Alien Sandwiches

Sandwiches are good. I was skeptical at first but they pulled through. We got the deli and a beef. Be warned, I don’t know why they don’t use slices of grilled beef instead of this meatloaf looking beef. It’s kind of gross in my opinion, but my girlfriend likes it. She says there is good flavor. The deli cold ham is basically the Dac Biet if you’re familiar with Vietnamese Banh Mi. Sandwiches are good. Nice length for the price too. I only dinged a star cause they only had the Deli, Beef, and Chicken when I came. No pork or meatball): Well I’ll be back for another attempt. Clean place inside. They also sell Phở and Spring Rolls and such from what I saw other customers eating, but there was no menu for that stuff so I don’t know. Recommended.

This place is a fantastic bahn-​mi sandwich place in downtown long beach! The prices are great, the people are nice enough, and they make good bahn-​mi sandwiches. I would rate them as being better that Mr. Lee’s, which I think is their closest competition in terms of bahn-​mi. I have actually eaten here a few times in the last month because I like their sandwiches so much. Definitely an awesome addition to the downtown long beach food scene!

The four star rating is for the phở. I would rate cleanliness and décor at two stars.
The chicken phở was delicious. The broth was flavorful and light — a lot less greasy than the typical beef broth based phở at typical Vietnamese restaurants.
The décor is sparse and the tables and chairs were in disarray. There is a big TV and huge mirror at the back. You can eat, watch TV, and watch your back all at the same time.

We were 15 minutes away, I decided to phoned in ahead to place an order for 6 bahn mi sandwiches @ $ 4.75 each. Best move I made in a while, my hubby dropped me off at the front door while he circle about to find parking. (Parking is scarce)
The sandwiches felt warm through the plastic bag. making a mental measurement the sandwiches looked about 12″ in length. Bahn Mi sandwiches consist of pickled sweet, sour carrots, daikon (Asian radish) mayonnaise, patè, jalapeños, cilantro, cucumber and your choice of grilled meats or Asian deli cold cut meat.
I had lemongrass meatloaf, by the time I eat it, the meat was already cold. Still had great flavor. I bet when it’s warm probably tasted even better.
My hubby and son had 2 sandwiches each, deli combo and grilled beef. My son preferred the deli cold cuts and hubby liked the grilled beef better. My friend had the sweet grilled pork. He liked it and asked where I bought it from. I of course the pig that I am, had to have a bite of each flavor. I personally liked the grilled beef, a little hint of bbq smokiness, salty, tint of sweet. The grilled pork is too sweet for me, but still tasted great. The deli cold cuts, it was ok. I didn’t care for the taste of patè lingering in my mouth, but not bad. Overall sandwiches were warm at the time I picked it up. Even when it was cold the bread were fresh, sandwiches still yummy.

My man & I dropped in to try their Banh Mi’s about a month ago. We ordered their pork Banh Mi, with a taro smoothie, & lychee smoothie. Their pork Banh Mi are really good, probably the best in LB. fresh & the bread is perfect! As for my taro smoothie it wasn’t good enough for me to order again, & they had messed up my man lychee smoothie with a flavor we didn’t know (& it wasn’t good.)we didn’t realize it up until we drove off. Lol anyway I came back today to try their chicken Bani Mi, & my man got the beef. I didn’t like the chicken but the beef was delicious. We also tried their Phở selection. Very disappointed. They definitely take short cuts. & their broth wasn’t hot enough that it didn’t cook my raw meat, & the broth turned red from the meat. I ended up not eating it, & I never complained to them. I do recommend their pork, & beef Bani Mi’s.

1^st time and here and must I say, I am a fan. I got the grilled chicken sandwich, med spice, and it’s perfect! I can’t wait to come back to try more.

Great sandwiches!
Everything is fresh and made to order!
I asked for fried egg and they put fresh veggies that they literally just cut specially for that sandwich!
They don’t prepare anything in advance so it keeps all the ingredients fresh!

Wow this such a pleasant surprise. I ordered the grilled pork banh mi and it was so flavorful. Also the bread was the perfect amount of toast; warm, soft on the inside, but crunch outside. My only criticism was that they don’t add enough pickled veggies and cilantro.

Not enough phở spots in the LBC in my opinion. A little out of my way to get here but I’m always up for finding new places to eat. Had their large beef phở which had generous amounts of meat and noodles. The broth is really delicious! Also had their Acai Matcha smoothie which I will definitely come back for.

