Ba-Le Sandwich Shop

I've eaten at many Vietnamese restaurants, but this is my first time trying this one, and it's truly disappointing. The prices are not cheap, but the portions are very small. There's only a tiny bit of soup, and the taste is also very bad. I took two servings home to heat up, but there was no extra soup at all. The first and last time

Been coming for years here but the quality has dropped and prices increased. My biggest complaint is the eggsrolls. For $2 per roll, u expect it to be fresh or cooked that day. Nope. Tasted and felt like chewing on cardboard. I believe they sold me old eggrolls they made the day before, refrigerated over night, and heated it up the morning to sell. Just terrible. Bye bye

I visited Bar-Le Sandwich Shop for the first time this week. Upon entry, I was greeted by a friendly staff. I met Shawn & Kai, who were kind and helped me navigate the menu - recommending me one of the best sandwiches I’ve eaten in a while, and the Thai tea I received was very refreshing as well. I re-visited the shop again today and was not disappointed - their food is amazing ! Definitely recommend this spot if you’re searching for delicious food and overall great service ! 10/10 !

Small sandwich shop in the heart of this shopping center next to times supermarket and Teishoku. Had a smell when walking that they have seemed to address. They have great customer service and speak to you promptly for picking up orders.

The customer service here was phenomenal. The lady was so nice and helpful. I wanted so badly to like the food. I ordered the BBQ pork and egg roll plate, 2 tapioca cups, a Vietnamese coffee and I also bought my roommate the combination plate. My roommate said it wasn’t good and I couldn’t eat any of it either. The coffee didn’t taste like usual Vietnamese coffee. Overall the whole thing was a wash which sucked because it cost far more than other Vietnamese places on the island.

This is one of the nostalgic places for me because I always loved getting a banh mi from the Ba Le at the old Ala Moana Sears food court. I came here twice thinking the second time would be better. Got lemongrass chicken banh mi. The food is tasteless. Mostly I can just taste the pickles. Veggies didn’t seem fresh. Also, they charge a surcharge for paying with card (who does that nowadays). Now I usually go to a place on Liliha St. They’re always busy and the meat is actually really good.

Thought this is a Vietnamese operation however disappointed, the process is long and completely over priced!! They served authentic Vietnamese food but the servers are not Vietnamese.

$15 Shrimp Fried rice, not even half the plate is filled. Not only dat w/ only 6 shrimp inside too? What a deal eh?!

Happened to see the lighted neon sign & saw they sold Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches . Had to try one. Once in shop , saw female & friend, behind counter. Ordered a turkey Bahn Mi, If you pay cash they give you a discount & paying by card they charge you a surcharge. Women staff member not friendly. Mom working the counter & phones personable. Turkey sandwich served on French bread , had sliced carrots dikon& cilantro .Mayo not sure? Very tasty Bread a little hard. Overall a good sandwich We'll go back again & try their other foods!!!

Located in the Kamehameha shopping mall near Times supermarket. Went there for dinner to grab a lite bite, I ordered a sandwich combination and the bread was not crispy on the outside and fluffy and chewy in the inside. They had lots of filling with slices of meat and pickled vegetables which was okay, nothing like the original Bale I used to visit in Chinatown when they first opened. My wife also had a sandwich which was also ok. Lots of parking shared with all the other restaurants and other tenants. No restroom Counter person was not too friendly

The Grape Happy dad Seltzers are amazing! the service was awesome aswell. 10/10 go get a happy dad

Oh my, Bale is always a great place for Bahn Mi and plates! Their eggplant chicken with veggies so good and Turkey Bahn mi so yummy! It never gets old and the owner and worker has been there so long and so good they remember their regular customers. Dine in is good cause they offer table and chairs too.

Today I decided to grab some Banh-mi sandwiches for lunch for my wife. This particular Ba-Le is located in the Kamehameha Shopping Center right next door to Time's supermarket. I was very disappointed my wife pointed out there was only 2-3 thin slices of cold cut in the sandwich. Most places packed the meat and veggies. I guess I'm not going to be a return customers in the future . Service 3.5 Stars Value 2 Stars Try to support local but when they try to really cut back it shows either on quality or service .

