Top 5 Banh Mi In Chicago - Steve Dolinsky

Truly great sandwiches are studies in contrast. The soft chew of a Leidenheimer French bread encasing warm, fried shrimp, crisp lettuce and tomatoes in a New Orleans po’boy at the Parkway Tavern; the perfect crust of a D’Amato’s loaf housing a bevy of thinly-sliced, appropriately fatty Italian meats, dressed with fruity olive oil and thick slices of eggplant at Bari; even something as simple as a well-constructed club sandwich can make me swoon – as long as the bacon is crisp and the bread is properly toasted. Yet for my money, the Vietnamese banh mi ranks as one of my all-time favorite sandwiches.

I think it’s a combination of the exquisite French bread (a result of French colonization in Vietnam that left behind a devotion to properly made daily bread), along with the crunch of pickled daikon and carrots, plus the bracing jolt of sliced jalapeños, occasionally shards of white onion, fresh cilantro and squirts of salty soy or fish sauce (or both). Purists will ask for head cheese, a shmear of pâté on the inside of the bread and some sliced pork or ham. I’m just as happy to have lemongrass pork or Chinese sausage as the featured protein.

There are several places to find good banh mi in Chicago; usually within a bakery, such as Ba Le or Nhu Lan. Even easier, most people simply head to Argyle, the “Little Vietnam” of Chicago, in the Uptown neighborhood. But there are still a few that exist outside of the neighborhood that are worth seeking out. Here are my top 5:

1. Nhu Lan

2612 W Lawrence Ave

Chicago, IL 60625

(773) 878-9898

www.nhulansbakery.com

(Bread comes from on-site bakery)

Also: 602 W. Belmont Ave., (773) 857-6868

2. Bun Mi Express

3409 N. Broadway

(773) 661-2228 http://bunmiexpress.com

(Bread comes from Gabby’s in Franklin Park)

3. Ba Le

5016 N. Broadway

Chicago, IL 60640

(773) 561-4424

www.balesandwich.com

also:

2141 S. Archer Ave. (Chinatown)

312-528-6967

(Bread comes from on-site bakery)

4. Del Seoul

2568 N. Clark St

Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 248-4227 http://delseoul.com

(Bread comes from Ba Le Bakery)

5. Saigon Sisters

567 W. Lake St.

Chicago, IL 60661

(312) 496-0090

www.saigonsisters.com

(Owners won’t say where bread comes from)