My favourite *cheap* banh mi place in the city thusfar. The bread is an actual baguette (thin & long) - it's lightly toasted and it's crunchy and flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. The filling is bit less than what you'll get at Nguyen Huong, but no real complaints - I've had their cold cuts and their BBQ pork and I like them both. The bread is much better and that clinches it for me.
In addition, there are a few seats inside and you can eat your baguette or order their noodles/soup. That's a nice plus.
However, this place is relatively expensive. Compared to the $2.50 'large' banh mi at Nguyen Huong, the regular-sized banh mi here is $2.75 tax included. Yup - I'm balling out of control.
If you can afford the finer things in life and the extra quarter, I recommend Banh Mi Ba Le over Nguyen Huong. Until next time, champagne wishes and caviar dreams.