Nothing like a banh mi sandwich, the taste was so off and pretty much inedible. A thai tea w/ boba and sandwich was almost $26, WOW! Highway robbery!

We tried someplace new. It was ok We had lemon grass chicken and pork sandwiches. The spring rolls were a little grease.

They don't put pate in the sandwiches so I got the beef sandwich and it was really good. This girl at the counter was helpful and patient while I decided.

The Ba-Le nearest to me was closed on Sunday so we decided to pick up a to go order from this location. I appreciate their chicken eggrolls since most places make it with pork, but man are they pricey. They charge per eggroll so that's likely why, we got ten of them. Then I got two types of pho as well. Tell me why this cost $70?! $20+ for pho is wild. The pho was good but not mind blowing. It was a regular amount of noodles and veggies. You definitely don't get an abundance of food. If we hadn't gone here specifically for chicken eggrolls I would not have gotten the overpriced pho. I would go back for the eggrolls if we are craving them, but would have better if they were freshly fried.

I used to love coming to bale for a bahn mi. The quality just declined here. First of all, I get inflation is happening the sandwiches were like 12+ -15 bucks. I still bought a sandwich and second of all, the bread wasn't toasted. It wasn't the best. I'm used to having a crunch when I bite into the baguette there was none and the meat was lacking. For the price I'm paying, I would hope the sandwich would be better. Bale please toast your bread, that bread was stale. Thank you.

Thinking this was just a sandwich place, I was pleasantly surprised to find a range of other entree options. They've even got some pastries from La Tour on offer. Fast and efficient, this place stands out as a great take out option from this mall.

First let me say I am picky a vegetarian & Oahu raised since keiki. This was best meal in shopping mall ever. The service was filled with aloha - as I said I don't eat meat and it's mainly non veg but I stopped in here once b4 and had a great spring roll b4 after bishop museum months ago. So I figured I'd try again - they have a Vietnamese egg roll w vermicelli- I asked if it was vegetarian they said no but we can make you one it will take a bit to cook - only tool 5 mins. They asked if I need togo - I said better put cause I probably wont eat it all. I was eating it here- clean & welcoming. Look at picture anti cooked it like I was in her home. Vermicelli perfectly cooked spring roll yummy and salad fresh I will be back- ps I am white as Casper and my whole life here they always give me knife and fork - she actually don't ask and have me chop sticks - Drop Mike - you must check this place out nokaoi ono food !!! So fresh

Good food and friendly people the also have sitting area for dine in.. price is reasonable

I love Ban Mi sandwiches and I also love tuna sandwiches. Recently I ordered a ban mi sandwich from Bale in the Kam Shopping Center. I went there years ago and was disappointed in my sandwich back then because there bread was not fresh. So, I am in the mood again for a ban mi and returned to this same Bale. My first bite I couldn't taste the tuna, only the daikon. I looked inside and saw very little tuna, there was more pickled veggies than tuna. I was really disappointed that they could skimp so much on the tuna. The sandwich was $12 and I felt I was ripped off. I won't return.

Sad to write this review. We've been a long time and loyal customer to this establishment. First of all the worker was so unfriendly, that was the first that I've experienced there. They are always friendly. We ordered 4 sandwiches and took it home to eat. The sandwich seemed different. I had my regular, chicken on french bread. The bread seemed so cold and soft like it came right out of the refrigerator. When I finally asked my other family members if something was different we realized the bread wasn't toasted. It was so pale and mushy. The fillings tasted different also. The daikon had a different taste. The filling was very scarce. We called and asked if they no longer toast the bread, the lady said that you have to ask for it to be extra crispy. In all my years (20+years) I've never had to ask that! Later in the evening 2 of my family members ended up feeling very sick - they had the lemon grass chicken. *I will not return.

