Bale Supermarket

I only go there for their sandwiches and think they’re delicious but not the absolute best I’ve ever had. They offer a great deal of buy 2 get 1 free for the sandwiches :)

Vietnamese, Chinese & Thai. Bahn Mi French influenced sandwich w/​a Boba

Bale is another fine food establishment I have the pleasure to work nearby.
I had the veggie bahn mi (trying to take it easy after a night of debauchery and an upset stomach from Humberto’s carne asada fries pairing to my hot carrots and jalapeños).
The bread was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, veggies were fresh, and it had just the right amount of chilli. Mmm-​hmm. I had a Thai iced tea which tasted amazing but the boba was looked a little pruny…
I will come back to try the meat sandwiches, I can’t get enough of that BREEEEAAAAD!

pros… well same people i think own this one, and have moved from what is now the water store out closer to the street. the place was pretty packed and lots of people where there. sandwiches were nicely numbered on the wall, everything was brand spanking new.
sandwich was still as good as i remembered it while still going to acupuncture school.
cons…what happened, why are they so expensive now? and shoot they are much smaller and less filling (in a bad way). i mean one thing to have the prices go up and have essentially the same sized sandwich, but to raise the prices and then have a smaller sandwich on top of that? well it must be my imagination or i’m really that fat and everything is smaller?
and still no credit card option? where the hell are we vietnam? get a square credit card or one of the other small credit card readers that attach to your cell phone or ipad. then charge away! but seriously, who has cash anymore? geezus, even yum cha café takes credit cards, and they are charging like $ 1.79 for some items. get with the times.

Under new ownership (sold from the folks in Mira Mesa) — great place to shop for a supermarket but dunno about th sandwiches & boba anymore tho — cheap prices on supermarket stuffs tho — check it out!

Oh my god… a big blue C rating from the health department and people thinks this place is good. Deez nuts taste better than those sandwiches.

Used to be my favorite banh mi place but sometimes the bread can be a little stale. This location is a bit far for me, so I usually don’t eat here unless I’m going somewhere & it’s on the way.
When their sandwiches are on, they’re on — usually 4 – 5 stars. But when they’re off, they’re off. Call it even at 3 stars. Overall, it’s worth trying if you’re close to this neighborhood. However, I think my new spot is the Mira Mesa Ba-​le sandwich place — it’s closer & the bread is softer.

OMG. I had their Banh Chung (this square thing wrapped in bamboo leaves) and…
IT
WAS
SO
FUCKING
AWESOME
The sticky rice was so moist…
T_​T I WANT MORE
P. S. You can use your Visa/​Debit card if the purchase is over 10 dollars.

FIve stars??? yep. I have to. If I am craving or need something, I go to the spot that I like. Just like going to a doctor (or your favorite bartender) when you need a fix. This is my spot for those bale sandwiches. GOD… why do I write these reviews? Now I am craving one. The BBQ pork with those spicy peppers and for a couple bucks you can’t beat it. I have been to K sandwiches and their good. BUT this is my spot. They do buy high quality pork, the same stuff some high end restaurants get and they are clean… ok. *clean enough for me* in the back. So dont be a hater and judge a book by the cover. Get off your high horse and eat a little love.

Good sandwiches-​but really bad place to eat. It IS a supermarket so unless you’re willing to just grab and go, I wouldn’t suggest it.

I used to go to Bale’s when it was right next door to Vien Dong III… and always had to wait behind a line of other people…
Now they moved a block north to a smaller, harder-​to-​find location inside a quixotic Vietnamese mini-​market, and frankly, I am puzzled why it is no longer as crowded as it used to be. Granted, the sititng area is lacking in ambiance, but the sandwiches are as delicious as ever.
I kind of like the fact that I no longer have to wait in a long line when I am STARVING… but also feel that it is CRIMINAL that such a wonderful sandwich store is bypassed due to location.
(Oh in response to one of the earlier reviews, I actually never noticed that they received a «C», however, I have NEVER gotten sick from eating ANYTHING from this place. NOT the sandwiches, NOT the deep-​fried bananas, NOT the sesame balls, NOT the springrolls…)

so i haven’t managed to try the other bahn mi joints, but i think it’s because bale is the closest one to my house and know what to expect from them.
sometimes they have fried bananas too. i highly recommend them with your sandwich if they made them. fried crispy and slightly sweet. i don’t know how they get the batter the way it is, but it’s cheap and delicious.
they also have these round fried balls covered in sesame. i don’t know what they fill them with, they could be anything from sweet red bean paste to coconut and nuts. it looks like the kind of sesame fried treats my grandmother used to make me when i was a kid… in catering sized bulk. which is why i haven’t been able to touch the stuff since then. but if you never had one before, they are very good. just not so much after 50 of them at one time… for weeks on end.

