Viet-Nam Banh Mi So
369 Broome Street (between Elizabeth St & Mott St)
(212) 219-8341

Located on the fringes of Chinatown on the Little Italy side, this is a tiny deli specializing in Banh Mi, an extraordinary Vietnamese sandwich quickly rising in popularity across the city, with good reason. It takes classic elements of Vietnamese cuisine, BBQ meats and both fresh and pickled veggies, and puts them into a sub / hero roll – perfect for eatwalking around downtown on a nice day. There are many combinations of Banh Mi and each place has its own special rendition, but the basic banh mi fillings usually consist of: 1) a main seasoned meat, 2) Vietnamese “salami”, thin slices of something like a fish hotdog (e.g. Japanese “oden”), 3) pickled slaw-type salad of julienned carrots and radish, 4) cucumber slices, 5) a few sprigs of cilantro, and 6) an optional spicy element – either fresh slices of jalapeno or some Sriracha-based sauce. On our first visit, we opted for the chicken version, which was marinated in a sweet and salty BBQ sauce, similar to the kind typically used for Vietnamese pork chops. We ordered it spicy, and I believe this place used straight Sriracha sauce, which goes well with just about anything from eggs to pizza, and went perfectly with this sandwich. The roll was soft, fresh, and chewy, like the kind used in a Philly cheesesteak sandwich (not quite an authentic D’Amoroso roll, but still great for this purpose). The pairing of the sweet and sour pickled slaw with sweet-savory meats is quite a powerful combo that makes this sandwich disappear rather quickly. We’ll post pics of the pork sandwich, the flagship standard, next time we go back. Which, after seeing this pic again, makes me think will be sooner than later.