Banh mi in Minneapolis spans the counter and the sit-down room, and the two should not be judged by the same yardstick. Some of these kitchens built their name on pho and treat the sandwich as a sideline; others, like Lu's, built the whole operation around the baguette. Here is where the bread actually holds up.
№ 01
Pho 79
$
2529 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 · +16128714602
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Pho 79 keeps the menu focused on the broth first, banh mi second, in a plain room built for speed rather than lingering. It works as a dependable stop for a bowl of pho on the way through, and the sandwich program rides along on the same kitchen's momentum rather than standing as its own destination.
№ 02
Pho Mai Dinkytown
$$
319 14th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16122364538
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Pho Mai Dinkytown draws students and neighborhood regulars for a fast, inexpensive lunch, and the Dau Hu (fried tofu) stands out as the kitchen's strongest plate, filling and well seasoned. The pho broth runs saltier than the corridor standard and the noodles can go soft, so the banh mi is the safer order here.
What to orderDau Hu, Pho, Banh Mi
№ 03
Pho Tau Bay
$$
2837 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16128746030
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Pho Tau Bay runs a straightforward Vietnamese menu where the banh mi rides alongside the pho rather than competing for top billing. The room stays casual and quick, suited to a weekday lunch order rather than a sit-down meal, and the price point keeps it in the same everyday tier as the corridor's other counters.
№ 04
Jasmine 26 | Hot Pot Restaurant & Bar
$$
8 E 26th St, Minneapolis, MN 55401 · +16128703800
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Jasmine 26 built its name on individual hot pot, not the sandwich, with beef, shrimp and vegetable versions diners assemble themselves. Groups have room to split pots even in threes, and attentive service comes up often. Anyone chasing banh mi specifically should treat this as a hot pot stop first, with the bread a footnote.
What to orderbeef hot pot, shrimp hot pot, vegetable hot pot
№ 05
Cadao Express
$
6637 Penn Ave S, Richfield, MN 55423 · +16128619901
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Cadao Express sits a few doors down from other Eat Street stops, and the cream cheese wontons get named as the kitchen's standout more often than the banh mi does, sweet filling, crisp shell, served with a sweet and sour dip. Parking is tight. The sandwich is solid but the wontons are the reason to detour here.
What to ordercream cheese wontons, banh mi, pho
№ 06
Pho Hoa Noodle Soup (Minneapolis)
$$
2450 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404 · +16128708000
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Pho Hoa Noodle Soup runs a no-frills counter room where the broth gets singled out repeatedly as better than expected, deep and well built rather than thin. Banh mi and spring rolls round out the order alongside the pho. The plain storefront should not be read as a mark against the kitchen's actual output.
What to orderpho, banh mi, spring rolls
2719 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55408 · +16128704739
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Quang Restaurant has stood as one of the longer-running Vietnamese kitchens in Minneapolis, big enough for family tables and known for pho, banh mi and spring rolls served without pretense. Regulars compare it against options across the metro and it holds its own, a dependable choice for a full sit-down Vietnamese meal rather than a quick counter grab.
What to orderpho, banh mi, spring rolls
2121 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN, 55418 · +16122238640
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Hai Hai treats the banh mi as one plate in a larger family-style Vietnamese menu built around the Bun Cha Lettuce Wraps and Adobo Pork Ribs, both frequently named as the table's best order. The Northeast Minneapolis room leans upscale for the category, suited to a group dinner rather than a fast lunch stop.
What to orderBun Cha Lettuce Wraps, Adobo Pork Ribs, Banh Mi
112 N 3rd St, Minneapolis, MN, 55401 · +16123437696
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112 Eatery is a New American kitchen, not a banh mi stop, and belongs on a Vietnamese sandwich guide only as a contrast point: the tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs and the lamb pasta draw the strongest praise in the North Loop room. Diners chasing banh mi should look elsewhere on this list.
What to orderTagliatelle with foie gras meatballs, Lamb pasta, Dumplings
№ 10
Lotus Restaurant
$$
113 W Grant St, Minneapolis, MN 55403 · +16128701218
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Lotus Restaurant has built a following on pork eggrolls cut in half for sharing and a Vietnamese noodle soup that keeps families coming back for years. It runs as a casual, family-friendly room in Minneapolis. Banh mi sits on the same menu, but the eggrolls and lotus wings pull the strongest and most consistent word of mouth here.
What to orderpork eggrolls, lotus wings, Vietnamese noodle soup
№ 11
Que Viet Village House
$$
2211 Johnson St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418 · +16127814744
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Que Viet Village House earns its neighborhood loyalty on meatballs pho, ordered often enough by regulars near the local schools that it reads as the house specialty. Banh mi and spring rolls fill out the rest of the order. The room stays casual and family-friendly, built for repeat weekday visits rather than a special occasion.
What to ordermeatballs pho, banh mi, spring rolls
№ 12
Lu's Sandwiches
$
2624 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16128700350
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Lu's Sandwiches is built entirely around the banh mi, and the headcheese version gets called out as the best cold-cut banh mi some diners have had anywhere, real homemade head cheese on a properly crisp baguette. Near Eat Street with a second Northeast location, it holds prices under ten dollars while other kitchens have let that tier disappear.
What to orderbanh mi with headcheese, banh mi, pho
Frequently asked
What is the best banh mi in Minneapolis?
Lu's Sandwiches is the strongest pick specifically for banh mi, built around the sandwich rather than treating it as a side item, with the headcheese version drawing the most consistent praise. Quang Restaurant and Lotus Restaurant also serve solid versions inside a broader Vietnamese menu.
Where can I find good banh mi near me in Minneapolis?
This guide covers rooms across Minneapolis, from Eat Street to Dinkytown to Northeast, each ranked by its Insider Score based on the public review record. Use the neighborhood and price listed with each entry to find the closest match to where you are standing.
Is banh mi always cheap in Minneapolis?
Most of the counters on this list price the sandwich under ten dollars, Lu's Sandwiches and Cadao Express included. Sit-down rooms like Hai Hai and 112 Eatery price higher because they are not built around the sandwich as a quick, inexpensive order.
Do restaurants pay to be listed on this guide?
No restaurant pays for placement. Every entry here is ranked by its Insider Score, a measure built from the public review record, and the order reflects that score, not advertising.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Kou Thao
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Kou Thao is the St. Paul & Corridors Editor at Top of Minneapolis. Born in St. Paul and raised in Frogtown, he grew up working the family egg-roll stand at Hmongtown Marketplace. He covers the marketplaces, University Avenue, the East Side and West Side, and every corridor counter worth the trip across the river.
