Bun Me

I just stumbled across these guys today at the Westown Farmers Market at Ziedler Square and was quite impressed! I ordered the vegetarian sandwich and boy, was it good. I’m not well versed on my Vietnamese food but I can tell you that I did enjoy that sandwich! I had it prepared with both the sauces that they offer. Also, the two guys at the cart were so nice! I gave them a good tip. I’ll be back next week!

I’ve had several Bun Me sandwiches over the past couple of years, mostly the Caramelized Pork Belly ($ 7), but once I tried the Lemongrass Chicken ($ 6). The guys who own the cart and super cool and friendly.
The first time I had the Caramelized Pork Belly, I was overwhelmed by how salty the pork belly was. I realized that the veggies (carrots, onions, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño) were meant to contrast the salty pork with the bitter flavor of the veggies. The problem was with the construction of the sandwich.
They originally sliced the bolillo roll on the side, then opened it like a brat bun, vertically and placed the meat in it with veggies on top. However, we don’t eat sandwiches like brats or hot dogs, so when I turned the sandwich over horizontally and bit into it, I was getting the salty pork flavors when I bit into the left side of the sandwich and the veggies only, when I bit into the right side of the sandwich.
I pointed this out to him. He appreciated the constructive feedback and gave me a cookie for the useful input.
Last year they started cutting out a wedge from the top of the roll and filling the sandwich the same way, similar to how Subway used to cut their bread and make their sandwiches. The concept being that the veggies stay on top of the meat, so when the sandwich is eaten, you get the salty and warm meat with the crisp and cool veggies in the same bite.
I applaud the attempted solution, but it still isn’t working for me. Today, I asked them about it and they suggested replacing the wedge they cut out and «squishing» the sandwich down. Again, it made sense, but if you look at my photo, you’ll see where I bit into the sandwich. The wedge is top center where it should be. The meat is still on the left and the veggies are still on the right.
It seemed that squishing the sandwich down might have caused the weight of the cucumber spear to push down onto the veggies, which then pushed the meat to the side, since the opening where the wedge was cut from created two angles. If you push down at an angle, the object will move at an angle. IN this case, there are two angles, but the heavier side won (cucumber spear is likely culprit).
I rotated my sandwich 3 or 4 times and squished it to different forms to try and get everything together. I finally made it work, but the wedge of bread was on the side, instead of on top, which meant I was easting the sandwich like a brat or hot dog, the same problem I had the first time I had the sandwich.
The bottom line is that the flavors of the pork belly (was less salty today than the first time) and the lemongrass chicken (though a bit dry on that visit) are decent. I love the fresh and crisp veggies that they use and the contrasting textures they provide to the meat filling, and I like the fresh bolillo roll that they use, which is prefectly crisp and soft.
All of the components of a great sandwich are there. They just need to work on sandwich construction, or maybe it’s just me that hasn’t figured out how to eat it, but I don’t have this problem with Banh Mi sandwiches anywhere else.
If I’m not alone with this issue, I hope others let them know so they can fix it.

Had it two times.
Great people!
Love the Cilantro! way to go!!!
The veggie tofu sandwich overall was ok. The flavor was there but darn the break really over took everything. WAY TO MUCH BREAD!!! if you have that much bread you need to pile the inside with mouch more ingreidients.
The Pork Belly sandwich was ok. As a chef I have worked with pork belly and its a lot of fat. I mean a lot… so the sandwich had a lot of belly fat. The sauces were terrific. But again the BREAD!!! WAY TO MUCH!!!
Would love them to suceed but I would tell them to really look at the sandwich again and see what they can do… meaning add on and take off.

Pros:
Pork belly is well seasoned
Good layering (if you know banh mi you know this is important)
Fresh, crunchy veggies
Friendly guys
Cons:
Sometimes hard to find — most reliable looking at Westown Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays
Lemongrass chicken wasn’t great
Pork belly sells out. If there’s no pork belly left, I probably won’t order from them. Ever since I had lemongrass chicken from the restaurant in Pacific Produce, I haven’t found anything better.

Holy fresh cilantro! If you’re lucky enough to stumble across the bun mi guys do yourself a favor and grab yourself one of these delicious treats.
I have tried all three sandwich option (pork belly, chicken, veggie) and think each one is delicious… It just all comes down to what speaks to you on that particular day. The sandwich is made on a fresh roll garnished with pickled carrots and fresh cucumber and cilantro. Dreamy.
The two guys who operate the stand are rather friendly and speedy, if you’re looking for a quick bite. They take cash and cards!
I recommend following the bun mi twitter account to track the cart’s location.

