A more granular rating would probably be 8.5/10 :') I liked the food and the experience, and it's pretty above average in terms of my personal food experiences in Berkeley -- just something that's simple and quick, not necessarily Mindblowing! I got the vegan banh mi (pagoda) and overall really enjoyed my lunch here! The lemongrass tofu was so soft and tasted good, and the vegan mayo was very flavorful as well. The bread was (for me) the perfect combination of fluff and crunch in the crust. The pickles were my friend's favorite part, and though I felt they were pretty good as well, I think the mayo and tofu flavor were what made the banh mi shine for me. At $7 ($7.95 post tax), I'd say that's pretty good for a fulfilling lunch in Berkeley, especially close to campus. I'd come back again for a quick, easy lunch! The decor and ambience is also very nice and cute -- on the outside it kind of looks like another trendy shop, but the cards on the inside explain the shops origin story (a mom and pop shop, I think?), and they have photos on the walls that seem personal as well (re: a caption that said "first day of school"). read more

$8 is double what banh mi should cost. Plus, automatic 18% tip when you try to pay at the register, and water cups aren't even free for tap water. Seriously overpriced for a in and out experience. The sandwich was definitely better than Saigon Express, but it's basically twice the price. ($4.25 vs $8.00.) We got the sardine, which is probably a less popular flavor, but it was still pretty good. Too few veggies for me. read more

As a viet, If you want a good banh mi place, banh mi ba le is the place you should go (in oakland).. here is alright and isn't the best for banh mi tbh read more

Nom Nom Banh Mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Perfect pick me up when you're walking around Telegraph, especially on a sunny day. This place was my go to when I was student & one of the places I missed most when I graduated. Whenever I'm nearby campus I make sure to stop by and get my order. The Mekong (chicken) Banh mi never fails-- well balance of savory, spicy, and slightly sweet from the carrot-- and the basil seed drink is a must!!! Sweet, refreshing and fun to sip. The portions are good, the taste is yummy. The owner is really kind and hardworking. Good people, good food, get your nom here! read more

I'm so excited that this adorable banh mi shop just opened on Telegraph Avenue! I got the chicken sandwich and it was delicious. Everything from the bread to the homemade pickled veggies were amazing. I'll be returning to try every flavor :) read more

Nom Nom Banh Mi - Chicken Bánh mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place always has a good atmosphere and the owner is real friendly and regularly talks to me. The sandwiches come out quick and are always top quality. The drinks are cool but a tad bit overpriced. Nevertheless, the sandwiches are actually pretty inexpensive compared to Berkeley prices in general. Great place for the telegraph community! read more

I was so excited to try Nom Nom Banh Mi, as I absolutely love banh mi, and heard about the quick service and fresh food. However after visiting today, I feel that Nom Nom Banh Mi is overpriced and does not stand out compared to all of the other banh mi I've tried so far around the Bay Area and southern California. I ordered the #3 District 3 Classic Combo for $8.19, and it came in about 5 minutes - which I would admit is a great wait time. While the ingredients do taste fresh, I was disappointed that it was smaller, was twice as expensive, did not have as many ingredients (it's like they just put a little bit of everything just to have everything in it, but it feels like skimping out on the ingredients), and was not as delicious as the banh mi I typically order at another place I frequent in Berkeley. If you're looking to satisfy a quick craving and not willing to walk a little bit farther to get a good banh mi with more ingredients for ~$4-5 elsewhere, Nom Nom Banh Mi would be your place - but it unfortunately isn't mine. I believe that Nom Nom Banh Mi might have cut back on their quality since they first opened a month and a half ago. My sandwich barely had anything in it, and the pictures that I'm now seeing from others' posts have much more veggies / meat than mine did. Overall, service was quick and polite for the most part, and the store is clean and spacious, but it definitely will not replace my favorite banh mi restaurant in Berkeley. read more

Nom Nom Banh Mi - #3 District 3 Classic Combo ($8.19) - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Wow. Randomly walked off the street and had the best Banh Mi ever for a reasonable price. Thank you Tram for opening this lovely place. I'll be back! read more

Nom Nom Banh Mi - One hell of a chicken Banh Mi. Best ever? Probably so. - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

The Mekong sandwich was reeeeeaally good, especially with the lemonade. Definitely recommend coming here!

These sandwiches are quite tasty, and the menu is pretty big! They're fairly cheap which is great for students -- though I didn't feel entirely full after eating. I wish there was more protein in them, but what there was was quite delicious! read more

Nom Nom Banh Mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

These Banh Mi's have the perfect Vietnamese style baguette; airy, crisp, and impossibly light. Tried the chicken and tofu banh mi and they were amazing. The right amount of acid and crunch from the pickles and great flavor from the meat/tofu. Best banh mi's in the East bay ! read more

Nom Nom Banh Mi - Chicken Banh Mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Super fresh and tasty! I have been eating here often. Consistent good flavors and quality. Very nice staff and " Easy Orders To Go" Good prices too. I say Go read more

Mekong Chicken sandwich was delicious! Staff were very kind and the seating is comfortable :)

This place just opened and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the Banh Mi Sandwiches sold here. I ordered the Banh Mi Paté and found it to be the perfect match of crispiness and freshness. I've had bad experiences of tough bread or dried out ingredients at many other Banh Mi places in the past but you won't find those problems here! I also tried their Vietnamese Iced Coffee but unfortunately it wasn't as fresh or as strong as I expected. The absolute best way to offer vietnamese iced coffee in my opinion is through single serve drip brewing. Perhaps they can eventually offer this to improve their coffee quality. The ambience was nice and cozy inside and the place was well ventilated. Overall, this place is a great spot to grab a quick bite! read more

Nom Nom Banh Mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

A small place with cute, clean vibes and decently priced food considering the area. Very yummy!

