A well-made banh mi is a thing of beauty: a crispy, airy Vietnamese baguette filled with meat, tofu or veggies, smeared with pate, mayo, pickled vegetables, green onion, coriander, fresh chillies and drizzle of seasoning.
In Hobart, there are plenty of places to curb your banh mi cravings. Here’s our top five!
Head on down to Collins Court and grab a delicious banh mi from the yellow hole-in-the-wall – Banh Mi N’Grill! You’ve probably seen their little yellow food van at events like Franko Street Eats, plus they also have an eatery located in Moonah. These guys cook their meats on a charcoal grill (hence the name), giving their rolls a distinctive smoky flavour. Plenty of great seating options in Collins Court to enjoy your roll alfresco, otherwise grab-and-roll!
There is little doubt you haven’t noticed Ja and Jon, the yellow and red branded shopfront at the top of the mall. They are crazy popular at lunchtime and once you try one of their banh mi you’ll know why! They have recently installed self-ordering kiosks that has helped to manage the crazy lunchtime rush. And if the banh mi is simply not enough, you can get a banh mi + bag of chips meal deal – it’s the best of both worlds.
The new kid in the banh mi scene, Hahi’s Diary is tucked at the bottom of The Commons apartment building, on the corner of Bathurst and Watchorn Streets. Here, you’ll find Vietnamese food, desserts and coffee – including the Saigon Milk Coffee (with condensed milk omg *salivates*) and the Hanoi Egg Coffee (it is amazing, trust us – think tiramisu flavours!). We have it on good authority that they have an amazing vegetarian banh mi – but find out for yourself!
The iconic red and white Country Fried Chicken branding and red plastic chairs makes Saigon Express stand out from the crowd on the NoHo strip. One of Hobart’s OG banh mi hotspots, Saigon Express also have a sister restaurant, O’Grill, which also dishes out delicious Vietnamese cuisine. Saigon Express also win the award for having the most different types of banh mi to choose from – with a grand total of 10 (!) different options to fill your roll with, including country fried chicken and crispy salmon. For when a banh mi alone is not enough, grab yourself one of Saigon Express’ amazing lunchtime meal deals. These include combos such as Vietnamese coffee + banh mi, a banh mi + bowl of pho, OR a banh mi + two rice paper rolls.
If you’ve lived in Hobart a while, then you should remember Food Stop in North Hobart. Where Food Stop once stood is now one of Hobart’s favourite Vietnamese restaurants, Cyclo – named after the three-wheeled bicycles found in touristy areas of Vietnam. At Cyclo you’ll find seven different banh mi options including two different vegetarian options – plus a range of other delicious traditional Vietnamese dishes. There’s plenty of indoor seating, making it the perfect pitstop for a quick lunchtime bite or a pre-movie meal.
