Banh Mi Tour 2026: Six Vietnamese Sandwiches, Countless Beautiful Stories
The Great Banh Mi Tour of 2026
Over the past few weeks, amidst a stint of travel and doctor visits and reintegration into “regular life,” I’ve had the pleasure of touring and tasting banh mi around the Pacific Northwest. It felt like the perfect opportunity to generate a deeper excitement and appreciation for food.
For those who are unaware, I’m somewhat of a fiend when it comes to banh mi. Back in 2024, I even ranked six of my favorites of the year. In deciding which sandwiches had earned a rank, I evaluated each using four basic metrics:
- PLANT-BASED: Filled with tofu or vegan “meats”
- BREAD QUALITY: Preference for house-made and toasted-but-not-crunchy varieties
- FILLING-TO-BREAD RATIO: Strikes a fair balance between bread, protein and veggies
- DENSITY: Preference for “fresh” versus fried textures
This summary of the banh mi tour isn’t going to be ranked, but knowing what I tend to enjoy provides context for my experience—favorable or not.
Banh Mi Fresh – Happy Valley, OR
Before making it back to Washington State, there was a stop at Banh Mi Fresh. Interestingly, I had been to the restaurant before, but had forgotten to remove it from my want-to-go list. And both visits were… well, lackluster.
With a 4.9-star rating and hundreds of reviews on Google Maps, there was enough anecdotal evidence to have high hopes. The space certainly charmed me, being a lover of all things Southeast Asia. There are shelves of Asian snacks, and fresh bánh bao (dumplings) and bánh da lợn (steamed layer cake) line the countertops.
The Vegetarian Roll (banh mi), however, is not especially noteworthy. Its forget-ability is punctuated not even being listed as an option on the restaurant’s website. It can occur where Vietnamese shops focus more heavily on meat-based dishes, which sometimes means the “chay” (vegetarian) options suffer.
In the case of Banh Mi Fresh, it was a pleasant surprise to have sliced vegan meat instead of tofu. But the pickled vegetables were relatively zestless, and the bread-to-filling ratio was cumbersome. Other reviewers have commented saying the bread is freshly made which, if true, is a positive mark.
Cafe 79 – Kirkland, WA
Cafe 79 is a rarer find simply for the fact that it’s open on Mondays. Given its charming staff, accommodating menu, and tasty Vietnamese fare, this spot is frequently in my rotation.
As a disclaimer for future visitors, parking and in-house dining can occasionally be a nightmare. The establishment is nestled into a popular, albeit petite, plaza with restrictive parking rules abound. And then, once at Cafe 79, there seems to be a 50/50 chance the intimate dining room will already be full. In that case, I’ve historically braved the wait or ordered takeaway.
By now the kitchen is used to my palate’s antics. They are always ready to use fresh tofu for my banh mi and, being vegan-conscious, verify whether to use mayo and oyster sauce.
Enjoyed in-house or at home, Cafe 79’s flavors and quality are consistent. A bright and plentiful helping of pickled veggies marry perfectly with the tofu. At times the bread is a bit too crispy and crackly for my preference, but it has a delicious aroma nonetheless.
Happy Autumn Vietnamese Restaurant – Renton, WA
From the first time I visited Happy Autumn following a job, I’ve been enamored with its dining room. It has traditional cultural accents, aquariums alive with silver fish, and a massive, captivating mural of a mountain landscape. With no lunchtime crowds and a stream of gentle jazz playing, it’s intuitive to be at peace.
For vegetarians, there are actually two banh mi options here: one stir-fried tofu, the other fried egg. I gravitate towards the tofu, knowing by experience how tantalizingly flavorful it is.
Banh mi are always served in deli paper here—dine-in included—which is an interesting decision considering the waste. However, one bite is enough to reveal why, perhaps, the deli paper is necessary. The stir-fried tofu and vegetables are so wonderfully juicy that eating the sandwich is a somewhat messy, though delightful, ordeal.
The bread roll soaks up plenty of the stir-fry juices, but it is notably thick (a ding for the bread-to-filling ratio). The crust tends to be crisp and flaky to the point of adding to the mess. But with large, oblique-cut carrots, other sauteed vegetables and flavorful tofu, Happy Autumn’s banh mi makes it easy to overlook the crumbs.
Hi Pho – Renton, WA
Alas, not every banh mi experience is so blissful—and sometimes, the opposite is merely in another part of town. At more than 100 reviews and a 4.7-star rating on Google Maps, I thought Hi Pho might be another decent contender… when in fact, it served the most disappointing banh mi of the tour.
