Bale French Sandwiches

I had a pork and egg sandwich. It was pretty damn good for the money. I have already went back. Good looks. I’m Mexican so all the other stuff is suspect for now.

First time at the location and I can say that the food are amazing! Banh Mi are fresh! They have Boba tea too, but I didn’t get that since the only reason I went was for the Banh Mi, but next time. Also, they have many other varieties of food beside the Banh Mi sandwiches so it’s a plus. Services was good. Would come back here again.
Btw, I got the Meat ball, which is my all time favorite Banh Mi sandwich.

I come here pretty often because the sandwiches are really flavorful! I usually get the #21 cajun shrimp banh mi, and my goodness it’s super delicious and definitely fresh! This place puts in a lot of shrimp, even though the sandwich is small, the bread is so crispy and hot! it’s definitely worth it!
The owner, the older man working up front, always cracks jokes with me, even though I barely understand him, he’s a pretty cool funny guy.
Come back often!

I love Banh Mi! I don’t know how something so simple can be so delicious! This place is small and sells other things other than Banh Mi that I am excited to try. The sandwiches are simply delicious and definitely worth the try!
I tried the BBQ Pork Banh Mi and I had to run down the street to fetch me a fresh bottle of Siracha. Yum!

I can only review the shrimp sandwich and the taro boba because I’m a creature of habit and tried them the first time and got hooked. They are both excellent. The shrimp banh mi is the best I’ve ever had and I’ve tried a couple others at various places… Even my super picky brother liked it. They are always super friendly and you can call ahead and place your order which is nice. There are a couple tables to eat at, but it seems like most people take it to go. They also have catering trays with lots of items to choose from, but I have yet to try them as I don’t have that many people to share with. It is always clean there and they are pretty fast even if you don’t call ahead. There is a $ 5 minimum credit card charge, but I always reach it. I did try the egg rolls and they are cheap and delicious.

Pretty decent sandwich tried a few things here and they all pretty good they open at seven which makes a great stop for breakfast

I love this place!
My review is solely one their sandwiches and their coffee
Food:
I LOVE Banh Mi (Vietnamese style sandwiches on a french roll). I mean, its simple, quick and delicious! I used to goto Lee’s Sandwiches out in Westminster/​Irvine are for my Banh Mi cravings, but since moving to San Diego, Bale has won my heart in the Banh Mi department.
First off, their bread comes out nice and hot and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. for $ 3.75-$ 4.25 a sandwich, it’s fairly priced for what you get for. Their sandwiches comes out to be around 7″ in length and you get to choose from a variety of protein choices for your sandwich (chicken, bbq pork, shrimp etc. etc.) I always get the Xa Xiu (aka Char Shiu aka Sweet BBQ Pork) and it hasn’t disappointed me yet. Great sandwich if you’re on the go and short on time. Definitely recommend this to my friends in the area.

Not sure if this is normal, but my banh mi has 70% bread, 20% veggies, 10% meat. Disappointed :(

Bonafide hole in the wall. Had a little trouble finding it (FYI it is very close to the seafood market, next to a bunch of other small businesses).
First impression: WOW– they have a lot of things laid out on the counter. I recognized Shrimp spring rolls, sesame balls. They had a lot more items that I could not identify & that are not listed on the menu. They also had a mystery fridge w/​bundles of something wrapped in banana leaves.
This is very popular lunch spot that was really NOT overly crowded, even at 1pm on Friday. A variety of 22 Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) to choose from– none priced over $ 6, w/​average price @ $ 4. Totally reasonable!
33 blended smoothie drinks to choose from– from Taro w/​boba to caramel latte. Very well priced as well– $ 3.25−3.75. I ordered the #5 lunch special and my total was less than $ 6.
Note: $ 5 minimum on cards.
My sandwich was bbq beef & I ordered it «spicy». It came on fresh bread & –while the meat initially looked a little crazy to me (it was oddly red) the taste was LEGIT. Consider me hooked! Great balance of flavors– crunchy veggies, a few jalepenos, soft seasoned meat, & very little mayo.
In short: a Party in your mouth. Yum to the Yum Power.

