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| - Let's be real here, the UW Campus is basically a wasteland when it comes to good ethnic food. I know people rave about Mediterranean Cafe and Banzo, but when those places are your bastion for "good ethnic food" I can't help but shed tears of anguish.
Fortunately, there is a food truck called Saigon Sandwiches that is my go-to when I really want banh mi. If you don't know what banh mi are, they are Vietnamese sandwiches with a heavy French influence. The nice thing about the food cart is that they have pens and little pieces of paper that help you customize what type of meat you want (or tofu) and the toppings/condiments. It is kind of like Subway, except Saigon obviously has much better tasting food and none of that goofy feeling like you're on a conveyor belt and need to rush through everything.
It is true that you can probably get banh mi sandwiches in the big cities for 4.50 or so, but 4.75 for one of these is still a good deal especially when you consider that a similar-sized sub at Jimmy Johns or Potbelly costs about the same. And of course, these Vietnamese sandwiches are much better. As far as the options go, I always get the special combo. The meat is always tender, the pate has good flavor, and their bread is nice and soft. Last week, I cut up the roof of my mouth eating chips, but couldn't resist getting one of these sandwiches. As terrified as I was of the expected pain, the bread was crunchy but also soft enough so that I wasn't screaming uncle thanks to the cuts on my mouth.
I'm usually here once or twice a week. I tend to avoid going around noon because that's when everyone and their mother is lined up for their lunch breaks. I would definitely recommend stopping by if you are near Union South.
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