Mai Banh Mi

great food and service.
gave us the wrong order and when we returned it they said sorry and let us keep the other sandwich and it was awesome.

The Banh Mi here are $ 5.15 except the #1 Dac Biet combo for $ 5.50 so pricier than your usual Chinatown options. They also have rice and vermicelli (bun) bowls on the menu (
) along with several fresh roll (Goi Cuon) options (shrimp, beef, pork, veggie).
I’ve had the Banh Mi Dac Biet (pork loaf, ham, headcheese) and Thit Nuong (grilled pork) and the word that came to mind when eating their sandwiches was «fresh» which was both good and bad.
The 8 inch roll here is soft and fresh, but not toasted. The crackly crust texture of a toasted banh mi baguette is one of the things I love about the sandwich. The grated carrot and radish were also too fresh /​not pickled enough. Nice crisp, fresh cucumber spears and seeded jalapeño slices (
).
Overall I liked the Thit Nuong (
) better than the combo (
) as the pork was much more flavorful; the cold cuts in the combo were a little bland and I could barely taste the smattering of pâté.

This place has very yummy food. However I ordered once and when I went to pick up the food, it was closed due to a holiday. I don’t think that the online ordering system should have worked and I have not received a refund yet since I never got my food. However the times I have gotten food here the food is delicious. The Thai tea is amazing and after one I really wanted a second cup. The grilled beef vermicelli was good but I felt as if it had too much vegetables and not enough noodles. The shrimp roll was also good but it did not have mint as most traditional places include.

This was fantastic bahn mi! It’s definitely worth the price the sandwiches are large and they pack in the meat! Speaking of, the pork sandwich I got had amazingly marinated pork, so tender but also had a good bite to it. The veggies are so fresh and the bread!!! The bread is amazing. Something that can ruin a good sandwich is tough bread or soggy bread. But the bahn mi had a amazing crunchy yet fluffy French roll.

I enjoy my Vietnamese food! I spent lots of time in Little Saigon in the Tenderloin and they have great food, but this place is close to my work and I go a few times a week and enjoy their food and the owners are very cool. Our Construction crew loves it too, we all eat healthy and this is a great place for that. Thumbs up! Big time!

Lord, people are cheap. Looking at other reviewers you would think 5 dollars is highway robbery for a sandwich. People tend to not understand the mechanics of how restaurants price based on location etc. I.E. The nicer the location, the higher the rent, therefore costs go up and so must the sandwiches. I haven’t been to one bahn mi place around that can compare or any sandwich place that is as good and fresh. I thought this sandwich was delicious and crazy cheap for the quality of the ingredients. I also love how they add more vegetables than protein. I personally dislike Bahn Mi with too much protein. So excited to have this in the neighborhood.

Terrific take-​out bahn mi for less than $ 6. The rolls were also excellent. My son described his shrimp rolls as «the best lunch I’ve had in 2015!»

This is the most I’ve ever paid for Banh Mi. Just a heads up, if you are familiar with ba Le or cam huong, it’s double the price and not as good.
I ordered a combination Bahn mi and for $ 6, I expected it to be good or some kind of twist to the regular Banh mi’s I order from cam huong. I was pretty disappointed when I got my sandwich. There were a few slices of meat, the pickled carrots didn’t taste as great and for some reason, either the cucumber or the raw green pepper they put in it definitely made some bites bitter (might be bc they didn’t put enough pâté to mask it???). At least the bread they used was good.
I would rather spend $ 6 on a sandwich I can get at whole foods or Berkeley bowl. At least at those places, you know you are paying for a sandwich that’s actually worth the price.

Amazing and gigantic fresh Vietnamese sandwiches for under $ 6,? Yes please!!!
Super cute shop, very friendly family, great location. Come support this new business and get well fed in the process. Win-​win all the way!

