Boi Sandwich

So I have never had banh mi before in my life and all the recent press and blog coverage really got me salivating to try some. The flavor combination sounded really interesting to me and the idea of wrapping it all up in a sandwich form sounded like it had the potential of becoming an awesome sandwich. Also, one of my favorite blogs, MidtownLunch, did some coverage on a new branch of the Boi chain called Boi Sandwich that opened up recently which walking distance from my office. It was a long walk, but still doable for lunch. Last Friday the weather was too gorgeous to pass up so I met a friend there to pick up a couple sandwiches and enjoyed it at one of the nearby public spaces.

If you haven’t had banh mi before, its basically a bunch of south asian ingredients in a french style baguette (yay colonialism). The boi version includes cilantro, a spicy carrot & daikon (radish) mixture, cucumbers, a meat of your choice, a mixed meat & mushroom pate, and an avocado (which isn’t common). The pate flavor isn’t that strong. I hate liver and didn’t have an issue with it being there. The rest of the vegetable additions were great and made the sandwich burst with flavor. Zach has a great photo and breakdown of all the ingredients here.

For my first banh mi experience, it was pretty good. All the fillings were great and full of flavor and the bread was tasty too. The only bad thing I have to say about it is that the chicken filling I got as the meat portion of the sandwich was dry and overcooked. I am sure at $7.50 it was ridiculously overpriced, but it is midtown and they do have to pay their rent somehow so I am okay with it. And as Zach says, regardless of the fact it is overpriced its still one of the best sandwiches you can get in midtown for $7.50. I think I’ll just have to go again to try the more traditional version of it and report back. I know its a tough job, but someones got to do it… =)

Eventually, I’ll get around to trying the numerous other banh mi places that have been getting so much publicity recently. Feel free to post any recommendations.

Boi Sandwich
708 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10017
(212) 682-1117