Rebel Heroes

Mobile Banh Mi?
Nope, but it’s good though, even though it’s not exactly banh mi. It’s a quick sandwich shop that’s a little cheaper than the surrounding stores (Ballston).
They stole my idea of a mobile sandwich cart that travels from town to town though. I’ve been thinking about quitting my job as a software developer and becoming a full time sandwich engineer. The hours are probably worse and it’s a significant pay decrease, but I won’t have to worry about CMMI, status reports, scope creep, and my 3 bosses… damn I’m in the wrong field…

As someone intrigued with the whole food truck movement but without enough time to really leave work for that long at lunch, I was THRILLED to see Rebel Heroes in Rosslyn the same time I was. I’ve been stalking their website/​Twitter account for a few weeks now, but only now have our two roving paths through the region finally intersected.
After about a 20 minute wait (lunch on a Friday, with a good crowd of 15 – 20 people waiting), I got my Macho Meatball bahn mi. The combination of flavors was great between the delicious pork meatballs and vinegar-​y carrot/​daikon. It wasn’t as spicy as I’d expected, although maybe that was my decision to skip the mayo. Plus, the bread was a little hard on the sub-​roll ends, and it wasn’t hot anymore (maybe from the long line).
Cost: $ 8.50, for sandwich + guava Jarritos soda (nice and sugary) + chips
Would I go back? Yes. Will I obsessively hunt down the truck like I was before? No. But if I ever find myself hungry and next to the Rebel Heroes truck, I’d jump on line.

The sandwiches are good. I tried the original Banh Mi and the meatball Bahn Mi. I think i like a little more cilantro on my sandwiches, but overall it was good and the quality of food was great. The sandwiches don’t seem overly large, but looks can be deceiving and they can definitely fill you up!
The service is great too — the two gals in the truck work hard and really appreciate their customers!

Caught up with the truck this afternoon, so glad I glanced over the street to Rosslyn metro.
Delicious & juicy vietnamese meatball sub (Macho Meatball) made my crappy day much better! Got double meat for $ 1.50 more and it was packed. Kicks the proverbial rear-​end of Quiznos or Subway. Filled with Cilantro, carrots, cucumbers, mayo, and soft roll, but the very tasty pork meatballs stole the show.
I hope they keep coming back!

My little sis treated me to lunch here today. I was sort of expecting true banh mi, and by doing so I sort of set myself up for disappointment.
In a nutshell, RH’s bahn mis are not really bahn mi, or at least nothing like the ones I’ve had from Eden Center. Not only are the sandwiches three times the price of what you can get in the EC, they are lacking punch, spice and not to mention pâté!
What I did have (#1, pork banh mi) was fresh and tasty, even if a little dry, but the roll was delicious. As for the inside, there was lots of pickled radish but not much else, and overall it was a little bland.
Per other Unilocalers recommendations, I’ll be back to sample a meatball sub. I always try to give a place more than one visit. Note: the wait is long, but that’s a curse of food trucks in general. We had to wait more than 20 minutes for two subs and there wasn’t much of a line.

Finally found the truck. I have been chasing it for a week now ;-)
The chicken banhmi was excellent and so was the macho meatball.
Tan (one of the owners) is very friendly. She encouraged me to try the macho meatball and I am glad I did. It was delicious.

Great change of pace from the usual city fare. Unfortunately, residents and workers of Northern Virginia are the lucky ones who may queue up for banh mi as they have yet to venture into the District.
I have yet to venture into the super hero banh mi — or whatever they call them — but the roast pork and roast chicken sandwiches are great. The handful of times I’ve had the pleasure of Rebel Heroes for lunch, it’s been a mixed bag on the bread. Some times a bit stale.
Have to disagree with Gigi that $ 6 is a great value for a great sandwich. Tasty banh mi at a Vietnamese deli like Ba Le or elsewhere will get you a massive foot-​long version stuffed to the brim for $ 6. But the Heroes do have to pay for gas…
The iced coffee is a bit too sweet for my liking. Much prefer more intense and slightly bitter brew. Feel as if they skimp on the coffee. But again, beats Starbucks any day.
Definitely worth checking out if you’re ready to go beyond the $ 5 footlong or Cosi-​flatbread fare Arlington has to offer.

