Healthy vietnamese fusion dishes. Good diversed menu and sauces to choose. Veggies are fresh, Protein is adequate. Price is fair.Vegetarian options: You can tell them to sub meat for tofu or avocado.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sav Pork Bowl, Lemongrass Ribeye Beef Wok Fried Rice, Spring Roll, Pepper, Lemongrass, Spicy Mayo, BBQ Pork, Shrimp Spring Rolls, Surf & Turf Bowl, Steak, Savory BBQ Pork
Micaela El Fattal
Incredible Vietnamese sandwich. I had the grilled chicken and it tasted so amazing. I also had the surf and turf fries, which were really tasty but still had the Vietnamese spices and flavoring on the meat. It was pretty good. The banh mi was very filling and the chicken was thick pieces. Both meals could have easily been shared, they were very large portions. They told me that my order would be done in 10 minutes and it was probably done even faster. I highly recommend checking this out.One thing to note is the prices online are not the prices in the store. Both items were around $13 dollars, but definitely still worth it. The sandwich was as long as much thigh!
Good place for a quick bite amd just the right size lunch and tea.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Shane McEvoy
I would go
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Flora W.
I got the bbq pork cali bowl. It was ok. They give you a small sauce and when you ask for more they charge you extra.
Eric S.
Visited Cali Banh Mi for the first time and opted for the dac biet banh mi and spicy noodle. The soup's broth lacked depth and was disappointingly lukewarm. The unconventional "bun Bo hue" was decent, generously loaded with meat, though not your traditional Vietnamese flavor. The banh mi was massive, boasting ample meat, but there was an elusive missing element that left me undecided. It's not the typical Vietnamese cuisine, but I acknowledge the attempt to showcase our culture. The modern ambiance was pleasant, the service was ok. Overall a 3-star experience--just okay.
Jonathan B.
Amazing and fresh! One of the best places to eat in San Diego! Service was amazing as well!
Christopher T.
Cali Bahn Mi is totally fake Vietnamese food! California takes on existing foods is horrific at best and this place does the worst possible version of Vietnam cuisine.
Brendan Bullivant
Worst banh mi I’ve ever had in my life. The bread looks like it was squeezed out of a tube and has no discernible flavor or texture. The bbq meat itself was inedible, chewy and just bad. Not even sure how this place can call their creations a banh mi.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Grilled Marinated Chicken Banh MI
Actor 3.
Vietnamese restaurants pride themselves on fast, accurate service. Food took too long and they don't even have Phoa. Delivers my order to the wrong person. A "spicy" noodle soup with cheap noodles and the chili sauce in a completely separate container. Worst Vietnamese food I've ever had. Hipster joint that needs to go old school. Never again.
Love this super low key spot for dine in or takeout. Although we mostly do takeout we've sat on the back patio and inside once and found the restaurant to be nice, clean and very chill. Vegetarian options, love the tofu bowl with cilantro lime dressing. The service is always quick and friendly. Kids & husband love the steak bowls and bahn mi sandwiches. Fun that they also serve baguettes, a nice treat for the kids. The veggie spring rolls w/ peanut sauce are also delicious. I'd say any of their sauces are worth trying! Parking is tight so just be prepared for that. We've never had trouble finding a spot, but it's a very small lot.
Constantine Kiriaze
Worst Vietnamese coffee ever. Didn’t try any of their food though. Service was friendly. Parking is pretty tight. But seriously, had to throw it out, still have that lingering taste..
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Judy Lyn A.
We were craving banh mi, and this place satisfied it. The surf and turf banh mi were delicious. We also ordered some surf and turf banh mi fries, chicken banh mi, and honeydew slushy, which were all good.
Constantine K.
Worst Vietnamese coffee I've ever had in my life. No joke. Service was friendly tho. Didn't try any of their food. Horrible location, so don't bring a car? But seriously, had to chuck it, still have that horrible lingering taste. Wish I had more hands to give this coffee four thumbs down.
Greg L
Why does this place have 4.5 stars? The food is awful for the price. The banh mi bread is garbage and the meat is not tasty. Really want to stress: it’s way overpriced for the poor quality of the food. Highly recommend avoiding this place.
