Bánh mì are officially trending, with new Vietnamese sandwich shops opening from East Colfax Avenue to Lone Tree to Aurora. But the South Federal Boulevard corridor still boasts the Mile High City’s highest concentration of Vietnamese bakeries serving the best traditional bánh mì in Denver—all on house-made baguettes. Here, three we love.
Jump Ahead:
Vinh Xuong Bakery
- Address: 2370 W. Alameda Ave., Denver (Athmar Park)
At this sunny, modern cafe with lime green tile and a subtly humorous menu board (the lemongrass chicken bánh mì is labeled as tasting the most like chicken), the Huynh family makes everything from scratch. That includes the baguettes, cold cuts, and pâté for sandwiches as well as Vietnamese pastries like labor-intensive moon cakes and sesame balls filled with sweet bean paste.
The original Vinh Xuong in South Federal Boulevard’s Far East Center opened four decades ago; second-generation siblings Yen and Duc launched this newer shop less than a mile east on Alameda Avenue in 2011. Their combination bánh mì features three kinds of pork-based cold cuts nestled into an avalanche of cilantro, cucumber, jalapeño, and pickled daikon and carrot, with smears of pâté and mayo for added richness. Its sheer heft and complex flavors make it one of the best sandwich values in town.
Bánh Mì Zone
- Address: 2424 S. Federal Blvd., Denver (College View – South Platte)
The newest member of Federal Boulevard’s bánh mì family feels right at home in its subterranean space beneath a barbershop. The two-year-old eatery’s defining element is its fresh-baked bread, whose paper-thin crust spiderwebs into myriad shards at the slightest squeeze. That crackle—as well as the rich pâté that gets swiped onto nearly every sandwich—draws bánh mì purists from across the metro area, while low prices keep the students from nearby Lincoln High School coming at lunchtime…