Lilys Sandwich

Lilly’s Sandwich Shop is a hidden gem for delicious and affordable banh mi sandwiches. The bread is perfectly crisp, the fillings are flavorful, and the pickled veggies bring everything together. Definitely one of the better spots in town for a quick, satisfying bite. The shop is small and convenient—perfect for a grab-and-go lunch—but just a heads-up: they don’t accept credit cards, so be sure to bring cash

Some of the best banh mi I’ve had in Austin! Really affordable. I picked up some homemade kimchi also for $10.

Small place for click stop. We order the plate 24, surprised after knowing that was the ingredient to create your own spring roll. They only take cash, no credit cards.

Lily's has the best Banh mi sandwich in Austin ,made with recently bake bread Besides over 30 dishes from many styles of Vietnamese cuisine

10000/10 So freaking good. Honestly some of the best banh mi I have ever had. I was also able to find a few other authentic Vietnamese dishes that are harder to find in this area. Reminded me of my mother's cooking.

No frills, a gem of a ‘hole in the wall’ joint. Simple and delicious cheap (price) food. They have backery/sweets for sale in the front that looked divine, will be back to try later. Pork banh mi- perfectly crisp exterior and fluffy interior bread, balanced fillings - hefty portion of pork balanced by slightly sweet pickled carrots and daikon with a kick from the jalapeños. Bun bo hue- deeply savory soup base with chewy vermicelli noodles, tender beef, pork was a bit tough, ideal onion to noodle ratio per bite, plenty of bean sprouts on the side. Pork and mushroom banh cuon- perfectly cooked springy rice wrap with juicy pork and mushroom mince filling. Topped with fried shallots, basil, and cilantro. Not commonly offered at Vietnamese restaurants and this place’s is heavenly. One of the best Vietnamese places I’ve been to and I’m from Houston. Will dream of the banh cuon and banh mi from here.

Wow! I just happened to stumble upon this place, and man! It is delicious. I’m not even typically a fan of banh mi, but this is the best one ive ever eaten. And affordable! I dont even close to here, but i’ll be coming back for sure.

I have been going here since I was around 8 years old. I’m 25 now. For an Asian store, authentic mind you, I love it. I don’t carry cash on me all the time though. I love that they do Venmo now! It’s so easy :)

Whenever I'm in Chinatown and want something quick but satisfying, this mom-and-pop shop is my go-to. Their combo sandwich always hits the spot -- fresh bread, flavorful fillings, and made with the kind of care you don't get everywhere. Honestly, it's the sandwich I measure others against in Austin. The shop itself has a casual, no-frills vibe that feels authentic and welcoming. It's the kind of place where you can grab your food, sit back, and enjoy without any fuss. It's clean, comfortable, and you'll usually find a mix of regulars who clearly love the place as much as I do. Prices are fair for the quality, and I love that they offer plenty of drinks and other varieties if you want to mix things up. I usually stop by once or twice a month, and it's always consistent. Definitely a spot I'd recommend to family and friends visiting the area. Service was also awesome!

The food here is great! If you're looking for authentic viet food then search no more, because this place is one of the top places to get it in Austin. There isn't really a service or ambiance factor for this restaurant because it's more of a to go store front situation but don't let that deter you from trying it out. The staff is friendly and fast to make the food as well as extremely talented in the cooking area. I've come here multiple times and my favorite menu items are the fresh spring rolls with pork and shrimp (so fresh and filled with veggies and meat) and the banh mi is to die for, you can't go wrong with any of the sandwiches( but my favorite is bbq beef) 10/10 I eat here regularly

This is my new spot! bring cash, the don't take cards, bahn mi is slamming good! bread is fresh and lots of options. plenty of take away snacks and desserts!

Super cheap banh mi place in the MT supermarket plaza. You can pay in cash or Venmo, but 6 or 6.50 for a banh mi is really good. The sandwich is the average size you'd expect for a banh mi, which may or may not be filling enough for you. The flavors are all there however, and it tastes fresh with the ingredients and toasted bun.