We got two sandwiches one steamed pork and a special. For 13 dollars each we were disappointed that bread was cold and stale and not toasted at all. hardly any fillings plus I wish the girl making our sandwich's pulled her long hair back up in a ponytail.

The worker was alone and she was so fast! Awesome service and I just love their food! Lemongrass Chicken Bahn mi is sooo ono!!!

The pork chop pate is amazing. I also got the bbq french bread sandwich, the bread was nice and toasty with savory grilled pork. Excellent!!

Family-owned and family-run: I love coming to this Ba-Le establishment! Conveniently located in the Kamehameha Shopping Center, Ba-Le has been a tenant since 2001! With 23 years under their belt--and same owners--it is no wonder that the customer service and products remain consistent. I love the variety of menu offerings, including their banh-mi sandwiches--on either croissant or french bread--and pho; it was always easy to find something to appease the diverse palates of my five children, over the course of their elementary - high school years of patronizing Ba-Le. Our favorites include the Lemongrass chicken sandwich on toasted french roll, avocado banh-mi, chicken pho, spring roll, pork chop plate and all of their tapioca puddings. Yum!

After a great work out at the gym, i went to ba-le for lunch. I love their summer rolls here! Its nice and light lunch type of day. They have tofu and shrimp available. I'm a person who also has that "my eyes are bigger than my stomach" feel. So i got some lavosh, tea cookies, both tofu and shrimp summer rolls, and their sweet potato tapioca. Girllll their rolls are great. The wrapping skills are there! I do wish that they'd have some pickled radish and carrots or some mint in them though. Overall, i enjoyed my experience here. The staff are very friendly and they have more selection on food such as their banh mi, their pho, vermicelli selection. The sweet potato tapioca was very nice! That cold consistency and the flavor of sweet potato was just light and delicious. I also ended up sneaking a tea cookie during my drive home. I love them. The bake of these are so good with every soft bite. Y'all gotta check it out here!

Ordered Chicken Pho. Was looking for something quick and since it's close to my home, ordered here. First off, did a phone order. Lady wasn't too pleasant. I guess I should just be happy she answered phone to take my order. When I got in yo pick up the order. Got that unpleasant lady. No hi nothing. Pretty much stood there and I said hi picking up phone order. Told her what it was then she turned around to grab it and rang me up. Not sure why I come back here. There was barely enough veggies and the soup container was barely half full. This happened again last time so I'm not surprised. But definitely not worth the price. I probably will never come back. Sad but this used to be my place for quick Pho. Oh well. If they don't improve service and value for what we pay, they will lose a lot of customers. I'm all about supporting local, but if they don't even thank you for your patronage or try to skimp on the amount they give I wouldn't be surprised if they don't survive in this industry. Sorry.

Tofu vermicelli, $10.95! Ham banh mi...stingy amount of ham, 2 pieces daikon, 1 piece carrot, stale croissant! Tapioca, saved in refrigerator. .had mold on top...the NEXT morning! Spent over $40 with tip. Sadly, 0 stars from this loyal customer!

Love jam shopping centers Ba-Le! They have great croissant tuna sandwiches! Very refreshing!

Saw the mixed reviews on this place, but decided to give it a go. Tried a bbq pork Banh mi and shrimp summer rolls. I give the sandwich 9/10. It has tons of daikon and carrots which I love. But they could have been a little more generous with the meat. The bread was hot and fresh. The summer rolls I'd give 8/10. The sauce was GREAT. 1 star off because of the lack of ambience and customer service. They don't really greet you or talk to you or anything. But would still come back for another Banh mi. Might pay to add extra meat though!

$2.00 for an egg roll, $.25 for dipping sauce and $2.00 for rice cake. Dipping sauce is usually free with purchase of an egg roll/spring roll at other places. They also have a 3.7% fee for all debit/credit cards. TBH, not worth it. Spring roll was soggy and not hot. Probably been sitting there since the morning. Although pricy, rice cake was good. Not the best, but good. Total came out to $7+ for 2 rolls, 1 rice cake and 1 small dipping sauce + fee. Customer service could also be worked on.

