Cat Tuong

We go here all the time to get Vietnamese sub called banh mi. Inside the small shop is very clean and the layout is like a subway where you can see everything that is put on your banh mi. You pick what you want on it. The options and pricing are listed on wall. The banh mi is very good. I tried the chicken one and that was good, I tried the one that has everything on it and that is good too! Cost is $ 3.75 for one.

Was craving some banh mi, so tried this place for lunch. Parking could be an issue, we had to circle the block. The place is basically a small convenience store. The woman in the store was really nice. They have pictures on the wall of the four choices as well as some bubble tea drinks. For some reason they didn’t have BBQ pork, which one would assume would be the standard. We got a couple of the BBQ beef ones and a Thai ice tea slush (without the bubbles, but that wasn’t on purpose). The banh mi were okay, but not great. The meat seemed a bit old and overly smokey in flavor. There was a hot sauce instead that wasn’t evenly distributed. Overall it was okay, but not great. The price was very reasonable.

Well, after eating thousands of incredibly delicious bahn mi sandwiches at the popular Hong Cuc, the Mrs and I thought we should try something different. We decided on Cat Tuong, despite the fact that I try to stay away from asian restaurants with domestic pets in their name. It’s on Broadway St. right across from a cool old gas station. It’s on the corner and has gates on the windows so it always looks closed. When we entered, A very nice lady greeted us from behind the counter. The store, which is takeout only, is very clean and has some unusual snacking items which we agreed to try at a later date. All the bahn mi ingredients looked fresh and delicious as did the big bag of french rolls. We ordered a bbq beef sandwich which was only $ 3.50, less expensive then Hong Cuc’s $ 4.50. The lady asked if we wanted it spicy or not spicy and if we wanted it cut in half. Now, you regular bahn mi eaters know that as delicious as they are, the crispy roll creates thousands of little crumbs that go all over the place. If you eat it in your car, you have to immediately go to a car wash and throw some quarters in the vacume to clean out the delicious mess. If you eat your bahn mi outside, you need to carefully scan the sky first to make sure there are no flocks of birds around to swoop in and eat all the crumbs. Where was I? oh yeah… Its easier and less messy to eat if you have them cut in half. The verdict; delicious sandwich, a bit more seasoned then Hong Cuc’s. Very close, but we liked the HC’s beef a bit more It is a dollar cheaper here; either way you can’t go wrong. Pickled vegtables are the spice of life!
Thank you for reading my review.

Bought 4 different banh mi sandwiches yesterday to check out their varieties. They were just ok, overall we prefer Hong Cuc or Yummy express. The combo banh mi was the best of the lot with generous meat and veggies. Eat the sandwiches right away, otherwise they get soggy like some of ours did.

way to go john. you make the Unilocal listing for cat toung and you forget to write a review.
this place has sure expanded over the past 2 years. it went from a small little shop that made banh mi and had a few candy bars to a full fledged asian snack shop.
of course the banh mhi still stands at the top. i’ve been coming here for 2 years and love the food. last week was the first time i had anything bad. picked up a set of the summer rolls and i think they were out for a bit too long. the rice paper wrapping was on the dry side :-(
her viet iced coffee is bomb also. i think i’m going to have some for lunch on monday.

I’m a huge fan of banh mi (the Vietnamese sub) and Cat Tuong has the best banh mi I’ve had in Lowell! The spring rolls (goi cuon), pork bun (banh bao), sweet soup (che), and other desserts/​drinks are yummy too! Definitely check this place out.