Attention Denver foodies — bánh mì is having a moment right now. Westword food reporter Helen Xu has been sampling her way across the local sandwich scene to investigate, and we asked her to dish up the goods on this tasty topic.
First, a Little History
Recognized today as a staple Vietnamese street food, the bánh mì as we know it now was adapted from the French following their colonial rule of Vietnam. The traditional ham-and-butter baguette was reimagined by the Vietnamese to incorporate mayo and pickled veggies. In Denver, the sandwich made its debut in the 1970s as refugees from the Vietnam War settled in the city’s westside, where today you’ll find flavor combos spanning the gamut from “pho-rench dip” to spicy tomato-sardine.
So What Makes a Bánh Mì a Bánh Mì?
That’s the question — Xu interviewed Denver’s bánh mì scene stalwarts for her recent in-depth reporting on the topic, and everyone seems to have a different interpretation of what defines the sandwich.
“The traditionalists will say it has to be this French bánh mì bread. … But Thoa Nguyen of Bánh & Butter says it’s the fillings,” Xu explained to us on the City Cast Denver podcast. “Then I go on to Lee’s Sandwiches … and he was like, ‘It just means sandwich.’”
Xu credits the ambiguity to globalization and personal taste. But at the end of the day? “It’s a delicious sandwich that’s fun to talk about and fun to eat,” she says.
The O.G. Bánh Mì
According to Xu, these are Denver’s oldest still-operating bánh mì shops, started by Vietnamese for Vietnamese.
📍 Ba Le Sandwiches | 1044 S. Federal Blvd.
📍 Vinh Xoung Bakery | 2370 W Alameda Ave.
📍 Baker’s Palace | 550 S. Federal Blvd.
📍 New Saigon Bakery | 640 S. Federal Blvd.
Some New Faves
But the options and iterations are only growing — some newer recommendations from Xu include:
📍 CôNu’s Corner | 4400 W. 29th Ave. (Sloan’s Lake) — Xu’s current personal fave!
📍 Lee’s Sandwiches | 2905 W. Alameda Ave. (Valverde)
📍 Bánh & Butter | 935 E. Colfax Ave. (Aurora)
📍 Ca Phe | 3911 E. 120th Ave. (Thornton)
📍 Banh Mi Station | 2439 S. University Blvd. (University)
📍 Golden Banh Mi | 2648 S. Parker Rd. (Aurora)
Hear more from Helen Xu on Denver’s best bánh mì on the City Cast Denver podcast 🎧