These guys are super nice and I was so excited to have a veg bon mi but I get scared of veggie stuff that looks like meat but I went in…
Sandwich was good and fresh but a little too spicy and I love spicy but it overwhelmed the lemongrassy flavors of the fake meatstuff.
I would love to see a tofu option, I think tofu makes for a better veg bon mi but that’s just me… glad to see we have this option in MKE though!

I manage to luck out and drive by these guys with some regularity when I’m not looking for them. When I am, they’re always somewhere else. Inconvenient, to be sure, as it means that I park illegally to run over for a bun stuffed with some glorious pork belly and run back to my car.
They’re great guys, to be sure, and the product, whether chicken or pork, is outstanding. If you’re honing in on the pork, however, get there early. It tends to disappear by about 1230. Skip the chips and get the fruit salad.

These guys rock! They add flavor to their food by using fresh ingredients and great seasonings, not by dousing everything in salt. My boyfriend had a chicken banm mi (sandwich), I had a vegetarian one, and we each had a cookie. Everything tasted fresh and delicious (and all for a very reasonable price). Simply awesome and highly recommended.

I’ve been meaning to try this place for some time and finally the stars aligned. If Nelly is a sucker for corn rows and manicured toes, I’m a sucker for Bánh mì with jalapeños.
I ordered the pork belly and thought it tasted great when the meat was part of my bite. Based on the bread that was used, there were a good amount of bites that were mainly bread and light on toppings, but the good bites made me forget about those.
Will I be back? You bet, this is a great place to get a non chain lunch sandwich!

I visit this place sometimes when they are on campus. I’ve had hit or miss caramelized pork belly… sometimes it seemed to be overcooked. Fortunately, they visited today and had a Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi with Ginger and Onion Chutney. It was a salty, spicy, peppery, ginger, meaty sandwich. The salt was fairly high, which I like because it helped the flavor to pop. I think that once they get some more good rotations in the mix, and ensure that they don’t run out, I may bump this rating up. They ran out of the special with the person right after me, and it was only 24 minutes into the serving day…

I love food trucks and I soo wanted to love the sandwiches served at Bun Me, but alas, I do not. The guys working here seem like awesome people — they are upbeat and fun. The chicken bahn mi however was totally lacking in flavor. I tried both the lemongrass sauce and the peanut sauce — neither tastes substantial. The chicken was boiled and had no flavor to it. There was so much water content that it made the bread soggy. Bun Me, I really want you to succeed! Please grill your chicken, pickle your veggies, and give your sandwich more authenticity and more of a BANG.

I have died and gone to bun heaven. WOW. The chicken is moist and flavorful with fresh veggies, fresh cilantro (LOVE!) and crazy good sauces. The guys were so personable and fun! Keep up the excellent work.

FRESH.
FILLING.
BUN in my belly.
I’ve had both the vegetarian and the chicken and like both equally!
These guys are great. Super friendly and fast.

I’d probably give it 2.5 if I could, but can’t quite give it a solid 3. I think I’ve had better sandwiches from Bun Me, but the chicken sandwich I got today had rather dry chicken in it. Everything else on the sandwich was fine; the carrots were good, cilantro was awesome, bread was good, but in my book, when the protein falls flat, it’s a food failure.
They’ve got propane there, I wonder how difficult it would be to skewer some chicken, and grill it right there.

Honestly probably the best food you can get in Milwaukee – street food or not – at any price. I get pork belly almost everywhere I go. No one in Milwaukee has better pork belly than Bun Me – not Bacchus, not Odd Duck, not Wolf Peach, no one. It’s probably the most consistently succulent I’ve had. Everything is always incredibly, perfectly fresh and the guys are always extraordinarily happy and helpful. I’m so excited that spring has sprung and the Bun Me guys are back in action.

Overall lack of flavor in the dish. The slaw is unflavored. The sauce is bland. The pork belly is too sweet and mushy. The bread to filling ratio is off. Overall a boring, blah experience.

