Mi Vietnamese Baguettes

I tried the pork banh mi with all the fixins plus the garlic sauce. Ingredients are fresh and the portion is plentiful. There is always a long line so prepare to wait, especially during lunch time. Your sandwich will be made promptly! Enjoy your sammy with awesome views of the sky tower just across from the shop.

Colour me a convert of this inner city gem, tucked on the side of a Gloria Jeans, the entrance is really off Federal St, not Victoria St BTW! Only three (awesome triumphs of taste) options — Mini bahn Mi, Regular bahn Mi and Salad style. Choose ya filling, build it with goodies (they have ‘recommended’ options marked) make it a combo with home made lemonade with ginger, which is freaking amazeballs on a hot day! Well any day really… Baguettes are made fresh each day and boy can you taste it. Friendly service and baguettes come wrapped in such a way that one can actually eat them — Yep, I’m looking at you, Subway. Anyway, this would rate in my top ten for under $ 15 in the CBD, just a pain if you need a park — maybe a K’Rd one soon? Oh, this is a literal hole-​in-​the-​wall so plan where you are going to go to relocate to as you try not to devour your bag of delicious…

This place is awesome. It’s really hidden but once you found it it’s like finding the end of the a rainbow. The customer service is great, the cashier was extremely nice and gave us great suggestions. The lemonade is by far the best I’ve ever tried. And finally the baguettes… So stupidly good! I’ll definitely going back.

Handy central location, great quality fresh ingredients, good price and prompt service. I have had a few Bánh mì around Auckland and these are superb, I prefer a slightly narrower baguette for easy handling. Looking for a quick work day lunch or weekend treat definitely check it out.

Prior to trying Mi Vietnamese Baguettes (‘Mi’), I had never tried a banh mi. Sure I’d seen them on countless menus, but I’m always the one to go for either the phở, rice paper rolls or vermicelli salads. So when I heard about this new banh mi place opening up in the CBD, I thought right, time to try one!
And now I’m a huge fan!!!
I’ve been to Mi twice now — I wanted to go back a second time before writing a review just to see if it really was amazing! And yes, it is! Fresh, healthy and delicious Vietnamese baguettes right in the heart of the CBD!
The first time I went to Mi, I struck up a conversation with two girls in front of me (I really wanted some advice on what to order seeing as it was all new to me). One girl was Vietnamese and thought the banh mi was pretty delicious and the other had just travelled to Vietnam and was super excited to try Mi out. They both insisted I order BBQ pork and said that the pâté, cucumber, pickled carrot/​turnip and both herbs were all musts. «And don’t forget the hot sauce!» they said. I wasn’t sure if the sauce would be HOT HOT HOT, so I chose sweet chilli instead. I’m glad I asked because it was the most delicious thing ever!
Their bread is baked fresh every morning. It’s crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle. The banh mi come with a generous amount of meat (or tofu), sauces and vegetables, plus lots of herbs (make sure you ask for both mint and coriander). Overall, an absolutely delicious experience — everything tasted amazing!
On my second visit to Mi I ordered the works, but this time tried the lemongrass beef. It was equally as delicious! Other fillings include: BBQ pork (with crackling), egg, lemongrass chicken, miso tofu and pork meatballs. I will most likely make it my mission to try them all! Also highly recommend their homemade lemonade — only an extra $ 2.50 with any purchase of a banh mi. It is made with mint and ginger also and perfect on a hot summer’s day!
Highly recommend Mi Vietnamese Baguettes — I guarantee it will be the tastiest lunch you’ve had all week!
[Side note — the address says the store is on Victoria St, but it is more like under the base of the Sky Tower, just down a small driveway off Federal St. Look out for the bright yellow décor!]

Small and sweet, this hole in the wall just off Federal St (behind Gloria Jean’s) is the latest addition to the culinary scene by the Sky Tower. Seating is absent save the concrete pavement walls outside. You can choose from regular and mini (not much smaller) crispy baguettes, pork with or without cracking, lemon grass chicken or beef, a range of optional fillings such as coriander, carrot and cucumber, either pâté or mayo, and condiments such as salt and pepper or villi sauces. The flavours are authentically Vietnamese and the service and delivery are flawless. A great place for a pre-​movie snack or lunch in the CBD. All they need to add to the menu to make it perfect is an iced Vietnamese coffee!

Mi is a hole in the wall serving made-​to-​order bahn mi — the Vietnamese trend in NZ continues…
Mi is the newest addition to Federal Street. It’s tucked down an alley between Gloria Jeans and The Fed Deli. It’s a great location, once you find it.
And once you do, there’s not much to it — it’s literally, a counter and some bench space — that being said, they’ve made the most of what they’ve got. They churn out bahn mi at a reasonable pace and they’ve made the small space to look ultra modern; bright yellow & grey exterior, potted succulents and geometric pendant lights — tres chic.
Their one error? Only having one entrance. Having to squeeze past the line to get outside is not ideal. Plus it’s like a sauna in there. Took less than 10mins for me to get my sweat on — I feel like another entrance or just an open front would have helped alleviate the heat.
Right, now to the bahn mi. I love that they make their baguettes fresh daily and I love that you choose your meat, sauces and salads but overall the flavour was a bit lackluster. The pâté needed more salt and the bread was super crunchy so eating it was a challenge. I also made the rookie mistake of saying no to mayo, which made it all a bit dry. I do love the generous serving of herbs and pickled vege though.
Mi has just opened so I would happily give them another go. After all, $ 9.50 for a bahn mi (which is quite large) is a good deal in central Auckland!