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    Ba-Le Sandwich Shop

    3.3 (77 reviews)
    InexpensiveSandwiches, Vietnamese
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Ba-Le Sandwich Shop Photos

    Business Info

    BA-LE SANDWICH SHOP ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Happy Dad Seltzer

    Happy dads are amazing! Great drink to share with friends after studying! Go get your happy dads

    Happy Dad drinks

    Ba-Le is a fun spot to grab food with great vibes and friendly staff. Love that they serve Happy Dads - perfect place to chill with friends!

    beef pho
    Justin C.

    Super nice staff and great place to eat for students. They also take meal swipes which is great! I always get the meatball banh mi or the beef pho :)

    The wall menu........
    Fran C.

    Just before Thanksgiving weekend I came here on a whim as I was working on the U.H. Manoa Campus............got a little hungry, so I decided to stop by this place called - Ba-Le Sandwich & Bakery. If you folks dig Vietnamese food like I do, Ba-Le is basically a fast food Vietnamese joint. Where is the Ba-Le Sandwich & Bakery located? It's located on the University of Hawaii (Manoa Campus), just inside of the Manoa Gardens Bar area. This particular Ba-Le is a cafeteria style eatery. You basically walk up to the counter to order your food, then upon paying for your food at the cashiers line, you then look for an open table at the Manoa Gardens bar area to sit & eat. The day I came here, I ended up ordering a Vietnamese style turkey banh mi sandwich. What's a "Banh Mi?" Basically, banh mi in Vietnamese means "bread", or more specifically the French baguette. My Vietnamese style turkey sandwich was topped with pickled daikon & carrots, cucumber, and cilantro. There was suppose to be mayonnaise in my sandwich, but I told the lady to nix the mayo, because you know me and my mayonnaise! Lol! For dessert, I got a giant chocolate chip cookie to go with my sandwich. All of this set me back just $7.00 bucks, which was a pretty good deal considering when I go to other sandwich shops like Subway, or Jersey Mike's Subs, I pay waaaaaaaaaaay more. What can I say about the grub? My turkey banh mi was just okay, nothing outstanding about it............... The sandwich had a fair amount of turkey & vegetables, and the baguette bread had a hard & chew texture to it. If you're not into this type of sandwich, Ba-Le did offer other types of sandwiches on other types of bread like - croissant, honey wheat, or ciabatta bread. Ba-Le also offered panini sandwiches, pho, and pre-made sandwiches (like the type I would find in the vending machines). If you don't like the food at the Campus Center, at least there's another option by going to Ba-Le Sandwich & Bakery.

    hainam chicken rice, 10 dolla
    Erika H.

    I think this has to be the best value for money on campus, even though it is a further walk. You can get full for $6 off a banh mi sandwich! A meal around $5 is rare nowadays. Ba-Le also has some specialty items and the one that caught my eyes were the hainan chicken rice. I eat this regularly at home since my mom makes it and damn! This place gives me a great fix for it if my mom hasn't made it in a while. It takes quite a bit of work to make and for $10, it is a pretty good price. Usually hainan chicken rice is about $15 if you go else where. This also comes with a salad. It is very filling! I also got their banh mi and it is your usual Ba-Le banh mi! Cheap and very good :) You can ask the ladies for extra veggies or sauce and they are happy to service! I heard a few student in line making customization and the ladies were very nice. I like the standard lemon grass chicken sandwich and turkey sandwich. I'm excited to try more, such as their spring rolls, pho and curries :) You can also order online so you don't need to wait from Tapingo!

    Nat N.

    Maybe I'm spoiled by the Pig and the Lady, but the banh mis here are horrible - tasteless and uninspiring. The paninis are much more palatable, but a few bucks more ($7+ ala carte). The ambiance is outdated - I don't think it has undergone any changes since my college days, which were 20 years ago. Come on UH - let's give our students, faculty and staff better dining options on this side of campus.

    Andrea D.