The sandwiches were so tasty! We ordered 3 banh mi thit nuong (#6) sandwiches, one order of #12 shrimp soft rolls, and they have the little crispy fried egg rolls there for you to sell serve. I took 4 of them and asked them to heat them up. We enjoyed them a lot. They seem to be a family run shop. It's very small but there are tables inside (we got to go). Their sandwiches are much larger than baguette house and they are in the same shopping center. I would eat the sandwich over the baguette house sandwich any day. They don't take credit cards so make sure you have cash and be prepared to wait just a bit they make everything right there once you order it fresh. We ate in the car and made a huge mess with the bread crumbs so no pics this time! Give them a try. Truly the only downside of the place is cash only. I was lucky I had it on me.

If you're ever in Chinatown on N. Lamar, stop in at Lily's Sandwich. This Vietnamese restaurant is kinda like a little hole in the wall, but the food is pretty darn good. I've been stopping by this joint for about 10 years now and I love their egg rolls. They're crispy, flaky, and full of flavor. I also enjoy their spring rolls with shrimp with the peanut sauce. The service is always on point, real good people, great price on their food and plenty of choices to choose from. I normally go for the egg and spring rolls, but next time, I will try one of their tasty looking sandwiches. I give Lily's Sandwich 5 out 5 drinks. Cheers!

Feels very much like a small hole in the wall business. It is cash only and there is minimal sit down service. The baguette is flaky and crunchy and the shape of it makes it easy to take a big ole bite without straining the mouth too much. The rice roll had more of the dough consistency compared to Chinese steamed rice rolls but the taste was there! It was also nice and warm without being too hot. Each of the tables in the restaurant has soy sauce, chili oil, and chili paste. Would love to come again and try out the other bahn mi's!!

Very good banh mi shop located in the same shopping center with MT Supermarket. Prices are very reasonable. They have a variety of banh mi, good size and good portion and filling as well. The baguette is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside without too much white dough inside. The meat is well-seasoned, pickled radish and carrots and herbs provide the earthy and refreshing taste to it. I tried their avocado smoothie and it was not good at all. Since it's a Vietnamese shop, I thought they would make their avocado smoothie in Vietnamese style with condensed milk, but theirs is completely different. The smoothie is very bland. They add a lot of fruit jelly on the bottom of the cup which is not necessary at all. It's like drinking blended milk with a taste of artificial sweeteners from the jelly. I would stick to the food next time or maybe a Vietnamese coffee. Wouldn't venture out to other drinks. They also offer a variety of noodles soup. I didn't get any but saw others having them and they come in a big bowl with generous portion as well. They take cash only, so make sure you're prepared.

This restauraunt has a very authentic and grounded feel to it, giving the appearance that it's run by real people who are closely connected to the food they're offering. At the same time, they maintain a clean, professional setting that displays no signs of laziness or apathy. Everything looked fresh, was well-organized, and the staff was friendly and helpful. The food itself tasted great, we had the banh-mi's which were perfectly fitted with crunchy veggies, tasty meats, and incredibly buttery and crisp bread. Exactly what you want from a banh mi. At $6.50, you cannot beat it. My girlfriend is very savings-oriented and it would be an understatement to say she felt good about her purchase. Definitely coming back!

Lily's Sandwich does not fit the definiton of a typical Austin restaurant. You won't find any fancy bells or whistles, no ostentatious decor, or any environmentally friendly packaging. Heck, they don't even take card. But, if I'm ever craving banh mi, banh cuon, bun rieu and so many other Vietnamese dishes that aren't typically offered at other Vietnamese restaurants, I come to Lily's Sandwich. Prices can't be beaten. Everything is relatively inexpensive and delicious. Pro tip: If you can speak fluent Vietnamese, you'll be able to come in and out of Lily's Sandwich in a breeze. If you don't, expect a heavy language barrier that may delay your time spent here by 15 mins...