My wife wanted to eat the chicken sandwich on a croissant. At this location they have three types to choose from, teriyaki, barbecue and lemon grass. Got her the teriyaki chicken sandwich and the ham sandwich for me. The service was fast and friendly. But not all Ba-le locations taste the same. My favorite is located in Don Quiote In Waipahu. Stay safe and wear your mask.

That old lady is so rude. Super horrible place to go. I asked how much was the Manapua she said $4.95 you like or don't like so i can move on. So rude i was thinking for a second and her face made it very uncomfortable. She looked mean and she was the rudest at only 10:40 am in the morning. Unbelievable. To start your day like that. Go to Chun Wah Kam . Their prices are way better with better services for sure.

Terrible Service by Relative of Owner. This has been our go to for Roast beef sandwich and their oxtail pho for me and my friend we usually spend well over $40 for sandwich and Pho. I was returning from my doctors and had her desire for a roast beef sandwich as I entered the shop. I saw an employee sitting down inside of the kitchen. I stood there for a couple minutes. They saw me, but didn't move so I greeted them with hello and someone who was sitting at one of the eating tables went behind the counter, and took my order Then someone from the kitchen came out a man who seemed like was in his 30s begin to make my sandwich. I noticed he wasn't wearing plastic gloves, which is usually the case. I told him I was going to eat my sandwich now and he acted as if he didn't care he made it to go. He said something to the effect you can take it this way, when I ask him for hot sauce, he took the bottle and slammed it on the counter when I looked at my sandwich. I noticed there was only two small slices of roast beef why I didn't complain. I don't know I been there before and they usually stuffed the sandwich with roast beef because the price is quite high there for a sandwich the man walked out with his friend and I asked the lady if that was the owner she said no that's a relative of the owner. She said I'm just a part-time employee here. I don't know why I didn't return the sandwich I should've complained, but I was always taught not to complain, just try to get along Don't cause problems. Needless to say I will not be returning to that sandwich shop ever again and neither will my friend. I did call another Bali sandwich shop and ask if it's policy to wear gloves when you make a sandwich and the lady said yes, she even called me back at my number and wanted to know if it was one of her employees that didn't wear a glove when they made a sandwich. I was thinking of calling the office of Bali and lodging a complaint, but I decided it's just not worth my energy so as I said, we will not be visiting that sandwich shop ever again it's too bad I threw the sandwich away. I could've had it tested for bacteria I did feel nauseous after having a few bites of the sandwich, but since I have cancer that happens sometimes even when I don't eat.not sure if it was the sandwich however they just lost two good customers. We've always been treated well before. Enough said

I haven't been to this Ba-Le Sandwich place since MIDDLE SCHOOL and when I tell you this place STILL LOOKS THE SAME lmao it still looks the same. I'm sad they don't have their lumpia/spring roll special anymore! That used to be my ish buy 4 get one free lol. Now it's $1.95 per lumpia/spring roll ima still buy it though! I really need to start making my own and freezing them cuz when I get ono for lumpia it's on! lol

Shitty lunch! Ordered the bbq chicken croissant sandwich and it was full of only Daikon! A cold piece of flattened out meat that sorta looked like chicken. So flat I thought it was the bread only! Never again am I going to this place, shitty food and high prices! I'd give it 0 stars

This is where my love for Bahn Mi started years ago, at Ba-Le, the shop that started making these simple, yet tasty sandwiches. My go-to, all time favorite is the combination, which has pate in it. It just adds this creamy texture, and a wonderful, full flavor. They add a fair amount of meat, and they pack in the picked vegetables, and top with fresh Chinese parsley. Get the French bread, and get it toasted. Slightly crisp outside, but a nice chew v on the inside. Be warned though, these sandwiches are so good, you'll be amazed that you can easily eat the whole thing. But eat over the paper wrapper, because you're going to drop a lot of crumbs! They also make a variety of Vietnamese food, the spring roll vermicelli is particularly refreshing! But they have a large menu on the wall with pictures for reference, and everything looks good. Top off your meal with some tapioca pudding!

