Ba-Le Sandwich Shop

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In downtown Waikiki, I want a BANH MI fix, I walked here from my bestfriend’s condo! CHA LUA Vietnamese ham, half the side in the South Bay Area, CA, for $ 6 at China Town, at Ba Le for only $ 4, much bigger!
A lot more familiar Vietnamese fast food dishes, home away from home, still more expensive than the Bay Area, but this is as good as it gets!

Ba-​Le is a good, quick stop for spring rolls & vermicelli noodles. Stopped by here today on the later side (almost 2pm). Unfortunately, pretty much everything was gone. (My own fault, obviously.)
I asked if that’s all they had and asked about the tofu on noodle dish. I definitely understand the reluctance of making something that late, but instead, she came out and asked if it’d be alright if she just added tofu to a spring roll & noodles plate.
When it was time to pay, she never charged for the extra tofu. Bonus! The prices were already cheap — $ 5 for spring rolls & noodles? I’m game. Food was good — spring rolls were a little soggy, but again, my own fault for going late. Decent as always and satisfied my hunger.

BaLe is more than just a sandwhich to me. It is spiritual healing. Biting into the crunchy french bread roll, the crisp veggies, and the tender meat of a BaLe sandwhich is like taking a break from the world and wandering through Heaven. The bread, OH the bread… this is the first thing your mouth comes in contact with, and it is a wondrous experience. It is so crisp and crunchy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside, just how bread should be. Then the delectable thin slices of veggies, cool and crisp hit your palette. To die for. Finally, my personal fav is the teriyaki chicken, but they are all pretty dank. If I am ever craving a fresh, healthy meal, BaLe is where it’s at.

Of course I went here for the Banh Mi, and tried the lemon grass chicken. I prefer a bit more of the tangy flavor of lemon grass, but overall not bad. Plenty of fresh veggies. Bread is decent, but I think that Ba-​Le, in general, make their bread too fluffy… guess I can’t change that. Super friendly service. Random observation: If all you buy is a can of coke, they guy will wrap a napkin and straw around the can with a rubber band — service!