Ba Le French Coffee Shop

Good place for dirt cheap banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). Being a San Jose native, I get so angry when I see overpriced banh mi! Service is usually not the best here, but hey, you can’t expect top notch customer service in a run down hole in the wall deli. I usually don’t like venturing into Chinatown because of the parking and traffic, but you really can’t beat the prices of these sandwiches. Yum!

My main motivation for coming here — buy 3 Bahn Mi get one free, ends up being around 2.50 per sandwich. Put ‘em in the fridge and that’s lunch for the week! :) The sandwiches are yummy, but they tend to go light on the meat compared to many other bahn mi shops. The flavor is good but lacking in oopmh (though that could be related to the lack of meat, which typically provides most of the flavor). Parking is atrocious in this area, but that’s just how it goes lol. All the shops in the area make it worth the hassle usually. The staff here are always very sweet and attentive. This place doesn’t «wow» me, but it’s consistent and affordable and I recommend it whenever you’re in the area. Don’t be afraid to try one of their other tasty dishes pictured on the wall!

Went here for lunch on a Sunday around noon, ordered beef stew rice noodle soup, seafood soup, and a tofu spring roll.
Seafood noodle soup: 4. hubby said he liked it, like twice. So yes it was good. ;)
Beef stew noodle soup: 3.5. good flavor broth, greasy though and salty and had a headache after eating it. good chunks of tender meat mixed w/​tendon.
Tofu spring rolls: 3. kids like it, but didn’t eat all of it. Veggies inside looked a little wilted :/​
Cleanliness: 1. The lack of cleanliness of this place made me rethink whether I should eat lunch here). Yes, I did wipe the chopsticks and spoon that were already on the table. I was hungry and craving hot soup. Restroom was wet and slippery, like they had just hosed it down.
Service: 4. Everyone was helpful once we got seated and soup came out fast.
Overall: 3. I wished to rate it higher, the food was pretty good, but I felt so uncomfortable sitting there and eating.

I got the combo banh mi, it was mediocre and lacking in flavor. Most of it was bread, there was little meat, I don’t even know if there were pickled veggies in there. The banh mi also had lettuce, I’ve never had lettuce in my banh mi so it makes me wonder if they are using it as a cheap filler for other ingredients. It’s the kind of sandwich that makes you sad after eating it. Not worth the $ or the calories.

I came here for Vietnamese sandwiches because my beloved BC Deli was closed for renovations so I basically went next door. I was not happy with my sandwiches. The sandwiches were not as flavorful as BC Deli.
Service is SUPER SLOW. There are lots of people «working» but it’s really just ONE lady working on sandwiches and one gal as the cashier.
I will not be back.

Meh. Average food and no wait, but there is better Vietnamese food elsewhere in Chinatown. Sandwiches — they do buy 3 get 1 free, but unless you’re ordering a massive quantity, you’re still better off getting higher quality sandwiches at other places. Rice plates are pricey for what you get. $ 7.50 is way too much for the little amount of meat they provide.
As for service, the elderly lady was pretty nice though she was a bit slow. That teenager who occasionally works here needs an attitude adjustment. But kids will be kids, I guess.

this is certainly the best place for banh mi and banh uot in oakland. loves the food here, especially when you get a free banh mi for buying three. banh uot is also very good and cheap. we always order so much because we dont get to have it often. only bitch part is they are a cash only spot

Another vegan adventure though Chinatown. I had planned to go to Cam Huong, but had spotted this place on an earlier visit, and wasn’t in a mood to join the typically long lunch line. The selection here is not as extensive — they don’t have a hot bar of noodles and such, but the idea behind the sandwiches is much the same.
There were people sitting, but there was no real wait — I got the vege sandwich after carefully checking there was no butter or eggs, and some mochi. At $ 3.00, it was a whopping 25 cents more than the CH sandwich, but the bread is a lot better. However, the mochi was a monster 50 seconds more ($ 2.50) than elsewhere, so if you feel like saving that money and getting some exercise, take a walk over to LG Supermarket for the mochi! It’s the same mochi that some bakery is selling all over Chinatown, and is presumably very popular.
I didn’t peer too closely at the other dishes, but looks like a rice/​tofu dish is on offer. The staff seemed friendy enough, and made sure to ask about peppers and mayo on the sandwich.

