Lee’s Sandwiches

All of the hype bolstered by the Vietnamese hipsters that have experienced the chain on the West Coast reminds me exactly of the plight of Pollo Campero! Those who know Campero will know what I mean, 10 years ago when the first franchise opened on Columbia Pike, Fairfax Co. Police had to be hired to direct traffic into the parking lot! Like the line for Disney ride– nylon rope had to be set up to form a zig-​zag into the restaurant!
Well, those days are LONG over, the hype has died along with the food. The once complimentary salsa at Campero is now for sale, but I digress…
At the end of the day, a restaurant, no matter the hype, location, etc… needs to have good food and service. This place smells great upon entry, but the sandwiches, which are its staple & namesake, lack in flavor, quality and value compared to nearby competitors like D.C. Sandwich just down the road. Glad I tried it, but it really doesn’t live up to the hype to merit an exclusive return, unless I’m craving a bahn mi at 4 AM ;)

It’s nice to have some more banh mi options in the area. What makes this place a bit different from the others is that instead of a mini-​baguette for the sandwiches, they seem to use a regular one which they slice into your average sized banh mi (actually, maybe a little longer). I got the cha lua banh mi which was pretty good… I liked the bread most of all. I feel like bread sometimes at the other places has a plastic-​y after taste to them, perhaps from preservatives or additives to make the bread rise/​spongy/​whatever. I’m not saying this place doesn’t do that, but at least I cannot taste it.
The do chua (pickled veggies) were pretty good but I missed the cucumber in my sandwich. Even though I ordered the cha lua, my sandwich also come with some other meats and I actually wished they had just stuck with just cha lua. I also really wished they had more mayonnaise in their sandwiches. I don’t know if they don’t include it or not but I definitely didn’t get that creamy, rich taste that I do from the other places, like DC.
The storefront is very nice and they have a huge selection of other bakery style foods typical to Vietnamese bakeries. They even had phở and a few other noodle dishes. The space is new and there’s glassed-​in area where you can see the bakery but not much was going on. I know they are a franchise so I don’t know how easy it would be for them to address some of the issues I had, but if they do, it can easily be one of the better places to get banh mi.

I have been to many of the locations on the West Coast and very happy to see Lees has opened so close to home. This place is very consistent with the other location’s service, speciality in quality French bread and other traditional Vietnamese dishes. I came with a friend and we decided to buy a couple of desserts and 4 of the sandwiches to try and take home. We got the # 11 special combo, grilled pork, BBQ pork and meatball. Each had tender meat that was hot. The French bread tasted fresh. It had the nice crunch and fluffy texture on the inside. Each sandwich had a nice ratio of their house made mayonnaise and Pâté. Yes this place is great for a quick sandwich and drink to go, but I’d go to Banh Mi DC if I really wanted more bang for my buck! You get a larger sandwich with more meat and fixings in the bread for about 20% less. I think the whole commercialized franchise model factors into the pricing of this place.
Lee’s has great specials on just about everything. There is a buy 3 get 1 free special. Get a ice coffee or Thai ice tea for 1.99 with each sandwich purchase. I do wish they would have a buy 6 and 1 free sandwich special like other locations. There is plenty of seating in the restaurant and service is very quick. We got our large order in less than 5 mins. The staff is very friendly and they can guide you to the best specials. Funny how the cashier kept up selling on just about everything in the restaurant. Don’t fall for the hype. Sandwiches here are good, but there is a better one about a 5 min drive away.

BLUF: Great place to grab a sandwich on the fly and the ice coffee is amazing.
First of all, I’m hardly an expert on Banh Mi being I’m just a white dude who lives near by but I really enjoy their sandwiches. The bread is awesome and they have a nice little kick of spice. The orders are filled pretty quick so I’m in and out in no time. They also have «European Sandwiches» basically your staple American subs so there are lots of options. They have just started serving Phở but I haven’t had a chance to try that yet.
While the Ice coffee is hands down amazing I have to agree with may of the other reviewers that there is just way too much ice. Not sure if this will ever change but at 5 bucks for a large I wish it would last longer than 3 or 4 big pulls on the straw.
That said I eat there pretty often and will continue to do so, very happy it opened so close to wear I live.

in the majority of the sandwiches, the meat looks like questionable sliced deli meat. My go to is the grilled pork because i can actually see the pork. this isnt the best banh mi ive ever had, that would be in VA beach. i think they could use more of the savory sauce, otherwise most of the flavor comes from the cilantro. while im not too impressed with the sandwich fillings, their bread is what keeps me coming back for more. i havent had a real fresh French baguette, but until then Mr Lees baguettes will do. The baguette is crispy on the outside with the satisfying bread fluffiness on the inner. There’s always a crowd when i pop in for my sunday after church sandwich so you know that the bread is always fresh.

