Best banh mis I have ever had in my entire life. The bbq beef had so much grilled flavor, the bread was fantastic, the cucumber was crunchy and delicious, basically everything about this place is legit. I also had the combination pork banh mi, and it was the first and only pate-based banh mi that I have ever enjoyed. In fact, I loved it. I would get again. I want to try every single banh mi flavor they have and then work my way through the rest of their menu. TLDR; I drove from New Hampshire to eat here and my only regret is not ordering more food. I ordered 3 banh mis for myself, they were so good my wife stole one, and now i only have one left :( :( :( read more

Small store, but lots of options and good taste. Family owned and operated, and seems pretty authentic. Service is quick and price is cheap for Boston. I had the special combination Banh Mi Dac Biet, with shrimp spring rolls and a mango smoothie. It was a hot August day, and that smoothie hit the spot, tasting fresh and cooling me off. The Banh Mi was excellent, very flavorful meat and nice portion of the pickled veggies on top. The spring rolls come in groups of 3, and were very tasty when paired with the spicy peanut sauce they came with (would have been a bit bland without the sauce). And I left ~$10 later, so a very reasonably priced meal that was also filling. read more

Ba Le Dorchester - Banh Mi Dac Biet, shrimp spring rolls and Mango Smoothie - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This is one of the most authentic banh mi's I've had on the east coast, and probably one of the best also. It was a bit off the beaten path, but worth the trek. The neighborhood feels kind of seedy and ghetto and the store front is not noticeable. It looks like a small deli from the outside. When you go in, that's basically what it is. A Vietnamese deli that serves all sorts of Vietnamese snacks, baked goods, sweets, and sandwiches. It's not really an eat in type of place. You line up, place your order (quickly) with one of the Vietnamese aunties behind the counter for precooked food first. If not ordering any precooked foods, you move along to the banh mi station. We got an order of fried spring rolls and two original banh mi's. The speed at which she assembled the banh mi was impressive. She looked like she has been doing this everyday for her whole life. She literally made my banh mi in 6 seconds. I was in awe, but at the same time would've appreciated a little more care put into the even distribution of ingredients because some bites had bunched up ingredients and some had none. I was also disappointed that they weren't selling the drinks at the stall because I really wanted to try the fresh sugar cane drink. We stood there waiting for someone to order from and when we finally asked, the ladies just "no, closed." Other than that, everything was delicious. All the ingredients tasted fresh and like it was homemade and not prepackaged. A super affordable portable lunch! read more

A rare 5 Stars from me, where 3 Stars normally means good and would go again, 5 Stars means WOW. JUST LET ME LIVE THERE PLEASE! (Yes, all in caps!) All of the many rave reviews, articles and hype about Ba Le are legitimate, deserved, and totally true. This was hands down the best banh mi we've ever had. The banh mi that will remain, undisputed until we find better in Vietnam perhaps. We stopped by around 10:30am on a weekday, and the place was already in full gear with 6-7 employees busy at work. They were also busy prepping like 20 delivery orders for people who woke up and thought - I gotta have that bahn mi asap! The women who mans the banh mi station was friendly and efficient. We ordered the BBQ Beef Banh Mi, and the classic Combination Banh Mi. And I admit, when she was making our sandwiches, it didn't look like much, and I was slightly concerned that maybe, despite the reviews, the bahn mi wouldn't be as loaded or good as we had hoped but alas, upon first bite - all hail the REAL OG sandwich artist! I mean, seriously, WOW. Both were so delicious! The BBQ Beef with the sweeter flavors of marinaded beef and the barbecue sauce and the Combination (coldcut) with its tangy, salty pate and mayo. Both loaded with a fresh myriad of fresh veggies such as julienned carrots, onions, cilantro, and spicy jalapeños.nh And oh, their bread. Absolutely the biggest contributor to their perfect recipe. If you know Banh Mi, you know it's all about that bread! And Ba Le's is superior. So fresh. Crusty outside, soft, pillowy inside. Ugh. We literally just finished devouring these about an hour ago, and we are still talking about going back the day after tomorrow to have this again! Call me a pig, I don't care - if I had more now, I could easily eat another! Sad that NYC just doesn't have anything this authentic and good. Many a good Banh Mi, sure, but none that is THIS, 10/10 perfection. We're in the Boston area annually, and this will definitely be at the top of our list for revisits, again and again! BBQ Beef Banh Mi $6.50 - 10/10! Perfect! Combination Bahn Mi $6.00 - 10/10 Perfect! read more

