Y Nhu Bakery & Cafe

We came to Y Nhu's as recommended by a co- worker. Found the Vietnamese sandwiches everyone talked about, and their smoothies are super delicious. I appreciated the customer oriented attitude as well. Way to go, Y Nhu.

I usually enjoy food from Banh Mi Y Nhu, but this time I was really disappointed. The nem chua I bought is spoiled or moldy. I hope they check their freshness and storage more carefully next time.

If you ever wanted to expose somebody new to Vietnamese banh mi, you wouldn't be failing them here. Loved the grilled pork version. Incredible bread - maybe the best banh mi bread in town. The thin crunchy crust yeilds to the soft core as you bite through. The excellent paté is not overpowering, but is an optional add. Fresh crisp vegetables taste like they were cut to order. The thinly sliced grilled pork has the perfectly caramelized char. (They used to slice it overly thick imo, but have since made it better.) FYI: If you get the bbq pork, just know it has the skin on it. And it doesn't taste barbecued. More like steamed. Not the crispy kind of skin, but the jiggly kind. You got to be a little more hardcore to enjoy this one. Not a fan. The pork bao bun is in a league of its own. Absolutely outstanding. Perfectly seasoned pork and wood ear mushrooms, egg, and even a slice of fermented Vietnamese sausage: Nem Nuong; it was delicious. Plus, if you get there in the morning, they're still hot. In fact, speaking of morning, this is one of the few places in town you can get a fresh made banh mi at 8:30 a.m. Gimme this for breakfast any day.

Passed by this spot after lunch and decided to pick up a couple of bánh mì sandwiches for dinner. The place had quite a few Vietnamese-speaking patrons inside, which was a good sign of authenticity. We ordered the classic and the sliced fish cake bánh mì. While waiting, we also grabbed two dessert drinks—those were just okay. Before dinner, we gave the sandwiches a light mist of water and popped them into a preheated oven for five minutes. The result was perfect—the bread came out crisp on the outside while staying soft inside. Both sandwiches were packed with generous portions of meat, pâté, and pickled vegetables. We really enjoyed them.

Pros: the bread was crispy and fantastic, the daikon/carrot pickle and cilantro were perfect! Cons: Language barrier. Limited seating. Short staffed. Asked for no jalapeño but they added jalapeño anyways (I removed them before I took my photos). Meats were overly fatty and a bit chewy.