We stopped in here right after Banh mi D.C. Sandwich to compare each place. Didn’t order much because we stopped in at D.C. Sandwich upon our arrival here.
We ordered the banh mi pâté cha, ice coffee, and French beignets.
The banh mi pâté cha is ehhh… They forgot the pâté and the bread was chewy. I’m guessing it wasn’t as fresh as we liked. Maybe just the time of day. We stopped in around 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
The ice coffee is great as usual with your ice. Barely any coffee but whatever coffee that was in there was still enjoyable.
The French beignets was probably old too. We grabbed the last 3 and it wasn’t warm. It was very chewy.
This place is massive and the nicest Lee’s I’ve been to… probably since its their newest spot.
I give this place a 3 star since I thought it was just average.

Big fan of this place! This will be my go to Banh Mi spot from here on out. On top of that they are 24 hours so that means I can satisfy my banh mi craving anytime. They also have an assortment of items on their menu from phở to regular western style sandwiches, as well as an assortment of drinks.
I got the #11 combination banh mi. Very tasty cold cut. The bread is very crisp and crunchy and the meat is very nice and tender. I need to try every one of the banh mi on the menu. They are 10 inches long so they are very satisfying. One element that I really like is that they make their own bread.
I also got a coconut smoothie with rainbow jelly. They ran out of boba so I had to choose another. You can choose from boba, coffee jelly, or rainbow jelly. They do charge $ 0.39 for this. I hear that their ice coffee is to die for, so i definitely need to come back soon to get me a one.

They didn’t have the smoothie flavor that I originally wanted (lychee) so I went raspberry, which was fine. My sister ordered a mango Italian soda but they didn’t have that flavor either so the cashier suggested the peach flavor with jelly (costs extra) and it was good so that was fine also.
Now I’m just being petty but when I went to ask for the bubble tea straws (you know the ones that are big enough so the bubbles can go through), they said that they don’t have those so I had to drink my smoothie with bubbles with a thin straw… it was hard to do. They’ve been open for a month, you would think that they would have sufficient items by now.

This place definitely has potential to be a popping hub for vietnamese food. Advertised as the largest banh mi chain, it serves a pretty mehhh banh mi sandwich. got the banh mi dac biet, and it was mediocre. baguette wasn’t crunchy enough, and the meat was average.
As a Unilocaler by heart, I wanted to try everything on the menu. Saw the phở, tried ordering the phở, «not ready yet.» Saw the bun, tried ordering the bun, «not ready yet». How are you gonna have that on your menu, and not be ready to sell it yet? I understand you just opened last month, but at least write like «coming soon» on it or something. Not worthy of five stars… yet
The highlight of their menu (from what I had) was their Pâté So, the puff pastry was nice and flakey with enough of the flavor from the pork filling.
I’ll give them another shot when their menu is actually at full working capacity.

If you’re at all a fan of Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, you’ve no doubt heard of Lee’s. It’s the largest banh mi chain in the country. But until recently, it did not exist in the DC area.
As far as their sandwiches go, I’d actually say they’re average. I like their sandwiches more than the ones at Ba Le, but not as much as the ones at Banh Mi DC or any of the locales in the Eden Center.
Where Lee’s shines though is their non-​banh mi menu. Their Café Sua Da (Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk) is the best I’ve ever had. I’d go to Lee’s alone just for the CSD alone. Aside from CSD, Lee’s also offers other Vietnamese delicacies like phở, banh bao (steamed pork buns with egg), and various desserts and drinks. They also have a waffle dish that my close friend loves and always orders.
So all I all, I recommend Lee’s. You won’t be disappointed and they’re definitely above average. If you’re purely about the sandwiches, Lee’s might not measure up to some of the other established restaurants in the DC area but you can’t beat Lee’s variety, cleanliness, and ambience.