This was my first bahn mi experience and it was a good one! I’ve heard of this little food cart before but was never brave enough to try it. Lo and behold, my work hired them on as a lunch vendor so I banded together with a few of my work buddies and tried my first bahn mi.
This sandwich is SO good. They start out with a super tasty protein. They have pork belly, grilled chicken, and tofu. I tried the pork belly — super tasty but I don’t think I could eat a whole sandwich’s worth of it because it’s so rich — so I got the chicken instead. Then they load you up on the veggies — shredded carrot & daikon with mint, cucumber, cilantro. Of course I had to get both sauces (lemongrass & peanut butter). On to the bread, crispy on the outside, soft and pillow-​y on the inside. Holds your bahn mi together beautifully so you can look respectable while inhaling it at work.
New favorite food truck!

Yay for a Banh Mi food cart in MKE!!!
I’ve known about these guys for awhile but I only have a car a few days a week and I seem to never have transportation on the days when they are out. FINALLY today I got to partake.
I am a total Banh Mi sandwich freak. I seriously love this stuff. When I heard about Bun Me I couldn’t wait to check them out. As a food truck they have a small but perfect little menu. A caramelized pork belly sandwich, a lemongrass chicken sandwich and a vegetarian sandwich. I tried the chicken because I’m such a sucker for lemongrass but I can’t wait to try the pork and vegetarian ones too.
The chicken was perfectly cooked and tender. Great flavor. They also put lemongrass or peanut sauce on top and you can choose both. I chose both. Duh. So delicious and nicely balanced. A great amount of yummy pickled veggies and fresh cilantro. Served with a cucumber «spear» and a lime wedge. The bread is nice and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside – exactly as Banh Mi should be. I don’t think there is ever such thing as too much sauce (especially with Asian food) so next time I might ask for a little extra but the sandwich was great just as they served it to me.
I was sad to hear that next week will be their last week out (so make it happen people before it’s too late). They did mention that they may do some delivery sandwiches through the winter so that would be sweet. However, I am all about starting a campaign to make these guys a permanent Milwaukee fixture. We need more Banh Mi up in this place!
Talked with Matt and Alex (I hope I’m remembering their names correctly) for a bit about their love of the Vietnamese sandwich. These guys have definitely done their research. So excited they are doing their thing in MKE!

Wow! I took a chance on Bun Me and I was thoroughly rewarded! As a vegetarian in Milwaukee, it’s very hard to find food trucks that cater to my needs. .. until I found Bun Me. Not only are these guys lovely and funny, they make the most delicious vegetarian sandwich I’ve ever tasted. I look forward to many more visits to come!
P. S. Get both the lemon grass AND the peanut sauce, you will not regret it!

Thanks to Alicia for pointing me in the direction of these guys. I like to seek out Banh Mi especially for lunch because it’s a light, quick and flavorful option.
Bun Me is no exception. There were a couple of options but I had my mind on something in specific.
Upon approaching I was greeted by both Gentleman and we got talking about the pork belly straight away. I’ll be honest, for whatever reason, I haven’t had it before I am positive I am going to eat it today. The gentleman serving me explained a bit about the sandwich and the pork belly and I was sold.
It’s $ 6 while the other options are $ 5. This is a good middle of the road price for Banh Mi. If you haven’t been paying attention this matches Jeppa Joe’s in price and falls below other restaurants that offer it. Did i mention caramelized pork belly? Ok good because that’s important. Evidently I have been missing out my whole life because this particular sandwich was spot on. Or as the kids say «Cash money.» Who am i kidding I say that.
Why is this five stars? It was perfectly balanced. The bread was crispy in exterior and soft inside. That sounds simple but you would be surprise as how many places can get that wrong. Inside I found a good balance of innards. There was a good amount of the pork belly. The veggies were a bit more and there was a cucumber strip across the whole top.
The great thing about the strip is it allows me to perfectly compact the filling a bit while I make the sandwich a bit smaller to bite. It looks bursting when it is served up.
I would describe the sandwich as «lush». Why? Because I was told it was lush. haahahahaha! «lush sammie» (joke for either of those two gents) ((dont stab me)) ;)
Good customer service caps the experience off. You might not expect much from a food cart but seriously I found myself laughing while briefly chatting with these two and that goes a long way in my book. They treat you good and serve you something excellent.
You’ll note the location as «various». They are often times in the third ward (like today) on the corner of Milwaukee and buffalo. They can be outside of the US Bank building and I think on UW’s campus. This may only last until it gets too cold (Nov?) so make it a point to get out and see these guys this season. I am going to stash some cash and visit a few more times if I can!
Treat your taste buds!!!
(since there «can only be one» other reviews will be tweaked to reflect Bun Me’s awesomeness)
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