BONMi

I was first introduced to Bonmi at Truckeroo this summer. I wanted something light and flavorful but not a salad so I checked them out. I’m not a Vietnamese food connoisseur by any means, but this place certainly has me ready to try more. From their food truck at Truckeroo I had the rice noodle bowl (make sure to add the fish sauce if you don’t have any allergies) and I fell in love. It was very flavorful and included chicken, carrots, red curry, pickled onions, jalapenos, and other things I cant remember. The second go around I visited the actual store and I got the baguette. It was very good. The bread does get soggy from the sauce but the baguette is cooked to perfection, flaky on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. I look forward to trying other things from this place.

This ain’t your Aunt Thuy’s banh mi.
You can tell from the name of the spot that they’re trying to reach a different clientele.
By different, people that have only vaguely sort of had Vietnamese food before. So all the flavors are sorta kinda there.
I went with their Roast Pork, thinking I’d be getting something like Bun Mi Thit Nuong (which is char-​grilled pork).
This Roast Pork is more like what you might get @ Sophia’s Cuban or from Taylor Gourmet.
Some of the flavors are there, but they kinda put it on with an ice cream scooper. And like other reviewers have mentioned, the moisture of the protein overwhelms the structural integrity of the bread.
From an objective point of view, it’s not a bad sandwich. It’s not even a bad concept. But there are a lot of Asian-​Esque places throughout DC, aimed at Office Workers, Students, or Transplants. A few doors down is an Asian fusion place. Across the street is a Korean-​mash up place.
Can’t we just get some «straight from Yard» Asian food? As Jay Z said, «I didn’t go mainstream, the mainstream came to me»
Seating — there’s plenty. I’ve never seen the place packed.
Service — very friendly
Pricing — I don’t recall exactly, but if you don’t get a fancy drink like I did, I think you can get what you need for close to 10.
And speaking of dranks, they had Vietnamese coffee. (Ca Phe Sue Da) Price wise, they were very proud of it. But it’s not a metal filter on top of a cup filled with sweetened condensed milk, it’s more like a Starbucks — coffee in a bottle type thing. I don’t know if they used Trung Nguyen or Café du Monde, but there’s a hint of chicory/​cinnamon/​spice in the background.
If you’re familiar with Vietnamese food, LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS © MAD TV. If you’re not up on Vietnamese food (get out more), it’s a hint of what is out there.

I used to be Unilocal elite but have not written a review in at least a year. But felt it was my civic duty to comment about how gross the food is here, and how I literally feel sick after eating here.
Avoid
avoid

I felt like a change of pace from the usual options, along with an urge to escape the overrun GW campus, so I decided to give BONMi a try. At noon on a weekday, there was no line and I was able to get in and out in 5 minutes. The staff was helpful in explaining the options and making the sandwich with great efficiency. I got the pork with red curry sauce with the gauntlet of toppings. The sandwich was good and provided the right amount of filling. I can’t speak to the authenticity of the Vietnamese food but if the price came down a couple dollars, I’d be there all the time.

THE BEST!!! The food is great and the people on the food truck are awesome. It is by far my favorite food truck around. The restaurant is always clean, the staff is always so nice and friendly and the food is always amazing!

I got the banh mi (or bahn mi) sandwich with the pork, the bonmi sauce, and the spicy sauce. The veggies and pork came with way too much water, which ended up making the baguette soggy. The pork also didn’t have that much flavor, and the entire sandwich was just covered too much sauce. The banh mi itself just reminded me of any regular sandwich I would get at a sandwich place… And there a lots of other sandwich places in DC that won’t serve you soggy bread. The ingredients also weren’t authentic, so if you’re someone who’s actually looking to get banh mi and not just any regular asian sauce drenched sandwich, I would go elsewhere. The only reason this place gets two stars is because the servers were nice and helpful. I highly recommend that this place figures out a way to take some of the liquid out of its veggies and meat to fix the sogginess issue.

