Bánh Mì Bay

This place is not exactly a 4 stars, more like 3.5. However, my standards are high because I am Vietnamese and had some great Vietnamese food in my life. I ordered the vegan phở and vegetarian banh mi. The phở was okay but did warm me up from the cold. The banh mi was better.

Man Oh Man had I forgotten all about this place!
I used to frequent this restaurant more than my bathroom.wait.that’s weird but you get the picture!
Their spring rolls are to DIEEEEEEEE for so flavoursome and their pan friend noodles with prawns are so packed with flavour I was convinced that I was in Vietnam! If it hadn’t been for the balding Englishman across from me I would’ve bought the illusion!
Price wise they’re not cheap but they’re not expensive so it’s a little Inbetween I’d say. So yup if you ever want a trip to Vietnam but can’t afford the pricey plane fare then head on here baby!

Perfectly decent Phở, nothing to shout about. Meat is boneless unlike some other places that just serve you the bones!
It’s cheaper if you get takeaway so consider that. Food arrives quickly, however it’s brought from downstairs giving you the fear that the person bringing it up may fall and drop it all. I’m sure this doesn’t happen often…
I’ve heard that the Bahn Mi is actually their signature dish, so will need to try this on my next visit and update this score.
We were seated at the middle of the restaurant and when it’s lunchtime it can get quite annoying as you’ll be surrounded by the lunch crowd looking to get their takeaway.

It’s…ok.
I always feel pretty healthy when I have Vietnamese food (brothy soup! Clean noodles! Pickled veg!) (NB: don’t correct me if this is totally wrong). Banh Mi Bay is not a _​bad_​option. But, well… it’s not the best, either.
It’s fast, and it’s fresh, and it’s really affordable. Tofu bun noodle salad is a good choice. Phở is PHOINE (fine? Yeah?). It’s fine. I appreciate that when you get takeaway that all the individual things are separately packaged up (bean sprouts in a little baggie, hoisin in a little cup).
They have specials of the week but, otherwise, it’s a pretty stripped down menu of Vietnamese go-​tos (spring rolls, range of buns, rice dishes, phos and banh mi). Which is fine for someone as indecisive as I am.
Not a place I’d ever make as a destination spot, but totally fine as an option if you happen to find yourself hungry and standing in front of it.
Unilocal note: significant discounts if you get take-​away so, on a nice day, do so: many great nearby options for a picnic!

Banh Mi Bay is a bit further than most of my other regular lunch spots… but their food is so good that it is worth an extra bit of exercise.
So far I have only tried the take-​away noodles with satay chicken and the bay special sandwich (full of porky goodness.) They were both yummy enough to make me into an instant fan.
The only problem is this place is BUSY at lunch time and so the take-​away line often goes out of the door. They are very speedy at putting orders together… but it’s all a bit of an un-​organised jumble… so you might have to wait a while to receive your lunch!
*It seems my Unilocal friends have all reviewed this place yeeears ago! I am so late to the party!!*

Been meaning to check this place out for a while now, and I finally did today. I walked away with two banh mi, one being tofu and the other being shrimp. The shrimp was entirely new to me, as I usually get pâté at Lee’s in the states. But it was good overall.
The atmosphere wasn’t your typical place, a bit nicer actually. I liked the location being so close to the bus and the service was quick. I’ll be back!

My first day in the UK and I was craving something from home that I was missing. Growing up in a vietnamese community in California, I was craving phở. I remember all my friends telling me never to eat phở in England so I had such low expectations and when I went in blindly to this restaurant, they really exceeded my expectations. I had a phở tai and it was delicious! Best 8 pounds ever spent! Reminds me of home and my moms home cooking! Definitely coming back sometime soon!

Duped out of 6P again. I don’t know why I’ve been here more than once. The phở is lousy w/​small portions compared to other Vietnamese restaurants around and to the East. I am currently sitting eating a pretty poor lemongrass beef w/​overcooked rice. Again, portions and quality just aren’t there. Most mall food courts are better than this.
People, we can do better!

Went for phở, summer rolls and pan fried pork. Everything was solid but slightly disappointing relative to the high expectations I had.
For one, I wish my phở were served hotter. It came somewhat lukewarm which is always disappointing. Also, I felt like there was too much more noodles than soup. Having said that, it was still good, so a good place for a quick phở fix.
The sides were all solid as well. A pleasant surprise was the pan fried pork, which almost reminded me of Korean bbq meat.
Service was good. The waitresses were prompt and kind.
I really liked the ambience — homey and cozy yet spacious too!

I came here starving after the worst audition of my life and wanted to eat the whole restaurant. But I didn’t. And I settled n the chicken lemongrass curry with steamed rice. I would describe it as a-​ok! And the potatoes in it were my favourite part… my favourite thing about Vietnamese food is that you don’t feel all full and car by like you do when you have a Chinese or an Indian… its just lighter and healthier! Friendly service too. and cheap!

My friend and I ordered flat rice noodle dishes which we both found to be extremely salty. The summer rolls are lovely and fresh though. Staff are friendly and after a mix up of orders, they accepted the error and apologised for the mistake.
However, I won’t be going back to this place in a hurry.

Came here for a quick lunch after exploring the British History Museum. We arrived at about 12 pm and the place was at 50% capacity. By 12:30 pm the place was packed with only standing room!
I ordered the vegetarian phở and it was awesome. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the carrots, red chili slices, thai basil, mint, lemon grass, spouts and spring onions were a lovely accompaniment to the dish. Did I mention they have Sriracha bottles on each table? Extra points!

