I've been coming here for quite some time now to get my banh mi, and this place never disappoints…read more If you didn't know, a lot of restaurants actually come here early in the morning to buy their bread, which makes the 5 AM opening time make a lot of sense. You already know the sandwich is going to be good when the bread is this fresh. My go-to is always the #Special with crispy pork, without the sweet chili sauce. Simple, fresh, and damn good. This is definitely a no-frills, no-fancy-ambiance type of place, and there aren't a ton of spots to sit and eat. But honestly, I'm not here for the ambiance--I'm here for the banh mi. Definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a legit, fresh banh mi!

Traveling to SD and looked for a banh mi spot close to SDSU and found this gem. Don't let the…read morelocation fool you, as the shop is in the back of a strip mall with minor parking. We tried the banh mi and iced coffee and weren't disappointed. The banh mi bread was fresh with a slight crisp on the outside and meshed well with the warmed up grilled pork. We'll be back the next time we are in SD! Not sure if I spoke with the Owner or not but the staff was friendly and attentive. There are a few tables of you want to eat there too. We'll have to try other bakeries items on our next adventure to this area.

I've been here several times and they're always closed. It looks like they only sell through the…read moresupermarkets and local bakeries. I don't know when their deliveries are so I can never get it fresh.

Excellent mom and pop style vietnamese family bakery! Sweet owners who work really hard to bring…read moreyou fresh vietnamese desserts daily. Delicious fresh to order vietnamese rice cakes, banana cakes, banh beo w shrimp, da lon (green and yellow striped), steamed white corn with fresh coconut sugar and sesame seeds daily. They have a very great coconut sauce and roasted sesame seeds that are paired with the desserts, and the combination is perfect. The most popular desserts are the rice cake and banana cake. I highly rec'd this place. They also do special orders for any of the daily desserts, as well as banh it-chan, eggrolls, fried rice, and a wide assortment of vietnamese che. The most popular che that people special order are che xoi nuoc: a vietnamese dessert that is composed of mung bean paste inside rice flour in a sweet syrup, usually topped with special coconut sauce and roasted sesame seeds. Che dau trang, che bap are also very good. You would have to call in to order these items, as they are not available daily. Get a group of friends together and place an order, you will not be disappointed! They are generally open until 1:30pm or so. The reason why they close early is because they distribute to nearby Asian supermarket chains, so you can also get the daily desserts there. If you want guaranteed fresh desserts, swing by before then and grab a dessert! There is metered parking in front of the bakery, and a parking lot behind the bakery. So parking is never a problem. CASH ONLY!

I've heads for years about H Mart and how awesome of a grocery store they are. Just a heads up,…read moresome of the counters or tiny shops are not H Mart, so you'll need to pay separately. I got a soufflé cheese cake from the bakery at the front of the store and it was delicious. The store is well laid out and clean. Everything was delicious. The staff was constantly working and helpful. Funny encounter I had was asking a clerk where the gochujang was. The man told me he didn't speak English. I didn't want to assume anything so I asked him what language he spoke and said it was Spanish. Unexpected, but good opportunity for my to practice my pedestrian skills. I found the paste on a different aisle. Cool store that all shop at when I'm able.

I'm picky when it comes to grocery stores and let me tell you... H Mart San Diego - Balboa is an…read moreEXPERIENCE This place is HUGE and dangerously easy to spend way more time (and money) than planned. The seafood selection is top tier, produce always looks fresh, and the ramen/snack aisles?? Eliteeee. They have everything from authentic Korean ingredients to fun drinks, desserts, hot foods, and little random finds you suddenly "need." The food court is also a whole vibe. Come hungry because the corn dogs, bakery items, and hot meals hit every time. Store is clean, organized, and honestly just fun to walk through even if you're "just browsing." Parking can get crazy busy during peak hours but it's sooo worth it. One of my favorite grocery spots in SD easily. service here is always kind and inviting

I love coming here every time the workers here are so nice, they have every craving I ever had. And…read moreMe and my friends always come here I love the food and the drink they provide. I always recommend coming here .

Thank you for existing, little shops and bodegas. Thank you to the owner for welcoming me in and…read morebeing kind, and the butcher at the counter, too.

Been stopping by for lunch for the past few weeks and I can honestly say this is one of the best…read moreplaces to get a Vietnamese sandwich. The bread is soft and buttery, they put a good amount of meat, and the veggies are fresh. The customer service is always on point too. Very friendly and professional staff. You feel like you're a regular customer from the very first visit. Also, the coffee is nice and strong. If you gotta work all day or stay up late grab an iced coffee from this place.