This family owned Hawaii Kai Ba-le is the best! The owners really care about you and what they serve. We had two chicken sandwiches, one in a French bread roll and the other in a croissant. The in house baked bread were loaded with chicken, fresh carrot and daikon strings, and cucumber. So delicious and reasonable!!! They have a really nice assortment of ono plates too! I highly recommend checking them out.

I just got home with my spring roll vermicelli plate. I always tell them I want fresh spring roll. Well, 1 out of 3 was spoiled. This is the 2nd time happening. They just lost my business.

My cousin was in town for 2 hours. She spent one hour with her mom and one hour with me! She chose to meet at Ba-Le at the Kamehameha Shopping Center in Kalihi because it's relatively near to the airport in Honolulu. It was a great choice because of the free parking and efficient service. The shop was almost empty because we went before the lunch crowd. I ordered a Special Bahn Mi sandwich which has head cheese, pate, steamed pork, and ham in it. My cousin is a great cook, so she was able to distinguish all of the ingredients! We also had the vermicelli with Spring Rolls. They were premade and a bit soggy from sitting out on the counter as a take out item. Oh well, at least my cousin got to try it. She said she never had this cuisine before! Whaaat? I also had her try the Summer Rolls...they were quite good, but not the best I ever had (those were in Los Angeles). The peanut sauce had a slight kick to it, and made it more flavorful! The tapioca was calling to me, so I got one of the sweet potato varieties and a coconut one. Both were really good, but the sweet potato tapioca had some chunks of sweet potato in it! Yum! Yes, we ate a lot... we work hard and deserve good nourishment! Thanks for not judging! The gal held our tapioca in the refrigerator until we were ready for it. That's so thoughtful of her! Mahalo!

Quick and convenient! Plenty of vegetarian options, which was great!! I had a lot to pick from. It wasn't too expensive either. I got the eggplant tofu, veggie summer rolls, and soft noodle with tofu/veggies. I loved each one! I like the gravy sauce with the soft noodle. It was light in flavor, which I liked. The eggplant tofu was well done too. It was very soft with a light gravy, just the way I like it!! First time I ever had summer rolls with pickled veggies inside. What a nice surprise! The peanut sauce was perfect, just enough for both rolls. Highly recommend coming to support this small business :)

Quaint place, to dine in or take out, budget friendly, and able to order some meals for under $10. Happy with chicken vermicelli plus tax costs $8.32, packed in a sturdy take out container, and pleasing to consume. Customer service is friendly and quick. I give this shop 4 stars because cashier tore a receipt and didn't ask me if I need or want one. Best to ask cashier for a receipt just in case you might need it.

Craving for sandwiches of all sorts I found myself at the doorstep of Ba-Le in Kamehameha shopping center. Prices are very reasonable for their sandwiches averaging around eight bucks. Barbecue chicken and pastrami sandwich was ordered. During the quick 5 minute wait for the making of our sandwiches the establishment is quite clean and very quiet. There are a few other options like tapioca pudding, and cookies of sorts. No soft drinks are available for purchase but there is a refrigerator with bottled drinks (Pepsi). The bread used for our sandwiches gets heated up with a small toaster oven which helps gives it a decent crunch. Pastrami and the barbecue chicken I found is decently flavored. These sandwiches are decent, nothing special and tastes good for the price.

Always loved banh mi from Bale when they first opened up maybe 30 something years ago. But I called in an order for 2 today and they were the worst I ever had. A couple of years ago I noticed the quality wasn't what I remembered but it was still okay. But today, it wasn't just that the French bread didn't meet the standard from before, but it wasn't even French bread! Even worse, it wasn't even put in the toaster or convection oven to give it a crisp crust. It was cold like it just came out of a refrigerator. Bought 2 banh mi and 2 tapioca desserts for $35. Absolute waste of money.