I didn’t get a banh mi since I already had lunch when I came by but I did get a Viet Iced coffee and it was on point! Probably the best Viet iced coffee you will find in Mira Mesa. I think it was only like $ 2.75 and it kept me wired all day. Not too sweet and it wasn’t too heavy on the ice. Besides coffee they do have a lot of banh mi and prepared Viet pastries/​snacks for those of you who need some food. This place is easy to miss located in the Lucky Seafood plaza next too Big Lots.

So this place definitely doesn’t beat A chau in San Diego. But in Mira Mesa this is probably the best.
The banh mi ga (chicken sandwich) is delicious! Also the banh mi thit nuong (bbq pork sandwich) is great. If you get the combo you can get 3 egg rolls and a drink for a few bucks more.
They also offer large trays for big parties and small items like fried rice, coconut bread and other yummy things.
ANNNNND, they even have boba drinks!!!

Tried their pork bahn mi recently. Not a big fan. I’ve had better.
Great customer service though and the prices are not bad. They have a large selection of smoothies. Not bad.

Great family run Vietnamese sandwich shop. We stopped by on Presidents’ Day after running errands in the area. We missed the lunch rush (yes!) so there was only a couple of other people finishing up in the store when we arrived. The girl working the front of the restaurant was super nice and helpful.
Their sandwiches are delicious! We got the bbq pork and bbq chicken sandwiches and both were great. We also got a Thai tea with boba and a taro smoothie with boba and both were also really good. If we are in the area and craving bahn mi we will definitely be back!
They also had boiled peanuts, which for a southerner was a huge treat!

Great for people craving banh mi in San Diego. They have a relatively large menu with over 20 different types of sandwiches. They also have a large smoothie menu and other viet food.
It’s a grab and go place. They are pretty fast with the food. There are like 5 – 8 tables but they are relatively small. Great for when you are on a budget and want to grab a quick meal!

One of my favorite places to get Banh mi. They are fast, and the sandwhiches are good and cheap. The bread is softer than the hard banquettes some come on. I always get BBQ sandwhich. The pork is tasty and juicy. Be sure to specify no spice if you don’t like jalapeños. I’ve also ordered one of the party platters for egg rolls. This is a great option for parties bc they give you a big quantity for a good price and they will have your order ready if you call in advance.

Bale is known for their Banh Mi sandwiches. My favorites are the #1, the BBQ pork and the BBQ chicken. They give you a pretty good amount of meat but I always order extra meat anyways. :D If you are hungry, get the combo, they give you a soda and 2 egg rolls… yum! Parking was never an issue for me. Plan to go early because the wait is about 15 – 20 during their lunch rush.

Their sandwiches are delicious and the bread is toasted just right. They offer a variety of boba drinks along with spring rolls and egg rolls you can grab to go. I’ve been going here for years and the owners are very nice.

This place is LEGIT when it comes down to Banh Mi sandwiches. The lady at the counter is very nice and I value her opinion since there so many sandwiches to choose from. After having a few sandwiches here and some sides to go with. This restaurant comes to mind every time I think of sandwiches. It’s got the right amount of spice and sweetness to it. The bread is warm and toasted just right to satisfy that Nooner ;-)

These sandwiches are just out of this world. The perfect blend of sweet and spicy.
Not only do they taste superb, but you can’t beat the price! We are locals here and always greeted by nice and helpful staff.
Try the BBQ Pork sandwich!

The female person not sure if she is the owner or not as extremely rude. We wanted some bbq sandwiches and she asked if we could get some 5 bbq sandwiches, we then asked if we can get them non spicy and she was quick and real rude how she replied like we go to his place or that we are regulars and we are supposed to know how to order. This was the first time we went here, we shrugged it off and said that we wanted 2 of them non spicy. When my mother was asking for the take away menu the female who took our order was rude to my mom speaking down to her speaking in a condescending manner saying that menu is for my other restaurant and that green one is for here. In a really really rude manner. Never gonna go back here and I’ll let all my friends know that not to go here.

Great little banh mi sandwich shop in Mira Mesa near Big Lots/Valerio’s Bakery. Whenever I’m up in the area this is one of the few places I tend to stop by especially when I’m hungry. They’re very quick when making your order too. You must try their BBQ chicken and iced coffee! Although their selection is limited I believe the quality of their protein is absolutely delicious. They also serve boba and other little snacks you can get if you’re on the go.

