Than Huu Sandwich

Delicious soup! And great boba. Love stopping by here when I am in Chinatown. The chicken sandwich is also great!

I often get their $ 3.00 chicken Bahn Mi. It’s great, the baguette is always super crusty and warm as if it was just baked. The restaurant is tiny with very few seats. It is very hard to find in the upstairs mall, it is close to the stairs going up from Spring Street. On warm days the air conditioning is poor. Haven’t tried the soups yet, also look like a bargain. Great for a quick sandwich.

If some smart business man could marry this place to a proper restaurant location — they would have a gold mine. Absolutely delicious and just-​baked fresh banh mi. Best baguette I’ve had in LA hands down. Very nice people working here.
It’s in a weird location in the upstairs back area of one of these ridiculous Chinatown malls catering to Vietnamese and some weirdo tourists. You will have a bit of a hard time getting to it or wondering if it worth it but trust me on this — not every delicious hole in the wall is in Asia. Try this one out!

The banh mi is just ok, similar but not the same funky magic as the traditional, missing the stanky shrimp paste and I’m not sure what else. BUT, this may be one of the single greatest locations ever, among a market maze of Chinese import shops. Can’t complain about the $ 3 price tag either. Everyone else seems to be getting chicken noodle soup, so that might be worth trying.

When I’m on a mission to shop in Chinatown, especially the Lil shops, Mom and I love coming here for a quick phở snack, hehehe.
For $ 5 a container of beef or chicken phở, you get a lot and pair it with a soybean milk for $ 1.50 — total of $ 6.50 a meal — what a steal! The soybean sprouts are places underneath the container and the protein and phở is place on top. They bring you out the bowl with a wedge of lime, chopsticks, spoon and napkins.
The sitting area is tight, but it’s communal and so first come and first serve with seating. You feel like you’re sitting in a Vietnamese phở shop as if you were like in Vietnam, yay!

Don’t let the location fool you… This place is located on the narrow corner as you walk upstairs to the main shopping area on Spring Street. You wouldn’t suspect that they serve authentic Vietnamese food here, since, well, we are in CHINAtown.
I first came to this place with my parents and ended up bringing a friend here one time. Both times were good experiences as the lady at the cash register served us and took our order.
It can be a little confusing when ordering because they don’t have a complete menu. Be sure to ask for their Banh Uot, it’s one of my favorite dishes here! The noodles are fresh soft and steamy. Asides from that dish, you can also order other dishes, such as chicken noodle soup, banh mi, etc. It doesn’t stop there. They also have a variety of Vietnamese drink desserts that they serve, so be sure to try one if you like those. I’ve ordered the Che Ba Mau here, but it’s a overpriced.
The setup is small, with only 2 tables for customers to sit and sometimes you have to share with others but you will always be able to find a seat. After you are done ordering, they will bring your order to you and you pay afterwards. It’s like an honor system almost, since you tell them what you ordered. None of that receipt junk here.
One of my favorite go to spots in Chinatown. Can’t go wrong with this place!

First off, please help support these local businesses in Chinatown because they’re dying and it’s imperative that we keep the stores running for these families.
Second, $ 2.50 for a Pork Banh Mi is a must! This is seriously the cheapest sandwich that you can possibly find among all the overpriced shops in LA. They give you a lot of meat and the bread is freshly bake! The drinks more a bit more expensive (btw $ 3 – 4) but they’re made from real fruits.
If you’re confused about the location, it’s on the second floor (first floor being the ground level). The small store is hidden between all the clothes shop. They have a few small tables if you want to eat there. I love finding hidden gems! :)

Both the Pork & Chicken Banh Mi sandwiches are yummy. The bread is so good. Crusty on the outside, and nice and chewy on the inside. I love the flavor of the seafood soup and the chicken soup is yummy, too. I haven’t had the smoothies, but I have tried their Thai Ice Tea with boba. It’s okay. But it’s cheaper than at other boba places at only $ 3.
The only problem with this place is the seating. There are two tables in front. They are longer tables and it’s almost like family style where you sit where ever you can even if there’s already someone sitting there. They expanded a little, they have about three more tables about two or three stalls down. And they bring your food to you.
It’s not the cleanest place. You have to bus your own table. If the patrons who previously occupied the table don’t clean up after themselves, you have to clean it yourself. If you’re unlucky enough to sit at the smaller of the the two tables, the trash can is right behind you.
Anyway, it’s a great hole-​in-​the wall place.

Love this place. Reminds me of being back in Vietnam. Great Ph Gà and Min Gà. Tasty Bánh Mì. Yummy Sinh T Mng Cu, and Boba Milk Tea!

