Lee’s Cafe and Bistro

Although we haven’t ordered much from here yet, of the items that we have gotten, probably the beef jerky would be our favorite. Moist & full of flavor, just the way that it should be! The steamed buns were just okay. But, we would like to make a return visit to try more of their menu items!

This was a first visit to Lee’s Café and Bistro at the corner of 5^th and Washington in South Philly. The green awnings are inviting in this otherwise standalone renovated old house that sits in front of the 1^st Oriental Super Market on that same block.
It is not until you get to the front doors that you learn that the actual café is on the second floor, while the first is occupied by their café displays where you can get java and bakery goods to go, or bring upstairs. The dining space is very clean for a restaurant in this area, and the furnishings a step above the utilitarian space found nearby in Phở Ha. The walls are brightly painted and HDTVs hang from the walls. The menu is fairly typical for a Saigon house, but the servers are definitely more friendly and engaging than in most other Vietnamese joints.
We ordered Summer Rolls, Phở Tai and BBQ Pork Banh Mi, and recognized quickly that the prices were higher here than in the rest of the neighborhood. It must reflect the cost of the recent renovations. We hoped that the quality of the kitchen was likewise reflected in the pricing.
This was not really the case. The Summer Rolls were cool and fresh, with thin sliced shrimp attracting the most attention through the opaque skin, but also stuffed with Pork and Cabbage. The Peanut Sauce was a bit on the thin side and lacked any ground peanuts to supplement the textural experience. The Phở was only average in terms of the beef broth. Plenty of Sprouts, Thai Basil, Jalapenos and Lime Wedges, and a veritable bird’s nest of rice noodles beneath the surface, but lacking the subtleties of the finer phở venues. In point of comparison, Phở Ha, right around the corner and visible from there has far superior slurp for the demanding consumer.
The Banh Mi was fine — fresh and crunchy with ample BBQ Pork, Daikon, Carrot, Mayo and Cilantro. But, the roll it came in was neither baguette, nor Italian, but some crumbly hybrid that although fresh, lacked the body of the real contender. It wasn’t fun to bite through and chew. And, the cost at nearly $ 8. was far in excess of strong alternatives found nearby for under $ 5.
So, net/​net, Lee’s is a nice place to hang out and grab a bite in relative comfort while looking out the second story windows, but if outstanding cuisine is what you came for, you might find yourself underwhelmed. With so many exceptional Vietnamese shops in the immediate vicinity, I found myself thinking of them rather than enjoying where I was.

I went here the other night for a steamy, hot bowl of Phở, it was cold out and I can’t think of anything better than a delicious bowl of Vietnamese soup.
The owner, Lee saw me and came over to my table and after some holiday salutations he offered to prepare a special bowl of Phở for me.
I was surprised and honored and told him «Do your thing big guy» Mr. Lee brought out a big bowl filled with items I was not familiar with –oh I recognized the tender beef tendon, the crispy bean sprouts, fresh lime and basil, but this bowl had a few surprises!
I was like a kid in a candy store, pointing at items that I didn’t recognize, like the wine colored cubes and the huge slice of unidentified meat. Lee pointed at the cubes and said” that’s congealed pigs blood” and the meat was” a slice of pigs foot“
Okay, looks like I was gonna go deep.
I was surprised, the congealed blood was creamy and flavorful and the pigs foot fillet was tender and meaty (stayed away from the fat). I enjoyed a very satisfying and warmth giving meal.
I always enjoy the other dishes on the menu, especially the hoagies, the spring rolls, the broken rice dinners and the baked goods and the great coffee. It was easy to go deep at Lee’s Café!

Delicious, fresh Vietnamese food in a clean and welcoming dining room. The banh mi hoagies are always good, but I was just as impressed by the bun dishes and vegetarian options. It’s a very good addition to the Vietnamese options on Washington Ave.

This one jumped the shark. Now the sandwiches feature stale bread and massive globs of mayo. Oh yeah, and they raised the prices of the tofu banh mi to $ 7.75. Fuck you with your $ 7.75 banh mi! Back at the old location they were $ 3. Plenty of other places to get great sandwiches in this city.

Upgrade! I’ve been back several times since posting my first review and I’ve had positive experiences each time. Granted, I’m only spending about 5 minutes in Lee’s but it’s now easy. I order, pay and leave without any hassle. The sandwiches were always excellent and they remain that way. Perhaps they had to do some back of house training but it seems like they are running nicely now.

First time I’ve ever had Vietnamese. This place is gold.
I was in Philly last weekend and the dishes I had here made me a believer in Vietnamese fare.
I will write more later but this place is a gem in Philly. Don’t hesitate, come here now.