Gotta check your receipts because they like to overcharge you to see if u noticed.. they did that to me twice already

Schedule is incorrect. They open closer to 10am and the current sandwich price has gone up. It's close to $12 for the special sandwich. Quality is still good but you may get shell shocked with price change. I guess everything can't stay the same.

Wow! This is the second time I ended up with an upset tummy at 2am after eating from this location. Everything looked pretty and for the most part, tasted ok, but my intestines did not concur. Spoiled mayonnaise? Or was it the rice noodles? Maybe the chicken or pork? Either way, I'll be wary of patronizing this location from now on.

takeout for work lunch. feeling boring, so i had my standard lemongrass chicken sandwich. Positive: the service was quick and very friendly. Negatives: the chicken portion seemed chintzier than ever. Some bites with no chicken, including both ends of the sandwich which were each a bite and a half of meatless bread and a couple shreds of pickles. didn't give us any utensils for three bowls of pho. Verdict: that's the thing about ba-le. Each one is so different, it's always a leap of faith trying a new branch. I'd pick a different location next time.

I've been coming here since middle school days & only now I'm writing a review. First off the young lasy that's always there is super friendly & can't believe she remembers me since I haven't been here in 3 years. I've always liked her positive attitude. This place deserves my 5 stars. Every time I come here it never lets me down. I always order turkey breast on croissant with EXTRA veggies. That's my all time favorite. I've also tried the shrimp roll & that also tastes so good. My family ordered from here too & also love the taste. The parking lot is huge but its also busy all the time. People prefer parking upstairs because it's empty & not a hassle of waiting for parking or driving around the parking lot. But for me I would rather do that so my car is parked under the shade (don't like going into hot cars)mostly that I have kids.

Covid-19 Update: Takeout only Since the Bale in Kailua has gone out of business, I am definitely glad to find another location in Kalihi. One of my favorite items to grab are the sandwiches including the lemongrass chicken or tofu. Another favorite is the chicken curry that they sell with rice and a side. Definitely hits the spot on a cold rainy day. Parking: The shopping plaza out front has plenty of parking.

These folks will sell you absolutely anything. Want a dozen croissant? Sure! Want to buy those pickled veggies on the side? Sure! And this is aside from their standard fare of pho, banh mi, and vermicelli dishes, which are spot on. For those of you who have a sweet tooth, they also have flavored lavosh, tapioca pudding (so many flavors), and palmier. This parking is what makes me take one star off. It's horrible! People drive around like they learned how to drive yesterday. And the parking spaces are SO narrow. You basically have an anxiety attack until you finally park. Strangely enough, this Ba-Le is so busy! It's tucked away in a corner right next to Times Supermarket and it's almost invisible. But if you know, you know!

The customer service you experience is directly related to whom you get as your "attendant". I placed an fairly large order 24 hrs in advance. Asked if they could label each entree for each person. This they agreed to. Upon picking up my order-which they got wrong anyway-the mother of the person who took our order berated me for asking them to put the name on each item. She said they were a small operation and couldn't be bothered with doing so. She said it was a hassle-I informed her that the person who took that order agreed to do so. My solution for her? NEVER go back there again! In this day where small business is struggling to remain afloat, I will definitely go where my $200 order is appreciated.

No "Hello" just employees watching videos on their phones. No "can I help you?" No "thank you" after food was ready. Just stares from the guy. Do they really want people to come back?

The woman here is very friendly and helpful. It was my husband and son's first time trying the Special sandwich which has ham, pate, head cheese & steamed pork with pickled daikon and carrots. It comes on toasted french bread. You can have it on croissant for 50 cents more. I asked for extra pate and my son ordered his with lettuce instead of the pickled daikon and carrots. Will definitely return.

Loved coming here everyday after class back in high school and I'm still coming here 'til now! Workers here are very sweet and nice! Their customer service is through the roof! I love it! I always order simply food such as hotdogs, chicken spring roll and rice cake because they taste so good! This is the shop I love to come get my small snacks ha Would definitely recommend!!!!!