While the food menu boasts its vegan-friendliness, Hi Pho might be another establishment that garners more praise from its meat-based selections. The plates I watched go to another diner were ample, and indeed beautiful; however, my $10 tofu banh mi was certifiably scant.
The well-meaning staff were hesitant about my request for fresh tofu. They did end up honoring it—for which I was grateful—but the sandwich as a whole was lacking. The sauce was applied inconsistently, one half of the sandwich was almost devoid of pickled carrots, and the bread was both tasteless and falling apart. I had asked for no jalapeños, which were still included, while cilantro was missing entirely.
Food is food, of course, and I counted my blessings for having the means to afford a meal and the opportunity to support a family-run business. From an outing-enjoyment perspective, though, I’m not likely to soon return.
Yummy Deli – Everett, WA
On the other hand, one banh mi that I’m optimistically ambivalent about is at Yummy Deli. The restaurant, which has held onto a certain old-school charm with its neon signs and multicolored floor tiles, proudly displays its awards on the walls. During the lunch hour, patrons of all types milled in and out, swapping niceties with staff who’d clearly served them before.
I was on the move, so I didn’t get to stay for long. But for the handful of moments that I got to be a wallflower at Yummy Deli, I felt like a quiet member of the family.
When I dug into my takeaway bag later on, I chuckled: my sandwich was sealed with an American flag sticker. It was a cute adornment for an equally precious meal.
The banh mi was smaller than average, but the bread-to-filling ratio was optimal. Fresh cucumbers, pickled carrots, and vibrant cilantro almost counteracted the peppery tofu. My spice tolerance is relatively low, so by the time I got to the second half of the sandwich, I was reaching for water after every bite. That won’t keep me from going back, though—in fact, I very much look forward to it.
Rise & Shine Bakery – Edmonds, WA
Where I truly feel like family, through and through, is with Mai and Dat at Rise & Shine Bakery. I’ve been going there for upwards of three years, and whether they know it or not, a special corner in my heart is reserved for them. Bias (partially) aside, they were also the winners of my 2024 banh mi ranking.
Two years after my post, Rise & Shine is still holding strong on Google Maps with a 4.9-star rating. There was also a period of more than a year that, due to multiple relocations and a healing journey, I was absent from patronage. Yet, despite their fame and my absenteeism, Mai and Dat recognized me immediately upon my return. Before I even ordered, Dat was on the move with my Tofu Five Spice Banh Mi (no jalapeños or mayo).
With house-made bread and an elite bread-to-filling ratio, Rise & Shine cranks out the best banh mi I’ve found in the States. Period. Its combination of fresh-savoriness raises the bar, providing perfectly spiced tofu and a heavenly assortment of vegetables.
Time and time again, I’m transported to Vietnam through a flood of authentic flavors. Somehow this family has optimized true, homestyle Vietnamese cooking for the masses—and my relationship with food is healing all the more because of it.
Bonus Banh Mi!
On my first visit back to Rise & Shine, Mai insisted that I return on the weekend to try her vegan pâté. Pâté is a relatively common spread for banh mi, but due to its liver content, it doesn’t appear in the vegetarian options.
Being a popular place, the crowds (and subsequent parking constraints) can be a bit hectic on the weekends. I was eager to return, though—any excuse to visit again!—and was ever so glad that I did.
Mai had me try a spoonful of the pâté first. I wasn’t surprised to find that, like all her cooking, it was delicious. Having confirmed my approval, Dat went to work on a tofu banh mi with vegan pâté. It was a hearty, soulful creation: one that made food feel like less of a chore and more of a joy. For that, and their companionship, I am eternally grateful.
Six Banh Mi, Countless Stories
Like any journey, no two banh mi are exactly the same. In all their diverse flavors and varieties, there lies a whole lot of heart. Sometimes, in the midst of food critiquing, we forget that there’s a story behind every sandwich. Perhaps it’s an immigrant family running the restaurant, relying on members from several generations to keep operations afloat.
More broadly, that establishment relies on farmers, producers, shippers, and transporters all over the world. From rice paddies to vegetable fields and dairy farms to paper mills, many hands, hearts, and minds went into the production of each meal.
Then there’s you and me, the consumers of the banh mi. We are stories, too. And when we choose to partake in this ritual of eating, the food’s energy moves in and around us, shifting our piece of the world like the shards in a kaleidoscope.
Thus energized, we are empowered to keep contributing to these stories—the ones of “me” and the world—the ones of us, together, in these moments of time and space. What a precious gift to behold.
All because of banh mi. Who knew?
𑣲⋆ ⟡ 𓌉◯𓇋 ₊˚⊹ ♡