Nikki's Banh Mi Shop

Stopped by for a self lunch date before my hair appointment as I've been craving pizza and wanted to try a flavorful twist. Vietnamese iced coffee was a perfect pick me up, not overly sweet. The pizza had a lovely crusty bottom, and I wish I had more of the sauce on the side so I could have dipped my crust in it. The lemongrass pork was so tender and the veggies were delightfully crisp. I grabbed a mango sticky rice to go, and snuck in a bite in the car - delicious! Parking can be a lil chaotic since the plaza has limited parking, so come mentally prepared to need to squeeze in/out of your car.

My wife and I love everything here. The food is always consistent and delicious. Service is fast and friendly every time. I could honestly eat here every day. I’m hooked on the BBQ Chicken Banh Mi, spicy! Even the pizza and the steak and cheese are delicious!

We were in the area doing an event at local brewery. I happened to see Nikki's on the map and decided we weren't eating leftovers that night! We got the Phat Si Ew, Pork Fresh Rolls, and the Steamed Buns. The portions were very generous. The food was fresh and came out quickly. The staff was incredible and the place was spotless. I was pleasantly surprised that the location also offered a full bar. I can't wait to make my way through the rest of the menu!

This place is the real deal. I’ve watched them peel and slice 100 lbs of carrots while waiting for an order. Everyone that works there is super nice and always quick with a suggestion. Personally the Pork Taco 3 Piece is my favorite. You’ll definitely enjoy the food here!

Amazing food and great prices!! Been going for years before the move. The owner is friendly and you can tell she puts love into her food. Thank you for blessing the people of Portsmouth with the world's best spicy beef banh mi !! ❣️🙏

Date night Saturday was a bit out of the ordinary for my wife and I. This trip took us to Portsmouth's West End at a place we had never been together before. My wife has enjoyed lunch, but this was our first dinner together. I'm talking about Nikki's Bahn MI at 801 Islington St(Pic 1). After looking over the electronic menu board, we decided on our selections. We grabbed our drinks and headed to a booth. Like a precision time piece, our first dish arrived(Pic 2). The Steamed Buns were simply magnificent. These mouthwatering delectable Buns were made with Bulgogi Beef, Kimchi, Sriracha Mayo, Carrots, and Cilantro. Just incredible!!! Shortly thereafter, we had our second dish delivered, Fresh Veggie Summer Rolls With A Peanut Dipping Sauce(Pic 3). Not only were they visually beautiful, we loved the fact you could see through the roll to the ingredients. Loaded with fresh veggies, these were a perfect follow-up to the Steamed Buns. They were fresh and delicious. Then came the Drunken Noodles(Pic 4). We chose these fresh rice noodles made with chicken. It also included red & green peppers, string beans, carrots, onions and Thai Basil. There was a pleasant kick to the dish, but nothing that would keep anyone from ordering it. Just incredible flavor. The atmosphere at Nikki's Bahn MI is bright, comfortable, and inviting. There is a wall that's dominated by an extraordinarily beautiful mural(Pic 5) that adds depth and interest to the space. If you haven't been to Nikki's Bahn MI before, I would encourage you to give them a try. This location is just down the street from their previous site. Better accessibility and a brighter, happier atmosphere. Believe me, it's worth your time. Dine on!

Stopped by this lovely family-run spot and was blown away! I had the banh mi, pho, and pad see ew — all incredibly fresh and flavorful. The herbs came straight from their garden, and you could really taste the difference. Warm, welcoming vibe and truly excellent food. Highly recommend!

This place is amazing! Delicious food with excellent prices. Such an at home environment. The staff you can tell takes pride in their work and treat you like your family. So much fun just to eat here it’s always an experience. If you’re around this spot definitely give it a try you will not be disappointed!

We got carry out, but when we went in to pick it up, we couldn't wait to eat so we sat down at the counter and fell in love with the Bahn Mi tacos! These are a 10 out of time!!! Can't wait to go back and try everything else!

Fantastic food and service. I have only been once, but I loved it. It was really a great find for us one day.