Usually all we get is a Vietnamese coffee here which is hubby’s high octane Saturday morning treat.
This morning, however, I really wanted something of substance so I asked the lady behind the counter which she recommended among the Bbq pork, the beef, the combination (ham, pâté, and pork bologna), and meatball. She said that the Bbq pork and the beef were more popular than the meatball. BBQ pork to-​go it is!
The sandwich was served hot and fresh! I had my first banh mi years ago at a sandwich place across the street from here, but it was cold, dry and tasteless at the time — I was not a fan. However since then I’ve had them across town but never close to my house until now. This time, I ate it right as we were driving away! I couldn’t stop after the first bite; ’twas a taste explosion of savory meat, fresh crunchy veg, and the perfect blend of spicy and sweet (just a tad sweet). Husband and I had to play-​grab it from each other. He was driving and considered turning around to get another.
The soft and fresh bread reminded me of the boulangeries in Paris. We don’t like it when bread has an outer crust so hard that it cuts the roof of our mouths, so every bite was painless (as it ought to be). The crunch of the daikon radish, pickled jicama, and fresh cilantro really enhanced the flavor — yum! I was impressed that we gobbled it all up in record time as I usually have leftovers for later, despite husband taking a few bites. Mmm!
His iced coffee was served with the traditional thick cream and did not have the taste of burnt or old beans; the roast was fragrant and not too bitter. Perfecto.
Located in the same parking lot as Big Lots and Lucky Seafood, you may have a bit of trouble in this busy corner finding a spot due to clueless drivers not paying attention, or pausing and blocking both ways of traffic to wait for a spot so you can’t go around, so just be a patient and alert driver and you won’t get hot under your collar. The store itself is pretty non-​descript; has a few small café tables with a couple of tvs playing sports or Vietnamese shows, so you can sit inside, but it was a glorious day so some folks waited outside in the fresh air for their order.
Warm and fresh-​out-​of the oven goodness, friendly home-​town service. This is our go-​to spot for balé sammiches. Will ask for just a bit more heat in the form of extra jalapenos to suit our taste buds next time.

This is my go to Banh Mi sandwich shop. I always get the BBQ Pork (#5) and it is always consistently good. The pork is seasoned and grilled just right, it is tender and a little fatty (but it adds to the flavor), and the ratio between pickled daikon/​carrots and pork is just right. The baguette that they use is smaller than the ones used elsewhere (actually it is not even a baguette but a french roll), but it is always hot and has a good crunch.
My favorite drink here is the Vietnamese Iced Coffee. It is strong and flavorful with sweetness from the sweetened condensed milk. The caffeine content feels as much as a Red Bull (so in other words, I normally feel the need for another one after a few hours, lol).
The place is nondescript but who cares. It is a take out joint and I’m here for the food, not the ambiance. Service is good and they remember exactly what you want (especially when you come here as often as I do, its not that hard, lol). I recommend this place over Cali Baguette Express down the street.

I find myself coming to Bale French Sandwiches every so often when commuting on the I-​15 as it’s right off of the Mira Mesa Blvd exit. I usually get the combination special (BBQ Pork Banh Mi with a drink and two crispy egg rolls). Service is never really an issue whether with the staff or the kitchen. The last time I came, the bread was a tad overcooked, but nevertheless the sandwiches have consistency and the baguettes are usually the best part. The space is dimly lit but the open doors bring in natural light, and there is limited seating so I would suggest taking your orders to go. Bale is just one of the places to get a Banh Mi fix, but they do it well.

Lived in Mira Mesa for-​almost-​ever and finally got around to trying this place out. Im used to the K-​sandwich or the Lees Sandwich, but this place is actually pretty good.
The bread is not your thin long french bread like K’s, its a french roll. Long and thick (haha). Toasted!
Buy 5 get 1 free.
Me and my fiancée like the BBQ pork Bahn Mi’s, i get mine with egg inside which makes it oh-​so delicious.
Crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, fresh veggies and jalapenos. YUM
They also have a huge selection of smoothies — the TARO was really good. With or without BoBa.
They also have a huge selection of different party trays– egg rolls and spring rolls– Made FRESH!
**CASH only on the party trays**
This is now my go-​to spot if im in need to fullfill my bahn-​mi pleasure.

