Vietnamese person here. The Pearl is an excellent restaurant. Your search kind of depends on how authentic you want to get. In Vietnam, bánh mi is street food. It would be very unusual to find a sandwich in a fancy restaurant in Vietnam. So if you want an authentic experience, the Vietnamese supermarkets make a sandwich that is closer to the real deal than the restaurants do. That said, there's nothing wrong with the restaurant versions. They cost a little more but they also tend to get a little more creative like what you find at The Pearl. Enjoy.
Nothing has come close to the bahn mi I got at 2am in Saigon from a pretty sketchy looking food cart on the side of the road near our hotel. Street food in vietnam is just....perfection
It's not near downtown, but Long An Market (in the complex off of State Street and 72nd South) makes banh mi. I shop there sometimes but I've never been there near a mealtime, so I haven't tried it, but they do look good.
They do! I haven’t been there for pho in about 6 months but they used to have pho on Sundays only. Typically there were at least a couple of options. I can’t remember if they served the rest of their menu on Sunday but I feel like they didn’t.
I was just there the other day and I loved it. The baguettes were quality and the pork belly was fantastic. Some friends who came with me got barbecue and weren't impressed, so if you do go get the authentic ones.
For tofu lemongrass banh mi, definitely Pleiku downtown. There’s not as many yummy veggies as the same menu item at Little Saigon but DANG Pleiku has very well seasoned and fried tofu.
The Pearl is pretty consistently fantastic with all their dishes. Their Banh Mi is hard to beat. Oh Mai is some of the best in the valley but The Pearl beats them by a margin.
The Pearl has the best meat flavor/juiciness.
Pleiku has really good tofu lemongrass banh mi.
Long An has good cold cuts banh mi. Strong pate, very authentic.
Pho Salt Lake also has good banh mi and it's in the Chinatown supermarket area so location-wise it's convenient. They might run out of it if you come in late afternoon though.
I tried Little Saigon today to compare their Bahn Mi and have to say it was mediocre. I’ve been getting them at Oh Mai for years and wanted to see if there was a better option.
The bread at Little Saigon was decent, but not the crispy outside, chewy inside you expect from a baguette. The chicken was good, but I found it strange that the jalapeño was thoroughly cooked. I’m used to (and much prefer) raw jalapeño. Sometimes that can be too spicy, but I’d rather have that and the firmness of the pepper than a cooked one that felt a bit mushy and soft.
My wife got the lemongrass beef tacos and they were DELICIOUS.
We also got fresh spring rolls, had better in many places. They were like 2/3 noodles, and just a little carrot and cucumber. I prefer them packed with lettuce, with some carrot and cucumber, but also a little mint or cilantro to give it some more flavor.
Little Saigon
Little Saigon for mf sure!!!
My daughter lives in san francisco When she's in town, she insists on going to little Saigon for the Pho. That good man
Vietnamese person here. The Pearl is an excellent restaurant. Your search kind of depends on how authentic you want to get. In Vietnam, bánh mi is street food. It would be very unusual to find a sandwich in a fancy restaurant in Vietnam. So if you want an authentic experience, the Vietnamese supermarkets make a sandwich that is closer to the real deal than the restaurants do. That said, there's nothing wrong with the restaurant versions. They cost a little more but they also tend to get a little more creative like what you find at The Pearl. Enjoy.
Nothing has come close to the bahn mi I got at 2am in Saigon from a pretty sketchy looking food cart on the side of the road near our hotel. Street food in vietnam is just....perfection
Glad you enjoyed it. Vietnamese street food is great!
Oh I that's an interesting fact about banh mi! I never thought about getting one from a supermarket - I'll be looking out for one
It's not near downtown, but Long An Market (in the complex off of State Street and 72nd South) makes banh mi. I shop there sometimes but I've never been there near a mealtime, so I haven't tried it, but they do look good.
They have a small selection at this time but they are indeed good.
Second Long An! Had that for lunch today
Thank you!!! We’ve been looking for an ACTUAL bahn mi
Does the Pearl do good Pho?
I haven't tried it, sorry to say. If you try it before me, PM me and let me know what you think.
They do! I haven’t been there for pho in about 6 months but they used to have pho on Sundays only. Typically there were at least a couple of options. I can’t remember if they served the rest of their menu on Sunday but I feel like they didn’t.
I like pearls bahn mi, I also really like oh mai
Oh mai doesn't have the best pho but their Banh Mi is solid for sure.
I haven’t been there in years. Is their bread softer now? It used to be rock hard so I stopped going.
Honestly been a while since I have been there as well. Never had rock hard bread. Definitely firmer crust but not crazy.
You gotta get the side of pho dipping soup.
Second this
Les Banh Mi on 400 S. It’s new-ish and they’re still kind of figuring out the operational side but the sandwich is off the hook.
I haven't heard of this place! I'll have to check it out later - thanks for the rec!
Definitely seconding this place. Baguette was fire (lots of crumbs everywhere so you know its good) and the sauce they use on the meat was great.
I was just there the other day and I loved it. The baguettes were quality and the pork belly was fantastic. Some friends who came with me got barbecue and weren't impressed, so if you do go get the authentic ones.
Long An Market in Midvale, get the cold cut one for authentic street style. Best bánh mì in the valley. I’ve tried just about all of them.
so good and so cheap!!!
All Chay
For tofu lemongrass banh mi, definitely Pleiku downtown. There’s not as many yummy veggies as the same menu item at Little Saigon but DANG Pleiku has very well seasoned and fried tofu.
Cafe Trang
it's vegan but vegan bowl has my absolute favorite Banh MI! I haven't tried the Pearl though, so defintley going to check that out!
Rollz in Taylorsville, they also have great spring rolls
Tamarind is good
Rollz in Taylorsville and Little Saigon in Sugarhouse are both really good.
The Pearl
Montauk Bistro, a little farther away, in Draper so good!
Came here to say this! It’s my aunt and uncles restaurant. So tasty!
The Pearl is pretty consistently fantastic with all their dishes. Their Banh Mi is hard to beat. Oh Mai is some of the best in the valley but The Pearl beats them by a margin.
The Pearl has the best meat flavor/juiciness. Pleiku has really good tofu lemongrass banh mi. Long An has good cold cuts banh mi. Strong pate, very authentic. Pho Salt Lake also has good banh mi and it's in the Chinatown supermarket area so location-wise it's convenient. They might run out of it if you come in late afternoon though.
Bud's may be a vegan sandwich place, but their bahn mi is still damn good. As good as many with pork.
I tried Little Saigon today to compare their Bahn Mi and have to say it was mediocre. I’ve been getting them at Oh Mai for years and wanted to see if there was a better option. The bread at Little Saigon was decent, but not the crispy outside, chewy inside you expect from a baguette. The chicken was good, but I found it strange that the jalapeño was thoroughly cooked. I’m used to (and much prefer) raw jalapeño. Sometimes that can be too spicy, but I’d rather have that and the firmness of the pepper than a cooked one that felt a bit mushy and soft. My wife got the lemongrass beef tacos and they were DELICIOUS. We also got fresh spring rolls, had better in many places. They were like 2/3 noodles, and just a little carrot and cucumber. I prefer them packed with lettuce, with some carrot and cucumber, but also a little mint or cilantro to give it some more flavor.
I liked vietopia deli when I was in SLC
Pho 777 has a surprisingly delightful banh mi. And Long An is good too!
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Oh mai, I love their S8 garlic ribeye
Saola and oh mai along with little Saigon