Excellent! I had the glass noodle w pork. My husband ate the bowl of goodness w beef. We shared steamed pork dumplings. All was so delicious and healthy. We will be back. The ambience is cafetería like. Prices are very reasonable.

Best Vietnamese sandwich and dumplings by far. Charming location in Portsmouth that is conveniently located just a few minutes off I95. The Banh Mi was loaded with everything, fresh and tasty. The fresh spring rolls with chicken were huge and filling. Can't wait to go back.

I visited Nikki's Banh Mi on a random Wednesday afternoon. I felt welcomed as soon as I opened the door and the woman who took my order was very sweet. She helped guide me through the menu and I was able to make a more informed decision. The food came out fast and it did not disappoint! I can't wait to go back. If you're looking for something quick and delicious, go no further than Nikki's Banh Mi!

NIKKI: One thing that has always comforted me was the few times I met a celebrity & they turned out to be just as real & nice as they were on t.v.; Nikki may not have showed up on mainstream t.v. but I found her business on YouTube. The character she portrayed on there is the same character when you meet her in person. She's a real one. I saw & overheard how nice & serviceable she was to someone who I think ordered the wrong thing. Great service and set up. THE FOOD: I ordered the Korean BBQ Chicken Bahn Mi & it was so good & flavorful. The savory meat went very well with the amount of carrots & parsy that was added. The quality of bread & how toasted it was was on point. My wife ordered the chicken phat Thai & it was good as well. Portion & price are fair. This place doesn't disappoint, there's just something about a business where there is great customer service & kindness that makes the food taste even better lol. Come enjoy, it won't disappoint! Be aw

How does she stay so delightfully upbeat when she is so busy? The food is delicious. Tried the drunken noodles this time at Nikki's suggestion and my husband has the tacos. Both were great. But I really loved the scallion pancakes--best I have every had. Light and a bit crispy on the outside. So good.

We really enjoyed our first dinner here. It's a very casual setup in a strip mall. You order your food and pay at the register and then it is brought to your table. We met Nikki, who was a delight, friendly and eager to explain the menu. In addition to all of the Asian food, the restaurant also offers Pizza, subs and other American fare, from "Darleens", who I believe was a partner previously. While we did not try the Banh Mi, we enjoyed a very tasty Massaman curry and Phat Woonsen, noodle dish. The noodles were easily the best dish we had. For appetizers we had the steamed dumplings, which were good, and crispy eggrolls (also good, but Nikki explained they were not the big Chinese style you might expect). Casual setting, reasonable prices, fast service and delicious food. What more can you ask for?

I'm visiting from out of town and was craving some Vietnamese. Love a good banh so decided to try Nikkis. I went during open lunch hours a few days ago and they were closed - just a sign on the door saying they weren't open at this time. No biggie. Went back a couple of days later and wished I had just gone around the corner like the previous time and eaten at Street. My mom and I ordered veggie summer rolls, tofu banh mi, and pineapple fried rice with shrimp. The summer rolls had been made hours earlier as the rice paper wrapping was cold and hard. The peanut sauce lacked any flavor whatsoever, and the sriracha bottle was almost empty so it was hard to amp up the spice. The bread for the banh mi was delicious. That's all I can say. The tofu was completely tasteless - no marinade or seasoning at all. There was no daikon on the sandwich and the carrots weren't pickled! There were a couple sad cilantro leaves and no jalapeños! We asked for more sriracha and they said they were out (understand) and brought us buffalo wing sauce (do not understand). My mom's pineapple fried rice had no pineapple so that was a fail. The shrimp looked well cooked though and it was a decent serving size. The young woman at the counter was very sweet and I felt badly when her boss (who was sitting at a table eating and had a bar of chili crisp in front of her that I would have loved to spice up my food) heard the sound of an off the hook phone. The employee went to hang it up and her boss said, in a snarky manner, did you leave them waiting on hold forever? It was just such a rude way to speak to an employee, and she did so loudly enough that the entire restaurant heard her. Looking forward to trying other Vietnamese places in Portsmouth but I can tell you that it won't be a repeat trip to Nikkis.