Very fast service if you're in a hurry however I was disappointed since the Food is ok. It's the fast food version of the real deal. I am a Banh Mi connoisseur. I love Banh Mi so much to where I had to learn how to make them. No other complaints other than that. read more

Picked up three Mekong Chicken sandwiches for hubby and my son. I thought it was pretty good and tasty compared to other places that we had tried. However, It lacked its peppers which only consisted to two and not enough chicken meat filling. But, had lots of carrots and daikon filling. Not sure coming back unless I'm up near the UC Berkeley campus. read more

This place is delicious! The bread is a little crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. My favorite one to get is the grilled pork sandwich with extra veggies. Such a simple sandwich shop but amazing food and service. Will be back for sure! read more

District 3 a go to. Reliably good. Wasn't a fan of the coffee. Used to go to Bahn Mi Rolls and Factory, but this is closer and has become my preference. Evenly distributed veggies, great consistent bite. read more

Always run out of sandwiches By 2pm not sure why . Everytime I call or come by the place is close And never open ... Am I just unlucky ? read more

Stopped by for a snack and coffee after class and was left disappointed. The banh mi fillings were good (District 3) but the bread was thick, and was definitely hard and stale. The Vietnamese coffee was also a let down - it had a very strong artificial sweetener taste to it, instead of any condensed milk. I would not recommend this spot overall. read more

First time eating from here. Had the grilled pork. First thing that struck me was the fresh vegetables, carrots and cucumbers crisp and tasty, bread fresh with just the right mouth feel, and meat delicious. One of the best lunch sandwiches I can recall ever having. Definitely will have again. read more

Really friendly and helpful staff and quick service!! Got the grilled pork banh mi and it was solid

Made a point of visiting today as we heard how good the Banh Mi is. We were delighted. The bread was the perfect texture to house the Mekong chicken, which I could tell was marinated and fresh. The veggies and jalapeño were a good balance and there was the ever so slight absorption of sauce into the bread. We also tried the lychee iced tea, slightly sweetened, which is how we like it. The place is clean with proper safety precautions and pleasant service. We'll have to go again. read more

It's not bad, but it wasn't good; more like meh... Overpriced for what you get. Had better banh mi for the same price. Skip paying extra for extra meat, it's a rip off. The sandwich that paid extra for meat had the same amount as the other sandwiches that didn't request extra meat. The bread was extra hard. Never had a banh mi so hard, EVER. Would I get banh mi here again? No. Would I say don't buy here? No, it's your money. If you want a basic banh mi that's meh go for it. Side Note: noticed the shop is very passive aggressive with customer's critics, so I'll be expecting a passive aggressive response for this review. Hopefully they'll just be professional. We'll see. I wish them well though. read more

Really good Banh Mi's. Owner is friendly and accommodating and store is very clean and modern.

I've been here quite a few times and the owner is so sweet! The banh mi is always 8 bucks, which is cheap for berkeley's prices. The sandwiches taste so fresh and the flavors are there. I love how the bread is has soft and decent crunch compared to other sandwiches which have really hard bread! read more

Awesome food and owner. I've tried a bunch of the banh mi options and they are consistently delicious. Also during SIP it's been super easy to just order from Snackpass! Only thing is I wish they were open earlier in the morning because the Vietnamese coffee wakes me UP read more

The bread was not the typical bang mi roll, not the Vietnamese French roll, more like a subway sandwich roll. $8 for just an ok chicken sandwich, won't have me return. Chicken was great, good taste, but the sandwich roll ruined it. read more

It is so hard to find a good sandwich. Very hard. And this place delivers on the promise! I can only speak for The Pagoda - Tofu. Everything about it was fantastic. Lot of thinly sliced, well cooked, and deliciously seasoned tofu. Sweet carrot and crunchy cucumber. Some jalapeno slices and magical sauces. And of course, the bread, the hero of any sandwich. I usually dislike crunchy French style breads because they are so over-baked that they hurt the top of my mouth. This one was perfect! Flaky and crispy but still soft and fresh; I could even finish the end bits without any problem. Even when I was the last customer of the day, they took the time to make a thoughtful and delicious sandwich. read more

This banh mi doesn't taste authentic. I live in Saigon too and I know what a good banh mi would taste like. The pate is not homemade or fresh. If I were you I would make the pate myself with half chicken liver + half pork liver and grill it in the oven to enhance the flavor. Also it needs to have some five spice soy sauce like Vietnam. A good reference is banh mi ba le in Oakland and Saigon sandwich in San Francisco. These two places are the most authentic banh mi around Berkeley read more