Rolled up at 7:45 on a random Tuesday and the place was empty. To be honest-i was on the way to baguette house which I love-love. I was trepidatious of what I was gonna get but I gave it a go -- FOR SCIENCE! I ordered the #2 -- BBQ Beef Banh Mi Sandwich. The man behind the counter carefully arranged all the ingredients to make my sandwich and it's not a quick place. This isn't a subway! The meat has to be heated, the bread had to be pre toasted. Ingredients laid out, sandwich wrapped and re-toasted. Many agonizing minutes later my sandwich appeared. I took many sando to go and then made the odd choice to eat it in the parking lot. I started the sandwich and thought "this is okay, I guess." A few bites in, the okay rating quickly turned into good! Spicy jalapeños, cucumbers, carrots, other sauces. My mouth was tingling and asking for more. $7 is a steal for so much flavor. I'll admit it's not my favorite banh mi in Austin but it's a very good sandwich and for $7 it'll fill you up!

Good Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi). Cash or Venmo only. I also really liked my rice crepe roll (banh cuon) plate as well but I think the sandwich is the best. Good size and price. Some indoor seating, very casual. Not much Serivce but you can't expect that with their low prices.

Lily's has been in the Chinatown center for as long as I can remember. It's a very small restaurant with about 5 tables inside but they seem to be doing a brisk business every time we are in the area. I had sandwich here a couple of years ago and remember that it was good but not remarkable. So this time I thought I try the Lily's gourmet sandwich which is basically the bahn mi with pretty much everything in it including the pate and ham etc. The bread certainly was good, very nice baguette style, but I found the ham on the inside to be a little bit more grisly and it was not appealing to me in the texture of the meat.

I only come here for sandwiches. They are really good. I took one star for the payment reason. They do not accept credit cards, cash only. Nowadays it's not common to have bills in pocket. And also it helps them to hide their actual profit to pay less taxes. Owners are nice, helpful, but I can't understand why they use the same plastic glove in between tasks.

Decided to give this spot a try. Bought two things of bahn cuon and 4 combo banh mi's. Came out to be $56. Bit over priced in my opinion. Bun cuon was fresh and delicious but the banh mi was lacking, something was missing, old or stale. It had a nice amount of meat but it wasn't delicious. They don't take cards and offered me the Venmo option. Probably would not go back.

Maybe we caught them on a bad day but here's the run down. Awkward counter experience that would be better with a simple greeting and maybe a little direction on where to order. There are menu items with the same number, so I was extra clear that I was ordering a vegetarian noodle dish with no onions. Also ordered a Sandwich and coffee. Long wait and many other customers got their order in and left which I just assumed was sandwiches so it was quicker. Got up and grabbed a coke Fri. The cooler and walked up to pay and was asked if I ordered a sandwich, I said yes, then she tried to charge me for the sandwich again. Then waited a little longer and then asked about the noodle dish...it looked apparent that it was forgotten. Waited longer for food to come out and when it did it was a meat combo noodle, not vegetarian. Sent it back. Had to ask for my coffee. Then after another ten minor so they finally brought out the dish. It was very underwhelming. Would not return. I prefer the other Bahn Mi place in the complex that was closed today. I hate giving poor reviews, hopefully they can make some changes.

Stopped by for a banh mi sandwich, there was so much chaos in the short period of time I was there waiting for my sandwich. Very loud tv playing. 3 separate tables got theirs orders mixed up. I waited 30 mins for 1 sandwich to go. The quality wasn't that great either. This use to be one of my favorite places to get a banh mi, but I don't think I'll be coming back.

I waited patiently to order, nobody was up front. Guy walks in grabs a drink out the cooler. Couple minutes later two ladies come out from the back, and as I was about to walk forward to the order, the man jumps in front of me. The lady doesn't even acknowledge me and starts ringing this man up. All I could do was laugh. I left without ordering because I realized that I have to be Vietnamese to receive any type of courteous service or to be acknowledged. I will never ever come back to this place again. So disappointing, you all need to do better!