Stopped by this banh mi spot for lunch on a weekend and was surprised that it wasn't busy at all…read more It was definitely easy to walk in and order without any wait. I can see the parking lot being a problem during peak times as it is pretty small and can be tough to navigate if it fills up. The banh mi are decent, but nothing really stands out. It feels a bit overpriced for what you get. There are definitely other spots out there that offer better value and taste. Overall, not a bad option if you're nearby and want something quick, but probably not a place I'd go out of my way for.

Don't know what I liked most about this place: The food, the owner, or the "Holy Shit! What the…read morehell is a Thai restaurant doing there!" location. After jogging and exploring past this place a few times, I decided it was time to drop in for lunch. I was immediately consumed by that distinct feeling you get when you walk into a lunch place at 12:30, only to find that you're not only the only person to eat lunch there today, but quite possibly the only person to eat lunch there this week. It's a feeling that tells you: "This place is either gonna' be really good, or I'm gonna' need my stomach pumped." As of now, 3 hours after eating there, the contents of my stomach are still very much where they should be. This is a very good sign. The woman who owns the place and greeted me is pretty much exactly the person you'd expect to meet in such an unexpected location -- as friendly as her English is broken, as young as the overdone decor. She'll recommend things when all you want to do is read the menu; she'll talk to you when all you want to do is listen. She won't offer you dessert. Not even a 'happy ending'. But she'll unwittingly demonstrate what is right about City Heights, right about San Diego, and right about America. The Green Chicken Curry was good. The rice was Uncle Ben's. In a Thai place, this should be a crime. In City Heights, this should be expected. But my 5-star enthusiasm for Mekong Village says more about the restaurant's aspirations than for its curry, its character or its decor. With condo conversions sprouting up around it like poop from a diuretic anus, a place like this actually stands a chance -- especially if it dresses itself up a bit for the people who live IN those houses, rather than those who live under them. You never know what will happen with the right marketing. And it's in this vein that the owner really made her impression. She doesn't like the name, she wants to change it, and she asked me for my suggestions. I gave her one. It is fantastic. So crazy it just might work. And she really sounded like she'll take it . So don't be surprised if, on this nondescript corner of 47th and Imperial, you see the name emblazoned in lights: "Imperial Thai Cuisine" You heard it here first.

Great place for ka piek sen (lao chicken noodle soup). The papaya is ok.read more

This is a NO-FRILL place. You're not here for the customer service, I think it's funny people are…read moreupset about that. You're here because IT'S CHEAP. The guys I see all the time are pretty knowledgeable on their products. We come here for frozen wholesale bulk as we are in the restaurant business. You can also call ahead and let them know what you want and they'll have it ready for you when you get there. I also tip the person who helps me put all my stuff into the car. The only reason why I don't want to give this place 5-stars is because I don't want to mislead others to thinking this is place is equivalent Whole Foods.

This is by far the cheapest place to go in San Diego to get your wholesale stuff for restaurant…read morethey have a wide range of products for all your needs including a great selection of spices

I remember as I was first learning to walk we walked to the neighborhood market.  It was like H&L…read moreSupermarket.  There was the feeling it had been there for ages.  Maybe a little bigger than the average 7-11 you could get everything you needed fairly quickly.  They generally have a nice selection of fruit at the front.  My favorites are the lychee and cherries they have in late spring.  Produce is in refrigerated cases right inside.  Lots of dry goods in the middle of the store along with sauces and spices.  You won't find a aisle full of 30 different kinds of soda or 50 kinds of cereal.  You will find many different brands of soy sauce.  I do notice the produce section is smaller and they have stopped selling meat.  Hope it wasn't due to the apocalypse.  In this part of town the corporations have not taken over yet.  Hope this neighborhood doesn't suffer gentrification as the ones around downtown have.  There are many unique little spots like the nearby Minh Ky. I like seeing familiar faces each time I visit. I like to stop in H & L Supermarket  whenever I am in the area.  This place reminds me of the old days when my parents were alive.  Nice woman at the cash register has been here each time I visited.

H&L has been opened for years since I was a teen. Their Mother retired; she was so nice. Now her…read moredaughter is in charge, she's very friendly as well. This Asian store has almost everything you need such as spices, asian snacks & drinks, Asian items and stuff. The aisles are small, everything is every where and when you enter the store, you can smell the butcher/frozen food. It's an old school Asian store vibe, very nostalgic to me. Very limited parking; there's street parking too but it's in a very busy area.