Located in a small Vietnamese village, this place isn't hard to find as it is situated at a corner of a 4-way intersection. The place looks kinda run down, but that's usually a good sign that you're in an authentic joint. They have everything from spring rolls to Banh mi to pre-made stir fried dishes. The service is not be the greatest. I walked in and waited in line. The old lady behind the counter proceeded to serve the person behind me and then after he was served, I asked if I could order (politely in Vietnamese), but old grandma rolled her eyes at me and told me rudely to wait while she served another new patron that just came in (a white man). Did she bluntly just reinforce white supremacy and privilege?!. I just can't. I ordered two Banh mi's. One grilled beef and one pork. The flavor of the marinated pork and beef was amazing! However, the bread was stale so that's a no no. At $4 per Banh mi, it's decent pricing for Boston standards. I also got 3 spring rolls for $4. Not recommended. It's filled with lettuce with minimal vermicelli noodles, shrimps, or any other herbs. Overall, the food is alright, but the service was horrendous. I'm definitely not coming back. read more

Ba Le Dorchester - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The food used to be good, but with time the place has become dirtier and staff is rude. The service is rude as they will toss your food at you and give you an attitude. The cleanliness of the place definitely translates to how clean the food will be, such as how well they clean the veggies that are put in your banh mi, or how fresh the ingredients are. I've came here a few times- and now I think its worth taking your money elsewhere to support other local asian businesses that are considerate and will treat you as such :) Used to be a fan, now its just okay at best. My suggestion? Take your money elsewhere and support businesses that value you. King Do Baguette and Bakery is down the street if you're looking for another banh mi place! :) read more

Best banh mi shop in Boston. This place is where Vietnamese people fro out of town travel to during their long road trips. This shows you how popular and famous this shop is for even out of state folks. I recommend their bbq beef sandwich. Next is their cold cut sandwich. And finally the pork meatball sandwich. If you have room or a friend, I would order all three and share. Wash this all down with a fresh sugar cane drink. They also have other smoothies but the best drink has to be the fresh squeezed cane sugar drink. Also, I recommend the Vietnamese yogurt, it's mostly sweet and a little but tartness. And yes, it's supposed to be runny as opposed to the more thicker yogurt most are used to. Same goes with the Vietnamese flan. The texture is much more smooth and the caramel sauce is coffee flavored. You'll find all kinds of other offerings from egg rolls, to spring rolls, to rice rolls. There is just so much to choose from. I literally spend more here thank at a Vietnam restaurant. It's so easy to go over board since everything look so appetizing. But here is a few things to avoid. Egg rolls are way too oily. Spring rolls are only okay, the peanut dipping sauce isn't all great and the rice paper wrapping is thick. Avoid the fried fish and cooked items as you come in. They are not the l best quality and again, oily. The items that are good include the skewered beef meatballs wrapped in leaves and the banh cuon or rice rolls. Items in plastic wraps and plastic container in front of the sandwich area are all good to try. Everything i have tried have been freshly made in that section and tasted good. Same goes for their desserts. Don't be afraid to line up and order away. Don't let the little old Vietnamese ladies cut you. Speak up. read more

I love this place. It doesn't matter how much people are in line the service is really fast. Bánh Mi here are so fresh and delicious. My favorite Vietnamese spot. I ordered the Báhn Mi Chay Tofu read more

