Cafe Bunn Mi

Stopped here for lunch today, got the five spice chicken Bahn mi, which is usually my go-​to of any Bahn mi place I haven’t tried. Boyfriend got the crispy duck Bahn mi.
The inside of this place was stuffy and had a weird smell, and I 100% expected to see a dog somewhere sitting near its owner but there was no dog to be found. Luckily there was outside seating available.
My five spice chicken Bahn mi was okay. The chicken was dry and tough which wasn’t a very pleasant experience. Flavor was good but biting through the chicken to a chalky middle wasn’t overshadowed by the taste. Felt like I was just trying to «get through» the sandwich. $ 5.50
The crispy duck, on the other hand, was much more flavorful with better texture. I had a couple bites and one of them was very chewy. Boyfriend was pleased that the duck wasn’t «two sweet» which is a pet peeve of his as far as flavor is concerned. $ 7.50
Really good price points but not sure I’d come back for the Bahn mi, especially when there are so many other great lunch spots around the inner Richmond/​on Clement.

Came here for a simple and quick dinner. Me and the lady were craving hard for a Banh Mi but our usual go to, New Sandy’s on 9^th & Irving, just relocated and won’t be serving Banh Mis for the first month or two of their relocation so we decided to check this place out since it was close and had good ratings.
I had the Lemongrass Steak Banh Mi, my girlfriend had the Grilled Pork Banh Mi, and we shared a Grilled Pork rice plate with an additional order of an Imperial Roll.
I personally like the Grilled Pork Banh Mi more than my order of the Lemongrass Steak one. I usually get Grilled Pork Banh Mis but what scares me away from it was the Patè that was listed as a component of the sandwich. We both loved the Grilled Pork rice plate though. We give that 6 stars out of 5. To me the grilled pork was a tad bit drier than what I’m used to but the fish sauce was a perfect sauce to dip it into and that’s what made the rice place perfect.
The only negative thing I’d have to say about this place is their Imperial Rolls. They looked delicious, but he filling of the roll was too too moist and it was too salty to my liking as well.
I’ll be back to get myself my own Grilled Pork Banh Mi and I’ll definitely be trying their Fried Duck Banh Mi soon as well.

I’ve been here on three different occasions and ordered three different banh mi sandwiches. All three were amazing! I used to live in East San Jose where there was a lot of competition among Vietnamese sandwich shops. The banh mi here is even better, giving generous portions of meat on fresh, soft bread with a thin, crunchy crust. Although it’s about twice as expensive, I felt it was well worth it, and had about twice the meat. Two of the sandwiches I ordered were different than your typical banh mi: a juicy pork belly sandwich with an egg and a duck sandwich. I would highly recommend both! I also had the combination pork sandwich which was equally awesome. The noodle bowls seemed to have a generous portion size, and I will also be back to try the vegetarian options, but this is my favorite place for banh mi in the Bay Area.

I went to Café Bunn Mi recently for lunch & they are cash only. They have two vegan banh mi on the menu yet in order to make it vegan be sure to get it without aioli.
For vegans ordering banh mi they have:
Buddha Tofu– crispy fried tofu in lemongrass sauce for $ 5.50
Smokey Vegetable– portobello mushroom, eggplant, & homemade soy sauce for $ 6.50
You can also opt to get wheat bread for 50 cents more which I ordered.
I also went with sweet potato fries for $ 3.50.
A server brought me out some water & after some time my banh mi was brought out yet it was on white bread instead of wheat. The cashier said to me she messed up & apologized yet told me I wasn’t charged for it. The other worker was the server asked if if I wanted wheat bread instead. I did & it was kind of her to switch it out for me which I appreciated.
The Buddha Tofu banh mi was quite good as had a good amount of tofu with the flavorful lemongrass sauce as well as plenty of veggies. It was nice that they had a wheat bread option.
The sweet potato fries were good & plenty were served in a bowl. It would be good to share these with a friend perhaps. Another vegan option on the menu was Saigon Vegetarian Vermicelli Noodles for $ 8. I would love to see some vegan veggie spring rolls on the menu as they had shrimp ones for $ 5 yet am sure they could come up with a decent vegan version.

