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Lesbian Banh Mi: Best Vietnamese Baguette Sandwich in Saigon

I was looking for the best food to eat here in Ho Chi Minh City.  I knew that Vietnam was famous for their Banh Mi sandwiches.  Just like the Pho, you find little stalls selling Banh Mi on every street corner, but I wanted the best Saigon had to offer.

As most of my blog readers know, I eat a strict Bulletproof/Paleo diet and haven't eaten any bread or wheat in almost a year, but I also have a rule where I'll try the best food a country has to offer at least once.  It's a good balance of staying healthy, working towards a six pack while still enjoying life and travel.  So for Vietnam, I decided, I'm going to find the best Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwich and enjoy the crap out of it.

Best Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

What's the best Vietnamese Sandwich shop in Saigon?

Bánh Mì Huynh Hoa
Best Traditional Banh Mi Sandwich
(Known as Lesbian's Baguette in Vietnamese) 
26 Le Thi Rieng
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Fresh baked Baguettes 
The Bread:

Vietnamese Baguettes are made with a combination of wheat and rice flour, which gives it an airy, chewy yet crunchy texture.  The bread at Bánh Mì Huynh Hoa was perfect.  Warm, fresh out of the oven, and was chewy and soft in the center while being crunchy on the outside.  It was well worth the 7 days of negative gluten after effects I'm going to experience after eating bread again.  But heck, when in Italy I'm going to try the pasta, and when in Germany I'm going to try the beer, so why not the Banh Mi in Vietnam!

Traditional Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich

The Fillings:

In the U.S. hardly anyone ever orders the combination Vietnamese sandwich for some reason. We always get either roast chicken, roast pork or some single meat variety.  But in Saigon, it comes as mixed, and it was the perfect blend of pâté, homemade mayo and different meats.

The meats, different types of pork, pate, and homemade mayo.

The veggies, pickled radish, cucumbers, cilantro and chilies.
Banh Mi Ingredients

My Review:

I've had a lot of Vietnamese sandwiches in my life, mostly in San Jose and Orange County California where there is a huge Vietnamese population.  Lee's Sandwiches used to be my favorite spot, but you really can't beat the source.  Lesbian Banh Mi is legit.  I brought along a friend who has been in Saigon much longer than I have and has tried a ton of different Banh Mi street stalls and agreed that this is the best place in Saigon.




Bánh Mì Huynh Hoa
Price: 30,000 dong = $1.41US
Hours: Opens at 3pm
*Price:  Most Banh Mi stalls on the street at 16,000 dong which is around 75 cents.  The prices at Huynh Hoa have gone up by 5,000 dong in the past year due to it's popularity and lines are long by 5pm, but it's worth going to at least once!  

Honorable mention:
Best Grilled Pork Banh Mi 
Banh Mi 37 Nguyen Trai
37 Nguyen Trai, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Banh Mi and Roasted Sweet Potato
Breaking the Paleo Streak:

For those who are shocked and surprised that I'm eating a baguette.  A few years ago, before I started eating Paleo/Bulletproof, I would have had three of these sandwiches and most likely everyday for breakfast lunch and dinner.  They are so cheap and delicious that I would have eaten two at each sitting.  It was a dilemma as I weighed in this morning at 91.8kg which is 202lbs, just a few pounds shy of my goal of being under 200lbs which is something I haven't been in over ten years.  

However, I'm not on a diet, eating Paleo has become a lifestyle that I've adopted and I plan to continue forever.  Aside from the twice a year cheat meals, I eat sweet potatoes once a week as my only source of carbs besides vegetables.  This way of eating has given me more energy and mental focus than I've ever had, and is shredding my body away of fat while maintaining lean muscle.  Being able to travel and continue eating this way has been a dedication on my part, and it feels great to know that I can cheat once in a while and enjoy the best a country has to offer without feeling like I'm giving up on my goals.  

My first bite of bread in almost a year, caught on film!

Keep in touch on the blog for more updates and travel adventures.  Enjoy yourself some Lesbian Banh Mi if you're ever in Ho Chi Minh City.

Warm Regards,

Johnny

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Post a Comment

  1. Glad to hear you surrendered to the Bahn Mi :)

    Haha, I am sure your body must have reacted violently after not eating bread for so long, but those 10 minutes of heaven while eating the Bahn Mi was worth it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Jerrie, the 10 minutes of Banh Mi pleasure was definitely worth it. The only real negative reaction I had to reintroducing wheat after all of that time was I was craving food within a few hours afterwards and all day today I was craving more bread. I'm glad I loaded up at two BBQ buffets and ate a ton of veggies and meat as it's back to normal now. But it was deinetely a good sandwich.

      Delete
  2. Pimpin' the gold watch on the last pic! Niiiiiiice!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've heard the wheat in Europe/Asia is less problematic than in America for those with gluten issues. Different varietals? Could just be anecdotal info.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a friend who has celiac disease and she said that Vietnam is the best place to be 100% gluten free as they don't use wheat flour in anything aside from the bread which is easily avoidable.

      Delete

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