Daniel B.
Yelp
The number one question I get asked about Be Banh Mi is: "How does it compare to Quoc Huong and Lee's Bakery?" As of right now, my short answer is it's not as good, *but* it's still good and worth checking out. So come try this place and see for yourself.
Be Banh Mi is still fairly new. It opened July 1, 2020. At the time of writing this review, their Facebook page still shows the business in soft open mode. During our visit, the menu was limited and said, "Temporary" and "More Coming Soon." Quoc Huong and Lee's Bakery have operated as well-oiled cash cows for many years now. Be Banh Mi is still trying to get on its feet and find its bearings.
I am a fan of this place, but Atlanta has several good banh mi shops I'd currently put in front. In order, they'd be Huy's Sandwich in Norcross (my favorite), Lee's Bakery and Quoc Huong (these two are always jockeying for position in my book), and Viet Tofu. All of these places make a yummy banh mi and at the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference on certain subtleties.
Compared to the aforementioned competition which are no-frills, Be Banh Mi breaks the mold by looking more updated and hip. It kind of looks like an American fast-casual chain restaurant, almost like Which Wich with its modern storefront sign, graphics, and branding. The color scheme is yellow, white, and black. The look is consistent, from the wall art to the furniture to the employee's uniforms (bright yellow T-shirts and black hats, both logoed) to the content on their Instagram page (@bebanhmi2020). It may look like a chain, but I don't believe it is, at least not yet.
You can find Be Banh Mi in the same two-story strip as Tea House Formosa and Yen Jing Chinese Restaurant (it's sandwiched between, no pun intended) on Buford Highway. There's ample parking.
Like other banh mi shops, this place is small and more of a takeout joint. Inside, there's bench seating along the wall with four small two-tops, each with a chair opposite (four chairs total) plus four stools next to the counter against the storefront windows. That works out to a comfortable seating capacity of 12 people though you can squeeze more folks in on the bench. There is no outdoor seating.
During my visit around 1:30 PM over the weekend, it was a zoo. I ordered five sandwiches and was told there would be a 30-minute wait. I placed my order, left and came back, and numerous brown bags were packed with orders like mine ready for pickup. Business has been good for Be Banh Mi. My friends have experienced similar wait times, so keep that in mind. They had a small army working feverishly during my visit too.
I tried four of the six sandwiches offered, all regular size:
#1. The Classic (Dac Biet, $5.46) - Vietnamese pork sausage, jambon (ham), cured pork, char siu, pate, and pork floss
#2. BE Grill Pork (Thit Nuong, $5.39) - house special marinade grill pork (same thing as char siu above)
#4. Glazed Chicken (Ga Chien Nuoc Mam, $5.36) - fish sauce glazed chicken
#5. Pork Meatball (Xiu Mai, $5.27) - pork meatball, roasted; peanut, Vietnamese coriander (rau ram)
The two sandwiches I didn't try were the #3 Teriyaki Chicken and the #6 Black Bean Tofu (vegetarian option). All of Be Banh Mi's sandwiches come with egg butter, shredded pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, cilantro, scallion, and "sauce." In addition to regular size, Be Banh Mi offers a smaller, cheaper "stick" size (about $4), and a big "challenger" size (not available yet).
Overall, all of the sandwiches were delicious. We gobbled everything up. In general, the ingredients were fresh and good quality. That included the bread, meat, and veggies. The taste was more sweet than the savory I'm used to. While the sandwiches were filling and satisfying, they were lacking in meat. I did appreciate all the veggies, though. The staff could have been more careful when assembling the sandwiches (more on that below).
I doubled up on the #1 Classic because Dac Biet is my favorite kind of banh mi. It's basically a "special combination" banh mi or a banh mi with "everything" and I recommend it. I prefer it over the simpler #2 BE Grill Pork because it comes with more meats. The pate in Be Banh Mi's Dac Biet wasn't evenly distributed in the sandwiches I ordered so there wasn't pate in every bite. While not a big deal, it's little things like that that can be improved upon.
The #4 Glazed Chicken was surprisingly tasty. The way they served the chicken was not what I expected. The chicken was cut into small pieces and it tasted like it was fried with a batter on it. The meat was soft, tender, moist, and flavorful. I'd order it again. As for the #5 Pork Meatball, it was good too. The meatball was more like a smashed meatball. Like the chicken, it was soft, tender, and moist, but more mild in flavor. The Vietnamese coriander they use in the meatball sandwich is the same herb used in Vietnamese springs rolls and certain soups. It adds a pleasant aromatic to the sandwich.