Came here a couple of years back and I was excited to try the pork belly because I recall it being a different twist to the regular options of vietnamese sandwiches and it being good. I noticed on the menu there was crispy duck sandwich so I ordered that as well.
Took it home. Looks awesome. But unfortunately the taste fell flat of expectations. The meat was dry, so I ended up trashing it and eating the remains… became a veggie sandwich.
A bummer being 7 – 8
Bucks…I could have shredded my own Cole slaw and toasted bread with butter/​mayo…
CASH only is a bit annoying too, since I love using my card for the reward points.

Originally I was going to give this place 4 stars but then I’m not really a fan of this place so… Cash only btw. It was REALLY HOT in here on a hot day. Where’s the AC?
A friend recommended that this place had really good sandwiches and got me a duck sandwich. I have to agree the duck sandwich was really good. When I came back here the other day, they ran out of duck. I wanted pork belly and that was out. So I just ordered a fish, grilled pork, and lemongrass steak. The fish just tasted like regular fried cod with a little slaw. Grilled pork didn’t have enough flavor as other places. And the lemongrass steak was just ok. Stick with the duck. If they’re out, don’t bother with the other stuff. It’s not even worth it.
The one thing that bugged me was customer service. I asked the cashier if he recommended pork or chicken. And he said «which pork, we have 3.» And I’m thinking, I asked you what you recommend, just help me choose. So I decided grilled pork. Then he said «which chicken, we have 3.» LIKE SIR, HELLO PLS, JUST HELP ME PICK. If I knew what I wanted, I wouldn’t go and ask you. Don’t sass me with that attitude. This entire time, he looked like he didn’t even want to be there. Also, for another customer who was asking questions. He answered but when the customer asked another question, he said I ALREADY TOLD YOU. Like sir, pls, why you being rude.

If I happen to be in the Richmond District and am craving Vietnamese food and Little Vietnam Café is closed (they close a bit earlier than this place), then I just come here to get my Vietnamese sandwich fix.
The service (or lack thereof) is bad (at least to ALL of my experiences at this place). They don’t acknowledge you if you’re next in line to at the very least say, «I’ll be right with you». They wander off to the back and come back with an attitude as if they don’t want to take your order. Um, can you at least smile?!
The food is alright. I’ve bought a couple of sandwiches from this place. The Five Spice chicken sandwich to be exact and the chicken was a bit too chewy. I’ve shared half of my sandwich with other people and was told the same thing. The coffee flan is good, though.
They also don’t take cash, btw. This place is alright — but not my first choice for Vietnamese food.

Pros:
The service is friendly and quick.
The selection of Vietnamese sandwiches, phi and rice dishes is vast.
Cons:
The basil for my phone was full of black spots from molding. Definitely not fresh basil.
The phone had a strange sour taste to it. I have eaten a lot of phở in my life and there was something strange about it.

SERVICE 2
The girl with the nose ring took my order after 2 mins while she was fixing up some stuff in a drink, w/​o greeting me. I told her that my order would be eaten there, she didn’t give me a table # stand. I had to ask another girl for it. I also asked for water, but she charged me a coke instead. I sucked it up anyway and I don’t even drink sodas. Also, you have to get it yourself from the fridge in the back… but she didn’t tell me that. All the young girls there don’t really smile at you, they just give you blank stares. I just hope I wasn’t asking for too much… damn.
FOOD 3
Good price & decent taste on sandwiches. More on the pricy side and nothing too special on the noodles from a small quick service place and not a restaurant. Sandwich breads could be softer. My crab noodle soup was not really authentic and didn’t have that many ingredients, nor looked as nice like the pics that were posted here (latest eat-​in ones from 2015). Well I do care a lot bout my crab noodle soup (Bun Rieu), and I’ve had way better ones.
But I do like their interesting choices like pork belly, duck sandwiches. Cool drinks like mojito lemonade, watermelon slush etc. Lots of meats + veggies in the sandwich.
INTERIOR 4
Nice little café style. Too tight to sit at the plank table though, especially if you have a bowl of hot soup noodles. Normal seatings are limited & tight, so prepare if you were to order something in soup and/​or expect to sit down with kids. Gets crowded from time to time.
CASH ONLY — Signs would be either covered by people or higher than eye level covered by another sign on door… odd.
JALAPENOS in all sandwiches.
FAST PACE — Mostly people coming in and out for quick sandwiches.
HARD TO FIND PARKING on weekends. Super busy street full of shops.
OVERALL — Would go back for sandwiches + drinks only. (if in the neighborhood)
Skip the noodles, definitely not the best. The people below got to be joking.