    So this is my fourth year in college and ba le is one of my lunch options on campus. I've never really had a problem with this place until today (maybe because it's just Friday the 13th). There I was, in line to order my usual: ham on french bread with everything else and extra cilantro, toasted. Before they even grabbed cilantro I looked at it and they were ridiculously old and had BROWN SPOTS. I'm specifically picky about my cilantro because I ALWAYS get extra. They had a container full of bad cilantro and I couldn't believe that they were serving that to customers. There was a little bit of good ones and she was grabbing those for me but she still got some bad ones. I thought I'd be fine if I ate some of it but....... a few hours later it came out of me and it wasn't pretty. Thanks a lot Ba Le. HOWEVER, their curry chicken is good but sometimes they put more potatoes than actual chicken. The employees also rush people all the time. ALSO, this is like the only bar on campus so that's a pro.

    Turkey
    claudia a.

    Easy on campus option! Prices are reasonable for students. It's great for large orders, group meetings and on campus conferences.

    Chicken Sandwich

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    2 years ago

    I love this location. I always get the vegetable sandwich. it's very calm and quiet inside. There's even a bar you can have a cocktail.

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    6 years ago

    I pretty much only order their chicken curry. It's yummy but I wish they offer a variety of quality foods

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    11 years ago

    Best spring rolls in town. LOL

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    Banh Mi Street Cafe

    Banh Mi Street Cafe

    4.3
    (51 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    Sorry, but gotta keep it real-- this place was a foul ball. Mrs. Picante and I wanted our cake and…read moreeat it too: we wanted pho, but didn't want to walk too far from the hotel. This place was just two blocks away, so we braved the November misty rain and consistent wind through the buildings to make it over here. To be fair, this seemed more like a Vietnamese coffee joint and a Banh Mi place... so maybe coming here for pho wasn't our best idea. They had two kinds available that night-- beef and chicken. Since chicken pho is not something I'm willing to try, we both ordered up the dac biet. The broth was bland with a thin and unpleasant veil of grease along the top that congealed quickly on the rim of the bowl. It wasn't hot enough, or maybe the pre-cooked and chilled noodle block they poured it over cooled it off. Meat was chewy and low quality. The sprouts and basil were soggy and wilted. Honestly, it was a get up and leave kind of thing. The whole place was just dingy and didn't feel great. I've eaten at some very modest places in my native San Gabriel Valley in Southern California, so it's not a snobbery thing. It's a "someone get a Swiffer wet jet and some paper towels and give this whole place a once-over. Speaking of once, that's the sum total of times we'll ever eat here. Too bad... because it was really close to our hotel :)

    Don't understand the high rating, that pork Ban Mi was atrocious!! The ladies be in there…read moremicrowaving up a storm; and you can tell by the way the food tastes.. The pork in it was mostly mushy in texture and off putting. Nothing was really fresh tasting and The price definitely didn't line up. Place was ambiance free- felt like I was eating in someone's messy kitchen! I tossed my sandwich but my daughter ate her half and her stomach paid the price later! Easily my least favorite food experience while vacationing in Hawaii!

    Photos
    Banh Mi Street Cafe
    Banh Mi Street Cafe
    Banh Mi Street Cafe

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    Sprout Sandwich Shop

    Sprout Sandwich Shop

    4.5
    (622 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    I ordered on their website and the sandwiches came out 10 minutes after the promised time…read more The store is crowded and each of our sandwiches were $15+. It feels like one of those places that has become trendy because someone on Instagram popularized it. The sandwich was good but not great. The lettuce was turning brown. In my opinion, a really great sandwich excels because you can taste the quality, freshness, and flavor of its individual ingredients. In my sandwich, the turkey was flavorless and it felt like they used a strong, heavy sauce to give it flavor, which to me does not make for a foodie destination, $15+ sandwich. Māla Market in Hawaii Kai remains, by far, my favorite sandwich. And given how long Sprout took, I could've driven to Hawaii Kai, gotten my sandwich, and driven back in less time.

    Located in Kaimuki near the Crackseed store and Banan, Sprout is a small sandwich shop. There is…read moreparking in the lot near the shop, or street parking. Mostly we go as a takeout spot, although there was a bench outside. Their sandwich menu has variety but is not overwhelming. The people working have also been quite nice! We decided to get the No Comply toasted. While it is a pricier sandwich, as it was about $14, the sandwich came packed with chicken, lettuce, and more. It served as a meal and a half! It was also super tasty with the roasted garlic mayo and pesto. Definitely a go-to sandwich order that I am looking forward to getting again!