Shout out to Johnny for introducing me to this place! Yummy and affordable Banh Mi restaurant.
They have a wonderful selection of Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), and also a wall of selection of party food AKA big tin plate of Vietnamese deliciousness. Yes I would totally order a big plate of Nem Nuongs for my party…
Anyway, the shop isn’t too big, but the service is really quick. I got the combo sandwhich, it was packed with meatloaf, ham, and veggies. The price is unbeatable! Note: You can only use your credit card over $ 5, but that’s not too hard since they ALSO have a great selection of smoothies and drinks…
Will be back to try other sandwiches!

My first time having a Vietnamese sammie!
I must say, I am pleasantly surprised!
Decided on #14 CA (Sardine) w/​added egg & the hubby got the #5 THIT NUONG (BBQ Pork) along with a Avocado boba smoothie.
The sardine sammie was the bomb! And I love the veggies that come on it! Soooo good!
Tried the BBQ sammie, was great, but I was happy with my fishy baguette :)
First time trying the Avocado smoothie. Twas pretty tasty & sweet.
So overall I like this place for when I’m in the mood for something other than a plain boring sandwich ^_^

Bale offers a pretty good sandwich at a decent price. The size of each sandwich is a bit small considering the price when compared to the gold standard of Vietnamese sandwiches, Lee’s.
Taste wise they are ⁴⁄₅. They only have water in bottles (minus points), and the smoothies were just ok. We had the mango as well as papaya and neither were standouts. Nothing worth writing home about.
I have yet to find a Vietnamese sandwich shop in SD that can rival Lee’s.

As others have said, this place has really tasty Banh Mi for cheap. They use a good amount of meat with fresh vegetables, all wrapped in a perfectly crispy bun. I like coming here for a quick lunch on the weekends. Oh, they also have lots of other snacks like sesame balls, egg rolls, rice cake thingys, and more!
Pros:
— Best Banh Mi
— Cheap, only $ 4 per sandwich
— Quick service
Cons:
— Limited seating but that doesn’t matter to me.

Adjectives: delicious, cheap, flavorful, clean, variety
The banh mi at this place is always top notch. I live by the bbq pork but they have a large variety of choices to choose from (at least 20, but I’ve long stopped looking at the menu).
The sandwich comes on heavenly soft but chewy French bread, along with your choice of meat, pickled vegetables, cilantro, mayo and jalapeños, if you like to live life on the wild side.
Tip: If you want to save the sandwich for later, you can ask for the pickled vegetables on the side and they’ll give it to you in a bag so that your sandwich won’t get soggy
The workers are always very courteous and I’ve never experienced a wrong order.
The place also sells smoothies with boba of all flavors, and they also have unique ones such as avocado, papaya, pennyleaf and durian! The smoothies are delish and the boba is good enough. The other foods you can buy always look pretty tempting but not quite tempting enough for me to try except for the sesame balls! 5 for a dollar! yum yum. They also sell egg rolls, spring rolls and party trays of Vietnamese foods I am unfamiliar with but look excellent.

Okay this is seriously the best viet sandwich I’ve eaten for a looooooong time. I tried K sandwich just a couple days ago but this place is hands down better than K for like 100 times! For starter, the bread was nice and toasted, crusty outside and soft inside. Then the BBQ pork was flavorful and balanced out well with mayo, cilantro, jalapeño and pickled veggies. The first bite was as good as the last one and I devoured it so quickly I kind of felt sad that it’s finished!
They also do party trays as well as pre-​made spring rolls and desserts. Price was very good at $ 3.95+tax for 3 full size shrimp spring rolls and $ 3.6+ plus tax for BBQ pork sandwich.
This place is a bit a distance from where I live but for a quality sandwich like this I will definitely make special trips out here often!