Lee’s is the cleaner, more commercialized version of any place in Eden Center, honestly. Except they actually take credit or debit cards. Lee’s offers snacks and drinks in refrigerated displays as well as potted meats for banh mi, different pastries, European sandwiches, soups and noodle dishes.
I had the vanilla iced coffee, grilled pork banh mi and one of the che desserts. The vanilla ice coffee was creamy and sweet but sadly a majority of the cup was full of crushed ice. Definitely opt for the larger size if you’re a fan of café sua da and need a caffeine kick. The grilled pork banh mi was pretty tasty and the baguette was very similar to that of a crusty French bread as opposed to the usual loaf that I’m used to (less crunchy, more fluffy). I’m not usually a fan of banh mi sandwiches (honestly they’re all the same to me) and this one was just alright, much like the in Richmond and Northern Virginia. My friend pointed out that there is no sriracha or hot sauce offered. The che with plantains and tapioca, and I’m assuming all other variations of che, are served warm. I’m used to che served to-​go over ice so the warm dessert caught me off guard.
I was amazed at how clean the establishment was. I went in on a weekday afternoon and it was surprisingly not as busy as many people made it out to be. The parking lot is terribly small but people are always coming in and out.
Protip: IF you can manage to spend $ 30, Lee’s throws in a free cup or tumbler of your choice.

Let’s make this as short as possible since there’s not much to say to begin with.
The bahn mi (combination) is pretty terrible. Coming from a person who’s boyfriend is viet and his family never eats anything but viet food, we would KNOW.
First off, their white pork (cha lua, or however it’s spelled) is cut very thinly, so only except one small sliver in your thick baguette. Next, their pork has a red dye that makes it look so fake. Did i mention it also has clumps of this gelatinous-​like substance? Save your money and stick to Eden Center or Bahn Mi DC

Update:
So finally decided to give this place a week and check it out again. Surprisingly the service was prompt — as in getting my order taken and paid. However the one thing that was upsetting was they were fully staffed, but it still took me 20 minutes after I ordered to get my sandwiches. However, people that arrived after me got their orders promptly. Which made me believe that these reviews are being read but subtle changes are being made. Worst part was this couple ahead of me had a pretty big order and it was made and my sandwiches were after theirs. They literally sat in the tray for a good 15 minutes before anyone decided to check on them.
I’m pretty fair when it comes to giving places a try but to even fathom giving this shop a third try soon will not happen. They’ve had a week to work out any kinks and pretty much haven’t made any real changes. The owners of the shop seem engaged to show their shiny new products but obviously don’t feel the need to get the changes made to make this place run efficiently.
Also, for $ 5 their large coffee is honestly a large cup of ice with coffee. Not an iced coffee just a cup of ice with a splash of coffee. 4 sips and it’s done. Sorry Lee’s, you’ve got the west coast and middle states of this country covered but on the East Coast you’ve lacked a clear understanding of trying to get things done efficiently.
PhoWheelsDC & Banh Mi DC your standing is safe as top Banh Mi pushers in the area.
Lee’s Sandwiches,
Welcome to the East Coast, particularly the DMV. Yes we get our fair share of famous and well renown establishments a little later than other cities, but we know food. In fact we like food, we don’t mind paying a premium if the product is superior and worth it.
Your banh mi sandwiches and iced coffees have had a loyal following on the west coast and third coast for the longest time. Hell, even when I was in Cali, everyone said go to Lee’s, you’ll get the best banh mi. At that time I did, and you know what it took no more than 10 minutes. Your coffee to this day is still one of my favorite.
Fast forward 6 years later, and wow you’ve opened your first east coast shop. The bells and whistles that come with the Lee’s name have arrived to Falls Church, the Mecca of Vietnamese restaurants and Vietnamese residents. What could possibly go wrong here? You have arrived… or so you think.
Let’s look at this in an ideal more realistic manner, your parking lot is convoluted and confusing and Asian drivers just dump their car whenever they please just to go after your product. Cool to you because you know we are fiends for the new and shiny products; But come on, have an attendant to instruct people where to park or have them go elsewhere. You subject your customers to get towed from across the street without telling them they can’t park there?
Secondly, come on two cashiers in a place that’s marvelous and gigantic. Count them, two cashiers!!! What day and age is it in the DMV where you would have just two lines with just two cashiers, both of whom aren’t fast and efficient. Even when Jimmy John’s had their $ 1 sub promotion, they had someone take your order while in line so all you had to do was give the cashier your ticket. You’re telling me you can’t do that?!? The line this morning was no deeper than 20 people yet it was painfully slow. It didn’t feel like you were about to get banh mi, it felt like you were about to go to the doctors to get a physical or a colonoscopy.
It was so deep I decided to bounce, because no banh mi sandwich was going to be worth 45 minutes or more of my time to be late for work because Lee’s, in the DMV, many of us work and can’t be late and don’t have the luxury of being lackadaisical like your Houston or California residents.
Now these aren’t issues aren’t major issues to you because you guys invested on a build out that’s probably easily 7 figures, but during that time, some operations management and logistical skills might’ve been overlooked.
Your shop is beautiful, your product is great, especially the smell of freshly baked bread, and your coffee still remains top notched, but I can’t enjoy it by myself and was forced to get one from a buddy who had an off day and waited 75 minutes to bring me one. That alone made me pity the guy because that’s obviously time he won’t get back.
But welcome to the area Lee’s, you’ve already entered a plethora of Banh Mi shops that are either frantic of your ways or trying to find ways to be better themselves and one up you. You shouldn’t be too weary though, it’s not like shops around here come in with a shiny luster and lose that luster after awhile. Then again there was Crumbs Bakery.
My two cents — improve the efficiency of the cashier model or install another station to get that line going and get someone to coordinate the parking.
Regards,
J

