Ba-Le Sandwich Shop

If I were rating this bale on my favorite Vietnamese sandwich of all time the bale special, guarantee ⁵⁄₅ stars. Unfortunately I had a bit of everything and the sandwich couldn’t save my disappointment.
For this location, they make all types to go bentos near the register. They had manapuas, porkhash, spring rolls, summer rolls, and salads. They have such an abundant stock of bentos that it occupies majority of the register.
Today we ordered beef phở, bale special, chicken spring rolls, and grabbed pork hash by the register. I’ve never met a porkhash that I haven’t liked, it’s like a weakness of mine, so my first time trying a pork hash from here and it was okay, just cold due to sitting next to the register all day. I should have asked to have it heated up but I didn’t so my fault. We also had the spring rolls. Ok so the spring rolls come with a vinegar sauce on the side and they are bigger than most other spring rolls I’ve eaten, and they were delicious. I would have bought more if we didn’t order too much food as it was. My bale special no surprise still delicious it has pickled vegetables, pâté, a slice of meat (mystery meat), and that delicious grinded up paste that they put into the sandwich. Definitely a must try for all those new to Vietnamese food. The food over all was all right except the beef phở. Being the phở-​natic that I am I critique my phở pretty harshly. The phở here looked sad, it didn’t have the abundance of veggies in Them, the soup was bland, and for a BEEF phở, wea da beef?!
They also have desserts availble. Like an array of ice
cream a straw berry and melon flavor from samurai and then their home made ice cream, I think I saw jack fruit flavor, I can’t remember I briefly skimmed it, they also had jello, and my all time favorite tapioca as well as almond float.
I’m only giving them 3 stars due to their phở tasting bland and missing beef, also due to the customer service. We decided to dine in and wasn’t even offered water. Other than that everything else was toleratable and I will be back for my bale special and taro tapioca.

Very Inconsistent recipes. I’ve gotten the lemon grass chicken a few times and each one tasted different. Worse and worse…

Yikes! I should’ve gone somewhere else when I walked in and immediately felt anxious in the tight crowded space with the cashier rushing everyone through with the grouchiest face I’ve ever seen. I’ve been to this location several times and I’m not sure why it finally hit me that I should never go back! With Sports Authority closing, there’s no reason to go to this area anyway. I ordered a tofu sandwich and noticed the prices had gone up and they only accept cash! While I was waiting, I could smell this strong stench like the streets of Chinatown. Now, I know it’s expected that Asian restaurants typically have bad customer service and not the most sanitary conditions so in that regard, this place is acceptable. What threw me over the edge was the sandwich itself. The bread was so stale, it ruined the whole sandwich. Honestly, it’s like the bread had been sitting out a few weeks. On top of the stale bread, the rest of the sandwich lacked flavor and the fillings to bread ratio was not favorable enough to mask the taste of the stale bread. Don’t make a special trip to this Bale. There are plenty of other food options in the area.

This is my first time to write bad review! I ordered bbq chicken, bbq pork sandwich and garlic chicken & shrimp and it taste sooooooo bad! Omg! And they only accept cash which I dont mind. The taste of the food I dont like and its pricey!

Surprisingly good food. The reviews were mixed so I wasn’t sure what to make of this place, but I always see people going in and out of this place whenever I’m in the area. I tried the veggie sandwich with spicy tofu. It was sooooooo delish! I’d come back here for sure.

Sorry to say but this was my first time at this Bale location and it will be my last :(
I came here after the job fair at the Blaisdell hoping to eat my usual order lemongrass chicken. Sadly, the sandwich was slapped together with no effort. The chicken tasted rubbery. It did not taste like the lemongrass chicken I eat at Pearlridge Bale. It’s like they don’t care about the customers just to make money and move on to the next order. The cashier had such a thick Vietnamese accent that even my mom had trouble understanding him. Even another customer couldn’t understand what he was trying to pronounce to her. I think he got a little irritated.
The vietnamese iced coffee wasn’t that delicious to sip on. It tasted watered down and too much ice.
Warning, those to go foods they have left on the right side of the counter may not be safe to eat. It’s hard to tell how fresh the food was made and how long it has been sitting there. Best not to take a chance. Food poisoning and upset stomach is no funny business.
Prices are much higher than other locations I have been to like UH Manoa, Kaneohe, and Pearlridge locations.