Ba Le Dorchester - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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This is the place to be if you are looking for quick to-go authentic Vietnamese food? So many yummy choices! You will find Banh Mi, sticky rice dishes, bun beo, banh bot loc, bun bo hue, bun rieu, che, and the list goes on! You order at the counter and the food is ready and packed in just a few minutes! Just a note, they do run out of things at the end of the day, so come early! This isn't really a sit down place, but they do have 1 table in the store if you decide to eat here. BBQ Beef Banh mi- I like how the sandwich is filled with veggies and the beef had a good flavor. Don't know if it was because it was at the end of the day, but the baguette was dry. Still decent, i'm not gonna argue with a $3 sandwich. Banh Cuon-So so good and delicious! The rice sheets were perfectly paired with the slices of Vietnamese sausage, fried egg roll, meat loaf and fresh bean sprouts. Can't forget the fish sauce. This dish was light and fresh. Bun Rieu-OMG my favorite of the night! The soup was so flavorful with plenty of chunks of crab! Loved the fried tofu as well. Rice noodles and fresh bean sprouts were plentiful. Desserts- We chose a red bean with jelly che which was okay. Too much red bean for my taste. We also got the green dessert (Banh Xu Xu) which was just okay too. Basil seed drink was light and yummy. Reminded me of an aloe drink. They also have fresh smoothies/boba drinks made to order inside. We got the passionfruit smoothie which was too sweet for my taste. read more

Every time we visit Boston, this place is always the last stop before we head out. Their Banh mi is excellent. The thit Nng banh mi marination is so delicious. So is the banh mi dac biet. The French bread is fresh! I would reheat in the oven the next day and it still taste so fresh. Soft yet crispy. Their nouc mam sauces are good too. This trip it was Vietnamese's New Years so they had banh tet available. You only get this once a year around the viet new year. It was $16 for a pretty large size. In California they charge about $18-$20 so i think $16 is a good amount. Banh tet is sticky rice, yellow beans and pork in the center wrapped in the green leaf. It's so moist and delicious! Trust me there are some made out there that is dry and disgusting! You can eat it the way it is or how i like to eat it is I'll fry it on the pan so the top layer is crispy. Dip it with chili and light soy sauce. We also ordered their Vietnamese ice coffee. Very good! Strong coffee taste with the right amount of condense milk. Café sua da is hard to perfect. All of their other desserts side are pretty good too. We ordered a strawberry shake and i like it that is they had used real strawberry instead of all powder. Their boba is soft. I totally recommend this place! They are always super busy! read more

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Place is amazing! Been going there for years and the owner could not be a bigger supporter of the Troops! Could not recommend this place any more! read more

Ba Le Dorchester - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Love this authentic Vietnamese place, fast courteous service with incredible sandwiches!!

I grew up living a 5 minutes walk from Ba Le. This place will never disappoint. However, during early morning or lunch rush, there is quite a long line. I'm glad everyone here is a fast worker but if you have a long order ( I usually order 15+ subs for my office) I highly suggest you call first. My favorite is the chicken sub, most people don't even know the chicken one exist as I didn't either but now I am hooked. This will always be my favorite banh mi place. read more

I was disappointed that the banh mi was different. I wish they had used the old recipe to make the banquette. This new banquette is not tasty and not crispy at all, too much dough. read more

If you are looking for delicious Vietnamese subs , cooked foods- porkchop rice or noodles, coffee, or Vietnamese desserts, this is place to stop at. It's a small shop frequented by locals and other visitors. Everything is made fresh and packed on the spot after you order. The top three items I like getting there are: 1) the cold cut banh mi sandwich 2) Thit nuong- the rice noodles with various sausages and cold cut meats 3) pandan jelly (sold in the mini styrofoam tray) in front of the food counter Aside from the prepared foods, there are so many other desserts and snacks you can find around the shop. Depending on what time you go, sometimes there is a long wait. The line wraps around the food and goodies so you have time to browse and check out their selection :) read more