When I first found this place on Yelp, I just figured it wouldn't be that good since it is in the NE as the Asian population is small in the area. I called to make sure that it was open and they were. I short drive later, I found the restaurant on the end of a small strip mall with a bunch of restaurants in it. The restaurant is small and nicely decorated. I think I meet the owner and ordered my food through her. She told me she was Laotian and I know that there are many Laotian people start Vietnamese, Thai, and other Asian restaurants and they are usually pretty good. I ordered a lemon grass pork banhmi and order of egg rolls. I inquired about Pho and the owner said that it is seasonal and it is actually in season now. I have to try their pho before I return to Hawaii. My order came out and I was handled a brown paper bag that didn't weigh very much. I was worried that wasn't going to be full after eating the food. At my hotel, I opened up everything and found the banhmi to be quite legit. Not full like I am usually used to in Hawaii but the taste was really good. The egg rolls were funny too. They were long and skinny instead of short and thick like I am used to. The egg rolls turned out to be really tasty and had all the right fillings inside. After eating everything, I was actually satisfied with my meal. The food was all good as was the service at the restaurant. I will definitely be back again to try the pho and probably eat in next time. Price was very reasonable as well.

The food was sooooo good. We had the Phat Sí Ew, drunken noodles, the eggplant special and mango sticky rice. Every dish was fresh and delicious. If I could give 10 stars, I would.

Wow the Banh Mi and spring rolls from Nikki's were some of the blandest we've ever had. Kudos to trying though. We picked up a pair of lemongrass chicken and a bulgogi pork banh mi on a road trip up to Maine and were sadly disappointed. Only thing that was good about them was the bread. The carrots were barely pickled, no daikon, and no basil in sight. I think there was maybe one leaf of cilantro in the whole thing. 3 stars for effort and at least the ingredients seemed fresh. If you're looking for good banh mi, wait a little longer to reach Portland and stop by Banh Appetit, which has far juicier and flavorful meat options!

Waited until I tried 1 of every of their Banh Mi and most of their asian dishes 3 consecutive days on my stay here before I wrote this review. The first thing you're struck by when you park into the shop house front of this place is the name: On yelp it comes up as Darleen's sub/pizzas when you type in Asian food and you're like:huh?? Then you click and you see tucked alongside the giant spread of subs/sandwiches is indeed "Nikki's Banh Mi" a truly hidden and unassuming gem hiding in this Christmas Capital of the USA town. You can also call ahead of time and it's about 15 mins to pick up time. Portions are huge and the banh mi is definitely authentic (I've traveled to many large cities across the world and sampled Banh Mi). Banh Mi: Each one is about 10 inches long and a hearty serving. You can probably eat the whole thing and still be comfortable and not over satiated. Or you can eat half with a friend to continue sampling their delicious menu.They have Korean and beef Bulgogi Banh Mi. A solid option that you can choose how spicy the sauce is. I highly recommend the spicy level or higher for those who want a full tastebud experience. Pair it with the traditional pickled carrot and fresh cucumber, the spicy saucy flavorful meet, crisp of the perfect French baguette, and a killer sauce and this is a flavor explosion that will satisfy your senses. They also have a lemon grass banh mi that was also pretty good; to be honest the saucy ones kind of blend together. They also have a traditional banh mi made from the liver pate and a Vietnamese type of ham. This honestly is the best one of all the banh mi; I love a good fusion if done right like the above bulgogi one but a traditional anything stays popular for a reason. The flavor is clean and not gamey, soft and the pate has almost a squishy texture that is not unpleasant. Pair that with their home spicy sauce, pickled carrots and it is certainly a good first banh mi for anyone who's never tried one or a good staple/standard for those who have had them. Hot dishes: We tried the Bowl of Goodness which has the Hainanese Chicken Rice (I'm Singaporean and can say this was an ok rice dish-). The lemongrass pork was a little dry but this dish was ok; not particularly memorable compared to their other dishes. Their pad see ew I think was a killer hit. We got the seafood off the menu option for 18$ which tacked on large mussels, scallops, and shrimp. The succulent flat large noodles with the seafoody- sweet sauce reminded me of something from Singapore. The flavor is not as complex as say a sweet Pad Thai or one of those Thai basil dishes. It is a soothing flavor that I would highly recommend for those who don't like too complex of a flavor. Their Pad Thai was alright; this place tends to like to make their Pad Thai on the tangier side. It almost tasted vinegary when most other places use Tamarind sauce as their tangy ingredient. The noodles had soaked up all the sauce and was dry by the time we got to our hotel room but no big deal; probably means not enough oil compared to some other restaurants. I think the noodle ratio could be smaller bc the other ingredients seemed to have been swallowed. Opened the box and it was almost white noodles. Overall would highly recommend their banh mi and the pad see ew. Fast service; did not try the other subs/American options but seemed like solid choices too.