I accidentally grabbed tofu garlic peanut something. Thought it 2as chicken but it was awesome! I then got the homemade chocolate, chocolate chip ice cream and between the the two I had a broken mouth. Ha ha Lol

Today I came here for lunch! I ordered a chicken sandwich with no parsley.
FOOD– The food was okay, It tasted good. But as I was mid way thru the sandwich I bit into a chicken bone and it really hurt my teeth. I didnt know there were bones in the chicken because they shred the chicken, but they may have overlooked this bone. So I threw away my sandwich after this because my teeth were so sore I could not finish the sandwich!
SERVICE– The service is like any fast food service, you put in your order, pay and then wait till its done, no conversation, no smiles nothing… but I dont like the fact that this place is cash only. I understand that they are doing this for tax purposes but would it kill you to get a simple card reader thru square or paypal?
LOCATION– This particular location is in the ward gateway center, next to ross, Mcdonalds and Sports authority. Its a great location because this area is packed with alot of people who buy lunch during work hours. The only thing I dont like is the parking! There is a lot but its usually full because of all the people shopping at the other stores in this little shopping center.
OVERALL– We just may return, I am a huge fan of the chicken sandwiches, I just dont like this particular location because of how dirty and grimy it is and how basic the service is! The food sitting on the counter do not look okay to eat and the floors and entire restaurant defiantly needs a deep through cleaning !!!

Ordered a chicken pad thai. Didn’t come with chicken or sauce. Tasted like funky dried noodles.
Disgusting. Never again will I waste my money here.

Yummy quick and better for you than fast food.
My lemonade tasted fresh squeezed… not sure if it was, they didn’t say it was, but if it’s not I don’t want to know.
I got chicken salad and lumpia for lunch. It’s all made right before the rush so I was in and out in 5 minutes.
I haven’t had the sandwiches yet but I’ve had the pastries and cookies and all are pretty good. I wish I was more adventurous because there are things that look amazing but when I’m hungry I want a sure thing.
Convenient location although parking can be a biyatch. Cash only.

I don’t like to write bad reviews! Sometimes every establishment has their bad days. Lemon chicken with shrimp. Shrimp over cooked and chicken well under cooked. I ate most of it without realizing it while watching tv.

I walked in here after shopping at The Sports Authority and went from über slow in that store to high-​paced decision-​making at Ba-​Le. It was a bit disconcerting.
But I appreciated the pace and the ability of the cashier to tell me all of the items I could order that were vegetarian. She also pointed out everything on the counter I could pick up. It just so happened that a line formed quickly just as I was trying to decide what to order. I felt a bit rushed all of a sudden, but most of what they make there is good, so no problem.
I got the lemongrass tofu sandwich, which was really good! Soft bread and tasty tofu. We also shared the choy sum and a vegetarian roll of some sort. The lady made it clear to me that I could eat the choy sum but not the oyster sauce. Again, appreciated that.
I think you can’t beat this place for good food and vegetarian options. Especially if you are shopping in the area.

Warning. This place is nowhere near fancy. But it’s good and quick and if that’s what you need, then this place is perfect. Anything lemongrass is good. Sandwiches are a safe choice. But honestly, you got french bread, some kind of protein and pickled veggies. You really can’t go wrong. Plus they got a bunch of side stuff. Like dumpling, summer rolls, spring rolls, noodles, etc. Again, don’t know how long it’s been sitting there but has always ended fine soo… I suppose it’s at your own risk.

Not sure about all the haters! I stopped in after leaving sports authority and got tofu salad rolls and banana lumpia. Both were excellent! The sauce with the salad rolls was really delicious. I added sriacha and they were super tasty! The other food all looked great and service was good.

Vietnamese sandwich shop but also serves dim sum?! You get what you pay for.
Atmosphere: The place is right next to Ross and McD’s. It has some indoor seating and couple tables outside but very bare bones.
Service: Fast food like service. Only accepts cash so have it ready.
Food: The quality of the food here is lacking. I understand its affordable but its one of the few vietnamese sandwich places and yet very disappointing.
Intangibles: I wouldn’t recommend this place.