This is owned by a fine patriotic woman, Ms Nguyen, who cares for our country. Joseph D. read more

This place is so good. I haven't logged onto my Yelp account since 2014, and have yet to write my first Yelp review. 5 years later, here I am now. My boyfriend and I decided to come here after hearing good reviews of this place. We went in and got two bánh mìs (bbq beef and cured pork) and some spring rolls (shrimp and pork). The baguettes were freshly baked, the vegetables fragrant and fresh, and wow, the bbq beef was something else. The hospitality was spot on. Even though the place was packed, one of the workers at the cafe took the time to check on us. He even gave us bottled water on the house. You can tell he took pride and joy in the place. While talking with him we learned that the place has been around for 25 years, understandably so! Eating here felt like eating at someone's home. Although on first glance the place may seem modest, tasting the food reveals much heart and soul. 11 out of 10 would recommend! read more

Parking is a hassle and very limited. Small establishment that is part cafeteria, sandwiches, and drinks. I believe there's only one table in there. The hot food bar looks fresh and authentic. We came for their Banh cuon which was good but didn't have a lot of stuffing at all. It was mostly just the sheet. Got some banh mi as well. The assembly is mesmerizing with how fast they are. Their baguette wasn't toasted very well but we popped it in the oven when we got home and it was good. Ask for the veggies on the side if you're going to order a bunch to go and need to reheat. Com bi thit nuong was also good. Nothing amazing but authentic. Needs more Bi. All in all, this will be my go to place for a quick authentic Vietnamese meal. read more

The best Bahn Mi sandwiches in the Boston area at most reasonable price. I have tried the vegetarian, BBQ pork, and BBQ chicken Bahn Mi sandwiches which are all well favored and outstanding!! It is worth the 25 minutes drive. It is a very busy place but the line moves very fast. read more

Arrived at this location over an hour before closing. Drove quite a distance and the business hours on the door and online are accurate. Just decided to close early. read more

Amazing banh mi sandwiches. Line is a bit long on the weekend but definitely worth the wait!

Banh mi was good. But other foods were mediocre. Overall good place if you want some Banh mi

One of my favorite Vietnamese delis with a large variety of hot dishes, banh mi, drinks, salads, desserts and snacks. Always fresh and super quick. read more

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I love their cold cut banh mini sandwich. They're super kind and they're patient. Love their buns too (hot dog; pork sung).

Best banh mi at the right price. Lots of cooked foods served cafeteria style. Desserts, drinks, and a few refrigerated goods. The people here make a lot of the buns, zong (sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), and other foods fresh and bring it in to sell. Helps if you're with someone who can speak Vietnamese or if you know what you already want. It can be overwhelming and a sensory overload walking in. Limited street parking. I believe there's a minimum for card. read more

Best Banh Mi I ever had!! Longline but worth the wait. I got a bunch of stuff to take home. Everything was yummy!

Best banh mi in Boston, no doubt about it. I make a pilgrimage out here every couple of weeks because I need it. The special combination cold cut banh mi is so addicting. The bread is perfect. The pate, mayo, and cilantro create the most perfect taste. I always get it "spicy" which means fresh jalepenos. I always get two so that I can have one for later. Usually, I will get the bbq beef. It is so so so good! My wife loves the vegetarian banh mi, which comes with tofu. The spring rolls are also a must, especially the shrimp spring rolls. They come with peanut sauce which on its own is addicting. They make bubble tea as well. My favorite is thai iced tea. read more

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Amazing authentic viet food. If you're looking for the cleanest place with a fancy style don't shop here and complain about everything. BUT if you value fabulous tasting Vietnamese food by women who get things done and can appreciate real flavor stop in. Seriously...Do try!!!!! It's well worth fighting the traffic to get here. Food is amazing. read more

