8140 S Rainbow Blvd Site C, NV 89113
Open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Open on Sundays from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Accepts cash, credit card, Apple Pay
Grade: B-

Banh Mi House is a small, family-owned grab-and-go spot that recently opened off of Rainbow and Windmill. If you’ve been craving some real Vietnamese banh mi, this place is for you.

When I first walked in, the store felt very compact. From the entrance, there was just enough space for one table and the counter where you order. While the space was small, they did a good job working with what they had. The wall on the left was decorated with bamboo and flowers, showing that they went for a more modern design to give the space a cleaner atmosphere.

While I couldn’t enter the kitchen, it is easily viewable from the counter. It was kept clean and organized. The cooks in the back were working together in harmony in an orderly fashion. When I went up to the cashier, not only was she friendly, but she was straight to the point when taking my order.

I ordered the Saigon Special, Grilled Chicken Banh Mi and a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which is quite a big order for the restaurant. To my surprise, the food came out in less than five minutes, which shows how speedy and organized the restaurant’s team is. Since the restaurant only had one table, which was occupied at the time, I was not able to sit down to eat my food. I took everything to-go and went to a local library to try everything out. First up was the Saigon Special ($8.00). Right off the bat, I could tell this banh mi was authentic. Every sandwich on the menu has cucumber, pickled carrots, jalapeños and cilantro. I was immediately met with an explosion of flavor. The jalapeños gave it a nice kick, yet the refreshing sliced cucumbers put that fire out. While lighter on the meat, their special had a very unique twist to banh mi: pork sung. Pork sung, also known as meat floss, originated in China and is essentially just dried meat. I never would have expected pork sung inside of a banh mi, but it worked surprisingly well with the other flavors.

Next up is the Vietnamese Iced Coffee ($4.00). As someone who is a big fan of coffee, especially Vietnamese coffee, I had high expectations for this drink. Thankfully, those expectations were met. This was one of the best Vietnamese coffees I’ve ever had here in Vegas. The drink was presented unmixed, which displayed the layers of the roasted coffee, eventually blending into the condensed milk. It was a little depressing to ruin the colors by mixing them up, but I wanted to taste all the flavors together in the first sip. Upon the first sip, I was hit with that strong coffee bitterness, but it was soon overtaken by the sweetness of the condensed milk. The overall texture of the coffee being sipped down presented a silky smooth drink.

The last thing I tried on the menu was the grilled chicken banh mi ($8.00), my personal favorite from this establishment. Something that I didn’t mention yet is how perfect the French bread is. This goes for both of the sandwiches. They bake their own fresh bread every day, making it perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This sandwich also consisted of the same base ingredients as the Saigon Special, except for the meat, which was grilled chicken instead. From the first bite, I noticed that they loaded this sandwich with way more meat than the Saigon Special. While the jalapeño in this sandwich felt a little overpowering, the liver paste made up for it. The liver paste’s texture was similar to mayonnaise, yet had a very unique taste that blended all the flavors.

All in all, Banh Mi House was an enjoyable experience. From the freshly baked bread to traditional Vietnamese recipes, Banh Mi House presented some of the most authentic banh mi I’ve ever had. This place is definitely worth a visit and is the type of place you could go back to.