Phamish Food Truck

40 min wait. Not even a long line. Not sure it’s worth my entire lunch time

This is one of my favorite food trucks in LA. I venture outside of the office in the Mid –Wilshire area a couple times a week to hit up the food trucks and always seem to come back to Phamish… I like the beef bun… The banh mai is pretty good, not the best I’ve ever had.
This is definately a food truck to check out if its in your area.

Yum! This is my second experience with banh mi, after the Nom Nom truck. I hate doing comparisons, because maybe they’re not fair, but whatever.
To me, the baguette was a bit softer here, which I appreciated. Still crispy, just not rock hard. The veggies seemed to be cut in thicker slices than at Nom Nom, so depending on your preference, that could be good or bad. I had the steak banh mi, and I thought the steak was pretty tender.
I also got the Vietnamese iced espresso, and like most «Asian» coffees I’ve tried, it was extremely sweet. BUT, it was super strong and not too milky, which I like.
I’d come back again.

I admit I was wrong in rating unfairly low with a cursory judgment of the truck’s food and services. I tried a bad egg roll and furthermore was turned off by the price of a bahn mi costing $ 7. I believe in giving a second chance despite arguments about price point and value, and especially since Phamish took their time to send me a personal message to convince me to give them another try, I am willing to give the truck the benefit of the doubt.
Thus begins my carefully calculated re-​review of my comprehensive
experience with Phamish: Meh.
It’s a fair game so I asked them for their best recommendation. Guy sort of drew a blank and just stood there staring at me for a while before listing all the types of meats they carry. No. I want your BEST recommendation. Your most popular. The one that gets sold the most. Apparently, there isn’t any, because the guy just shrugged and said, «Steak?» I don’t know; you tell me if this is the best you got. OK? Sure, why not.
The banh mi was a decent size — about the size of my forearm. The ingredients were julienne pickled radish, carrot, jalapeño and cilantro with steak pieces. The bread was crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. The vegetables were standard, and the steak flavor was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it was more salty than flavorful and the experience wasn’t as scintillating as I had hoped it would be. This sandwich was unmistakably a standard bahn mi that I’ve eaten at many stationary locations.
Really, now. Phamish needs to prove their point that they are NOT the average banh mi on wheels charging ridiculous prices. If the sandwich tastes just like one I had for $ 2.50 in SGV, what compelling reason is there for me to pay more than twice that to get the exact same product? I am happy to pay a premium for a product that is exciting, tasty, and creative, especially given that food on wheels is a convenience ONLY food trucks can offer. But with Phamish, I feel like I’m paying $ 2.50 for the sandwich itself, and $ 4.50 for the convenience. Since when is convenience worth more than the food itself?
I’m not about to foolishly pay for a disproportionately priced convenience factor, and my allegiance belongs to Nom Nom when it comes to banh mi on wheels. Until the service and food become fairly priced or shoots over the moon, I will not be seeking Phamish in the future.

Banh mi are pretty meh. Bread is a bit softer but the meat they use in the deli special varies from just ok to waaay salty for some reason.
Bun (rice noodles) are just okay. But they’re the only food truck that comes by and serves bun, there’s basically zero Vietnamese places around here, so «just okay» bun is doable. Grilled steak or pork bun isn’t too bad. Fish sauce is pretty plain, noodles are kinda soggy, the cantaloupe (at least in summer) is delicious…
Their spring rolls, though… just okay, but the variety is so good! Nem nuong spring rolls (grilled pork patty) are hard to get here on the westside and they always suck, so this works. Yes, we come back ’cause the alternative is (pretty much) no Vietnamese food at all…

I saw this at Hollywood Park track while I was with some friends bettin on some races. It was $ 1 hot dog and $ 1 beer night but it was past 9pm then they ran out of hot dogs.
So I decided to eat here. I ordered the Deli Banh Mi. It had cucumber in it which I didn’t like. So I had to take it out. Pâté wasn’t evenly proportioned throughout the sandwich. It was about 12″ as they mentioned though so that was good. I’d probably eat here again if it was close by but then again, $ 6 for a footlong sandwich ain’t that bad. Maybe I shoulda tried the steak banh mi instead. Always next time.