I definitely echo a lot of the reviews already written about this place. And as a Vietnamese person I am slightly peeved that they changed the spelling of banh mi to bahn mi. I just don’t get how that makes it easier for anyone.
Anyhow, onto the food part. I didn’t get a sandwich so I can’t attest to the bread but I can imagine it getting soggy with the amt of water from the veggies. I got the chicken salad and liked the carrot-​ginger sauce (though it could use more spice) and also liked the amount of chicken that was included. However, the guys were skimpy on the sides and I kept having to ask for extra veggies. I also got it with the lemongrass and red curry sauces– again I got a smidge more after asking. Sigh. Luckily they had sriracha on the counter so I was able to douse my salad with that!
Overall it was a tasty and light meal but also did set me back $ 9ish for just the salad. It’s definitely not authentic Vietnamese by any standards and so if you’re in the area and wanna try something different– then go here. But if you’re looking for a heartier more authentic meal then I would go elsewhere. Oh how I miss Orange County/​Little Saigon in these moments…

This place is cool place to get a light, casual lunch near foggy bottom. The meat is cooked low and slow so it’s tender. The vegetables are fresh and the sauces give a nice balance of sweet, sour, spicy salty. The bahn mi is little small but a good tasting sandwich. Most Vietanamese restaurants sell smaller, simpler sandwiches, but they’re so cheap I can buy two of them when I’m really hungry.
The noodle and rice bowls are boring and have a lackluster consistency. Especially because the vegetables add a lot of water to the dish. I’d advise you get salad or a sandwich.
A salad with a Vietanamese iced coffee (they use café du monde!) set me back $ 14. Pretty steep for a lunch. Still the salad was fresh and the carrot ginger dressing worked well with the red curry sauce– a flavor won’t get at a typical fast casual joint.
I wish this place made huge Vietnamese burritos, their soft, shredded meats remind me of carnitas and barbacoa. I also wish you got more food for the price. Some Thai restaurants have great lunch specials that include a tiny spring roll and some soup. I think they should include something hot and oily like spring rolls or tofu fries. It’d make the meal more substantial and would compliment the cold and fresh bowls.
Meat was a little bland but I’ll just ask for more sauce and that’ll probably solve it. The texture of the meat was super tender.

I’ve only been to BONMi once, but their special lamb bowl left me with some serious cravings. I got the jasmine rice and quinoa bowl which paired perfectly with the lamb that they had on special during my visit. I asked them to make the sauce extra spicy and while they tried, it just wasn’t spicy enough for me. Not to worry though, Sriracha is plentiful at BONMi! I agree with the others that the portions are a little bit smaller than most places since I actually ended up finishing my meal, as opposed to having leftovers per the usual — but maybe Chipotle sizes have us spoiled? Either way, I loved my meal, and if it wasn’t for the $ 12 price tag, I would probably visit more often.

Surprised the star rating isn’t higher. The criticisms are fair (small portions, not authentic Vietnamese). Five things I like about BONMi:
1. Chipotle/​Cava style counter lets you see ingredients and customize your sandwich efficiently.
2. Lean chicken breast is a healthy tasty option not typically available in traditional Bahn Mi shops.
3. Sidewalk café seating with southern exposure makes outdoor eating comfortable on chilly but sunny days.
4. Unsweetened ginger green tea.
5. Nice folks and good service.

This truck was at my husband’s work Christmas party. Everything was free so i am not sure on pricing, but I did try a lot of delicious stuff. The food cam out really fast and was hot and delicious. I had pork bell tacos with a slaw topping and of course a squeeze of Siracha. I don’t think these are on the regular menu, but they should be. the flavor is so good. They also walked around with appetizers of sliders, soup, and rice balls, the five spice sauce on the pork was delectable. I also had a BonMi sandwich with pork and pickled veggies. I expected the bread to be a little cold and chewy, but it was soft and warm. I couldn’t stop myself from having one more bite after another.

This lunch spot is a play off of the Chipotle model (sandwich, salad, or rice bowl + protein + extras)… but it sucks. It’s way under flavored, skimpy portions, and of course also overpriced («summer roll» is $ 3.25 for 1 small single wrap that has no meat in it).
The owners should get their butts to NYC to experience Num Pang (maybe just beg them to franchise). 1 star rounded down because of terrible value and they fucked up a cuisine I love so much.

BONMi bastardizes Vietnamese food just as badly as it bastardizes the Vietnamese word «Bahn Mi.»
I got a vermicelli bowl with BONMi-​style pork, a heaping helping of cilantro, habanero peppers, and carrots. To my disdain, the server poured a ton of vinegar sauce onto the dish, making it soupy like phở, albeit with a vermicelli taste. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it before my hands even touched it.
Not surprisingly, it was bad. Way too watery, way too simple, way too not-​Vietnamese. The noodles tasted nothing like authentic Vietnamese vermicelli, though I couldn’t put my finger on why. The meat was tender, but too fatty, and not adequately cooked or spiced. The cilantro and carrots were nice — but hey, it’s just cut up vegetables. To add insult to injury, the serving size was a bit spartan, and the diet soda wasn’t even mixed right (barely any carbonation, which was super weird). The whole thing cost me $ 14+ for lunch.
If you want good Bahn Mi, just go to the Eden Center or something.