Most expensive banh mi and not even worth the price. I came in with my boss and ordered 2 of the banh mi combinations and was very disapointed, I had more carrots, raddish, jalapeño and bread than anything else, they are really cheap with the meat and cut it so thin. I’d be happy to pay the 6 dollars for a banh mi if you were not so cheap with the amount of protein you place in a sandwhich. I’m Vietnamese and I had never ever been so disappointed with a banh mi before.
Flavor was there if they were going for a salty salad sandwich special.

I came in here with some low expectations but this place really surprised me! Great customer service from the cashier. Don’t be scared away by the people who preemptively judged this shop by its tattooed staff member. He’s really nice! Super accommodating. The food itself also surpassed my expectations. Born and raised eating authentic, home-​cocked Vietnamese food, I can be very picky when eating out. I’m also spoiled by $ 3 Vietnamese sandwiches from Oakland Chinatown, but I’m more than happy to spend an extra dollar or two at Mai Banh Mi where I can sit outside with my dogs and hang out with my friends while enjoying my food. Definitely better value than the $ 7-​$ 10 banh mi you’ll find in the city! The fresh spring rolls were also delicious! You can really tell how fresh all the ingredients are as everything is made to order.
Apparently the ultra-​cute koi fish artwork on the wall outside was done entirely by hand by a local artist/​family friend of the shop owners. That being said, the ambience/​interior of the shop could use a little bit of work (maybe a stereo system for some music?) but it definitely doesn’t take anything away from the great food and service.

I had the chicken and shrimp bun (noodle bowl) and it was pretty legit. This little stretch of telegraph is kind of a no-​mans land for food and Berkeley has pretty bad Viet food overall. Mai Banh Mi is a thousand times better than Phở K&K up the street for instance.
Make sure to get some extra fish sauce though, that one container they give you ain’t gonna cut it. Next time I’ll get the banh mi dac biet.

I will definitely return & I know now what to ask for. I’m not vegetarian, but I prefer a tofu Bahn Mi. The pickle was tasty and a good amount, mild on heat. They put shredded lettuce on the sandwich, not my favorite if there is something warm. Gets too slimey and smells like dirty dishwasher (nix next time). There was almost zero tofu. So I’ll ask for a little more next time too. Iced Coffee, needs waaayy more milk then they give, another easy fix.
Worth the extra $ 1 in price from Cam Huong to just drive down the road and grab a nicely priced lunch!

The food was delicious. I love that I can walk here from home and that they have a bit of outdoor seating. The ambience is nothing to write home about, but it’s perfect for a quick bite of yummy food.

Mai Banh Mi has only a few tables available for eat-​in.
menu: macarons, salads, banh mi, «spring rolls», rice/​vermicelli plates.
–macarons all out. (not sure good or bad sign: either delivery hasn’t arrived or macarons not made yet)
–banh mi mostly grilled meats, combo or head cheese,
eats: grilled chicken banh mi (4.95)
–fresh veggie (jalepeno, cilantro, daikon, carrot, cucumbers, mystery paste.) with sweet
tasting (lemongras) chicken pieces
–strong aftertaste (sodium?) dominated last impression of banh mi.
crumbs:
–hot inside shop, uncomfy standing around, went outside.

Cute little shop with yummy banh mi and macarons! I ordered the grilled pork sandwich and the meat was super juicy! I really liked the bread too because it is hard to find where the bread won’t cut up my mouth. While eating my banh mi, the macarons were just staring at me so I had to try some. I ordered the mint, thai tea, and coffee one! Sooo goood! My total came out to about $ 10 which is superrrrrrr cheap! Usually a sandwich itself around my neighborhood would cost $ 9!!! I would definitely be back if I am around the area! Great service and good food for an awesome price!

