Pickle Banh Mi Co.

Affordable Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches with uncommon (and common) recipes

Banh mi sandwiches are (thankfully) ubiquitous in Orange County, thanks as much to small family restaurants as a growing number of small chains specializing in variations on the concept. Founded in Garden Grove back in 2018 with three additional locations either open or opening soon, Pickle Banh Mi Co. offers a full array of traditional banh mi flavors, most notably a popular dac biet/house special version with cold cuts and pate. It also sells baked pate buns, croissants, egg rolls, spring rolls, and a small number of classic Vietnamese noodle bowls.

More interesting are several less common banh mi options, including Vietnamese fish cake, turmeric fish, Spam, crispy pork belly, and a double-thick pork version of the house special. There’s even a Peruvian-style lomo saltado, which tiptoes near the burger or steak sandwich line with beef (filet mignon), onions, and fries.

We’ve visited once, and liked but didn’t love the sandwiches we tried – bread and veggies were super fresh, meats were only okay. While the roughly $7 per sandwich prices remain pretty reasonable given the diversity of its offerings, there are many other places serving affordable banh mis, too, so we haven’t rushed back.

However, Pickle stands out as one of the area’s more interesting banh mi shops thanks to its willingness to experiment with ingredients, and recently began introducing new rice plates and spring rolls based on some of its most popular proteins. We’re considering a revisit in the near future.

Stats

Price: $-$$
Service: Counter/Drive-Thru
Open Since: 2018

Addresses

12372 Brookhurst St.
Garden Grove, CA 92840
714.537.7060

16086 Harbor Blvd.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714.852.3070

Instagram: @picklebanhmico