The food was average. Got the roast pork banh mi and summer rolls. Nothing memorable.
What was memorable, however, was the horrible service. The cashier was rude and not helpful. Yes, lunch is a busy time, but that’s no excuse to be rude. The cashier was rushing me and got really nasty about my signature for the credit card receipt. When he saw that the signature didn’t match the card exactly, he immediately berated me saying that he can’t accept it and was almost flipping out. I just calmly corrected it since it was no big deal, but he was just horrible about it.

Visited this Vietnamese restaurant on a lazy Saturday afternoon after heading to Hatton Gardens to resize my ring, my boyfriend has been here the year before, he was hungry, and he wanted to come here over my suggestion of going to Kimchi nearer Hoborn! I was expecting something good.
We ordered: —
Goi Cuon — Summer Rolls
Tiger prawns, sliced pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce and Vietnamese herbs wrapped in rice paper, served with a peanut hoi sin dipping sauce.
Phở noodle soup for my boyfriend (sorry don’t know which one he ordered, some sort of beef)
Bun Vermicelli Noodle Salad (Ga Sate — Chargrilled Satay Chicken)
2x Vietnamese iced coffee.
Comments:
The summer rolls were so and so, tasted really bland. The prawn was big, which I appreciated, but the only flavour is only coming from the dipping sauce.
My boyfriend’s Phở unfortunately came with lukewarm soup. It was really disappointing. The meat tasted pretty nice but noone wants lukewarm meals. We scouted other tables who ordered Phở after us and their noodle soups were steaming hot! That’s inconsistency right there for you.
My vermicelli noodle salad was ok, I like the one at Café East more. The chicken was pretty dry, but I was hungry.
The iced coffee was really strong. They don’t use the Truong brand that I am used to, and they seem to put less condensed milk in as well, so it tasted more bitter than usual.
The worst thing is by the time we left, I was already feeling ill. By the time we got home about 30 – 40 min later, both of us were throwing up and on the toilet in general. I really don’t want to come back here :(It’s not like the food was anything spectacular, and I think it has some hygiene issues perhaps.

Bánh Mì Bay-​be! Vietnamese coffee for £1!
Oh and summer rolls, so fresh at ten to noon, why I’ll have two!
There’s an almost zen-​like calming atmosphere in here when food is meditatively prepared before the hullabaloo, the lunacy of the lunch rush when suity types start flooding in. I’ve no prejudices against these guys, they have to eat too and I can admire their choice of where to take their clients and a comedy cuff-​link as much as the next girl.
This one, In mid-​town where relaxed casual creatives meet to eat opposite their slick city counterparts, is where I on the tattier side of latter, felt more comfortable taking a take-​away. So don’t ban me, Bánh Mì that’d be the worst thing to happen. This place is delicious, friendly and fresh! They were also doing a BOGOF on Saigon Coffee Co take home ground coffee the last time I went.

its a bit overpriced, typically of London. I first came across banh mi living in australia and in a country known for being ridiculously expensive these always hit the spot and were a bargain, no pâté tho!
the quality is the same, if not better and everything was bloody tasty. the various noodles are also very very good. could do with some extra spice and perhaps some citrus?
good work lunch spot.

We got into the bánh mì thing whilst living in NYC where Vietnamese sandwich shops where popping up all over the place. Anyhow we were in Bloomsbury over the weekend and saw a Pret on one corner and a Vietnamese sandwich shop across the intersection. Our curiosity led us into Bánh Mì Bay and we were duly rewarded.
these guys have quite a few things on the menu including phở, salads, rice boxes, Vietnamese coffee etc. etc., however, we were there for one reason only…
The waitress recommended their special Banh Mi called the Dac Biet (pâté, spiced pork) and the wife got the Banh Mi Tom Nuong (Chargrilled Prawn). Wow these sandwich really pack in the flavour! The might not have been as juicy and rich as the ones we were used to in NYC, but in fairness they somehow tasted fresher and more healthy which is a win win.
Can’t wait to go back!

Popped in for lunch as I was in the area and starving. For what it is, the prices were a little on the steep side, but given the area, that’s normal. I had the Chicken Satay Bun and was really pleased. Good flavour, the sauce that came with it was just right and had that lovely fish sauce tang to it, and the chicken was beautiful. I really liked it. My partner had a Spiced Pork Baguette and like it well enough. He said it was good, that he really like the pork, but that the Bahn Mi he had at Ziloufs (Islington) was better. the Vietnamese green tea is pretty good, and it’s actual loose leaf, unlike many other restaurants.
All in all, if I were in the area, I’d probably drop in again. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it, though. Plenty of other really good Vietnamese joints that are a little cheaper and more conveniently located for me. We spent 15.55 on two mains and two teas. Not dirt cheap, but not pricey.

Do NOT get their phở.
It is a horrible representation of the popular Vietnamese noodle soup and if you actually think that it tastes good, then you don’t know what you’re missing out on. I highly doubt I will find a phở place in London that will even compare to phở in California, but I won’t burn that bridge yet.
Banh Mi Bay is down the street from my school so I find myself here quite a bit. Their broken rice dishes are actually really good and based on my experience with their phở, I will gladly order their rice dishes any day. I’ve tried the grilled chicken and grilled pork and both are tasty. The phở is unbearably bland and you’re going to have to douse it in hoisin and sriracha to give it some flavor. Instead of phở they should really call it noodles in hot water with meat. But other than that, the service is pretty quick and everything else I tried isn’t half bad. The restaurant is clean and they’re open for lunch and reopen for dinner around 5:30PM. Just an FYI, since I tried going there after class one day and I had to wait til they opened for dinner.

We visited this restaurant for a taste of the famous Banh Mi sandwich. It did not disappoint. We also enough the summer rolls, and found the staff to be very attentive! The phở was nice as well, though not the very best I have had. I’d certainly stop by for another sandwich in the future!