This is one of my favorite places to eat in Portsmouth - and that says alot as there is much competition. Nikki is ALWAYS there with a smile and greeting. It's a very casual, small place but the food has BIG taste. There's something for everyone, although admittedly, I've never tried the former Darlene's subs side of the menu. My favorite are the Banh Mi Tacos - just like a delicious Banh Mi wihout all the bread. You get 3 to an order and can mix / match as you please. I also love the Drunken Noodles, the chicken wings and the Bowl of Goodness. I want to try more things but my favorites are SO good that I can't resist each time I come in! So thrilled that Nikki and her fabulous food are part of our neighborhood.

Nikki's is a Portsmouth treasure. I'll never forget the effort the team made to fulfill my order despite running out of tofu. Wonderful service and delicious, fresh food. They're new location is bright and spacious. Their online ordering system is great and makes ordering ahead easy. I highly recommend you stop in.

Very tasty food. Had the lemongrass pork Banh mi and the fried pork and leek dumplings. No complaints would eat here again

I love this place, today was my second time here. I think I met Nikki herself, and she was amazingly helpful and nice. She helped me pick out my order, Chicken Phat Gra- Pow, fried dumplings, and Mango sticky rice (to-go). The menu choices (omnivore or vegetarian options are available) and flavor combinations are delicious. I would highly recommend Nikki's Banh Mi for lunch. Enjoy, Frank

Yummy food and fun art. We stopped for a quick lunch on a road trip through the area and it was great!

I want to give Nikki's 5 stars, because the value of having a REAL, honest-to-god Vietnamese banh mi less than half a mile from my house in Portsmouth's West End is truly priceless. I love Nikki's. I love the new location across from Hannaford on islington street. I love the murals on the wall, I love the drinks, I love that Nikki herself comes over to the table to ask how the food is. And the food is GOOD. Crusty French bread, pickled carrots and radish, cilantro, pate and cold cuts. The traditional and the Korean style are gems. The only things keeping Nikki's from 5 stars are a few nitpicks with the sandwiches--not quite enough meat or veggies, so they lead mostly bread, and a bit on the dry side. Great bread! But, still. Hope this review keeps the tourists away, I'd like to keep Nikki's to myself.

What a great sandwich - cilantro, carrots, spicy, chicken, toasted bread, and a delicious sauce. This small shop is located inside of Darleens (maybe replacing Darleens - I can't tell) and is fast, reasonably priced, and yummy. This will be on my rotation :)

A great little place for Korean barbecue, my favorites are the Banh-Mi tacos, and the fresh summer rolls, the eggplant special is good too, I work within walking distance of this place and it's too convenient for lunch, Nikki and staff are friendly and courteous, and prep time is quick Be warned though, the Banh Mi tacos are highly addictive!