I know that it’s not Lee’s fault but patrons should be warned about parking across the street from the restaurant. Unfortunately, the towing fee made my lunch the most expensive club sandwich, ever.
Clean restaurant. Nice selection of menu items. An apology for length of wait for order was delivered by Lee, personally, with food.
It was hard to decide to order a sandwich or pastries for lunch. Both look great.
When the details get worked out from opening week, this will be a great sandwich place.

Ah, Lee’s. That poppin’ sandwich shop made famous in the west coast (and TX) has finally made it cross country and has settled in a rather large, spacious spot in Falls Church, VA!
Banh mi, taste-​wise, Lee’s is a solid 3.5 in my book. The bread was pretty good, and soft! The meats could be of better quality for what you pay for here (see my tip: $ 5.08 for a single banh mi sandwich, tax included). Honestly, you can grab a cheaper, good quality banh mi in plenty other places in Falls Church (see: Eden Center), but the hype is what Lee’s is about. Fast food style banh mi– and don’t forget their famous Lee’s iced coffee (café sua da).
WARNING: the iced coffee was free for us since the promo was going on for Grand Opening week, but it was TOO strong. Trust me, I love coffee and I am an avid caffeine drinker, but it was overload and my friend felt the same. Drinking the coffee may make you very jittery, and keep you up for hours on end. Not a pleasant buzz (No idea how much espresso is in that thing, but it is to the point of danger…) I never had this problem with the iced coffee at any other Lee’s in CA, Vegas, or TX in the past, so maybe they should consider tweaking the recipe here… Hopefully the owners read this and take it in consideration.
Anyway, I’m wary about returning because of the unpleasant coffee buzz, and slightly high prices. But it is worth trying! They have tons of other sandwiches, snacks, and even bagged chips.
OK quick food spot if you’re in the area. 24-​hours.

Finally a beautiful and clean store to eat your favorite vietnamese sandwiches! When I walked in I was expecting what every banh mi store looked– boring with low lighting, zero paint, lack of organization, and poor layout but I was pleasantly surprised! This sandwich shop is so much more than what the name suggests. Offering a full menu of Vietnamese sandwiches, breakfast croissants/​baguettes, European sandwiches, frappes, Italian sodas, smoothies, iced drinks, platters, and more! Yes, you can order a party platter of banh mi!!!
Got the combination banh mi with complimentary coffee during the last day of their special. Just to note, I wrote this review the day after eating banh mi from Lee’s Sandwiches and DC Sandwich.
Bread– French baguette style but didn’t taste as
fresh as Banh Mi No.1. Nonetheless the
bread was soft but not as crunchy or flaky as
I had hoped. (I had been dreaming of the
banh mi I had gotten in Vietnam which was a
hybrid of french bread and croissant) I did
appreciate the texture. If the bread was more
fresh I would’ve given them 5 stars.
Meat– Fresh and delicious, thick cut with lots of
flavor in each bite.
Coffee– get it, it’s amazing and addictive.
It is fairly pricey compared to other shops in the area but considering it is open 24/​7, thicker meat cuts, offers plenty of seating and lighting to enjoy your meal, I would say it is a great spot to check out! I’ll be coming back to taste the rest of their extensive menu!
Before I forget, parking is terrible. Something must be done so they can accommodate parking for a restaurant of their size. You might have to park at the shopping plaza across the street before attempting to park in the mess of a parking lot they have. One way in one way out.
Apart from their parking situation they have decent food, great coffee, and excellent customer service. Happy to have them in the dc metro area!