Went here the day it opened, as I work down the street and had been anticipating a new lunch option in the 'hood for a long while. While I gotta say that it's nice to have another food spot on Telegraph, as a Banh Mi fanatic, Nom Nom left me pretty underwhelmed. I ordered the District 3- Classic Combo (Pork loaf, Pate, Mayo, cucumber, daikon and carrots, cilantro and jalapeños- I held off on the jalapeños, personally). The bread was fresh and crunchy, and probably the highlight of the sandwich. The "award winning pate", however, tasted like a cross between liverwurst in the tube and canned deviled ham. Not very flavorful nor authentic tasting to my taste buds. The pork loaf was okay, but nothing to write home about, and there wasn't very much of it on the sandwich. There were a lot more carrots than daikon in the shredded mix, but the cucumbers were crunchy and fresh, as was the cilantro. My barometer for delicious Banh Mi is based on the sandwiches at Banh Mi Ba Le, Cam Anh and Cam Huong in Oakland's "Little Saigon" neighborhood. Considering these are all in the $4.50 range, with more and tastier ingredients (in my opinion), paying nearly double (Nom Nom is almost $8 per sandwich with tax) is hard to rationalize. Nom Nom IS on Telegraph, where I'm sure the rents are higher, but THAT much higher price per sandwich still feels like a lot. Not to mention, charging $2.50 for a can of soda, including La Croix which you can buy at the store for 30-40 cents per can, is pretty outrageous. I will say the space is clean and bright and obviously brand new, the service is very polite and relatively quick, and the location is convenient for those of us in the neighborhood (though parking in the area is pretty tough). But the absence of a roasted pork or BBQ pork Banh Mi option (my preferred faves at the competitive outlets listed above), the high prices especially considering size and quantity of ingredients, the absence of "serve yourself" sriracha (they will add it for you behind the counter if you ask for it...I kinda thought it was always added to Banh Mi to be honest), and "meh" pate and pork loaf, will all likely keep me from becoming a regular. I'll probably give them another shot, as new businesses tend to "tweak" their offerings over time, and the menu DOES say it's a "soft opening" (I'm praying this means the future may hold a roasted pork and/ or bbq pork option), but I think they need to work on their pate, offer more choices, lower their prices (especially on drinks) and leave that sriracha bottle out for customers to use, if they want to survive on a notoriously difficult block where appealing to students' budgets AND palates is absolutely necessary to keep the doors open. I'm wishing them luck! read more

Stumbled across this place and it is very nice. Staff member was extremely friendly and explained many of the dishes. The sandwich was big, but unfortunately my grilled pork was SUPER dry, almost chewy and jerky-like. I'll give them another shot, but that was not my best sandwich. read more

the staff was so welcoming and the sandwiches? TO DIE FOR. my new favorite spot. very flavorful food damn near the best sandwich i've ever had!!! read more

Really yummy and AUTHENTIC Bánh mì. I think it's the bread, which are exactly like the ones you can get from the Vietnamese sandwich shops in San Jose. The Veggie and chicken sandwiches are really delicious. It's much pricier than what you pay in the South Bay (about double), but the quality is so good that it's worth it to save on the commute down. read more

Came in today for a sandwich ... the staff is super nice .. and the interior is clean and modern .. I dont usually like paying more than about 6$ for a bahn mi , since it is street food ... and typically cheap ... at 8$ their's is twice the amount im use to paying ( at Siagon sandwich in SF ) right off the bat , I liked it .. lots of flavor , and spice .. but the amount of meat is what got me down !!! it had one thin layer of meat .. it felt like a flat tire when I bit into it ... they could easily for from 3-5 stars if they just stuffed their sandwiches ... you cant charge that much and then skimp !!! read more

Great quality Banh Mi! The bread was definitely a plus, well toasted with good crunch and texture. Arguably much more expensive than the cheap Banh Mi's you can get in downtown Berkeley, but ultimately I think you get what you pay for. If you're expecting something simple and cheap, go downtown; if you want something with better quality and care, give this place a try. read more

We had the South Seas, Pagoda, and Telegraph. Each family member had a different favorite out of these three. The baguette was light and crispy, pickles perfect, and the balance of flavors was good. Each sandwich was enough for me to feel full--not stuffed. The lychee black tea was delicious, and not too sweet. I was happy to see two lychees at the bottom of the cup. Our friends got the pork ones and were pleased. Service is attentive and quick, and the owner is super nice. Check it out! read more

Very fresh ingredients, very solid restaurant. The price is reasonable relative to Berkeley, and the employees here are very sweet and kind. Definitely would recommend. I got the chicken banh mi and it was really good read more

This is an authentic and quality Vietnamese sandwich. The bread is fresh and is the perfect consistency. However, a good Vietnamese sandwich can cost a mere $2.50. The steep mark-up may be due to the location and marketing. It's worth at least a try. read more