5 stars for the broth in the seafood noodle soup, but 4 stars for the contents.
I used to eat here all the time whenever I shopped at Chinatown. This is a little hole in the wall with only TWO tables. Hey, the tables are now a lot bigger than before with more seats! Yay! The soup broth was just like how I remembered it– super flavorful. The best I’ve ever had! I was disappointed that the contents in there were much smaller than before– huge, fresh shrimps replaced by small, frozen shrimps. Boo! The fish cakes were also a lot smaller and cheap tasting. It looks like they’re trying to save money but kept the same prices on the seafood noodle soup. Nonetheless, I still enjoy my seafood noodle soup for $ 4.50. Don’t forget to try the chicken noodle soup or banh mi/​Vietnamese sandwich.

Great pit stop for a Vietnamese sandwich when you’re buying three dollar tank tops at the Saigon swap meet on China town

What a nice find. I Unilocal places for Banh Mi and Than Huu Caught my eyes. Its inside a shopping plaza. You have to walk up the stairs and turn right at the top. This shopping plaza makes me feel I was somewhere in asia. Bringing up childhood memories.
I ordered the following
1. Pork Banh Mi ($ 2.50) 5 STARS. It was juicy and tasty
2. Chicken Banh Mi (2.50) 5 STARS. Delicious sandwich.
3. Soursop Juice ($ 4.00) 5 STARS The sandwich are so cheap, I don’t mind paying $ 4 for this cancer fighting juice. Its size is comparable to a large size drink at jamba juice. Therefore $ 4 is a good deal.
I am so happy to find Than Huu and can’t wait to go back.

A nice little hole-​in-​the-​wall place tucked away inside the Dynasty Plaza in Chinatown. I haven’t had the bánh mì, but did get the phở ga and it was surprisingly good; like your mom’s home-​cooked noodles. It came out HOT; I had to wait til it warmed up a bit to eat (I’m not a fan of HOT noodles/​soup) and it’s cheap, too! $ 4.50 for a bowl (it’s a really decent size). The staff there was also really nice and attentive. Next time you’re in Chinatown and is craving noodles, look for this place and give it a try.
I also had their pineapple-​coconut smoothie ($ 3.50 for a pretty large cup). It was refreshing, perfect for summer!

VERY unexpected find inside this plaza, as everyone else says. At least it has an A grade from the health department…
But WOW — they have a vegetarian/​vegan bahn mi that’s rocking my world right now. And it was ridiculously cheap: $ 2.75.
I was worried moving to LA about finding a good vegetarian bahn mi after I had the worst one in my life in Echo Park: this is definitely redeeming.

This is a fantastic find that is definitely worth your time once you locate it inside the plaza. The Vietnamese coffee is refreshing and welcomed on a hot LA day. Also has a great collection of milk teas and smoothies.
The banh mi’s are filled with fresh, crunchy veggies and just the right amount of meat. The bread is fresh and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The price is unbeatable!
Then the phở soups. Hmm, delicious and cheap. Eating it out on one of the few small tables is a quick and easy meal.
Well worth the time to find it if you want a cheap, delicious meal to go or eat in!

Very hard to find, but your wallet will reward if you can. Very decent Bahn Mi, while not the best bread I’ve had on that genre of sandwich, $ 2.50 cannot be beat. I wished they would have the crunchier French bread that Mandoline Grill truck uses, but I was in Chinatown and hungering for a sammy.
Up your game, Than Huu, get better bread and you’ll be a destination…

