Dakao Sandwiches

Dakao specializes in Vietnamese sandwiches and is, Neon Feast contributors avere, the most authentic local source for banh mi.

The bread – crisp-crusted and reminiscent of a baguette, a leftover from the French colonial period in the Southeast Asian nation – is perhaps the most essential part of a banh mi. And the rolls at Dakao are baked in-house, so they’re always perfectly fresh.

The Banh Mi Dac Biet, which is the house specialty, is a classic combination of cold meats with the requisite vegetables. But there are 12 variations overall, such as beef steak, grilled chicken, meat ball, pork roll, sardine, barbecued beef, marinated pork balls and those with shredded pork and skin, cured pork and pork roll, or fried egg and sausage. The mix of pickled vegetables and herbs can be served on the side or on the sandwich.

This is a tiny, few-frills place with just a few seats inside, so you may want to be like most of the customers and take yours to go.