I tracked down the truck for today, and it was a pretty good sandwich. Lunch (with a drink and chips) for $ 7 isn’t bad at all for lunch in Rosslyn/​Clarendon.
The roast pork (#1) was tasty, although one end of the bread had dried out a bit, making it pretty tough to chew. I’d like to try some of the other sandwiches, but since I’m not in Rosslyn or Clarendon very often these days, it will (unfortunately) probably be a while.

Agree with Steve L. — prices went up 50 cents across the board, which really sucks. They tried to balance this out by offering «combo» deals (i.e., sandwich + chips/​soda for $ 1.50 instead of $ 2.00-$ 2.50), but I used to be able to get two meatball subs for $ 10 even and don’t particularly care for having to spend more up front to save a buck or two. Really a solid 3 now — good sandwich, not so good value. I’ll keep going back because Rosslyn has awful lunch options, but I’m not too happy about this.

Prices just went up 10%. This is unacceptable given the cost/​quality of Banh Mi sandwiches at Eden center which is nearby.

As a vegetarian, I tried the tofu options and was impressed. I liked the Tofu Banh Mi a lot. I am usually a cilantro hater, but it worked here. The pressed tofu sandwich was good as well. Definitely worth a lunchtime trip to Va.

Under $ 7 for a sandwich? I’m sold.
A lot of sandwich carts are alright. They mostly do either gyros, tacos, or hot dogs, and while all of those are fine and dandy, they can’t really compare to a delicious Bahn Mi sandwich. Especially the ones at Rebel Heroes.
The roast pork (#1), the meatball (#2) and the che-​che chicken (#8) are all absolutely fantastic. The bread is delicious and chewy and just awesome, and the meat inside is just as tasty. While I’m kind of a spice wimp (siracha mayo can be a little much), I really enjoy the lime mayo on my sandwiches, and get them without the jalapenos. I know it’s not as to the «t» but whatever. I don’t really eat peppers of any kind.
So, follow them on twitter (@rebelheroes) or FB to find out where they are going to be (which is awesome, b/​c, truly, a wandering cart only brings more business), and go grab yourself a sandwich. Mmm, mmm, mmm.
I’m happy they’re in Rosslyn today!

Had the macho meatball… one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten!
It seems the earlier you get to the truck the better off you are.
I will certainly make my way down through the menu in the coming weeks and months.
The apple soda I got to go with my sandwich was a very nice touch.
Gourmet cheap eats have never been so damn good!

Today I tried my second food truck food and I must say I was thoroughly impressed! As a DC resident who has to cross the Potomac for the ol’ 9 to 5, I used to be bitter at all the fun food trucks circling around the Golden Triangle during the work week. But Arlington is starting to get their fair share and I’m so happy Rebel Heroes has added Crystal City to their list of stops.
I usually bring my lunch to work, but sometimes it’s nice to mix things up… especially on a rainy, muggy Monday. I had the chicken bahn mi. I’m not very familiar with banh mi, but this was fab. A nice blend of cilantro and siracha mayo and the chicken was very flavorful. The size for the price was perfect. I didn’t feel overly stuffed after and didn’t slip into a food coma after lunch. Make sure you have cash though, they don’t take credit cards for now. I’m looking forward to the next time I mix it up with a Rebel!

Just left Rebel Heroes! Got the che-​che-​che chicken with no jalapeños. Can I just say yum? shawn g. hipped me to Rebel Heroes after my Unilocal of Kabob Palace. I waited around till Monday and zoomed down the street to get some flavor! Flavor is what I got! Yes inDEED! The spicy sriracha mayo is packed full of flavor. ‘Lino J. and Finnm C. thought it could be spicier. I guess I’m a lightweight.
At any rate, for $ 5.50, I got a nice sandwich full of chicken, pickle, swiss cheese, scallions galore, and yummy sriracha mayo.
I’m a fan. And if Crystal City is one of their willdcard stops on a future Monday, I’ll go again.