We normally like to go to an awesome little bao place in the area but on one of our day trips up to Clement, we saw this banh mi place and thought it would be worth checking out. It’s similar in style to some of the more trendy /​less authentic Vietnamese places so we kept our high hopes in check, but figured it was a good gamble.
We ordered the Buddha Tofu sandwich, the Lemongrass Steak sandwich, and a side order of garlic fries. The mojito styled lemonade (non-​alcoholic) also looked interesting, so we each ordered one as well. Total price came to $ 25 (with tip) which isn’t too bad for the amount of food we ordered, although definitely more pricey than the hole-​in-​the-​wall banh mi restaurants.
Our food came out separately, as it was prepared, so each one was definitely hot and fresh. My tofu sandwich was *huge* with big chunks of fried tofu and covered in a lemongrass + soy dressing. The pickled vegetables on it were crunchy and flavourful. Our fries came out next and they were still super hot which made them that much better (nothing worse than lukewarm fries!) After that, the steak sandwich came out.
Between the mint-​flavoured lemonades, the super garlicky fries, and the large and delicious sandwiches, we ate until we were stuffed and didn’t have a single regret. We were both pleasantly surprised at how intense and amazing the sandwiches were and very happy with what we’d ordered. Honestly, we could have done without the fries only because the sandwiches were large enough on their own to be a meal.
I noticed that the vegetarian options were a bit slim (two sandwiches and one noodle bowl, plus some of the sides) but if you’re ok with that (if you’re vegetarian that is), the food here is definitely worth checking out. Would happily come by here again to try the noodles and maybe the onion rings.
Also, cash only!

Good place

Awesome little restaurant for Vietnamese sandwiches!
I came here on recommendation by a friend who is a regular at Café Bunn Mi. The place is located in the heart of Clement St. restaurants. Space is limited but there is a decent amount of seating — I would say around 20. High ceilings and large windows accentuate the clean establishment.
Just going off the name, I have to order a sandwich. They have many options even for vegetarians (I saw some vegetable and tofu options). I ordered the grilled pork sandwich which came with grilled pork and pâté. The service was relatively quick. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors in the sandwich. The meat had a nice smokey flavor and the garlic aioli was a nice touch.
I definitely recommend the the sandwiches here, as I’m thinking about going back soon to try the other options. I can’t say anything about the phở, as I didn’t try it, but they have bun bo hue (love that stuff).
Good food, price, and service; thank you Café Bunn Mi!

This place is good, nice take on the classic Vietnamese Banh Mi. It is not however anything I would call authentic. It has nice fresh flavor, but if you’re looking for a classic Banh Mi, this place is not exactly it. Don’t get me wrong, I was not disappointed, but the sandwich surely did not live up the hype. At $ 6.50 a «bunn mi» its pricey for a Banh Mi but when you’re getting roasted duck (great meat to fat ratio) and pork belly with egg (essentially a Thit Kho Banh Mi) I get it.
Wouldn’t go out of the way for it, but would definitely try again.

The grilled pork banh mi here is really good. Got it with the braised egg. As someone from San Diego I was in for a surprise because I’m definitely not used to how packed banh mi can be; they don’t skimp on the veggies and meat at all. The pork was really juicy and tasty. The bread however could have been softer and there was way too much of the pickled carrots.
You can choose to add an egg either fried or braised.
Food came out quick!

The vegetable banh mi’s here are are pretty great. The veggies in the sandwich have lots of flavor and they put a lot of vegetables in the sandwich. The bread is fresh and crunchy, but not the tear-​your-​mouth-​up crunchy.
I wanted to try the sweet potato fries, but they were out… The French fries were pretty tasty though.
The service was average, but pretty quick. For the price, I don’t have any big complaints. Solid place to grab a filling meal with friends without breaking the wallet!