This little shop is located in the Ward shopping center area nestled right in between Sports Authority and McDonald’s. There is plenty of parking in the lot, although on some days (like the weekends) — you’re gonna have to circle once or twice. The restaurant itself is tiny and a bit cramped with only just a few tables, but don’t worry — there’s plenty of seating outside.
The food selection is wow! There’s a lot more choices here than the UHM location. One key thing to note for those phở-​loving vegetarians out there: they do NOT have veggie broth like UHM. You can order veggie and/​or tofu phở, but with beef broth. No worries though! There’s plenty of other vegetarian/​vegan options available.
I ordered the veggie phở with beef broth (calm down, I’m not vegetarian! — just felt like veggie that day), and a Thai tea with bubbles.
Their veggie phở was plentiful, They give you sooo much, in terms of noodles and veggies and side topping stuff. However, the taste was just MEH. And the veggies seemed dry and previously frozen. The bean sprouts seemed on the verge of going bad with brown spots and sad wiltingness.
The Thai tea with bubbles? Also MEH. Literally have had better elsewhere.
Although, I didn’t have such a sparkling food experience, I must say that on the upside of things, the customer service was pretty good! The workers had positive attitudes, were more than accommodating and even cracked a few jokes.

It was close to 8:30pm & I had my mind set on some Japanese curry, but as I’m driving down Ward Avenue, I get this sudden craving for summer rolls.
Right away, I pull into that little shopping center, right in front of Ba-​Le. I walk in and there’s lots of prepackaged food, but no summer rolls, so I order some along with beef chow fun for my Mom.
We sit down & wait about 10 min for our food (by this time it’s 8:40pm, 20 min to closing). In my opinion, there was more than enough time before closing for my Mom & I to enjoy our late dinner, but they pretty much put our orders in a bag & knotted it! We felt like they were kicking us out and one of the ladies was already mopping the floor, so we stepped outside & sat at one of their outdoor tables. Then at around 8:45pm, another employee comes out to wrangle all their chairs for the night & I just thought «OK, whoa… Rude.»
The food was decent. Chow fun needed more beef & summer roll sauce needed more flavor. I probably won’t come back to this Ba-​Le until they wait until closing time to actually close.

I come here at least once a week for my favorite sandwich. I walk in the door and they already know what I’m going to order because it’s always the same. I am a creature of habit, I guess. I always get the chicken sandwich with extra mayonnaise, small orange bang and a chicken spring roll. To be frank, I hate bread and will hardly touch it except for this place. It must be the mix of chicken, mayonnaise and pickled vegetables on the French roll. It’s so yummy! The husband gets the turkey but I’ve never tasted it. He likes the turkey better than the chicken. The chicken spring roll is nicely seasoned and has a good mix of chicken and cabbage.
They have a lot of other items in the restaurant I have yet to try. I can’t seem to get away from my chicken sandwich. On the way there, I always tell myself that I’m going to order something different but when I get to the cashier to order, it’s always the chicken sandwich lol. I’ve seen people eating the phở and it looks pretty good. They also have pork hash and gyoza in prepackaged containers which looks ok. The one thing I would like to try is the durian ice cream. Yes, you read correctly, it’s durian ice cream. I’ve never had durian before but you either love it or hate it. From what I’ve heard it’s an acquired taste. Wish me luck!

I literally just stopped here cuz I was sick of sitting in traffic & wanted to grab something fast. I didn’t check any of the reviews before I ordered, which was a huge mistake.
Hypes:
Nice ladies, fast service, plenty of parking.
Gripes:
I didn’t enjoy any of my food! I got the garlic shrimp and chicken over rice and a side salad. Everything was bland. There was nothing garlicky about the little teeny garlic shrimp and the chicken was super dry. I’m assuming the brown sauce it came with was to put over the salad, but the sauce was bland, so naturally I felt the salad was bad as well. I was pretty pissed to have spent $ 10 on that plate.
It really takes a lot for me to score a place 1 star & I guess I should have tried something suggested by Unilocal folks. But I was pretty blown away at how bad my food was. So much so that I won’t ever be going back. And the fact that they only accept cash is like shooting themselves in the foot. If the food was incredibly amazing, I’d go out of my way to pull cash out. But since they don’t take card & their food isn’t great, I’d never go out of my way for this place. I’d be better off at the McDonald’s next door.

I have numerous cravings for the chicken sandwich on croissant, yum. Yes, the fillings aren’t as much as other Ba-​Le sandwich shops I have been to, but the taste is the same, phew! Another staple is the spring rolls, but the ones I’ve purchased here are so VERY oily.
Lots of grab and go products available. The sandwiches are made quickly, I can’t really comment on the service as you get a «hi, what your order?», amount and a «bye now». I guess with the hustle and bustle of today’s lifestyle, it may be a good thing. The last time I was here, the woman cashier was VERY nice to a homeless lady who came in to purchase a flan. I was next to the customer and to put it nicely the aroma was not the least bit tantalizing BUT the cashier was very patient and treated her like any other paying customer. I really loved that she did that!