@eatphamish! Yay! I was so happy to see Phamish as one of the food trucks at the Women’s Expo. This truck had one of the longest lines at the Women’s Expo event. This has to be some indication of their goodness :).
I tried their Grilled Betel Leaf Wrapped Beef (Bo La Lot) $ 6 for 2 spring rolls. I got a 10% discount because I was a Women’s expo attendee but
the lady at the truck went beyond 10% and said I could just pay $ 5 even :).
The spring rolls were stuffed with filling. There was beef lettuce, cucumber, pickled carrots, daiko, bean sprouts and fresh basil and mint inside the two rolls made out of rice paper wrap. The beef inside was a good portion and it was wrapped in leaf just like the name :). The leaf wrapped beef was very tasty. The beef was also tender and lean. The veggies added a nice mix to the beef. I loved how there were plenty of veggies in the spring rolls. So healthy. The special sauce added a nice flavor to the rolls.
I ended up eating one for lunch and another for dinner. I even had enough to share with a friend. How awesome is that :).
I enjoyed the spring rolls a lot and am now curious to try their items.
Every one seems to be talking about their banh mi and so I maybe that will be my next purchase if this truck ever comes my way again. I also saw a whole bunch of people buying phở. I’m also a big vermicelli fan and so that maybe another thing I have to try… ahh so many good things to look forward too :)

OK I deeefinitely do not recommend the banh mi. It’s double the price offered at regular banh mi shops and not half as yummy. I actually gave away about half of the sandwich, which is not a good sign because I usually love banh mi — even sub-​par Lee’s sandwiches.
They are upping their presence in Westwood, which means I will be eating here more often because THERE IS NO VIET FOOD IN WESTWOOD =(. But I’ll probably just order the overpriced spring rolls instead of the overpriced banh mi. I’m excited to try the phở though, mainly because my other option is… Mr. Noodle. I’ll update when I do.

The answer to Ciara G.‘s question of «wanna eat a Banh Mi with me» is «Phở sure!»
Already eating my lunch PB&J the Mrs so lovingly made for me this morning for breakfast, I was starting to feel a bit hungry. Seeing that Phamish was going to be within a few blocks of where I needed to go for a meeting, figured I needed to give them a try.
With the steak at the top of the menu, figured that I’d start there and wasn’t disappointed with my choice. The meat was well marinated and the crunch of the pickled veggies contrasted nicely. There were a few jalapenos which were hardly noticeable and the garlic mayo was rather absent as well. I say this as a good thing knowing I needed to maintain impeccable breath for the rest of the day but in the future would ask for extra to make sure it’s on there.
I’d rank them ahead of Nom Nom and behind Mandoline Grill with regards to a «bahn mi truck» rating system.
Plus, if you print out their Unilocal page you get a free soda or water!

Nom, Nom? What’s that?
I got to try out Phamish food truck at the outdoor cinema food fest. Having tasted Nom Nom and not understanding what all the hoopla was about Bahn Mi, I decided to give their pork Bahn Mi a go. It was oh so yummy. The pork had great flavor and the bead was very tasty. I wish it had some more veggies in it though. All in all it was a good Bahn Mi but next time I’ll try something different.

Wanna eat a banh mi with me? It will make you happy!
Just ask Fanon P (GREAT TO FINALLY MEET YOU as i now no longer need to stalk your checkins), Lucy Y and Amy B if eating a banh mi with Ciara G made them happy. lol
This was my first time having a banh mi so I have nothing to compare it to. I went for the Steak and I really enjoyed my choice.
The steak was tender, lean and you can taste that it was marinated for some time. I could not get enough of the fresh cilantro leaves and loved the crunch and bite from the pickled vegetables. The menu said mayo was also on the sammie but I didn’t taste any and felt that more was needed to bind the mi all together.
The bread they use is really good. Crunchy and soft and I enjoyed how it was narrow so it makes for easy one hand eating.
Lucy ordered some Spring Rolls and they were mighty tasty. Whatever sauce they served on the side was super good.
Service was friendly and we got our order fast. Cash only on this truck and I totally appreciated the warning for the extra time needed to prepare items such as Phở and the Spring Roll.
With many more items I am interested in trying I will be returning to Phamish when famished for eats.