Sometimes, you want an affordable banh mi sandwich without the whole sit-​down-​phở-​experience. This place provides exactly that.
They have a limited menu — if you don’t like sandwiches. Lots of pork options, and your basics. If you don’t eat meat, you can order the veggie or the egg. I got the veggie, which was almost perfect — they use a shredded carrot and tofu topping which was a perfect crisp.
The bread is a good soft and crunchy combo. The toppings could have been more evenly spread out, but that’s a total nitpick. I found the mayo bunched up in a few spots, but I was able to adjust it on my own.
Otherwise on the menu are an assortment of boba teas and condensed-​milk drinks. The iced tea was great.
There are also chicken eggrolls — 2 for $ 1. The only downfall is they aren’t sold with any sort of dipping sauce… kinda weird. They were good, though.
I see they also sell bulk meals for large groups. –That– menu was extensive and appealing.
The dining room is just that of a fast food place. Only tables — no toppings or sauces provided. To-​go seems to be the name of the game, here.
I’m sure I’ll be hitting this place up again, soon. We got 2 sandwiches, 4 eggrolls, and a boba tea for $ 12.50. That’s a wonderfully cheap dinner!

I’m pretty sure they open at 6am most days (at least the days I’ve visited and called them before 7a to make sure they’re open). It’s a tiny Vietnamese restaurant that serves (primarily) banh mi’s. They also serve a bunch of items you can order for catering (see pic).
I’ve had a bit of an OCD banh mi tic lately. I just can’t get enough of these warm and crusty french bread sandwiches. I’ve only recently been introduced to these types of Vietnamese sandwiches and must say that Bale does a very good version of it.
I’ve been here 3 times in the last two weeks. I’ve tried:
BBQ PORK banh mi:
I think this BBQ pork banh mi was only $ 3.60 or so. The warm crusty bread, the tart pickled daikon (I even didn’t mind the carrots –gasp), the abundant cilantro, the heat from the sliced jalapenos, and the still warm bbq pork made this banh mi heaven for me. I kept thinking, why, WHY, have I never had this before or tried to sooner than the Bacon and Barrels event.
THE #1: SPECIAL COMBINATION:
This banh mi had a few types of meat: ham, pâté, pork bologna. The bread and veggies were still amazing but the combination of the meats was too new to me I think to appreciate. I found the pâté to be too prevalent in the sandwich.
PORK BUN:
I wasn’t a fan of this pork bun as there were noodles inside the ground pork that I wasn’t aware of before I purchased this. The hard boiled egg was fine as were the bits of Chinese sausage (?).
BBQ PORK & BBQ CHICKEN SKEWERS $ 2/​EA:
I must say both these skewers were pretty darn good. I’m usually not a fan of chicken skewers as they tend to taste dry but the one I had that morning was juicy and so nicely marinated (maybe it’s also because I got to there before 7:30a in the morning). Here’s a trick I used that rainy morning — I added the chicken to the bbq pork banh mi and made it an overstuffed meat lovers banh mi. So very yums in every possible way.
Bale French Sandwiches makes simple, fast, and fresh banh mi’s to order. They open at 6am (!!) in the mornings and close 8p at night (most days). So give them a try for a quick affordable meal if you’re in the area.

Randomly stopped by here really quick to grab some lunch to go.
It was empty one moment, then got busy as soon as I sat down to wait for my order.
The lady there seemed a bit impatient because I was trying to figure out what I wanted to order since I’ve never been there before. She insisted in asking if I needed «help» in ordering something. So she recommended the BBQ Pork and the #1 Special Combination, which was what I was planning to order anyways because those two are usually the best options for any Vietnamese sandwich shops.
#5 Thit Nuong (BBQ Pork) Sandwich $ 4.00
The bread is the fat loaf version. It is soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. Thin slices of jalapeño. Chopped up pieces of carrots and radish. The meat was really tasty. It was juicy and flavorful. Slightly sweet and chewy. It was surprisingly good.
#1 Dac Biet (Special Combination) $ 4.00
This is a simple sandwich with pork meat loaf, cured cold cut pork meat, liver spread, and veggies. This was also really good.
They have quite a large selection of Banh Mi (vietnamese sandwiches), snacks, smoothies and drinks.
I would probably come here again if I was craving Banh Mi in mira mesa.

I’m going to have to downgrade my 4 stars to 3 stars because they raised their prices and the sandwiches cost $ 4 now. I also thought the Thai tea with boba this time around was small in size and I finished the drink in a minute!