After a mid-​day visit to Rebel Heroes outside the CVS in Courthouse, I can now tell you some fast facts about this mobile sandwich cart.
1) Surprisingly technologically savvy.
Unlike the mobile food carts of the third world or your hotdog cart of yesteryear, the modern-​day sandwich shop-​on-​wheels is like a little Death Star, sans the whole destroying the world fetish. You can find them on facebook, keep appraised of their location via twitter, and even pay by mobile phone if you have some sort of high-​tech paypal account.
2) Novelty Lunch is probably worth it
The primary draw of the Galactic Empire was their snappy Nazi-​inspired dress and endearingly pathetic storm trooper target shooting training (I mean, why couldn’t those guys ever shoot straight?) My above comparison to the Death Star may be unfair given the name and the ethos. This place is probably shooting for something closer to a Han Solo-​esq Millennium Falcon, but I digress. The point is, the sandwich comes second to the novelty. The price is fair and the food decent, plus if the weather is nice, it’s awesome to stand outside and get food handed to you from the back of a truck.
3) Chill out…
Some other reviewers initially noted the problems with twitter and the location. If punctuality and predictability are your thing, maybe roving lunch carts that «tweet» their location isn’t for you. I mean, the fact that the truck moves around is part of the adventure, no? The twitter feeds seem pretty accurate over the last few days I’ve been following them, so I think if they give out a location, you can probably count on it.
BOTTOM LINE: A fun and unusual way to get your lunch when banging out e-​mail responses has driven you to the brink, and you need to get some release. Just hope they don’t go parking their truck on the forest moon of Endor or inside some crazy worm that lives in an asteroid.

The crowds were large today and it took a while to get the sandwich.
Taste — Delicious! I ordered the #6, Righteous Roasted Park. It was spicy and the bread was amazing. Just the right amount of chewiness and crispiness. I recommend pressing it and it makes it less crumbly and easy to eat. There was no ticket system for us as mentioned in previous postings, the vendor did it for us. With a crowd you have time to get the iced coffee. The sandwiches are small but for $ 5 I expect nothing larger.
I can’t wait until they come here again, I hope they stick to Tuesdays so it would not conflict with the District Taco cart. It was not hard to find, just follow the crowd and the music.
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Tofu #10 is the best sandwich on here and now it’s the only thing I order. In Ballston their current schedule is not good — it is there on the same day as District Taco and this area only get these two food carts — forcing people to decide between the two. They can get more business if they coordinate the days.

I am totally all over the Rebel Heroes cart. For one, I friggin’ love banh mi thit with the unreserved passion of an American-​born Viet girl who mainly relates to her parental culture with FOOD, glorious food! And if you don’t know the glories of banh mi and phở and bun and ALL the other wonderful Vietnamese foods out there, FRIGGIN’ GET ON IT, man.
For two, they have all the elements I know and love, and yet are offering these intriguing… Cuban…twists. Having fully devoted my officemates (including our president) to the glory of the cult of the Banh Mi Truck, I’ll admit that we collectively stalk Rebel Heroes’ Twitter feed, and bemoan the days they aren’t in Ballston, and have resolved to sample everything on the menu.
For three, DUDE. Vietnamese coffee (condensed milk and drip thingie and ALL!) IN A TRUCK. G’bless.

Rebel Heroes saved me from a boring lunch today. It was easy to find on the twitter feed (
) and they are always updating their facebook fan page regularly.
I had the Righteous Roast Pork and the Macho Meatball (yes, both)! I thought both were juicy and hot without even being pressed. The prices are reasonable for all of the fresh ingredients and the service is great. It took about 5 – 7 minutes but there were other people in line I could chat with about the sandwiches. I wanna go in the morning when it’s less crowded and get an egg sandwich-​another guy in line ordered his with ham which I thought was smart-​you can have any combination of sandwich you want!

I had the pleasure of attending an invite only soft opening of Rebel Heroes before they rolled out officially. I liked the ambiance around the truck, and the Banh Mi was great. I haven’t found a ton of places to get good Banh Mi in DC, and I guess it will have to wait, since they are only in Arlington for now. I also got to sample the ‘Macho Meatball’ and that is definitely a winner. So now I have another food truck to add to my growing list of places to eat at, if they are ever near me. I think it might just be worth a quick bike ride across the river on a sunny day.