This is the only place I go to when I'm craving banh mi. Their bread is made fresh and in-house. The pickled veggies are crispy and plentiful. They only take cash so plan ahead. I once forgot to bring cash and another nice customer paid for my order. I've been paying it forward by ordering a meal for the scruffy gentleman that sometimes hangs around this shopping center (I've been told his fave dish from here is the rice and chicken). Spread kindness!

Good banh cuon that is already packaged for you to take on the go and banh mis made to order. Cash only. Service is okay

Thus shop has a lot of Vietnamese offerings as well as catering available. I'm my opinion they have the best Vegetarian Bahn mi In Austin. I love south but drive up here for theirs. Lots of grab and go prepared food and snacks.

The banh mi here is just perfect. Bread is the perfect texture and pairs so well with the meat. My fav is the BBQ pork. I love all the fixings they add on top - the pickled veg, cilantro, jalapeno and also like adding some of their spicy chili paste on top. The family that runs the shop is very sweet and efficient. They do take cash or venmo only but I'll make sure to have cash on me everyday just so I can stop by if I want to. There are a few tables to sit at and eat as well. SO good, if I could eat it every day I would.

Underrated Bahn mi in Austin! It's fast, made to order, cheap, and delicious. The bread was fresh and all the veg was crispy. I ordered the bbq pork Bahn mi ($6.50) and ready in a few minutes.

Overall this place is good. My favorite is their Chao Long. Drinks selection was just soft drinks. Was hoping they have others Vietnamese favorites drink.

Decent banh mi xa xiu and banh mi thit nuong. I dare not try any of the juice and che dessert sitting in the refrigerator because who know how long it has been sitting there; I doubt the expiration label has any scientific method. Note, this place is CASH ONLY but they still charge you sales tax. I doubt they report all of their cash transactions to the taxing authority. I have noticed on several visits, the owner likes to keep your change if she deems it a trivial amount - I don't think this is her decision to make. Expect minimal customer service as this place cater mostly to Vietnamese customers who are used to non-existent custom service.

CASH ONLY! Recently went to this restaurant to try their bahn mi sandwiches and WOW was I impressed. For only $6 you get a foot long bahn mi and it was warm and crispy to perfection. I also decided to try the taro milk tea and was fully taken aback by how amazing the flavors were with bits of nuts in the drink. She made it fresh and it was one of the best taro milk teas I've ever had. Highly recommend!!

Lilly's Sandwich is almost as good it can get for Vietnamese food at Austin. While the Banh Mi may not be the star of show like the name of this establishment would suggest, everything else tastes wonderful. If Banh Mi is the only palatable Vietnamese dish for you, then I suggest some other Vietnamese restaurant at Chinatown. Chinatown has plenty of options. Also beware that Lily's is incredibly hot. There was no AC unit turned on when I went. The Bun Bo Hue is the best that I've had. The meat portions were generous, the noodle portion was generous, and the broth wasn't too salty. The dry noodle salad and the other rice dishes were amazing too. The dry noodles had a ton of vegetables, and the peanut sauce was good too. The rice dish I tried had an egg that was cooked perfectly: The egg's exterior was fully cooked, yet the egg yolk inside was still runny. It's Chinatown, so there's plenty of parking. The busiest time of the day is late morning to mid-afternoon.

My family loves this place and always drops by whenever we pick up grocery from MT market. We often ordered their Banh Mi, which was packed with meat and came hot and fresh. The baguette also hits different compared to other places. Their chao-long (intestine porridge) was so good as well, if you wanna check out something new. Last time, my brother and I were rushing to the airport and he was ordering the Beef Banh mi for take-out. When we got to Lily's, we realized that we didn't bring any cash. However, the owner still graciously let us have our banh mi and told me I could drive back and pay later. I am forever grateful until today :)

Yum! We got two foot long BBQ beef Banh Mis. Very filling and flavorful. 5.50 for each, total 11.91 with tax. Good price for good quantity of food! Store doesn't take credit cards so be sure to bring cash $$$

A friend and I were in the area and decided to check out Lily's. I chose to purchase a couple pre-made items, but they do also have an entire menu for hot food. The sausage I got tasted more like (and had the texture of) tofu than any sausage I've ever had. Maybe I'm not familiar with Vietnamese sausage, but it wasn't really my cup of tea. The prepackaged red bean sticky rice was better, but not something I'd think about purchasing again. Even if food was mediocre, prices are pretty good!