The first time I went there, I ordered a regular banh mi. It was very good. I gave half to my husband and he thought it was delicious and the meat was filling.
He decided to go back there the next day to grab a sandwich for lunch. Unfortunately, he said the bread was a bit stale and there was too much mayo. He decided to give it another try the following week… and again, the bread was stale. This seems to be a common occurrence.
To lee’s café: your meat is on point but please get fresh baguettes.

I was so pissed when Nhu Y, the small sandwich shop on the corner of 8^th and Christian, closed about a year ago. I thought for sure that the sweet old couple running the place had retired from the delicious sandwich making business. When Lee’s opened up on Washington Ave. fairly recently, I stopped in to try a veggie banh mi from the new kidz in town. When I walked in, I saw my favorite old dude from Nhu Y working there! I got my favorite from the old times, a veggie special. It was just as good as I remembered.

I think I have found my favorite Banh Mi an all of Philadelphia. The delicious Vietnamese hoagies being put together at Lee’s Café on Washington Avenue are incredibly textured and tasty. The roll is perfection. I loved the BBQ Pork banh mi. And on the counter they had one of the most delicious fruit chili sauces I have ever tasted. The girl working there couldn’t give a name to this sauce but whatever it was it was a perfect accompaniment to the various ingredients in the banh mi. And all this for $ 4.75…a total bargain!

Not a lot of banh mi competition in Philly so when Lee’s popped up, I had high hopes for this competitor. Lee’s offers a second-​level sit-​down restaurant for Vietnamese entrees and first floor café shop with a large variety of Vietnamese fare and French-​inspired baked goods.
I wanted to grab a quick bite on my way home in a torrential downpour and thought banh mi would satisfy that need. Thought I would come back to try the phở another time.
I was solidly impressed by the hoagie — got myself banh mi thit nuong (bbq pork). What made the flavor stand out? The egg mayo and homemade fish sauce heightened the bbq flavor of the pork and delivered a memorable bite. The baguette did not have the crispy texture that I’m familiar with, but the chewiness of the roll paired nicely with the texture of the meat. To push this to the next level, Lee’s needs to pay equal attention to their vegetable garnishes. The pickled carrots (lacked the crunch of daikon), cilantro, and jalapenos were all very mild. A wholesome sandwich needs all of its components to complement each other. Definitely has my attention though.
Not equipped for mass production because there is 1 – 2 staff members manning the shop downstairs so large bulk orders of banh mi will probably be a long wait. For 45 cents cheaper than its neighbor Ba Le, I’ll be back.

Remember that small hole in the wall shop on Christian near the 8^th St. intersection? Looks like they closed that down and opened Lee’s Café and Bistro and is run by their children I believe. There’s also an upstairs restaurant that I’d like to check out based on their banh mi’s.
— The regular banh mi (banh mi thit nguoi) is pretty good and they give a pretty generous amount. I place it 2^nd to Café Cuong but definitely better than the other shops in the area.
— You can’t find a lot of places that have BBQ pork, but they’ve had it every time I’ve gone and it’s flavorful and tender, but a little on the sweet side for me.
— The biggest surprise is their Special Vegetarian hoagie! I’ve always heard they had good vegetarian hoagies, but I always liked my meat so it never appealed to me. I decided to try it one day and I’m glad I did because I’d have no probably eating it over the regular hoagie. It’s tofu, but they’ve managed to get decent flavor into it!
For all of the hoagies though, I’d tell them to go easy on the mayo. all the hoagies I’ve gotten had so much that it just oozes out. The best part about this place is they have a special where you buy 5 and get 1 free (other places are usually buy 6 or 10) and they have ample parking in the small street next to the store or you can park in the supermarket parking lot to run in and grab some food.

I find myself doing this more often… trying to decide between 4 and 5 stars and having to round up.
5 stars for the banh mi (I guess people call them «hoagies» here?)
4 stars for the sweets
But let’s be honest… you go here for the banh mi, hence the need to round up. I was a huge fan of Nhu Y and almost cried when that old storefront became a Mexican (I think) joint. Thank you Unilocalers for helping me find its new incarnation! I do miss the old lady and man who made the banh mi’s at Nhu Y, but hopefully they’re retired and just collecting money now.
I’ve tried the special vegetarian, pork belly, ham/​pork roll/​pâté, and bbq pork «hoagies». My favorites are the special vegetarian and the ham/​pork roll/​pâté. The bbq pork is my least favorite as it seems they just pile in the chargrilled pork you’d normally see on top rice noodles. But it’s still good! Also, not sure why I’d get the regular vegetarian when the «special» is so spectacular. But I do plan on eating through all the banh mi options at some point. Their deal of «buy 5 get 1 free» is certainly tempting. My brain says no, but my fat gut says yes please!
I bought a few of their sweets but wasn’t impressed. To be honest, they tasted a little soapy or something not natural. But this was then they first opened, so I may give them another chance. The steamed buns certainly look good!
Best banh mi outside Vietnam! There, I declared it! But don’t tell too many people as I like the zero wait and decent prices. But do tell some as I want them to stay in business. So conflicted…

I stopped in here for viet iced coffee. YUM!
The yuca cake baked with coconut milk is also top tier. I will be back to try the viet subs… I mean hoagies. (I need to get used to that.)

