Lee’s Sandwiches

Go for the café sua da! The sandwiches are average. Because of the chain atmosphere, the quality just isn’t there. But the Vietnamese ice coffee is really good.

Oops, I’ve been to Yes Plaza so many times and I never bothered to visit Lee’s! This is my first time in many many years.
It’s exactly what you would expect of a small deli/​sandwich shop. It’s busy during lunch but they work pretty quickly. I feel kind of weird walking in to what feels like the place is a little dirty and the air needs to be vented. I have to pray that the food is even decent and won’t make me sick.
I think the typical sandwich to get here is #4 grilled pork. They will add pickled veggies and spicy peppers. If you can’t take spicy, ask them to leave out the peppers. I forgot to tell them this time, but they didn’t give me much. The sandwich didn’t make my entire mouth burn at all, like it usually does.
Lee’s is pretty famous for their strong Vietnamese coffee. I agree it’s good when you really need it. I’m just happy with their Thai iced tea, which is probably not fresh, now that I think about it. The milk (or cream) is already mixed in with the tea. Usually Thai places will serve the tea and add the milk on top.
Well, it’s cheap and a quick lunch fix! Can’t expect too much I guess.

Came in to buy an iced coffee with condensed milk an a smoothie for my daughter. I told the mgr i wanted very light ice because they tend to overfill the ice. When I get my drink the cup is only ¾ full and I ask her why it was not filled tot he top and she replies that their actual coffee content is only 8oz and if I wanted she could fill the rest with ice. WTF? Why would you sell a 12oz cup of coffee if you are only gonna put 8oz of actual liquid. Never again Lee’s!!!

This is a very slow Lee’s sandwich location. Service is not that great. I go here because it’s the closest to my house. Given a choice, I probably wouldn’t. They do bake the bread here, that’s a plus. But the sandwich is average. Parking sucks! It’s hard to find parking here and when I do find parking, the space is so tiny.

** cash only **
I’ve had Lee’s Sandwiches for awhile and to me, it’s cheap food that’s filling and moderately healthy.
I always get the Special Combination, I believe it’s #11 — there’s like two or three cuts of meat, the pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, jalapeños, and also the pâté! That’s my favorite.
If I don’t get the Special Combination, I get the Grilled Pork which isn’t bad either.
Recently, the bread has been hard to bite through, but hopefully that changes!
I also just learned that you can call in your order and just pick it up, which will come in handy because it does get a little busy during the peak hours.

It has been a while since I have been at a Lee’s Sandwiches. It is not because I don’t like it, but because I just don’t stop by as often. My favorite sandwich is the banh mi ga which is a warm chicken sandwich. My other favorite is the banh mi ba chi cha lua pâté, which is a cold sandwich with sliced cold meat and liver paste. Liver paste does not sound appealing but it is so good.

I use to work here. In the back there was just a black line of ants, it would get into the ice machine and I’d find frozen ants inside of the ice cubes, as well as on the spouts of the syrup and powder bottles for the smoothies, as well as the soda spouts. It wasn’t unusual to see them infesting the food and drink area in the back, as well as just the nasty bucket in the back that was never emptied that we used to wipe down the surfaces in the back too. So disgusting. Unless you want to eat some ants, please be careful!

Oh, Lee’s, you’re not without your problems, but your bread has ruined me for all sandwiches outside of France (and my dad’s pb & cheese). This was our first Lee’s, and so will always have a place in our hearts, despite closing early every night and it being so hard to find parking in this plaza. A bonus is that it’s steps away from Jungle’s coffee boba.
I don’t know what people are saying about the bread being old and hard. Every time I’ve gone the bread has been fresh and soft, and the aroma of baking bread fills the air.
I prefer the Euro sandwiches, while the DH likes the Asian ones. As for drinks, we like the passion fruit juice and iced coffee best (though they can be stingy with the coffee). You can see more detailed reviews of individual sandwiches and drinks in my review of the 24-​hour Garden Grove Lee’s on Brookhurst.
Currently the DH is working his way through the entire menu (eating by numbers), so check that review for updates. Hopefully eventually every sandwich they make will be reviewed there.

Apparently they don’t take gift cards, what a waste of my time. There’s no way I’m driving to Rosemead for fuckin iced coffee. If someone’s able to purchase a gift card THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE IT. anyway, I hit up wing stop after that lol

+1 for the coffee. They put in a lot of crushed ice but the flavor can’t be beat. If you like strong make you stay up till the next day and than some coffee, Lee’s coffee is for you.
Sandwiches on the other hand not so much. Lee’s is a chain and it tastes like one. The bread is too dry and hard making it difficult to even break apart much less chew. Ingredients are a hit or miss as well. I’ve definitely had better when it comes to vietnamese sandwiches. At unlikely places too.
I don’t like the location either. I picked this place because its close to where i lived/​worked and i drive by here all the time so might as well. So difficult to get in and out of the tiny (yes) plaza.
Only redemption is the coffee. Come for the coffee and only the coffee.