I can only speak for the sandwiches here (banh mi). We did the buy 3, get one free. I had the grilled chicken banh mi and let me tell you, it was the worst I’ve had in a long time. The sandwich was mostly bread, the chicken was chopped up into tiny pieces of the most dry and hard meat you could ever have. I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t put more meat? They also give you very little marinated vegetables. They also forgot to put in the jalapeño peppers so we had to ask for them. The bread was at least okay.
We also decided to sit and dine. Not the greatest idea. Let’s just say this place was not going to win an award for cleanliest establishment. Didn’t even want to step into the bathroom. Service was okay, but you had to ask for things. I have a feeling this place is mostly for regulars. We came around 11ish and it was pretty busy. Two ladies walked out because there were no available tables. The place is pretty small. Overall, I’m super disappointed. My family used to get banh mi here pretty often way back when, so we thought it was a safe bet. Well it’s a safe bet that I won’t be coming back. Such a shame.

You can order first but if you have a small order your order will get pushed to the back. You can wait for 20 mins asking for one sandwich while a person comes later asking for 4 sandwiches will get it first.

Watch out with this coffee shop. They will cheat you.
I bought the grilled meats by the pound. When I arrived home, I put the packages on the weighing scale. (They do not have a scale in the shop for customers, nor would they weigh the packages in front of you.) The packages always are 1 ½−2 oz. short. The first time that happened, I thought maybe they just made a mistake. But no, this happened again in subsequent packages…
When you buy the sandwiches that are on special, they would give you less meat,
so that they make more money.
And you think you’re getting a good deal?

I ordered bánh mì tht nng, Vietnamese Grilled Pork Sandwich, with cucumber, pickled carrots & daikon, minus cilantro, peppers. The grilled pork is marinated, grilled, full of intense flavor, with the pickled vegetables, served on a fresh, soft French roll with a crispy thin crust, the softness of the fresh roll, the intense flavors from the grilled pork, with the tastes from the vegetables, all in balance, delivering a satiated experience, USD 3.

This used to be my favorite banh mi spot in Oakland until my experience there this morning. Now I will never give them my business again and I suggest to anyone who hates discriminatory, racist behavior to also boycott this place. It was bad enough when they took the young Asian woman behind me’s order before taking mine but when the three seperate people that ordered after me, all Asian, were all given their orders before me, that’s when I walked out. This is 2014 Oakland, not San Leandro in the 1950s! And as Asian people who have likely experienced racist behavior themselves, they should know better.
BOYCOTT this racist place. There are plenty of other businesses selling excellent, inexpensive banh mi in Chinatown that don’t treat their customers of color like second class citizens.

Decided on this place because I can’t eat meat today and I immediately craved Shrimp… Shrimp cake n vermicelli noodles would be perfect. HUGE disappointment. The only reason why they got two is because the Shrimp cake itself was phenomenal. So I put the Shrimp cake aside so I can properly mixed the veggies and noodles with the sauce. Thank GOD I did that because the noodles n veggies taste like soap… so bad that Im surprise bubbles didn’t slip out and my tongue tingled. Determined, I tried to figure out exactly where it was coming from. It was the veggies. So I tried to eat just the noodles picking out all the veggies which worked only for a few bites… had to toss! Got it to go so I couldn’t send back… What a waste of $ 7.00.

I always come here for two things: the mi la cay noodle soup and the daikon cake. Both are excellent and awesome prices. I’ve yet to find a better daikon cake in NorCal. This place is usually busy around noon on weekdays. If u don’t mind sitting next to a stranger, then you’ll prolly get a seat no problem.
I’ve had their banh mi here but was a bit disappointed when I was given a pre-​made one. Bread was a bit hard outside, kinda soggy in middle from pickled veggies, and my pâté was kinda crusty. I’d rather pay .25c more for a fresh banh mi next door at BC Deli. Sorry for the negativity but truth.
The noodle soups and especially the daikon cake is what bangs this place out IMO. I’ll still continue to come here every week or two. And that shrimp cake. Bomb yo!