Food was fine but I ordered a pad see ew (broccoli and egg noodle dish) and the waiter gave me a drunken noodle (saying "here is your drunken noodle"). On it, and the menu, it had peppers, onions and green beans. When I said I ordered the pad see ew the owner came over and said it was that. I pointed to the menu that showed the drunken noodle had the ingredients on my plate and that pad see ew had only broccoli. She said there is a piece (only one tiny stem) and there was egg. She said "Don't you like other vegetables?" She gaslit me! I ate it but won't ever go back. Why would you do that to the only customer in there? I was pleasant and didn't make a fuss. It's easy enough to give me what I paid for and take responsibility for the mistake instead of telling me a lie.

I went Saturday for the first time and tried the Korean bbq bahn mi sub. It's was so good I went back for dinner. Dinner was Phat Thai , fried rice, veggie rolls. All was really good. The rice was incredible. Tonight I tried the Korean bbq chicken taco and that was out of this world good!!

A fun place to eat on the west side of Portsmouth. Just around corner from Street. Friendly service. We had the drunken noodles with chicken. Food was prepared very quickly. They have a full bar there as well. Ambiance is OK. A full menu with very creative cuisine. Worth a visit.

I had my first Banh Mi a month ago and I'll be going once a week from now on. This is so unique with carrot and cucumber yet so familiar with beef and a delicious roll. If you haven't gone yet, do it!!

Korean BBQ Beef Banh Mi was delicious. The meat was savory and flavorful, with a good balance of toppings inside some crisp baguette. The Hainanese chicken rice was also pretty good. The lemongrass pork was a bit on the dry side, but the flavor made up for it. Rice was really delicious and fresh. It is a little pricey at $11-12, but it's worth a try.

Diverse menu! Sweet and friendly service and clean dining room. Give it a try! You'll be doing yourself a disservice if you don't!

Endless Hand of Love.. cause we love Nikki's Chow... spicy Korean Beef Banh Mi makes me feel all warm inside

If you live in the seacoast and haven't been to Nikki's, you're missing out!!! I went here for lunch for the first time today. This was the best banh mi I've ever had, great spot with a lot of options. We tried the pork banh mi and the Korean bbq beef, they were both amazing! Hard to pick which was better. The roll the sandwich was on was amazing too. I can't wait to go back and try the Pho!

Very very yummy boba! Amazing dumplings. Bahn mi was a little spicy but yummy! Pork Bahn Mi

I am from San Francisco and while in the area I wanted a Banh Mi. gristly steak and the sandwich was mostly carrot. Felt a bit ripped off paying $10 for this.

Thank you for sticking to the true flavors of a original cold cut banh mi! It's hard to find decent and authentic tasting Asian food north of Boston. Okay, I hate when people throw around "authentic" but what it means to me are the flavors and tastes I grew up with in the Asian community and not watered down, and shaped for the white-American palette. This banh mi hits all those flavor marks of the real deal! The pluses -Strong flavored pate, real Vietnamese cold cuts and correct bread- baguette that is crispy and crunchy The minuses- heavy on the daikon/carrot extremely light on the cucumber and cilantro. The meats were thinly sliced- but an okay amount. The bread was too toasted so it lacked the chewy part for a solid baguette. Overall, definitely returning for cold cut banh mi sandwiches even though they're pricer than what you'd get in Boston ($7.00) Haven't tried the other stuff- they have banh cuon (steamed rice rolls) sometimes if you're lucky. Me- not so lucky. Some day! Thanks Nikki!

Best Banh Mi tacos I have ever had and among the best tacos period! Tasty and full of umami. You can't go wrong here! And Nikki is wonderful and cares about all her customers.

I don't get the hype... was excited to try this and was disappointed by the portion sizes and lack of meat. We got multiple items and they were all overpriced and left us hungry. There was about two slices of meat on every dish. Would not recommend unless you're vegan

Very nice staff and extremely fast service. Unfortunately, my meal was not edible. It tasted like it had gone bad.

Great spot for a quick, delicious, friendly bite. I love banh mi, and they do it very well. I'd also recommend the pork dumplings and the phat thai mmmmmmmm. Everyone here is very friendly and good at what they do. Highly recommended, don't miss this Portsmouth gem!