I went to buy bread in the morning and the store sold me stale bread. sáng tôi mua bánh mì và cửa hàng đã bán cho tôi bánh mif cũ

I had ordered egg rolls and spring rolled both of which were affordable but not the freshest given they sit out. The lady at the register was incredibly kind though

The best in austin ; my best friend is Vietnamese and recommend it, blows everyone else out of the water. Is cash only but so so good

Curry is spectacular. Ordered the curry chicken rice noodle and bbq pork sandwich. Fried noodle is good too but make sure to get the soft one.

The staple banh mi I always come back to. I've tried most of the other places that get the hype, but it's Lily's for me. Small spot with a couple tables, egg rolls at the counter, and banh mi to go in on. The bread is huge and the sandwich is stuffed. The bread cracks with each bite and leaves little French bread shingles everywhere, I don't care how careful you are, yet is nice and soft on the inside. The usual banh mi fixin's, but their pickled carrots and daikon are so juicy, it's outrageous. No mayo (I don't think), but a nice dollop of butter at the end is the last bite surprise you want over and over. The bread soaks up the juices from the meat and veggies as you eat (I get the grilled beef) and you get these drops of rich, beefy, salty, sweet liquid that hit the paper it's wrapped in. Prices have barely gone up in 13 years. Add ice cold cans of soda and it's game over. I'll probably go tomorrow morning and have a Sunday banh mi for breakfast. Oh, no credit cards, so bring cash, or your checkbook, ha! PS - Strawberry smoothie is a win.

Great banh mi sandwiches here. The other dishes that we had were good, too (we ordered pho). Quite busy, but they kept up very well with the pace of customers. Cash only (or check) but no cards. Great food, but definitely felt like a Seinfeld episode with the ordering. Overall, a great restaurant.

I've been coming here for the past 2 years and I usually don't leave reviews but I can not emphasize how good their sandwiches are. If this was near my house, I would come here atleast 3-4 times a week. You always leave with a smile and satisfied.

I went in for a cup of ice coffee and left with a cup of ice and bit of coffee. I even asked for more coffee because the cup wasn't full, and I watched her pour in more ice and shake it up. Waste of time and money

It's been years since I've eaten anything here, heck I even forgot they sold more than Banh Mi. I passed by last week and decided to try their Spicy Noodle Soup since I have been craving it lately. The soup was kind of bland. It needed a little bit of sugar to balance out the flavor and it lacked the lemongrass flavor. I was kind of disappointed.

The service is great, kind, and fast! The food is delicious. I love authentic Vietnamese food. Definitely recommended and I have come back a few times already. This place reminds me of home!

You want a bowl of nice duck soup with udon? They got a bowl of nice duck soup with udon. * * * Don't bother dumping in the vegetables they give you on the side plate. Don't bother dumping in the sauces they give you on the table. The duck soup is fine just the way it is. * * * You don't want a bowl of nice duck soup? They got all kinds of Vietnamese sandwiches. Those are nice too. * * * You don't want duck soup or Vietnamese sandwiches? They got other stuff on the menu. * * * You don't like what they got on the menu? Look on the counter and look in the refrigerator case. They got more. * * * You don't like what they got on the menu or the counter or in the refrigerator case? Let me just tell you where you can go .... * * * You can go outside to Chinatown Center. But what they got at Lily's is nice.

