Banh Mi Ba Le Vietnamese Sandwich Deli

Reviews

• Mei L.

  star star star star star 22 July 2026

  Located near the strip mall on San Pablo and Cuttington, this small mom and pop sandwich shops is a must stop for a cheap and easy lunch. I usually get the number 1 combo. which has everything and it is the perfect size to put in my small handbag(to sneak into movies). The average price is $3.75-$4 and it does take a little longer than places like Cam Houng, but be patient and you will be happy in the long run. They also have shrimp rolls and package rice/noodle dish.
  
  There is a parking lot for al the restaurants there, but it is in walking distance to El Cerrito BART and bus lines.

• Victor G.

  star star star star_border star_border 14 July 2026

  Banh Mi Ba Le Vietnamese Sandwich has been here for years. space is small, little seating. lines to buy banh mi.
  
  0fferings: various kinds of Banh Mi (3)
  -usual order of pate, combo, or the siu mai
  -all come with the usual jalepeno, garnish, daiko, cucumber slices, and cabbage. slight splash of fish sauce with a slight smear of mayo/pate.
  -banh mi is slightly different than oakland's version. different baquette , slight combo of ingredients. it's tasty but in a nontraditional way.
  
  crumbs:
  -parking plentiful if not at peak times
  -service friendly, courteous..

• Christine N.

  star star star star_border star_border 28 June 2026

  This small shop in the heart of El Cerrito had nice sandwiches at low prices. There are various goodies throughout the store. I arrived later in the afternoon on a Saturday, so I was a bit bummed that I missed out on some of the packaged goodies. Keep in mind that this spot is cash only! There is one table inside and two tables on the outside. It was a lovely day so we enjoyed our sandwiches in the outside tables.
  
  This was my boyfriend's first banh mi ever. The verdict...he absolutely loved it. After just one bite, he says that he's taking a sandwich to go. It made me really happy to see him enjoying it. I had the banh mi dac biet (classic), which has the traditional ham and pork slices. My boyfriend had the banh mi thit nuong (grilled pork patties). He ended up really liking my sandwich more, I mean you can't go wrong with a classic!? I've always loved the complex flavors of the banh mi with the delicacy of the meat, the cilantro, pickled carrots and jicama, French butter and pate, and the crispy fluffy bread. It's been so long since I've had a banh mi that I was happy to be immersed in it.
  
  I've had my fair share of banh mi, but this was my first one in the Bay. I still think the best banh mi is in SoCal in Little Saigon area. I may be biased, but I don't think I'll ever find a place that will compare to SoCal banh mi. This place has authentic roots that stand out with its sandwich. However, there were certain areas that fell short for my expectations. The bread for one is the most important component of the sandwich, it gives it texture and compliments the different pieces of the sandwich. The bread here was definitely on the harder side resulting in the outer bread parts to easily crumble. I also thought the French butter and the pate did not shine in this sandwich. You should be able to taste the French butter and pate in every bite. I had wished there were more pickled carrots and jicama since that's my favorite part of the sandwich. The pork slices in the classic banh mi had more tendon pieces in them and not as enjoyable to eat. I found the thit nuong (pork patties) to be on the drier side. I feel like there is some compromise with the freshness of ingredients. It could be that I came in the afternoon and the food was prepared earlier in the day. I've just been to banh mi places that constantly were making fresh food and I think my expectations may be high for banh mi places. Overall, my boyfriend really loved his first banh mi and I enjoyed sharing that experience with him.

• Lena J.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 27 June 2026

  I ate lunch here and started vomiting ~6 hours later. The only other food I ate that day was oatmeal and vegetables I cooked at home, so it's very likely that I got food poisoning from eating here - specifically I believe the shrimp papaya salad made me sick.
  
  I wish I had looked at their health scores before eating here - the critical violation of "proper hot and cold holding temperatures" shows up repeatedly, including on the most recent inspection. There's even a Yelp review from Feb 2016 that mentions sushi and shrimp on a salad being held in a non-functioning cooler. Probably the banh mi is ok safety-wise, but I would definitely avoid the packaged food (and obviously I personally will not return here).
  
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  Some other info:
  
  They're cash only. They serve banh mi and noodle soups, in addition to prepackaged food (that I would avoid for the above reasons). I tried:
  
  - #7. BBQ char siu sandwich (banh mi xa xiu) ($3.50) - very good value. The bread isn't super great but it's toasted; overall tasty and for the price you really can't complain.
  
  - Shrimp papaya salad ($4.50) - low quality shrimp probably made me sick. The box in the display fridge outside is just papaya and carrots, but I bought it assuming the rest of the ingredients were probably underneath. When they weren't I returned to ask about it (and got the response "Oh, you wanted shrimp? Some people don't like it, you know." ???) but they took my box into the back and gave me a different salad with shrimp/peanuts/cilantro a few minutes later. Besides the shrimp it wasn't horrible but it definitely wasn't worth the food poisoning.

• Patty B.

  star star star star star 26 June 2026

  I've been going here for years and it's the best Vietnamese and on the go spot for when you're in the area. Super affordable, everything is made to order, and you're supporting a mom and pop shop!
  
  Their Banh Cuon and Banh Mi sandwiches are the way to go.
  
  They've got a table inside and a table outdoors if you want to stick around to eat. Parking is limited, but I've never had trouble finding a spot.
  
  This spot is cash only, so be sure to come ready.