Oakland's banh mi runs through the East Lake International Boulevard corridor. Pho Ao Sen, Banh Mi Ba Le and the Eastlake noodle row anchor the citywide version.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Vietnamese refugees settled in Oakland after 1975, building the San Antonio and Eastlake neighborhoods into a Vietnamese commercial corridor. Banh mi the dish blends French baguette (1880s colonial influence) with Vietnamese fillings: pate, mayonnaise, sliced pork, pickled daikon and carrot, jalapeno and cilantro. The Oakland version is Vietnamese-Cambodian-Lao through influence from the broader corridor.
Tip from the editors. Toast the baguette but keep the crust crispy and the inside soft. A Bay Area banh mi roll is the ideal vessel; outside the Bay, use a baguette warmed in the oven for 5 minutes.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Banh Mi Ba Le on International Boulevard runs the most-loved East Bay banh mi counter, weekends only. Two dozen sandwiches under eight dollars.
Order: Pork meatball banh mi with Vietnamese coffee.
Tip: Open only Friday through Sunday; cash only. Twenty-four sandwiches on the menu, all under eight dollars.
Tay Ho's 12th Street lunch hour runs Northern Vietnamese plates for under fifteen dollars. Bun cha Hanoi, banh xeo and rice bowls at the door.
Order: Bun cha Hanoi for thirteen dollars at lunch.
Tip: Lunch specials run 11 to 3 weekdays; the dinner menu doubles on price.
Pho Ao Sen on East 12th in Oakland's Eastlake corridor runs pho for under twelve dollars. Two decades of Sunday-morning loyalty on the corridor.
Order: Pho tai with brisket under twelve dollars.
Tip: Open Sundays. Closed Wednesdays. Bring cash for the smoothest checkout.
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