Been here a few times. I'm torn on this place. The actual baguette is really good and they toast it. The fillings they have are actually pretty meh tasting. I see them using a microwave to heat things back up. Like, I wouldn't mind that, if what they were heating back up was super tasty, but it's not. The meat is chewy. No flavor at all really. They go light on the pickled vegetables. idk, it's just really bland. I would not come here for the actual sandwich, but just the bread! They sell baguette loafs by themselves. The workers were nice when I was there and the place is clean enough. They have drinks and other food, which I have never tried.

Grounded, real, and to the point. Ignore the small size and the broken english. This place has the elements of a Vietnamese mom and pop shop one would find in Westminster California. In other words, bring cash, an open appetite, and try some awesome dishes. The bun bo hue reminded me of the soup my grandpa used to make when I would visit. It brought back a lot of good times for me. The banh cuon is somewhat unique where it's not in its tight rice noodle folds with a clean presentation. What I do like is that they load the banh cuon with vegetables on top and those little crispies. Thank goodness the fish sauce ties it all together. FYI - Only a few places in ALL OF AUSTIN serve banh cuon including this place. Not every Vietnamese establishment will have this dish including a few others. As for the banh mi's, yes they're good. If you want the details, have a look at some other reviews. I'm here to review real Vietnamese food. Long story short, I can't wait to come back to Lilly's Sandwich to try more of their noodle and soup dishes.

Wow, 10 years have flown by. Everything is eh to acceptable. I think they suffer from having waaaaay too many items, so everything ends up being mediocre and passable. I've done a bunch of their noodle soups, rice rolls, and rice plates, and ... As I've grown older and experienced/cooked a lot of good Vietnamese food, I've realized it really relies on fresh vegetable garnishes and serving items right as they are cooked for best flavor. With such a big menu, it's hard to keep every single ingredient for every single dish fresh at all times w/o losing a lot in overhead, so certain things end up being left out, and a lot of things end up getting nuked in the microwave - and that is ultimately why everything is just ok here. I think they would be great as a storefront that sold quick snacks like all the Saran wrapped stuff they have on the counter and in the made to order stuff is just avg.

Came for the sandwiches as always. Amazing Banh Mi, big fan of the #3 Lily Special. Also like the #5 Pork Roll.

This couple need a break and need a vacation. It's sad to see some negative reviews. They are hard working people. It was extremely busy and the lady taking orders was really nice and never rude. She kept calm even though it was extremely busy. The line was out the door and there were only 3 workers with extremely large orders!!! They remained calm and nice. 5 stars to them!!!

Horrible service. There is one older lady trying to run the register, prepare sandwich's, taking phone calls. Then there's a little small old lady that sometimes pops out the kitchen. As far as food, the Vietnamese sandwich's are okay only because the French bread is wonderful. (meaning: the bread has a nice crunch on the outside crust and is soft on the inside). However, there is hardly any meat in the sandwich. You get really great bread, a few slices of cucumber and lots of carrot and a few small slivers of meat. Also, this place only takes CASH. A sign should be on the door CASH ONLY. If not, you could waste time getting to the front to find out they don't take credit or debit cards.

While I'm overall glad to have a banh mi shop within a short drive's distance, I hope Lily's Sandwich isn't anyone's first impression of Vietnamese food. We got the combo banh mi, grilled pork banh mi, and a bunch of snack items. Everything missed the mark. The sandwiches were bland--the veggie toppings had more flavor than the meat and condiments combined. The meat filling in the banh cuon was similarly lackluster and had a strange fall-apart chalky texture while the cha lua (think vietnamese bologna) had an strange smell. The banh beo was missing the ground mung bean. What they do deserve credit for is the che, the crispiness of their bread, and the banh it. As for the staff, the older couple behind the counter was sweet but totally missed the mark on accommodating requests.

Not as expected! I tried Bun Bo Hue (Lemongrass beef noodle) but there was the smelly in meat and noodles weren't fresh. (Note) Cash Only. And they have a lot of choices for eating and drinking.