"In the evening, lines of people crowd around Bánh Anh Em on Third Ave. for some of the city’s best bánh mì, on freshly baked baguettes that come out steaming from an oven downstairs. You could skip the line and get The OG, with three different kinds of housemade cold cuts, for a highly overachieving takeout lunch. But it’s also worth the hassle of walking in for dinner, because there’s so much more to explore. Like chả cá lã vọng: juicy, turmeric-marinated catfish seared tableside with a big handful each of dill and scallions. Or the roll-your-own rice roll tower, which comes with grilled pork jowl, sausage, raw mango, pickled mustard greens and more, and is a fun dinner-time activity for a group of friends." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, kenny yang, neha talreja
"Bánh Anh Em initially gained fans from its Upper West Side restaurant Bánh. When opening this downtown offshoot, owners Thu Ton and John Nguyen wanted to offer something distinct: all bread for the bánh mì and noodles for phở (like the Nam Định with several cuts of beef) are made in-house. Note: the restaurant can sell out of certain dishes quickly, and right now, lines remain long with a no-reservation system. The East Village restaurant is currently on a summer break, reopening on Tuesday, July 7." - Emma Orlow
"In the evening, lines of people crowd around Bánh Anh Em on Third Ave. for some of the city’s best bánh mì—freshly baked baguettes that come out steaming from an oven downstairs. You could skip the line and get The OG, with three different kinds of housemade cold cuts, for a highly overachieving takeout lunch in Union Square. But it’s also worth the hassle of walking in for dinner, because there’s so much more to explore. Like chả cá lã vọng: juicy, turmeric-marinated catfish seared tableside with a big handful each of dill and scallions. Or the roll-your-own rice roll tower, which comes with grilled pork jowl, sausage, raw mango, pickled mustard greens and more, and is a fun dinner-time activity for a group of friends." - willa moore, bryan kim, matt tervooren, will hartman
"The bánh mì at Bánh Anh Em is built different, which is obvious the second you bite into the bread—baked fresh throughout the day downstairs—and the crunch rings loudly in your ears. That crackled exterior gives way to an interior so fluffy and airy that we could happily eat the bread alone—or with just a smear of dark patê, as in the bánh mì patê hài phòng. But among the six sandwiches here, The OG is the one to prioritize. Besides the patê, it’s stuffed with housemade ham, beef sausage, and gelatinous head-cheese, plenty of herbs, and pickled vegetables, plus pork floss to take it right over the top. Grab one for lunch, or grab one to go after you’re done eating your dinner." - will hartman, willa moore, hannah albertine
"The East Village followup to the Upper West Side’s Bánh (see below) is ambitious. The bánh mì is baked in batches throughout the day, rice rolls come warm and silky to your table, the noodles are made fresh, and all the cold cuts in their stellar “OG” bánh mì are made by “auntie” at Bánh. For a restaurant that’s casual enough for a weeknight dinner with friends, or a solo bowl of phở at the kitchen counter, that kind attention to detail is impressive, and the flavors are too. You can’t go wrong, but we especially love the tableside chả cá lã vọng with juicy catfish, and the showstopping bánh ướt chồng tower for DIY rice rolls." - sonal shah, willa moore, will hartman, carlo mantuano, molly fitzpatrick