So I tried to edit my earlier review but yelp wouldn't let me, so there ya go. Nikki is amazing. She does Vietnamese and Thai in essentially a diner format , and for the most part, she does them very well. I routinely get drunken noodles and they are fresh and hot and layered in flavors. My comfort food. Her banh mi tacos are amazing, banh mi reduced to the essentials. The banh mi pizza is mouthwatering though I'm not sure how I feel about cucumber and carrots on a semi fluffy pizza crust. Mostly because I'm a thin crust person.

Ordered an 8-in tuna sub with lettuce and tomato chunks for under $8. Private parking lot which is gravel, across street from Sherwin-Williams paints

I have yet to try any pizza or subs, but I often come in for a bahn mi, egg rolls, and dumplings! I love the dumplings and the bahn mi soooo much! I'm not a huge fan of the sweet and sour sauce that comes with the egg roll and the bubble and the bubble tea was pretty mushy so that's the only reason i'm not giving 5 stars. the lemongrass pork bahn mi and the dumplings are literally to die for though and everything is so cheap!!

Came here three nights in a row when we were in town! I love Vietnamese food and the food here is great. The sandwiches have lots of veggies, the chicken and beef were great, and the pizza was fun to try! Nikki is super pleasant and delightful which is the icing on the cake!

Visiting Portsmouth for the weekend and had a delicious lunch experience at Nikki's. I was recommended the beef bahn mi as the "favorite" on the menu and it was a solid choice! I liked that I got to choose how spicy I wanted it. I will gladly come back here to try some new dishes too!

Nikki's Banh Mi has been a great addition to Darleen's sub shop! Both menus are available when you walk in to the small restaurant. All of the staff is incredibly friendly and the food is delicious! I highly recommend the BBQ Banh Mi or the bowl of goodness! Both are incredibly delicious Since there is limited seating inside, call ahead to place an order in case you're taking it to go!

Nikki's Bahn Mi is phenomenal. The Bahn Mi are a generous portion of flavorful meats, crisp veggies, and my favorite part- cilantro, served on a crunchy toasted sub roll. Their specials are great too- tried the chicken lo mein and it was delicious and full of veggies/meat. They do have delicious Thai tea (and boba teas if that's your thing). I can't speak for Darleen's Pizza and Subs but I'm sure it's fantastic as well- how could it not be when they share a kitchen? The area is currently under construction so the parking lot can be a bit difficult to get into/out of. It doesn't look like anything fancy from the outside, but trust me- go in and give it a try. The restaurant is also a tiny hole in the wall so don't plan on eating there unless you have one or two in your party. But don't worry, the takeout is quick, fresh, and delicious every time!

I tried this little gem for the first time tonight and it was absolutely fabulous. I tried all sorts of things off of her Vietnamese menu and the fool was incredible. Do yourself a favor and give it a try. If you like Asian cuisine.....you will love Nikki's!

Great food and service. Generous portions. Vegetarian options were great. Will come again.

My wife and I tried this spot over the weekend and it was amazing. We got the chicken Bahn mi, pad Thai and spring rolls. The bread for the bahn mi was incredible and the pad thai was the best I've ever had. Even had the pleasure of meeting the owner Nikki. She was incredibly nice and it was great to see an owner so hands on. She was cooking in the back and rolling egg-rolls in the front. Her commitment and passion for the food is clear after the first bite. Would HIGHLY recommend!

Little known spot - feels like - but have to go to get a traditional banh mi! Head cheese, pork, pate on a French baguette with all the delicious crisp veggies. Had the scallion pancakes too. Will be back to try some noodle dishes and massaman curry. Def the only place on the Seacoast for this type of food.

Nikki's bahn mi is the best food in Portsmouth. Seriously. High class, white table cloth, fast food, doesn't matter. THIS is the best. If you don't eat here if you live or are visiting Portsmouth, you're out of your mind.

The kitchen staff works in a small space without masks on. Good food. Clean space. Order and pay online would be a nice feature.

Tee my photo... great place, Vietnamese sandwiches are awesome. Friendly staff! Will be back. Worth a try!