Open banh mi sandwich packed with tofu, herbs and salad

The Banh Mi Bar (Closed)

For those of you that don’t know, a banh mi is basically a Vietnamese baguette and the best place (that I’ve found so far) to get one in Edinburgh is The Banh Mi Bar. They’ve been around for a while but only recently opened their second branch in the city — they now have one on Market Street and another in Bruntsfield.

I went to visit their newer branch in Bruntsfield for a spot of lunch. Located across from the Bruntsfield Links, they’re in a super location for anybody taking a stroll through the meadows, peckish and trying to avoid grabbing a stale meal deal sandwich from the nearest convenience store. 

In order to try more of the menu, I ordered two banh mi’s from the cooked section of their menu so that my partner and I could go halfers. The menu was pretty simple (if you’ve read my content for a while you’ll know this is exactly how I like it!). 

Exterior of the Banh Mi Bar
Exterior of the Banh Mi bar
Seating, fridge and decorations inside the Banh Mi Bar
Interior of the Banh Mi bar

Before going in, I was under the impression that it would be a ‘build your own’ type of sandwich place. However, instead, they had a cooked, cold and salad section to choose from. They did also have a sides section with items such as Vietnamese rolls. These were sadly sold out when I went so was unable to give them a try!

The two cooked banh mi options I ended up ordering were:

  • Sliced pork belly with a caramel glaze, garlic mayo, sriracha, pickled carrot and daikon apple julienne, spiced apple sauce and topped with coriander.
  • Fried tofu with ginger, maple, soy & sesame, vegan mayo, sriracha, pickled carrot and daikon, mixed herbs and Scottish dulse seaweed. 

Both items were perfectly curated and had the perfect amount of crunch to balance the protein…why don’t we add pickled carrot and daikon to every sandwich ever?! Not only were the fillings great, but the bread was also soft and fluffy on the inside with a thin, crispy exterior…in order words a perfect sandwich. 

Banh mi sandwich
Fried tofu banh mi
Banh mi sandwich
Sliced pork belly banh mi

I truly believe this is such an amazing lunch spot, especially for all you sandwich lovers! The love & effort they put into each banh mi with them being cooked and made to order made each one extra special. It’s also really refreshing to see a menu have options for meat eaters, veggies and vegans without any dietary requirement feeling like an afterthought. 

Lunch from The Banh Mi Bar may cost more than a Sainsbury’s meal deal but it’s certainly worth the money.

Disclaimer: This was a PR Invite but all views are my own.

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