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Sproutwich
    Sproutwich
    FONZ: Fresh prosciutto, Pastrami, salami, house olive tapenade, Maui butter lettuce, pickled red onion, and house mayo... yum!!!

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    FONZ: Fresh prosciutto, Pastrami, salami, house olive tapenade, Maui butter lettuce, pickled red onion, and house mayo... yum!!!
    Hawaiian Aroma Caffe

    Hawaiian Aroma Caffe

    4.6
    (80 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$
    Happy hour specials
    Full bar

    They have daily happy hour 12pm-7pm Got mai tais for $7 ea…read moreand a berry açaí bowl for about $14. The berry bowl was so delicious 12/10 would totally recommend. The cashiers and servers were great and friendly

    My wife and I stopped by Hawaiian Aroma Caffè after Easter Sunday service at a nearby church,…read moreexcited to try it together. I had visited their sister location the night before in Waikīkī and had such a great experience that I told my wife, "If this place is anything like last night, we're in for something good." She agreed--and we decided to give it a shot. Right when we walked in, we were greeted by Colby, a tall, friendly guy with a great attitude. I mentioned my experience from the night before, and he immediately said he wanted to live up to that standard. That kind of response set a really positive tone. We ordered two Aroma Specials: Dolce & Banana (me) Nutella Latte (my wife) For food, we went with: P.B. Delight açaí bowl Turkey pesto panini Bacon & egg bagel Total came out to about $62, which we expected given the location near the beach. We grabbed a seat inside by the window (outside seating was full--no surprise on such a beautiful morning). Our drinks came out quickly--but unfortunately, this is where things started a little rough. We both noticed right away that something was off. My wife's Nutella latte didn't have that rich hazelnut flavor you'd expect, and my Dolce & Banana was missing the banana entirely. Honestly, they tasted almost identical. When I politely mentioned it to a staff member who brought out our food, the response felt dismissive and didn't really address the concern--which was disappointing and definitely not the experience we were hoping for. At that point, we decided to just enjoy the food and move forward--and I'm glad we did, because the food was fantastic. The turkey pesto panini was loaded with flavor, perfectly crispy on the outside, and packed with melty cheese. The bacon & egg bagel was hearty, well-balanced, and super satisfying. The P.B. Delight açaí bowl was the surprise standout--perfectly blended, fresh, and the peanut butter added an awesome richness that made it feel like a treat. Everything on the food side absolutely delivered. A few minutes later, Colby came by to check on us--and this is where the entire experience turned around. I let him know honestly: "The food is amazing, but the coffee missed the mark." Without hesitation, without attitude, and without making excuses, he said, "Hang on, let me fix that." I even told him not to worry about it--we were enjoying ourselves regardless--but he insisted. "Rick, I got you," he said. Within minutes, he came back with two freshly made drinks and a sincere apology. We took a sip and immediately--night and day difference. The Nutella latte had that rich, distinct hazelnut flavor. The Dolce & Banana finally had that smooth, balanced banana note Exactly what we were hoping for the first time. Colby is the MVP Colby completely turned this experience around. His attitude never changed--he was smiling, positive, kind, and genuinely cared about making things right. No defensiveness, no excuses--just great customer service and follow-through. That kind of service is rare, and it matters. It's evident that not all the workers have that same dedication to customer service but Colby does! What could have been a disappointing visit ended up being a great one because of him. Hawaiian Aroma Caffè--take care of this young man! He represents your business incredibly well. He needs to be leading your team on what customer service looks like and they need to follow his lead. From naming customers by their first name, to holding that perfect smile the entire time, to checking in with guests after receiving their meals and really caring about their experience. Colby naturally has it and should be showing every one how to do it as well! The Future Looks Bright for Colby and if you don't take of him, someone smart will! Final Thoughts Great food, great location, and a really cool atmosphere--but what stood out most was the service recovery. Mistakes happen anywhere. What matters is how they're handled--and Colby handled it perfectly. Because of him, we'll absolutely be back. Thank you again, Colby--keep doing your thing. You made our day. - Dr. Rick

    Photos
    Acai tropics bowl
    Acai tropics bowl
    Full bar
    Full bar
    Traditional waffles with side of scrambled eggs and bacons.

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    Traditional waffles with side of scrambled eggs and bacons.

    Ba-Le Sandwich Shop - sandwiches - Updated July 2026

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