Restaurant Review : Saigon Sandwich, San Francisco CA

Saigon Sandwich
560 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
415-474-5698

* Does not accept credit or debit cards
* Some parking outside on Larkin Street, but it's usually crowded
* No delivery or seating, take-out only
* Fairly close to Civic Center MUNI station, city bus runs down Larkin

In the middle of the Little Saigon area of downtown San Francisco, just between the urban blight of the Tenderloin and the giant government buildings of the Civic Center, lies Saigon Sandwich. An unassuming little place, it is nevertheless stuffed with customers during the lunchtime hours. It's perhaps been the main force in popularizing the Vietnamese bahn mi (baguette) sandwich with people of all ethnicities in the city.

The shop serves up sandwiches on lightly toasted french bread, filled with your choice of meat (shredded pork, bbq chicken, pâté and pork loaf) as well as thin-sliced carrots, cilantro and a bit of jalapeno. After winning some sort of Best Cheap Food In The City Awards in several major local papers it is now packed every day with various government workers from the Civic Center area as well as people who just appreciate a good cheap and healthy sandwich - they cost only about $2.50, yet are larger and more filling than comparable deli/Subway sandwiches that cost more. Since Saigon's mass success a number of similar sandwich places have popped up in this area, but Saigon still makes a sandwich that beats most (if not all) of them, thanks mostly to quality ingredients.