Banh Mi Hero

The best banh mi I had in Louisville was at what used to be Pho Binh Minh off of Strawberry Lane. The bread they used was absolutely fantastic. The owner said they got it from a private Bosnian bakery who only delivered the bread to them (sketchy sounding, but the bread was amazing). I was very sad when they closed down.

The owner of Pho Bin Minh told me he got his bread bread from JR's Bakery which was just down the street, in the strip center behind Rubie's on Southside Drive. I have heard the JR's changed hands & might not offer the same bread that they used to. That was the best bread/banh mi in Louisville in my opinion. To me the bread is 75% of the deal on a banh mi sandwich, and I am very disappointed that Lee is using the wrong kind of bread in order to save a few bucks.

Under the category of useless trivia (unless you're going to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl), recent episodes of the HBO post-Katrina New Orleans show Treme included several scenes at the Dong Phuong bakery. That's a real place and offers what's considered the best French bread in the city, as well as top-notch banh mi. They bring out fresh loaves every hour, and they're usually gone in minutes.

The best banh mi I had in Louisville was at what used to be Pho Binh Minh off of Strawberry Lane. The bread they used was absolutely fantastic. The owner said they got it from a private Bosnian bakery who only delivered the bread to them (sketchy sounding, but the bread was amazing). I was very sad when they closed down.

Aye.
Didn't realize they had closed down. I guess the change of hands went south quickly.

When my wife and I went this past Friday night the bread was fairly crusty. Rather comparable to Nam Nam's we thought. Maybe they've already changed over.

Yesterday I tried the Curried Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi. I'm no banh mi expert or purist, but I will say that it was a delicious sandwich. I'd love their aioli recipe, it was wonderful. The owner was there when I picked it up and he thanked me for coming in. The staff as a whole is very friendly.

I ate there yesterday. I'm eating there again today. Totes awesome food, brah.

Yeah I had the Saigon Hero last Friday night, take out 'cause I was at work. It was delicious, esp. the pate. Glad this place is open!

[Robin Garr]

Here's my review, in HotBytes and LEO this week. I liked it a lot, too, with a passing footnote on the bread.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20250

Pho Binh Minh isn't closed, I've eaten there 3 times in the past 2 weeks...

...and went w/ B2 (Grilled Pork Bahn Mi) each time. Best $3 in Louisville, as it has been for years.


The owners now are younger, but a cute couple. They bought it from his uncle, which I assume was the former older (also cute couple) owners.


Love that place, and am beyond Pumped to try Bahn Mi Hero.