It looks like I’m eating Phamish every day, but really this repeat eat tonight was a total coincidence!
A friend of mine brought a couple of Deli Banh Mi sammiches ($ 7 ea) to a bonfire at Dockweiler Beach tonight, and we sliced them up and passed them around.
While I was a fan of the Grilled Steak and Grilled Betel Leaf Wrapped Beef Banh Mi sammiches, I honestly was not a fan of this one. It had turkey deli meat and cheese slices, along with the pickled veggies and herbs that come on all the sammiches. This combination didn’t hit my tastebuds in an appealing way.
But, it kinda did make me want to go back for another one of the banh mi sammiches that I DID like — so I can’t say that it turned me off to them in any way!
Next time, more beef or pork for me!

$ 5 lemon grass chicken banh mi. That’s only about $ 3 more than Lee’s sandwich plus tax. It wasn’t too bad but I don’t know about spending that much on a Vietnamese sandwich when I’m so use to buying two at that price. Dipped some hoison sauce on it to give it some more flavor. Also, the bread was pretty fresh and not too hard.
Shrimp spring rolls. Not enough dipping sauce. Though they were thick, full of ingredients. it was alright.
It didn’t take long to order and the guys in the truck were quite friendly. However, it took over 30 minutes to get the food. Quite chaotic. Didn’t seem like anything was in order. I was number #003 when I first waited and they were calling the 080s. It bounced to 090s then back to 080s back to 090s then 005 then who knows? Be prepared to wait. Everything is made to order.
Tried it one time and I think I’m good.

Phour stars for Phamish.
I saw the Phamish truck on Wilshire today, and felt like getting some Phở. I was disappointed to see the sign that the Phở and Spring Rolls have a 10 – 15 minute prep time.
So I ordered a Bahn Mi instead, and of course I was drawn to the steak. The beef was a generous portion of thinly cut slices that had been seriously marinated. Bahn Mi has a number of strong vegetables including jalapenos, cilantro, pickled carrots as well as garlic mayo, but the meat was flavorful enough to come through.
With tax it came to $ 7.68 roughly the same as a Quizno’s or Subway, but in terms of flavor, size and memorability, Phamish wins hands down.
«Gourmet Food Truck #6 on my never-​ending quest to try every truck in So Cal»

It is really, really unfortunate that the original Phamish truck got stolen, which was really a beautiful truck. They’re now in a temporary/​replacement truck and the service has gotten really, really slow and the menu has been cut down considerably to banh mi and spring rolls. With their snazzy truck they had before, it felt like they were really hitting their stride and food was coming out (relatively) quick, but now the wait has gotten so bad that even though I love their banh mi, it’s getting tough to justify the wait.
I’m vegetarian, so pretty much the main thing I get here is the lemongrass tofu banh mi, which I think is really, really good. It’s actually one of my favorite sandwiches from a truck, but every time I end up ordering one, what was formerly a quick and easy lunch is accompanied by a really, really long wait that can get a little absurd. I think the bread they use is perfect, despite the fact that the sandwiches are not as stuffed as say, the Nom Nom Truck, but the flavor is still really good.
All that being said, the wait gets really rough these days and you almost get anxiety before stepping into the line because the food takes so long to come out that you might be waiting close to an hour between the time you step in line to the time you get your food. I love your sandwiches and your spirit, Phamish, as you continue to press on and work really hard despite being a little down on your luck and I will update this review once you’re back to full strength!