Glad I have a banh mi place close to work.
Good stuff, as good as Che Cali. Going to have to try the phở next.

Great little spot for phở! I had the beef medium size bowl. Good selection of meat, delicious broth, and they give you a decent amount of sprouts, basil, and lime. The broth was so good that I didn’t need to add siracha. Not bad for the price $ 7.75
Sometimes they have egg rolls and those are tasty too. Their iced coffee is also really good. Haven’t tried the sandwiches but I’ve only heard good things from from my neighbors.
Definitely worth checking out.

Great Phở!
Since taste is subjective, I’ll try my best to articulate why I think their Phở is great:
1. Broth (key element I believe) are tasteful because you could tell it has been simmered for a long time.
2. The rice noodles are tender.
3. The meat are sliced thin — making them easy to eat.
4. If you’re lucky, you get fresh garnishes such as herbs (sometimes they run out) to go with the bean sprouts, slice of lime, etc.
My only wish is if they are open earlier and stay later. The East Village needs more late night eateries.
Man – I’m hungry for another bowl of Phở after writing this!!!

I like this place… I really do BUT… the Binh mi sandwiches are really good BUT Mr. Lee’s are better… the phở is ok BUT so close to Westminster it’s tough competition. What I love about this place is that it’s super convenient for me to just walk to from my loft. Service is great, staff is always friendly.

Although I love this place, I’m giving them 4 stars bc of their time schedule. It’s not accurate on Unilocal.
The phở is good but not the best. However, it is better than what you would expect at a sandwich spot.
The acai-​green tea shake is SO good! def a must try. it’s very unique in flavor & so tasty.
Their sandwiches are pretty good as well.

I ordered the grilled beef banh mi and their iced almond milk tea! The staff was very friendly, and the food was delicious! The restaurant is also very cozy and cute, with a shrine of Buddha.
For the grilled beef banh mi, I loved that it wasn’t an overbearing sandwich. They had a few fresh greens, a light sauce, and a couple of strips of grilled beef. And to top it off, the bread was soft. Every bite was satisfying!
For the almond milk tea, it wasn’t too sweet and it was refreshing, especially in this hot weather!
Definitely recommend checking it out since it’s not expensive at all.

WHENEVER I’ve tried to eat a this place its been closed -.- PLEASE update your hours! Each time I’ve went during the «open» hours. Sigh

Really good bahn mi sandwiches — fresh ingredients, quality baguette. Inside is small but clean & simple. Great value

I ordered a mango smoothie. Waited about 10 minutes for just a smoothie, and the place was empty. The cashier could care less about anyone but himself and it was very very very hot inside.
Onto the smoothie, it was waaaaay too sweet and tasted more like a artificial juice blend than a healthy smoothie option. I guess I should’ve expected less.
I probabaly won’t be back.

Located in Long Beach. This sandwich shop I came in with colleagues for sandwich and found Vietnamese sandwich offerings and beverages. The visit had a daily special phở.
The staff was quick to greet us and provide some background on the choices. Order and payment is taken up front. My order was the beef phở.
The kitchen staff was prompt to get order made. The bowl came fairly quick. The broth was hot and had multiple layers of complexity demonstrating a dedication to the product. The protein was more on the cooked side then I preferred but fair amount was offering. Noodles were easy and required little resistance to separate vermicelli. I usually add sprouts, mint, lemon, srirachi. Not much was needed to enhance.
Overall I enjoyed the fast service and delicious phở. I will come back to try the sandwiches someday when I go through town.

If I find out there are noodles nearby — I’m there.
The people who run this place seem really nice, and curious about customers and their input.
I ordered a large phở tai, and a Thai tea with boba.
I sat down, and Tarzan appeared on Netflix.
When my food arrived, it was so neatly contained (big plus).
I had to ask for a dipping dish, but that seems to happen to me a lot.
The broth was flavored just perfect for phở.
I could probably sit and sip it on a nice cold day.
The beef cut was my problem.
The majority of my beef was thick, and had a thick slab of fat attached to it (I’m used to the thin slices of beef at most traditional Vietnamese restaurants).
I personally don’t like fat on meat like this because texturally, I can’t agree with it.
That said, I plan on returning, because I do see growth opportunities in this restaurant.