Me and my family been coming here for years. The foods here are not consistent and are a hit and misses. While I like their variety choices of food selections. The place is dirty and some of the foods are not freshly made everyday. Their banh mi and che are also not consistent either. Sometime it tastes great and other time they are really bad. I love their sugar cane drink since they freshly squeeze in front of you and tastes excellent. The people who works there are very fast and move the line right along but you need to speak up to get their attention. The place could be very busy and crowded sometime and they will ignore you even though it your turn to order. They also could be rude sometime. I have witnessed several occasions where they yelled at each other and at their customers. That is very unprofessional and bad business. read more

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best banh mi in boston hands down I really like their tofu banh mi and their classic cold cut banh mi is really good too. they do ubereats now too which is clutch. plus a sandwich is only 6 dollars you really can't go wrong with this place. fresh bread, generous spread of creamy pate and mayo, refreshing pickled veggies, bang for your buck and all around deliciousness read more

Ba Le Dorchester - tofu banh mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

OMG!! It's not often I get my blown away by a food place, but I have to say, this place did just that. I'm really happy I don't leave closer, as I would probably be 500 lbs from all the good stuff from this place. For a moment I felt almost transported to Vietnam. They offer a HUGE array of Vietnamese products that can't be easily found elsewhere. The cook food line up is impressive to say the least. I didn't know what to get as everything looked delicious. I ended up leaving with approximately $200 worth of things in total. The spring rolls were great. The banh mi really good, the ingredients were fresh and the fresh crusty but soft, perfect!. The fried sesame balls, filled with mung bean, I think I heard angels sing momentarily. A weekend is definitely the time to visit this place as they have a big array of cooked foods, specially the sesame balls! I will surely come back each and every time I'm near. read more

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Growing up in Dorchester this has always been the spot to go to. Even after moving out from Dorchester for so many years, this is the only place that I would rather go to for Banh Mi. I've tried every single Banh Mi, and I can't complain. My favs are the beef and the cold cut Banh Mi. The flavors are just so crisp and fresh(obv since everything in there is fresh). The best thing is, that Banh Mi's are not the only thing they order there. I've had some of their other non-Banh Mi dishes and they are soo amazing. Even better is the prices! I don't think the prices can be beaten. You want a GREAT Banh Mi, an amazing sandwich go Here. Also YAS Cilantro!!!, I wish they had more locations outside of Boston(i.e. Cambridge, Brighton/Allston, so on). read more

Everything you want in an authentic banh mi. I got the shredded pork the last time I went and I'll definitely be back for a different sandwich! It's cheap, fast, and delicious. They have a variety of different foods that you would find in a Vietnamese store. There's plenty of foods and drinks to choose from. There is also a small drink stand to get your standard bubble teas! Everyone here is really friendly and they are so efficient. It's amazing! Highly recommend. read more

The best banh mi spot in MA hands down. We've been eating banh mi here since we were kids and til this day. You can never go wrong with getting food from here. The staff here might seem intimidating but they are very friendly. It's always busy here so make sure you know your order when it's your turn. My favorite things to get here are they banh mi thit nuong, nuoc mia, cafe sua da. Overall, all the banh mi here tastes really good and is very filling. read more

Ba Le Dorchester - Banh mi thit nuong and Cafe sua da - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