The place is a bit dingy, but the food is good. I love their noodle soups.
Plus, it’s pretty affordable, and the Vietnamese sandos are pretty decent too.

It’s alright not top notch bahn mi in oakland for that you better off going to webster st coung houng or something like that. It took them over 20 minutes to get me my five spice chicken over rice with fried egg. That’s my usual eating when I’m around those Vietnamese sandwhich shop. The cleanliness is questionable a man with vinyl apron weez by with mop bucket into a door which leads you to the restroom. Holly shit it smells awful when door was swing open. To him he don’t care it’s not he’s place anyway just an employee. By this time my dish came out and I had to bring my own dish up to front table near entrance for ventilation. A older lady that works there ask me is the dish too hot I answer no it’s the foul smell omitting from the restroom. She show no concern or talk to man with mop just stand there stare out the doorway day dreaming probably wondering what she is doing for the memorial day weekend.
My food was good and tasty perfectly done even the egg was fried just right edges showing a little burnt. Chicken has a good taste moist and infuse with with spices mince green onions to garnish. My Vietnamese coffee is strong as it was a little too sweet for my tasting but by this point I didn’t want to wait another half hour before it comes. I saw cured meat in refrigerated display case with leaf wrappings twine rope tightening what looks like cured meat again. It’s almost how my uncle does it age italian cured meat but it’s done with rock salt instead. This place looks like it had it’s time in the past but for what ever reason it wasn’t kept up to standards overtime shows decreasing workmanship.

Ba Le sells banh mi. and various soup/​noodle options at cheap prices.
eats: combo pork banh mi (2.5)
–toasted bun crunchy. pork meat and veggies cold.
–banh mi too much salt.
–pork fillings ok, not a lot of veggies
2.75 stars
crumbs:
–buy 3 banh mi, get 1 free.
–service from the vietanamese grannies definitely slow mo.

Been here on good and bad days, but it still averages out to be about a two star establishment when it came to food, quickness and nonexistent service.
Like any other Vietnamese shop here in Chinatown, Ba Le offers the sandwiches, a couple of rice plates, phở orders and the every now and then pateso. Surprisingly, they don’t have egg rolls or hot dishes or other variety.
With that said, service should be quick and simple since all the parts of the sandwich are there and it’s just the construction of the sandwich. There’s only one lady making sandwiches, with orders being yelled at her. There’s no pen and paper for recognition of customer orders and it’s a scatter of noises.
The three for one deal is legit since you’re getting four sandwiches. But free doesn’t mean the best usually and it’s no exception at this Ba Le. The sandwiches are dry and there’s barely any fillings inside the sandwiches. No mayo or pâté to soften the bread and help add distinguishing favors to the sandwich as a whole. Simple menu yet disruptive service with no structure and the wait can last up to 45 mins for some sandwiches.
Chinatown means cash only. This Ba Le isn’t anything like the international one, so don’t be fooled. They skip on quality and quantity.

Ba Le French Coffee Shop is not related to Banh Mi Ba Le on International & El Cerrito, at least that’s what I was told on a prior visit. Of course, my most recent exchange may point to some communication problems with the staff…
«I’ll have a #2 Combo with no cilantro»
I watch the woman grab 2 pre-​made sandwiches and start to put them in a bag.
«No, just one sandwich. .. and no cilantro»
She looks at me quizzically «Just one? We have Buy 3 get 1 Free»
«Yes, just one. .. and no cilantro»
No move to do anything with the sandwich and hands me the bag «$ 2.75»
Removed the 5 sprigs of cilantro when I got to my car.
It was OK. I was surprised the crust of the baguette still had some crackle so hadn’t been sitting around forever. There weren’t many of the *very* lightly pickled veggies (
) and the meats and pâté weren’t very flavorful.
They used to have a «Buy 5 Get 1 Free» They’ve sweetened that up with their current «Buy 3 Get 1 Free» but still not enough to convince me to buy in bulk.