Jackson L.
Yelp
While living in Houston, banh mi was a staple for lunch. I'm talking at least twice per week - every week - for 4 years straight. The mighty Roostar on South Gessner was my supplier, and that unassuming little restaurant really set the standard for me in terms of how to gauge great banh mi from the rest:
1) The sandwich bread MUST be baked in-house.
2) Sandwich fillings should be generous, flavorful, and well-prepared. Furthermore, there should be a variety of filling options to choose from.
3) It should be inexpensive.
I've had banh mi several times since relocating to Denver, with mixed results. Without a doubt, my short list of three pre-reqs for great banh mi had not been met here and I was slowly starting to give up hope - until today. New Saigon is the real deal; believe the hype.
Their fresh-baked bread is the perfect balance of crusty and chewy (I should also add, the sandwiches are MASSIVE compared to your standard fare). Filling options run the spectrum from pork, to chicken, to beef, to shrimp, to veggie, to vegan (with vegan cold cuts, no less)... just to name a few. No sacrifices made by me or my wife in our respective orders - plenty of selection to suit pretty much any dietary restrictions with an end result of a large, delicious sandwich to devour.
I ordered two sandwiches out of habit - the 14 and 15 (beef and chicken, respectively). No need for two here - the chicken sandwich on its own was plenty to fill me up, and then some. I'm used to spooning some hot chili oil on my banh mi and didn't see any on offer at the restaurant - a little Trader Joe's Chili Onion Oil added on once I got home did the trick. The chicken itself was marinated and cooked perfectly, and the traditional toppings were piled on in the correct ratio.
And finally: the price. With sandwich prices averaging $6.00 to $6.50, the price is definitely RIGHT. That familiar post-meal regret I've experienced from eating banh mi at other places where the tab came in at $15.00 for one sandwich certainly didn't happen here. Pre-req #3 satisfied!
A few other quick tidbits: I had read about the length of the line in other reviews and was not looking forward to having to wait. My wife and I decided to try the early route and rolled up at 10:45 am on a Wednesday and were literally the only people in the bakery - we walked right up, placed our order, and were on our way back home about 5 minutes later. So... the lunch rush can be beat, apparently. Another thing worth noting is that they do have a large-ish parking lot, so no worries about trying to find parking on busy Federal.
Lastly, the other reviews also make a point to highlight how friendly and helpful the staff is here - our experience was 100% the same. New Saigon is definitely not a "hidden" gem in Denver, but it's a gem nonetheless. Looking forward to many visits here for amazing, affordable banh mi in the future...