There's always a debate amongst the Asian people in my life about which banh mi shop reigns supreme. My cousins favor Ba Le Fields Corner and one of my besties swears by King Do. But alas! This location is a clear winner in my book! And at least a few of my friends agree on this one. The sandwiches are perfect, the banh mis are made super quickly and service is consistently friendly and spot on - 3 years running now! One lady there is a machine! Put in your order, peruse some Vietnamese cookies behind you, turn around 30 seconds later and she's handing you your order. Can the rest of the food service industry please follow suit on this awesome efficiency? The avocado smoothie is a MUST. I always ask for no liquid sugar and it's still lightly sweet from the condensed milk and still insanely satisfying - buttery, smooth and rich. If you like sugar cane juice, they'll make it fresh for you (I saw the smoothie dude put a real sugarcane into a sugar cane presser to extract the juice - can you get fresher than that??). Lastly for drinks, if you're looking for authentic Vietnamese iced coffee, go no further! Viet iced coffee is typically good from, you guessed it, Vietnamese restaurants/shops. This shop is no exception. Fresh baguettes, fresh herbs and pickled veggies, delicious pate and heavenly buttery spreads, and yummy deli meats! My fave is the beef (#2 option) but the #1 option and veggie options are great, too. And the prices are UNREAL. No more than $4 for sandwiches - be weary of banh mis that cost more than $5 anywhere else, btw. One of the many reasons I keep coming back. Come here for the best banh mis you'll ever have in your life! Banh Mi Ba Le is king. read more

Ba Le Dorchester - Avocado smoothies!! Sans sugar (still full of yummy condensed milk) - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Ba Le's is my favorite place for banh mis that have the perfectly crunchy French baguettes (made in-house!!) and fresh ingredients. Sandwiches are made right in front of you and you can customize the spice level with jalapeños and spiced oil. My friends swear by the deli meats banh mis which boast a generous slather of pate. I prefer the sweet BBQ beef sandwich. These subs are a steal for under $4 each. They have a plethora of hot, prepared foods. Get the fried egg rolls early on in the day for the crispness. I like the fresh spring rolls with shrimp here but I always take out the single piece of scallion in each roll. For some reason, the scallion is chewy and stringy. Pass on their version of the peanut dipping sauce. Their stir-fried rice noodles are tasty! Smoothies and juices can be ordered at and paid for at a separate counter. This can be a busy place, especially during lunch hours when lines are out the door. The -1 star here is due to the line set-up: one line for everything even if you only want hot food or only sandwiches. If there is a bottleneck at the banh mi station (which is next to the register), the line just won't budge. read more

Ba Le Dorchester - One line regardless of what you want to order. - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Hands down best banh mi I'm the Boston area and they know it. The staff that work here are so fast and friendly. There's always a line at lunch but it goes pretty quick. You can never go wrong with any of the food here, especially the sandwiches. However not a fan of their banh bao. The meat mix is kind of watery and the quail eggs aren't great quality. Maybe they're canned. read more

The smell of fresh baked bread and the lure of sugar cane drink. Who can resist?! Stopped in here with my parents on a trip home for sugar cane drink after lunch. We were already stuffed and the smell of the food was so good it tempted me to order another meal! Nonetheless, we stuck to what we came for. Two sugar cane drinks and a che (mixed dessert) for momma. They make the sugar cane drinks fresh and you can watch the sugar cane being pressed! They were very nice and asked how much ice we wanted. My dad said "just a bit" and they filled the cup about 3/4 of the way and filled the rest with ice. I thought that was more ice than my dad asked for, but when they handed me the drink, it was quite warm, so the amount they provided made sense. It's also quite a big cup so you get a good amount considering the price ($4 per cup). We checked out/paid right next to the fresh bread, so you can see/smell what the hype is about in regards to the banh mi. Plan to come back and grab one soon! read more

Ba Le Dorchester - Sugar cane! - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Love ba le! They have banh bot loc here!! And they're really good! read more

Ba Le Dorchester - Five dolla dolla :) - Vietnamese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

When I was little, this was the #1 place to go get my precious banh mi. As time went on, I just felt like something was missing and now, fifteen years after I was first introduced to this place, the quality is just blah. It's nothing like the banh mi I first experienced as a child. What a disappointment that at two stars, it's still my only go-to banh mi place since I don't know of any other places that can do better than mediocre. Sigh. Those little lunch box things that they sell aren't really all that appetizing to me either. I guess I sound like such a downer, but I'm so used to the goodness that once was that I can't comprehend the blahness now. It is so depressing. I can't continue on with this review. I'm just so distraught. read more