Mai is what this part of Telegraph ave needs… quick and delicious vietnamese food in a classy zenful setting. Food is packed with flavor and the ingredients are fresh. To top it off they have bomb macaroons!
Severino

This is my new favorite spot for a quick bite. I’ve been looking for a good sandwich shop in the Berkeley/​Oakland area and this shop completely filled my cravings. The décor is cozy and they have cushioned benches to sit on. The workers are quiet and friendly. I’m not gonna lie, I was a tiny bit skeptical, but they blew any doubts I had when I bit into my sandwich.
I went with the banh mi combo and my gf got the same but with extra pâté. The sandwich was perfectly toasted and all the ingredients complimented each other.
They have macarons too! The owner told us that they’re bought from a local baker. My gf bought the thai tea and really liked it.

Fantastic new food stop for delicious banh mi sandwiches in North Oakland off of Telegraph Ave. The owners are very friendly, and they just opened on September 20^th. My pork sandwich was bomb and their macaroons are delicious too!
Super reasonable prices here. Check them out. Highly recommended! I will be back often. Our neighborhood needed a great fast sandwich stop and now we finally have one. I’m thrilled!

Time: 12:13pm/85°F mostly sunny
Purpose: With EatReal ’15 in schedule my week was all off. Calls started coming in asking where are you at? Can you or perhaps? With hot muggy weather lately, I didn’t want any of it. Turn off notifications drove to as much places as I can covered for the day.
Ambiance: BMB replaces Nina’s Nutritious Cookies with most of the place being same set up as former. Here you won’t find a table or to put your items on. Instead, it has a wooden bench for sidewalk and a four seater cushion bench inside. Rest of place a open air beverage fridge with display top. A 4-​way makeshift shelf stock with instant ramen bowl and sriracha bottle for sale. A blackboard menu hung overhead and scroll of bridge crossing to finish décor off. Counter is just standard usual business set of up register, tip jar, mini menu, baby bamboo pottery with a drop leaf section door. Inner back all kitchen prep area. There’s no TV or music at all. You seat there with a humming fridge fan and listening to workers yapping away.
Staff: Two older lady and a guy with tatts across the forearm. Ok, well nice to meet you then. Now how about getting my day going? I know you’re busy and all, but I really need to leave in 10 minutes. Back of house lady with ballcap stood watching seems nothing much was going on in her life. These are the type of businesses, I don’t like to go especially when its quiet and dingy looking.
Cleanliness: Grade C, plants with water seeping out of pottery making its way on to seat cushions. Another hour of it, someones butt gonna be cold and wet if they don’t look before sitting. Plastic pottery coaster with lip would help keep it from happening.
Eats/​Drinks: Two macarons $ 3.50 and a can of diet coke $ 1.25. Didn’t feel like eating anything else weather too muggy. As a precaution, I just didn’t want to dive into things that I haven’t seen pictures of other than shop itself posting it. I made a mistake like that with a shop in Alameda of same offering only better and cleaner ambiance. Can’t say it was good or bad, its just like any other place that sells it. Macarons was ok slight crunch on exterior nothing worth telling your friends about. Some look tired sitting on tray with water spot condensation.
Main Features: #21 special roasted chicken.
Products/​Services: Banh mi, spring roll, salad, rice/​vermicelli plate, Vietnamese coffee, thai ice tea, salted plum lemonade, coconut juice, oj, macarons, kim chee bowls, bottle sriracha, CYO. Think only cash, not sure!
Punch Lines: Quiet, kitschy décor, curt services, pricey for area, seats are minimal, harried staff, laid back, lackluster ambiance, light bites, off putting, nothing special, quite bland, not as great, go elsewhere, no grand opening deals or give away with purchase.
Tradeoffs: MBM provides basic traditional below average Vietnamese eats and drinks at the cost of food court prices and beyond.
Final Thoughts: This place is definitely not for groups or kids. It’s just a place for those working nearby running short on time, but don’t want to go too far out. If time wasn’t the issue, you can probably get more authentic Vietnamese fare up the road. Just come prepare with low expectation and view it as a fast food joint and you’ll be fine.