Banh Mi Che Cali

When long-time residents are asked to identify Orange County’s most classic Vietnamese restaurants, Michelin-cited Pho 79 tends to lead the list for soups, and Lee’s Sandwiches is high on the list for banh mis: French-style baguettes typically loaded with at least one type of meat, sprigs of fresh cilantro, matchsticks of pickled carrots and radishes, sliced jalapenos and cucumbers, and generous dabs of mayo, possibly also a second sauce. While both of those places have built their local reputations since the early 1980s, there are plenty of other alternatives, notably including a chain of Little Saigon-based restaurants called Banh Mi Che Cali – alternately Bánh Mì & Chè Cali or Phở Bánh Mì Chè Cali. Open since at least the 1990s, they’re nearly as established as Lee’s, and arguably much better liked around here. The absence of a unifying website or social media account for all of the locations thwarts any attempt at calling them by a single name, but what typically ties them all together is a years-long promotion advertised inside and outside: “buy 2, get 1 free.”

At the Banh Mi Che Cali on Brookhurst in Westminster, menus above an ordering counter make clear that three categories of items are eligible for that deal: 12 baguette-style banh mi sandwiches (items 21 to 32), 12 circular (“French Bread”) sandwiches with the same meat options, and a collection of 14 different Vietnamese chè desserts – typically coconut or condensed milk-soaked beans, jellies, and/or puddings. Eligible sandwiches are $6 each or three for $12; desserts are $3 each or three for $6. The menu boards also list several sandwich and rice plates that aren’t part of the promotion, and the cash register is surrounded by a variety of pre-made Vietnamese dumplings, spring rolls, banh cuon, chicken-rice plates, and pancan cakes, with cha gio egg rolls, patechaud pastries, dough sticks, and sesame balls in separate containers. Loaves of bread can be purchased individually for 75 cents to $1.75, with bags of imperfect bread scraps at even lower prices.

For years, Banh Mi Che Cali’s appeal has been built on two factors – that freshly baked bread and its low prices – in spite of a persistent reputation for service challenges, in part due to line management issues. Over time, the prices have gone up and the service has in our experience become at least a little better; on our most recent visit (unlike our last several years prior), no pushiness was needed to get to the head of the line or place an order. What’s stayed the same is the bread quality, which continues to combine a perfectly crispy and just-thick-enough crust with an airy, soft pillow center that cushions any meat, veggies, and herbs inside while absorbing only the edges of sauces. Though we prefer the banh mis at THH Sandwiches overall, the bread here is impossible to fault.