I loved Bale in Hawaii so I was super excited when I saw a Bale shop right next to a Vietnamese supermarket that shall go unnamed. I made a hard stop and did an about face when I saw something in the window that I had never seen before.
A big blue letter «C»
Too bad.

I like Bale more than K Sandwiches. Their Banh Mi is well priced, their moving down the street soon.
My parents do maintance for their kitchen, and said they don’t pay rent or something. So their moving. So go chase them down!
Spring rolls are pretty good, too. Party trays are well priced.

Rolled into Bale today because I wanted to see how it compared to K’s Sandwiches. So how does it match up?
Ways Bale is Better:
1. Order 5 sandwiches, get a 6^th for free. When in a small group, this pays off. K’s needs to do this too.
2. Better bread. More flavor, seemed fresher than K’s.
3. More variety of veggies in sandwiches.
Ways Bale is Inferior:
1. Too buttery
2. Weaker sauce
3. Poorer quality of meat.
Honestly, although the two shops’ banh mi taste quite different, they are about equal in rating. If you could take Bale’s bread and veggies and put them together with K’s meat and spread, you’d have a kick ass sandwich. Alas, we’re just stuck with two 3-​star banh mi places on Linda Visa.

I love banh mi. I mean, with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. Crunchy, fresh French bread? Awesome. Grilled pork. Bangin’. Jalepenos to give it a kick. Poppin. And the best part? SO cheap. Usually less than $ 4.00 per sub. Forget Subway. Jared’s a pussy. These things rock!
Oh, it would have had five stars, but the girl at the counter was acting like someone lit the fuse on her tampon; and we were very nice, she had no reason to be so jerky.

Man this place brings back memories. I grew up in LInda Vista and this place was always there supplying me with good Vietnamese sandwiches. Cheap, tasty and filling.
The other Ba Le is good too but its seriously run down and needs a renovation. Its on University Ave, in the Little Somalia or Little Mogadishu part of City Heights, next to a Somalian joint called Coffee Time. Oddly enough, Coffee Time does NOT offer coffee. Hahahah. WTH ?
This is a good place people, check it out. Its been around for over 20 years i think. Damn I feel old.

Jeff G couldn’t have put it any better. You can come here, eat for two, walk out with a new wardrobe, get a car wash, get a haircut and more for under $ 20.
This place is ridiculously cheap but you don’t lose anything in terms of taste or quality.
Fresh bread and it’s toasted to order.
Try the spring rolls — the fresh (un-​fried) ones… you won’t regret it.

Once upon a time, I was a busy gal. I workedfull time, then rushed to Mesa College to make it in time for my evening classes– hey. maybe that seems like nothing to you, but a schedule like that kicked my butt!
So, I had to find a quick, cheap, decent, somewhat healthy dinner in between. Bale French Sandwiches was perfect.
I always get the #1 or #2. The sandwiches are delicious and actually somewhat filling. I also enjoy the other prepackaged food items — glass noodles, spring rolls, sticky rice with pork and desserts like che ba mau… LOVE ME some che ba mau.. but I don’t get these items too often. I’ve got a weird phobia about that stuff. You never really know HOW long its been sitting there.
Can’t beat the price here, but they only take cash (surprise, surprise). But, theres a B of A atm across the way. I actually prefer thise place to K sandwiches.
The only drawback: all the crumbs that accumulate when you eat these sandwiches in your car (even with the wrapper in your lap!). Damn mesa college and their 6pm faculty parking.

This place used to be mad cheap, then prices went up and now it’s only moderately cheap. 25 cents on everything doesn’t sound too bad, but when you buy 3 or 4 small things to make a meal, you notice it.
Also, not sure what happened but sometime last year the sandwiches became worse. They used to be excellent — now ehh, they’re okay. About as decent as K Sandwiches. About that time, also, they got rid of my favorite item… the veggie spring rolls.
Still, there are a few good picks here. The sour pork sandwich is good, the egg sandwich is good, and some of the rice paper-​based dishes on the counter are alright too.