It is with great pleasure that I crown Banh mi Zon as serving the best Vietnamese sandwiches in the city. After a string of disappointing banh mi around town, I took a tip from Serious Eats (which also reached the same verdict) and added BMZ to my list.
My buddy and I split a Grilled Chicken banh mi ($6.75), and because he’s religious, we took out the ham and the pâté. Despite experiencing only half of the sandwich, I feel strong enough to justify reviewing it.
The bred was soft on the inside and was crispy on the outside, far from stale. It’s the kind of bread I’d eat by itself. The veggies were cool and crunchy at each bite, just as it should be in banh mi. Despite my aversion to dark meat chicken, I found it to be delicious. I wish I could point to a reason why the meat was particularly exceptional, but I’m baffled. I look forward to doing some investigation into this the next time I’m back.
Banh Mi Zon ★★★★★
443 E 6th St (between 1st Ave & Avenue A) map
New York, NY 10009
Neighborhood: East Village