I went on Wed, the 27^th for the soft opening. I didn’t actually know it was the soft opening, I saw that one of my friends of snapchat had gone to get coffee and i was like whoa I want some! finals + work + lack of sleep = grouchy zombie me.
Overall review:
+ coffee was good! I liked that it was mostly ice, some people may not like that, but i do
+Friendly workers
+Fast service (then again, I only ordered 1 coffee…)
— weird shaped parking lot
— one of my coworkers actually bought in some Lee’s later at work and a i tried their fried pork egg rolls… not good at all. I took one bite and threw it away… that’s saying a lot because I love egg rolls… like egg rolls aren’t that hard to eff up.
so overall i was happy with my coffee, not satisfied with the egg roll that i ate.
I would come back and try a sandwich or two, but I’m not sure– we were looking at all the food from Lee’s at work, and the meat on one of the sandwiches was like really pink… like artificially pink/​red. kinda weary.
since I didn’t stop by today (I wanted to, but I was running late) I see that some people are complaining about waiting an long ass time for food. not acceptable.

I have had Lee’s Coffee before and love it, so I was very excited to try out their famous Vietnamese sandwiches all the way from the West Coast. I got the basic, but oh so delicious combination sandwich. The coffee is great and you can’t go wrong. But the sandwich was very underwhelming. The bread was not toasted, the fillings were few and far between, and the deli meat was not as tasty as I had hoped. Maybe I am so used to some of the other Vietnamese sandwiches where the bread is a crunchy yet soft french baguette and where the pâté, deli meats, onion, and picked veggies really come together.
I will definitely give them another try because they literally just opened yesterday. They have lots of other items on the menu, including smoothies and non-​Viet options.
Give them a chance!

Extremely well-​known with over 20 locations on the West Coast, Lee’s Sandwiches has finally made its way to the East!
Now, for those of you who have ventured out to Falls Church, you will know that it is no stranger to Banh Mi. There are a number of Banh Mi shops in this area and I was very curious to see how Lee’s would match up!
Bread — The Banh Mi itself was different from others that I have seen. The bread was much more comparable to a French baguette that you find in grocery stores. While it had a crunchy texture, the bread was tough and lacked a soft, airiness on the inside.
Lee’s Combination Sandwich — This combo included the meats that you often find in traditional Banh Mi: jambon and headcheese. Unfortunately the overall sandwich failed to impress — the ingredients lacked flavor and the meats appeared very artificial in both taste and look.
Grilled Pork Sandwich — This Banh Mi tasted much more flavorful in comparison to the first. While there did not appear to be much meat, the grilled pork had a tasty marinade to it and paired nicely with the pickled vegetables.
Lee’s Iced Coffee — Their famous iced coffee! It was quite delicious and had that great kick that you often find in Vietnamese coffee. As an avid drinker of iced coffee, I would highly recommend.
While I was not impressed by my initial experience, I would be interested in revisiting. In addition to their Banh Mi and coffee, Lee’s also offers breakfast sandwiches, bubble tea smoothies, pastries, egg rolls, spring rolls, vermicelli plates, and «European» sandwiches. Oh, and did I mention they are open 24 HOURS? With such a large menu, I anticipate Lee’s will quickly become the next late night spot in town!

Their soft opening is today so I decided to stop by.
I’ve been to Lee’s in Vegas so I’ve been anxiously waiting for this location. I ordered the #1 combination Banh Mi and a Lee’s famous coffee. The two things that stuck out for my Banh mi were the Vietnamese deli meat and the spread. The deli meat tasted really fresh; usually it’s been sitting around at other Banh Mi chains so you really taste the difference. The spread had a more rich and buttery taste compared to your ordinary Banh mi spread which I really appreciated. There was a bit of confusion with the staff, but it was completely understandable because my girlfriend and I were literally the first customers. The owner was nice enough to give us a free bag and sesame balls to make up for anything unsatisfactory.
Overall, food and drink were on point. Staff is still learning so they’re not perfect, but the owner made up for it with her great hospitality.