Orange juice taste like it has handsoup inside. The sandwiches don’t taste as good as mr baguette in garden grove. This is like a run down version of vietnamese sandwich shop. Avoid and go to tommys. The meat here just isn’t fresh and there bread taste plain.

Still love Lee’s Sandwiches no matter what. I love their grilled chicken with extra cilantro and their #1 (combo sandwich) Of course, don’t forget their amazing strong coffee.
Sandwiches here are cheap and reliable. Love coming back to this location as they are always pretty acomoddating.

Staff at this location is very friendly. My favorite is the grilled pork sandwich — #5 ($ 2.99). Although it is not an authentic banh mi, it is a combination of the some of the freshest tasting bread and most generous amount of ingredients of the many locales I’ve patronized.
tip — they accept cash only

Best ice coffee ever!
I mean ever!
But that 1.50 debit or credit card charge dough.
Also did I mention that their coffee is amazing.
Did I mention that?
Did iiiiiii!!!

I just came in to order an iced coffee and the chicken sandwich. The chicken was slimy and had fat all over it. I don’t know if this is the way Vietnamese chicken is traditionally supposed to be made but I took a tiny bite just to see if it magically tasted better than it looked and NOPE! Just as disgusting. I never return food but considering I just spent 5 dollars and was still in front of the restaurant I had to try.. The manager told me that just because I don’t understand the way her food is cooked doesn’t mean I can go in and request a refund. «Giving you back your money is out of the question» so I was like hmmmm I don’t think anybody likes their chicken slimy or covered in fat. I just left the sandwich on the counter and took off.
The coffee, unlike other lee locations I have frequented, had about 90% ice and the rest ACTUAL coffee. Typically it’s about a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ ratio. As an avid Vietnamese coffee lover this was such a heartbreak for me.
On top of that! They charge 1 dollar for using your debit card… Fuuuuuuuck this place. Not coming back.

Not going to lie, Lee’s Sandwiches is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine. I guess it all started off with when I used to live off of their sandwiches as a poor college student years ago.
Their sandwiches are by no means the most authentic banh mi sanwiches you can find, but the taste is always pretty consistent. I think the size is the right amount of food and I always feel satisfied and not insanely full after one sandwich. My go to order is the #14 pork roll sandwich with pâté. I ask for less veggies and it is the right amount to balance out the meat. I wash it all down with a small vanilla iced coffee.
So delish. So cheap. So reliable.

This is a small shop located in the YES plaza.
Lee’s Sandwiches back in the day was freaking amazing! Now, they just skimp on the meats and I don’t know why I keep forgetting and keep coming back. This is like the King Taco of Vietnamese sandwiches… back in the day, they were generous with the portions, and now, they’ve raised the prices and cut back on the meat. Not good!
When I do forget that Lee’s sandwiches goes easy on the filling, I get the combination. I’ve been getting the combo since I was probably 5 and it has meats that I don’t know what’s in there… one is pink and pretty… but it’s good and liver pâté. I LOVE the pâté but sadly, there’s always just a smudge of it.
And when I want to buy fresh baguettes, I always come here. It’s waaaay better than the supermarket «fresh» baguettes. It used to be only $ 1 but I think it’s just a little bit over that now. They also sell their baguette ends in a bag for $ 1. so basically their trash is your treasure. you just have to pay for it.
The one thing I WOULD go to Lee’s for is their coffee. it’s strong, delicious, and flavorful. .guaranteed to wake your ass up!

Gotta love these guys that put Phở into a sandwich. What a great bargain and this place is very clean. The prices are very reasonable and they are fast. The service was good and is just the right amount of food.
I love this place but the family, well not so much. So I go when I am in the area alone.

Another solid Lee’s location.
Service was super fast, my bahn mi came out right when I sat down.
Toppings are skimpy, but at $ 3 a sandwich is an excellent deal!
Like their coffee and always take a baguette to go when they are fresh, also for a buck can’t be beat!
Not the best or most authentic bahn mi, but for price and availability 3 stars for Lee’s!

Summary: 3 stars due to inconsistency in quality over the years. Updated 4÷28÷16.
When Lee’s Sandwiches hits the mark, it is SO good. But you don’t know when that will happen, and I remember having as many misses as hits for various reasons.
Banh mi portions at this location have been a roller coaster. Back in 2008, the foot-​long sandwiches used to be around 3.5 inches wide and stuffed fully; in 2014, they were 2 inches wide, stuffed meagerly, and more expensive (went from $ 2.50 to $ 2.99). Also in 2014, I got ripped off when I ordered extra meat for $ 1.00 and it didn’t seem like there was a difference. Now in 2016, the sandwiches are big again but price is about $ 3.50. Extra meat also does have more meat again.
One good thing through all this is that the taste was always there: the flavor of the meat, carrot, and pickled radish have stayed the same despite the whack proportions. Like once I only got 1 sprig of cilantro in my sandwich. Baguettes have also been consistently good in texture (soft and chewy) even if the size changed.
Vietnamese coffee is also good, but only for the first 5 minutes when the ice has not melted yet and it tastes super strong and robust.