I ran into Phamish Food Truck yesterday running errands in Sawtelle after work. I hated the fact that I had to battle traffic, but I needed to get to Nijiya Market for a few items. I turned the corner only to find Phamish Food Truck parked and serving dinner. My instincts switched on and I zoomed into the parking space behind the truck.
I did what I needed to do at Nijiya Market then headed straight for Phamished. Ordered the Lemongrass Chicken Bahn Mi and the Lemongrass Pork Spring Rolls. I was handed a coupon for $ 1 my next $ 5 or more purchase. I was thrilled to have gotten a discount from the guy who made my sandwich.
I walked and sat in my car to eat and to watch the traffic on Sawtelle creep about 5 inches ever 5 minutes. I had the Lemongrass Chicken Bahn Mi before and still enjoy it. Lots of marinaded chicken stuffed in a french baguette. Phamish always makes a Bahn Mi with more meat than pickled veggies. What I really like is the drizzle the cooked juices onto the bread for that added flavor. It’s a great sandwich!
I was so full from 3 bites from the Bahn Mi that I still went ahead and attacked the Lemongrass Pork Spring Rolls. I love these Spring Rolls. It basically is the low carb version of the Bahn Mi except it has more veggies and is wrapped in rice wrapper. The dipping sauce was pretty good, but I felt that the spring roll was tasty all by itself. This was a great Springroll.
I look forward to eating more Phamished when I am famished and on the go! I have yet to try their Phở. From the looks of the photos, it looks pretty good. Besides, I never had Phở from a gourmet food truck.

One Star! Maggie C came and bought Café Sua Da. They sold her old coffee. Who does this? Anyone willing to sell old coffee is a «eww me thinks not» in my book.
Unbelievable.

This review is strictly for its ca phe su da. We asked if it’s fresh and the lady said no. We didn’t get it.
I went back again and ordered it this time. $ 3.25 for ca phe sua da and it’s not even a restaurant? That’s pricey but maybe it’s good.
The coffee was weird tasting. I do not like condensed milk except ca phe sua da condensed milk. This condensed milk tasted funny.
2 stars!
Phamish Food Truck’s ca phe su da is not yummylicious!

Furlough day! = Truck time!
Work furlough days remind me of the good olé’ school days during my Kansas childhood. Those freezing days when you’d slowly be getting ready for school, waiting with bated breath to see your USD School District number (233! What up?!!) flashing on the bottom ticker of the morning news alerting you that school has been CANCELED. Let Final Fantasy VII begin! The only difference now is, it’s not freezing cold and food trucks are now actually a *thing*. But snow days ARE similar to furlough days in that I didn’t get paid for either! Oh schnap! Zing!
Went to Phamish on an errand-​packed furlough Friday after seeing it randomly on Wilshire around the vicinity of LACMA. It was like 2pm so no line, just walked up and ordered a grilled pork banh mi (pronounced bawn meh – that doesn’t help does it?). There was phở on the menu, but ummm… yeah…I’ll skip on that – not too fond of the idea of phở on a truck.
The french baguette was at least a 1.5 foot long pencil-d*ck, filled with deliciously marinated grilled pork (I’m talkin’ REALLY good, slightly sweet meat), fresh cilantro, julienned carrots, pickled daikon or radish, and cucumber, and a few fresh jalapenos for a kick. The baguette was nicely crispy and not too tough or gum-​cutting, the meat was tender, the veggies were crisp and fresh. Good job!
My only complaint was that, unlike Lee’s Sandwiches, there was no pâté, and the sandwich didn’t have much girth. Yep, no girth. I mean, my hand could wrap around it completely with my fingers touching. And I have girlishly small hands. However, since I refuse to drive to the nearest Lee’s Sandwiches and I never seem to run into the Nom Nom truck, I’ll consider this my only option for Viet-​sandwiches in LA right now. Good, but not the best I’ve had. Try it when you see it though – if you have 5 bucks to spare.

Pretty good. Horrible lines. I got to try this truck out when I went to the new Santa Monica Food Truck stop.
There were a few trucks there. this truck had the longest line. Since I went with my sister and bf I had her stand in line while we went to Fishlips to order some sushi.
So we stood in line and ordered sushi at Fishlips and the line at Phamish has barely moved! After ordering at Fishlips, we stood in line for another 10 minutes until we were able to order.
When we got there, they were already out of spring rolls and pork. We got the steak banh mi ($ 7) and lemongrass chicken banh mi ($ 5). This place charges tax… so it came out to $ 13.17.
Once we ordered, the sandwiches came out within minutes. Okay, maybe 5. They were pretty good. The bread was crispy. The filling was tasty. Although, there was a little too much garlic mayonnaise, and not enough meat.
It was my first time eating banh mi… and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I’ll probably come back and try the pork. MmMmm.
Oh yeah, by the time we finished eating the sandwiches, our sushi order came out. So… I guess if you look at it that way, phamish is a little faster.