I have been trying to find a good Bahn Mi in the DMV since I moved here from Chicago and had almost given up hope of finding one until I went back home… and then I stumbled upon Bön Mi on a warm DC afternoon… such a pleasant surprise at that! You walk in to the restaurant and know good things are about to happen to your tongue. bow chika wow wow. The setup is kinda like your chipotle. shophouse (is chipotle now synonmous with pick-​your-​meat-​veggies line up?)… You pick what you want. Bahn mi. bowl.etc.pick your meat and the kind of sauce you want on it. I went with the Chicken and lemongrass. I would have liked it to be «lemongrass chicken». but I’ll take what I get at this point. some of you will know what I’m talking about.
It was pretty good. not the best bahn mi I’ve had (in Houston and Chicago), but definitely the best I’ve had between DC, MD and VA. Super fresh ingredients, well cooked proteins, creative sauces and a good crusty baguette. Too bad it’s too far from my office to walk over to all the time for lunch or I definitely would have become a regular here.
There’s a potbelly right door. but why go to a chain when you can go here?

The food portions are so small here that I wouldn’t really call it a meal. It is more like a really expensive snack.
The ingredients aren’t anything special so I can’t see why they are charging so much, other than profit.
I just ate and I’m still hungry. I won’t be back.

Today as I was trying to press the button to go up to my building’s roof deck without spilling my lunch or drink… I spilled my lunch and drink. So, I thought «shit — guess I need to go out for lunch.» Since I had an afternoon of meetings, it needed to be somewhere close. After walking around aimlessly for a block, I saw Bonmi and thought «eh, ok.»
The staff couldn’t have been nicer. The guys behind the counter were joking with each other, but polite and attentive to the customers. Despite it being 12:45, there was barely a line. I got the plain ol’ bonmi sandwich. While it’s not the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted, it was very good. Next time I think I’ll get more jalapenos as they weren’t as spicy as anticipated. At $ 8 for a fairly small sandwich, this place isn’t a bargain. But it is good.

BONMi offers delicious, fresh, and quick Vietnamese sandwiches, salad wraps, and rolls, and is conveniently located in the Farragut neighborhood. I ordered the BONMI chicken and though the chicken was great and the ingredients were generally fresh, the bread was a little dry and I felt like the price was a little bit steep (though I should have expected that for a DC lunch place). But the service was really great (super friendly person behind the cash register) and I would certainly visit again.

I have a mixed relationship with BonMi in that it is sometimes excellent and othertimes rather awful. For instance, I really liked BonMi about 6 months ago when after 3 pm, diners could get sandwiches about half off the regular price. This special was sadly discountinued.
Around the same time frame, this location (or maybe BonMi in general) experimented with soups. I love soup so eagerly tried the beef variety only to find that it was 95% broth with little of anything else ‘swimmin within the plastic bowl. I mean like 2 noodles all in all. For a large, I paid ~$ 5 so was particularly bummed that lunch left me still hungry.
Let’s return to the sandwiches: they are large, flavored with fresh ‘n unusual items (for Americanized food) such as cilantro, and topped with plentiful meat; the pork is quite tasty. Some of the staff is better than others about assembling sandwiches but that’s almost anywhere. In sum, the jury is still out. Certainly stop on in but do hope for a good day.

After spending several months working in Falls Church (home to the well regarded Bahn Mi DC Sandwich), I am happy to have found a solid Bahn Mi place in DC. Although not as good as the Falls Church sandwiches, this one comes pretty close. For $ 5 you receive a sizable sandwich with solid fixings (pâté or homemade mayo + cilantro, cucumber, and pickled veggies). I prefer the tofu which is marinated in some sort of soy sauce. The bread isn’t quite top notch, but it’s not bad either.
I also discovered milk tea (think bubble tea without the tapioca), which is a bit too sweet, but still yummy.

2.5 stars! Better than expected. But overall «okay» experience. I gave it a 2.5 because its not a place I would crave to go back to.
My coworker and I ventured out to grab lunch here. With both of us being Vietnamese, we were both skeptical.
The line was pretty fast. The layout is an assembly like Chiptole. You go down the line and pick what you want on the sandwich. They have a few signature sandwiches and I ended up getting the lemongrass chicken. The chicken was good, but made the bread soggy. (The authentic Viet sandwiches would use thinner sliced meat with mayo and pork liver pâté)
Also, the Vietnamese iced coffee was decent, kind of watered down but it wasn’t bad.