fried rice. He seemed to enjoy it, hair-​free.
Regardless this place was definitely busy but quick. Food was great and I’m definitely coming back.

I think all food should be this cheap. I real life cant remember the last time I got a MEAL for around $ 5!, it’s like hitting the lunch lotto. The chicken vermicelli bowl was awesome. The only sauce they had to accompany it was fish sauce though, I prefer the vinegar based one. I’ll be back though, with small bills in tow :)

The food is decent here.
The huge issues is that for the past four times I have been here they have lost part of our order: we only ordered two things. Sandwich came out pretty quickly. After about 15 minutes (food usually comes out in about 5 – 7 minutes), I went to check and the food runner told me the ticket never made it to the kitchen.
Food then came out just a few minutes later. By this time sandwich had been sitting there for about 20 minutes.
Good food; poor execution.
Note to other customers: If you come here during lunch, eat and then let someone else use the table.

My favorite place to get my banh mi and ca phe sua da fixes inside of the loop! Don’t forget to add a fried egg to your banh mi! Quality of garnishes, meat, and bread are always great. The bread has the perfect crunch texture. Vietnamese iced coffee is always perfectly flavorful (not too sweet and not too bitter) and strong (just the way I love ‘em).
Service is always quick and friendly. Very casual and pretty clean establishment. Tip: minimum $ 5 orders for credit card transactions.

I seem to keep on forgetting that pâté and bo do not come standard in the sandwich, so remember to add them to your order for a better experience! I’ve tried the pâté cha before and this time the Dac Biet. The sandwiches are pretty sizable and will leave you full. The Dac Biet is full of meat and they add a little bit of soy sauce at the bottom. If only if I added pâté and bo… just thought that at least the special would have it :(
Otherwise, make sure to get café sua da here! Not a coffee lover, but always end up getting one here. Most importantly, it’s so cheap!

Les Girvral’s is an ultra cheap, line-​out-​the-​door-​popular banh mi sandwich shop in Midtown with a few vegetarian items. This has to be the cheapest banh mi in Houston: $ 2.50 for a full size banh mi sandwich. It’s counter service, and the line moves quickly.
I was on my way to the airport with a friend. I ordered the tofu banh mi. The spring rolls, packaged in to-​go containers up front, looked a bit sketchy, so I didn’t order any. I saw someone else’s vermicelli bowl and had serious food envy. My tofu banh mi came with cucumber and jalapeño sliced lengthwise, carrots, cilantro, tofu, some other minor toppings, all on a baguette. The sandwich was good: the tofu is seasoned very well, the bread is fresh, and the spread (not sure what it was) keeps the sandwich interesting. I wish the sandwich was filled out more, but it was still a great deal for $ 2.50. My friend bit right into the seeds of her sandwich’s jalapeño, which sent her running to find water, sugar, or anything to cool her down. The sandwich definitely packed heat, so be careful!
The interior of Les Givral’s was pretty messy: there were so many people coming through, and they staff was mostly focused on making sandwiches, not clearing tables. Don’t expect to be able to order vegetarian phở here either! I’m not surprised that they only offer meat-​based broths for phở. Regardless, I’d definitely return if I were looking for a cheap banh mi in Midtown.

My search for the best Banh mi place is still running. Where are the banh mi gods?
Guide me to the right direction and help me satisfy my craving for freshly baked French bread, fatty pâté, assorted meats, nicely pickled carrots and daikon, jalepeno, cilantro… omg my mouth is watering as I describe the perfect sandwich.
I give this place credit on how HUGE these sandwiches are. The bread itself is huge. Much carbs. I got the Dac Biet (special) and let me tell you, not much special about it. Other than its huge. I really felt like it was lacking something. I’m just not sure what it was missing. There was 2 slabs of meat in there which was Gio Lua and the BBQ Pork (the one that looks red). Crispness of carrots was on fleek.
Service is quick. There’s a long line but it goes by fast.
Not sure what else to say. Even though I was really hungry and it did it’s purpose on filling me up, but I wasn’t satisfied.
Sigh as Frodo would say, the journey must go on.