Healthy vietnamese fusion dishes. Good diversed menu and sauces to choose. Veggies are fresh, Protein is adequate. Price is fair.Vegetarian options: You can tell them to sub meat for tofu or avocado.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sav Pork Bowl, Lemongrass Ribeye Beef Wok Fried Rice, Spring Roll, Pepper, Lemongrass, Spicy Mayo, BBQ Pork, Shrimp Spring Rolls, Surf & Turf Bowl, Steak, Savory BBQ Pork
Incredible Vietnamese sandwich. I had the grilled chicken and it tasted so amazing. I also had the surf and turf fries, which were really tasty but still had the Vietnamese spices and flavoring on the meat. It was pretty good. The banh mi was very filling and the chicken was thick pieces. Both meals could have easily been shared, they were very large portions. They told me that my order would be done in 10 minutes and it was probably done even faster. I highly recommend checking this out.One thing to note is the prices online are not the prices in the store. Both items were around $13 dollars, but definitely still worth it. The sandwich was as long as much thigh!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Marinated Chicken Banh MI, Fries
Good place for a quick bite amd just the right size lunch and tea.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
I would go
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I got the bbq pork cali bowl. It was ok. They give you a small sauce and when you ask for more they charge you extra.
Visited Cali Banh Mi for the first time and opted for the dac biet banh mi and spicy noodle. The soup's broth lacked depth and was disappointingly lukewarm. The unconventional "bun Bo hue" was decent, generously loaded with meat, though not your traditional Vietnamese flavor. The banh mi was massive, boasting ample meat, but there was an elusive missing element that left me undecided. It's not the typical Vietnamese cuisine, but I acknowledge the attempt to showcase our culture. The modern ambiance was pleasant, the service was ok. Overall a 3-star experience--just okay.
Amazing and fresh! One of the best places to eat in San Diego! Service was amazing as well!
Cali Bahn Mi is totally fake Vietnamese food! California takes on existing foods is horrific at best and this place does the worst possible version of Vietnam cuisine.
Worst banh mi I’ve ever had in my life. The bread looks like it was squeezed out of a tube and has no discernible flavor or texture. The bbq meat itself was inedible, chewy and just bad. Not even sure how this place can call their creations a banh mi.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Grilled Marinated Chicken Banh MI
Vietnamese restaurants pride themselves on fast, accurate service. Food took too long and they don't even have Phoa. Delivers my order to the wrong person. A "spicy" noodle soup with cheap noodles and the chili sauce in a completely separate container. Worst Vietnamese food I've ever had. Hipster joint that needs to go old school. Never again.
Restaurantji Recommends
Love this super low key spot for dine in or takeout. Although we mostly do takeout we've sat on the back patio and inside once and found the restaurant to be nice, clean and very chill. Vegetarian options, love the tofu bowl with cilantro lime dressing. The service is always quick and friendly. Kids & husband love the steak bowls and bahn mi sandwiches. Fun that they also serve baguettes, a nice treat for the kids. The veggie spring rolls w/ peanut sauce are also delicious. I'd say any of their sauces are worth trying! Parking is tight so just be prepared for that. We've never had trouble finding a spot, but it's a very small lot.
Worst Vietnamese coffee ever. Didn’t try any of their food though. Service was friendly. Parking is pretty tight. But seriously, had to throw it out, still have that lingering taste..
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
We were craving banh mi, and this place satisfied it. The surf and turf banh mi were delicious. We also ordered some surf and turf banh mi fries, chicken banh mi, and honeydew slushy, which were all good.
Worst Vietnamese coffee I've ever had in my life. No joke. Service was friendly tho. Didn't try any of their food. Horrible location, so don't bring a car? But seriously, had to chuck it, still have that horrible lingering taste. Wish I had more hands to give this coffee four thumbs down.
Why does this place have 4.5 stars? The food is awful for the price. The banh mi bread is garbage and the meat is not tasty. Really want to stress: it’s way overpriced for the poor quality of the food. Highly recommend avoiding this place.
Food: 1