Cafe La Vie

charming café’ in a converted house with the best bahn mi in tacoma. they have their bread custom baked, and it has a unique almost-​glazed top crust. great service, friendly staff, good prices. other menu items include regional vietnamese specialties like bun bo hue, a delicious soup redolent of ginger and lime.

i thought it was me but something changed with their banh mi french sandwich, its not that good as it use to be.

Very friendly people here. It is an oriental café. I didn’t have a sandwich, but they look great! I was hoping for an espresso, but they don’t have an espresso machine. I got coffee which comes with tea.? Haha okay!

This place is very authentic. Note that their soups are made with animal innards. Delicious and spot on for taste. Rice pork has pork innards and comes with donut bread that you dip in the soup. It was heaven in my mouth. Bahn Mi French was fabulous but too crunchy. Spicy beef also has innards and is just hard to eat w the meat attached to the bone.

First and foremost, cash only! They serve only two types of bahn-​mi here: BBQ and French, both of which are equally delicious. Just a note, the French packs quite a bit of heat with the jalapenos. Hawt!
First time I was here, I accompanied my Wife for ice coffee. I was a little concerned I didn’t see any sweetener added, but as soon as I took my initial sip, perfect. Just the right amount coffee over ice and sweetened to the T.
Do not let the aesthetics of the shop fool you. Try it, you won’t be disappointed!

This is my first time eating a Vietnamese sandwich, and let me tell you it was delicious! I have had other ones before and this one is great! I would definitely recommend this to other people. By the way they also give you tea instead of water, you can ask for water though. Give it a try if your in the area

I’ll be back :)

Don’t let the aesthetics of the shop fool you. This place has the best banh mi (vietnamese sandwich) you will ever eat in the Puget Sound. The baguette is cooked freshly and to perfection — crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Perfect ratio of meat to veggies, and on-​par spices. All for $ 3 per sandwich!!! If you’re a meat lover, buy the double meat deluxe for only $ 5.
A couple bites of the sandwich and you’ll definitely taste the jalapenos, but definitely not overpowering nor too spicy. Good service, not as much language barrier as other Vietnamese places. Only con about this shop is the menu. Since the menu is so small, it can benefit from adding pictures to help foreigners visualize what they will be ordering. Try it, you will not be disappointed.

They allow smoking in a closed door facility. Besides being disgustingly unsanitary, isn’t that a health code violation? I picked up an order but as soon as I stepped in I should have stepped right back out.

Bottom Line: CASH ONLY. Solid, inexpensive basics at a friendly hole in the wall located one block from Lincoln High. Banh mi, $ 3.5 — $ 5. Small assortment of bubble tea and coffee. Other Vietnamese items on the specials board. Oh, and lottery tickets!
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Looking at my bookmarks on Unilocal,I decided to hit Café La Vie on this sunny day. A perfect day to visit as it turns out, because the house in which the café is located is very light and has some outdoor seating.
Very basic, solid food here. Banh mi sandwiches are asian cold cuts or bbq pork for $ 3.5. A deluxe is double cold cut meat for $ 5 (
). The bread is fresh and toothsome, nicely toasted and the condiments are very good — their pickled carrots are some of the best I’ve had on banh mi. I mention that this is asian cold cuts because one meat is bright red and there also seems to be pâté spread… I love it but it’s not everyone’s cup o’ tea.
I noticed several people happily eating phở, but didn’t see it listed anywhere. There isn’t much of a menu, definitely no descriptions of what they sell. There is a specials sheet of sorts, but it is written in Vietnamese and I am woefully ignorant in this cuisine!
My Thai iced tea smoothie ($ 3.5) was excellent, with rainbow jellies. It had a consistency more like a milkshake than granita… yum!
Very, very friendly counter people. While the details may have been lost in translation, their kindness was intact.

Very comfortable place with A/​C and Wi-​fi available for free, the sandwiches and coffee are the best in Town. Especially they have new goi cuoin on the menu (Spring Rolls) it’s awesome. Friendly customer service. Make sure to try the fresh Avocado Smoothie when you stop by. BBQ sandwich is tha Bombbb… ohh ohh and you can park your car in the back of the store with ²⁴⁄₇ Surveillance Camera :)

Killer sandwiches, dirt cheap and pennywort drink!
Boom!

When I am hungry and don’t want to drive too far for some good sandwiches, I stop by Café La Vie.
Vietnamese Sandwiches here are the best that I know of in Tacoma. The restaurant has been here FOREVER! Last time I was here the placed was packed and everyone there seemed to be having a great time. I ordered 2 sandwiches and ate them all in one sitting. It was so good! I am not sure about the other dishes served here because I have never ordered any. The staff is very friendly. There were 2 locations near each other but I am not sure if the old location is still open. Just righting a review is making me want some now… BRB ;) …
Good thing for auto-​save since i was able to just dream about getting some since the place is closed around this time. «SIGH» Only a few hours left til I am able to get some.

Best Vietnamese sandwich & coffe I’ve found in the Taocma/​Fife area. Service is friendly. Easy to find, parking no worries