Local Houston Eats: What Is a Traditional Banh Mi Sandwich?

Bánh mì simply means bread in Vietnamese. Nowadays, people refer banh mi as any types of Vietnamese baguette sandwich. I have seen restaurants, offered from banh mi with chicken to vegan banh mi with tofu. The traditional banh mi that my family and I normally eat is with cold cut meat. It is also a popular Vietnamese street food.

Vietnamese Baguette Bread

A good banh mi sandwich starts with good Vietnamese baguette bread. A Vietnamese baguette has thin crispy crust, but the inside is soft and airy. It does not look rustic and is not as hard as a French baguette. I remember the baguettes in Vietnam were so crispy that the thin crusts actually cracked. My Baguettes is a banh mi restaurant on Bellaire Boulevard that makes good bread, almost like in Vietnam.

Traditional banh mi sandwich at My Baguettes restaurant, Vietnamese baguette sandwich

Inside a Traditional Banh Mi Sandwich

A traditional banh mi sandwich contains various thin slices of cold cut pork. At this restaurant, I frequently ordered their cold cut combo which included jambon, steam pork ham and pork belly. They would spread inside the baguette with egg yolk aioli and pate, then top it off with pickled carrot and daikon radish, cucumber, jalapeno pepper and cilantro.

Inside a traditional banh mi sandwich or banh mi with cold cut meat. From bottom to top: jambon, steam pork ham, pork belly, pickled carrot & daikon radish, cucumber, cilantro & pate spread.

What Does a Traditional Banh Mi Sandwich Taste Like?

After biting into the banh mi sandwich, I could taste the crispy bread and tender pork, then light crunchy vegetables and rich aioli. It had layers of different textures and flavors. Everything tasted fresh since they made it from scratch. My family said they could put more of the pate spread, but it was enough funk for me. You probably do not want to eat a traditional band mi sandwich while on a date.

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