I was excited to try this place when I heard that Nhu Y had been resurrected as a such. The bahn mi was better than I had remembered. The chicken (B4)$ 4.75, was superb! I do believe the search for the best bahn mi in Philly has ended. Chicken was moist and well– seasoned. Nice amount of mayo, carrots & daikon. Just the right amount of jalapenos for some heat. The bread was the real star. Dense and chewy; a cross between a baguette & ciabatta.
They also offer, sweets, steamed buns, spring rolls, croissants and more! The veggie spring roll ($ 1.25) was great! Not greasy and the filling had so much flavor, dipping sauce (not provided) was unnecessary. For dessert the steamed banana cake ($ 2) served w/​a side of coconut milk was a taste and texture sensation. Gotta try a steamed bun ($ 2) next time, for which I cannot wait.

Chicken banh mi is soo good. I’ve tried QT, Nam Son, and Viet Tofu, which are all «the best» according to my Vietnamese friends. However, Lee’s is SO much better. The bread is crunchy and soft, the chicken is well seasoned, the picked vegetables are perfectly sweet and sour and the sauce, oh the sauce, just tops it off. Get it with the jalapeño for the extra kick. Delicious. The taro steamed bun is good too; a lot of taro filling. The vegetarian steamed bun is ok; for me, the flavor was too strong.
*The chicken banh mi is hands down the best banh mi in the city. The best tofu banh mi is at Nam Son.

It’s great to finally have a café right in the area and with homemade food.
That being said… I’m particular and would like a bit more quality in coffee and pastries… call me a snob.
The restaurant on the second floor is arguably the best atmosphere of any of the other locations. The owner and staff were extremely nice and hospitable.
I had Phở with the meatballs. It was great, quality, plentiful, with the normal accompaniments. The price was about a dollar more than most in the area but the atmosphere trumps all.
The menu itself also had a lot of selection to it including some deserts.
I will definitely be going back here again. You can’t beat the atmosphere and privacy here. Great for a first date.
Go check it out !

Review for Viet Hoagie only.
4.5 stars
Wanted to pick up some sandwiches before we head to the park for a picnic. Saw Lee’s awhile ago but figured we’d try it out. I’m traditional and do cold cut. We opted for 4, instead of the buy 5 get 1 free deal. I didn’t want to commit to buying 5 and the sandwich not be any good.
There was only one girl working downstairs on a Sunday late morning. She was efficient and got our orders done since there weren’t anyone is ordering. When it came time to eat, my family and i were pleasantly surprised by the size… its fairly large compared to other places. Overall, i thought the hoagie was really good. The bread was nice, the spreads and the proportions were all good. The tiny miss was the meat slices were on the thick side (they do give a lot of meat to begin with). Some might like more meat, while others don’t.
I assume the overload in meat was due to the large size of the bread… it needed to get a good proportion of meat/​bread/​veggies etc. I couldn’t finish about 1 – 2 inches at the end because it was really filling. My cousin ordered the taro shake and said it was good. I can’t confirm. Overall, this is definitely a top spot for Viet Hoagies for me. Much easier/​faster to get to if you’re coming off of 95 and not traveling further west into South Philly.

Oh Nhu Y, how I thought I lost ye. Now renamed and in a new bright and shiny location, my favorite bahn mi place is back! You’ll want to have the special vegetarian (and this is coming from a meat eater). It’s not that the meat options aren’t good, because they are, but the vegetarian special is spot on.
Now they also have an assortment of buns (bbq pork, vegetable, and taro), dumplings, turnip cake, and a bunch of other delicious items. I haven’t tried it yet, but they also have a sit down restaurant upstairs now too.
The service at the counter is great. They are patient with any questions you may have and the food comes out pretty quick. I’ll be moving away from the area soon, but I’ll always come back for these bahn mi sandwiches.

I was a big fan of the hoagies at Nhu Y, the previous hole in the wall location of Lee’s new café. The sandwiches were simple, delicious, and well priced, my favorite being the vegetarian special.
The new location has all the old sandwiches on their menu but has greatly expanded its food options with more sandwiches, pastries, and more Vietnamese foods. I tried the spring rolls and the fried sweet potato, both were great.
They also have a nice sitting area upstairs too. I’ll be coming back here for sure.