LA’s Chinatown is filled with hidden paths and plazas that often lead you to some of the most fashionable dead ends or pleasant surprises. Tucked away in the very back of an ultra clustered fashion plaza, I came across this Vietnamese fast food joint nestled in between stores that sell anything from luggage, shoes, purses, clothes to blankets. This cozy hole in the wall stood out among the rest with its open kitchen, small counter, a wall filled with pictures of their specializations, and a few beaten greasy benches situated by the door. Their menu is quite simple with 2 types of banh mi, three types of phở, and the rest is filled with boba drinks, refrigerated teas and sodas, and Vietnamese frozen treats. I discovered this place when I was hanging out with a group of Unilocalers that included Joe L, Antho L, and Mary B, and since then I’ve returned twice to learn more about their culinary offerings.
Their Combination Pork Banh Mi ($ 2.25) came with a sizable warm baguette with mayo, pâté, steamed pork and shredded ham with cucumber, pickled carrots and strands of cilantro on top. The warm baguette was crisp and soft at the right places without sharp edges, but the filling looked minimal when wedged in between the doughy interior that looked thicker than usual. The combination of sweet mayo and savory shredded ham was very good, but the absence of tangy pickled radish and fish sauce was glaring. The price was decent for what I got in return, but the sandwich was far from being the best as observed by many of the reviewers on this site.
Their Phở Ga ($ 4) was served in a Styrofoam cup put together with chunky steamed chicken with bones, medium wide rice noodles, and a light broth inspired burnt onions, sprouts, and green scallion. The chicken flavor had minimal influence on the broth which came rather subdued and dependent on the sprouts to give a sweet backdrop to layer with spurts of brunt onions and green scallion. The temperature of the bowl was not hot enough and the rice noodles appeared overcooked and too soft. It was a cheap bowl of phở ga on the go, but visitors should be aware of the lack of rich herbal dimensions that often distinguish a good phở ga from the rest.
Interested visitors should take note that they carry canned guanabana, also known as soursop, which is rare in the US:
. Mary B was the first to tell me about this fruit, which eventually led me to try their Guanabana Smoothie ($ 4) with Boba (50 cents) and later fresh Jackfruit Smoothie ($ 3.50) with Boba (50 cents):
. Their smoothie is put together by sugar, sweet cream, ice, water, and fruit. The slushy texture had rough patches with sporadic ice cubes that were crushed but not fine enough to make it through my big boba straw. Their boba was overcooked both times, which resulted in a sticky texture that makes them more likely to clump into cohorts than to individually separate. The taste of guanabana and jackfruit was delightful and refreshing. The prices of these drinks are steep, but the taste is decent enough for me to recommend it.
Service was quick, efficient with a smile. Their tables were wiped often as people enjoyed sharing them given the transient nature of this place. A bit over-​hyped on Unilocal,I would only recommend it as a decent fast food place for those on the go.

this small tiny place finally pulled me in for some phở and herbal tea. for the past few times that i went to the dynasty center, i see people sitting at the tables outside of the store digging into a foam bowl with steam coming out. Man, it smells good, but i was always too full to eat another bowl of phở.
so finally last wk i went there, i told myself i must try it. i went in and order the seafood phở and a bottle of chrysanthemum tea in the fridge (i love those). there are 3 kinds of phở, chicken, seafood, and beef, and they’re all $ 4 each. besides phở, they also have a huge variety of smoothies/​drinks, and baguettes.
so at places like this, that can barely fit more than 10 people, why would you expect good service? but to be honest, service was great! it’s like a family owned business, the parents are making the food inside and the son is outside delivering food — yes, they actually deliver ur food to ur table. and once in awhile, he’ll check on you to make sure that you’re doing good. that’s just really impressing i think.
back to the food, the seafood phở was awesome! it came out steaming hot, it came with some bean sprouts, fish balls, shrimps, with some fried shallots and green onions on top, and the soup is clear but flavorful. yum, it’s so worth the $ 4 and the experience sitting in the middle of the shopping center.

The Banh mi sandwiches is really good here. It has really rich sauce and tender, tasty chicken.
I also tried their noodle soup and they have a $ 4.00 special for beef, seafood or chicken bowl. You will be filled up and the broth is really flavorful with green onion and fried onions. (I special order mine to be replaced with fish balls only, for the same price)
Tiny hole in the wall as Steve H. mentioned. You will be sitting close to each other, like if you’re all family.
You seat yourself and some times you will have to be tough in getting first dibs for your seat. I witnessed it while I was finishing up my food. I did not have to wrestle for my seats.
Good food, clean place, worth the little wait for seating, and the owners were nice.
Boba, smoothies (avocado smoothie-​yummm), Thai ice tea and strong Vietnamese coffee, additional sodas and miscellaneous drinks.

Tucked away in Chinatown’s Dynasty Center (off of Spring St.) Than Huu is the place to go for outstanding noodle soups and Vietnamese sandwiches.
To say it is a hole in the wall would not be an exaggeration. Than Huu has about three tables with a total of ten chairs outside its cramped entrance. There is a constant coming and going of customers ordering food to eat there or take with them. We always order the chicken sandwich (which is more of a pâté than string meat) to eat with our soup (the seafood noodle soup is outstanding.) Their portions are very large. The soups cost about $ 4.00 with the sandwiches running in the $ 2.00 range.
Besides noodle soups and sandwiches, they serve a wide variety of snacks, noodle dishes, drinks, smoothies, and coffees (the coffee is strong, so be prepared to stay up if you drink it late in the day).
Once you try this Chinatown secret, I guarantee you will return again and again.