Tried the Five Spice Chicken sandwich. Yummy! The bread was fresh and crusty, but not overly thick. I really enjoyed the pickled veggies that are typical of banh mi and the fact that they were really thinly sliced which made them easier to eat – these sandwiches can be tricky because they’re usually so thick. The chicken was tender and I enjoyed the sauce on it.
The service was great. Ordering was quick and almost immediately after placing our order at the counter, a young woman brought us water, napkins, and utensils, then tried to help us fit at a table during the lunch rush. Just as a warning, be prepared to possibly take your lunch to go as seating was slim. During a slower time, the seating would seem plentiful, but there were a lot of patrons there!
**Right now they’re offering sandwiches at «1999» prices in honor of their anniversary until Dec. 6^th. At about $ 3.50 for lunch, this is a steal!

Normally, I’d say this is a solid place. I’m usually walking around Clement and stop in for a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which previously was strong, tasty, and all around good choice. Four stars for sure.
However, I found a bug. Now it’s 1 star, less if I could. You know when you are just sipping through the straw, and don’t even bother to look at your drink? Yeah, you and I need start looking now. Absolutely disgusting. I guess it’s possible that the insect could have got in through the tiny crevices of the plastic cup top, where the straw fits through… I guess that’s possible. But really? No way, doubtful.
Sorry, Café Bunn Mi. Will not come here again. Forever ever ever.

I keep thinking a gangsta named this place because instead of saying ‘Banh Mi’, they shout out ‘Bunn Mi!!’ like we was being threatened by a particularly crusty roll that could cause a concussion. That’s what my feverish little mind came up with when I saw the name on the brown awning on Clement Street. My expectations of gold grills and Cookie-​like attitudes quickly changed once I entered and found a low-​key shop that focuses on low-​key Vietnamese fast food, not only banh mis but phở, rice and noodle plates, salads, fries and imperial rolls. In other words, it’s all the stuff you would want from a well-​stocked street cart in Ho Chi Minh City.
I was feeling peckish as I was waiting for my car to get serviced on Geary, so I went for the $ 4.50 Grilled Pork Banh Mi, which had all the requisite ingredients — onions, pickled carrots, daikon radishes, cilantro, cucumber slices and jalapenos stuffed into a crusty French roll nicely toasted and slathered with their own housemade aioli (photo:
). What’s not to like about a sandwich like that? Nothing, man. But what didn’t work as well were the $ 6 Spicy Garlic Chicken Wings a half-​down that were way too sticky for normal consumption goven they were wok-​tossed and heavily coated in a spicy housemade garlic sauce that could have doubled as a wood varnish (photo:
). Straight outta Clement. Yo.
FOOD — 3 stars… a solid banh mi followed by stickier-​than-​thou wings
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… a low-​key space with café tables
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… fast enough if you take it to go
TOTAL — 3 stars… Bunn Mi? Bunn You!

Weekday, 1 PM — 4 people
Great selection of Vietnamese food here, with the specialty being sandwiches. The interior has seating for about 20 and has some nice artwork on the walls. Made for a pleasant atmosphere waiting for our food, and would be even nicer to sit down and eat here sometime in the future.
The Crispy Duck Banh Mi was really, really good, and worth the extra $ 3 more than a traditional banh mi. The amount of meat and veggies surprised me — they pack the duck in there and the veggies were fresh and plentiful. One big minus was the bread quality on the banh mi — it was a bit tough and chewy, not light and airy with a crispy exterior like a proper french baguette.
The avocado smoothie was great — not the best I’ve ever had but definitely better than average. Creamy but not too sweet, and thick enough to last a couple hours. Good from beginning to end. Overall, I didn’t have to wait long for my order, and everything was taken care of in about 5 minutes. I’ll definitely come back here to try other things on the menu.

CASH ONLY
It was enjoyable, but definitely had an American influence. I ordered and will review the 5 spice chicken banh mi and Bun Rieu.
The banh mi was alright. I think it was the least favorite thing that I had here. The bread wasn’t toasted and the chicken tasted like rotassarie chicken. I think the that they opted for white meat is the American flare compared to the usual dark meat. I did enjoy the flavors of the sauces and hope to try their tofu sandwich but it doesn’t live up to Saigon or Mission’s banh mi.
Bun rieu was surprisingly good! It definitely had a seafood flavor and the soup base was delicious! It was super enjoyable and very close to the kind that I’m used to at home!
Service was great. It was quick and efficient even though their was only one worker because the other was on her lunch break. He worked quickly and efficiently. He recommended a banh mi to me because it was so hot, but I love noodles too much to pass.
I will probably come again, but it has not ranked in favorites or wow’d. It is a solid spot.