14705 Aurora Ave N
Shoreline, WA 98133
Mon-Fri 9:30 am – 7:00 pm
Sat 10:30 am – 7:00 pm
Hidden in a strip mall on Aurora site a little Vietnamese deli/restaurant that has really redeemed itself. I first came here when they just opened and was so disappointed. But recently I came back here on a whim craving some banh mis but didn’t want to drive all the way to Edmonds or Chinatown. My initial gripe about this place was that they used way way too much onions in the sandwiches and not enough meat. But since coming back they seem to have perfected the ratio of meat to toppings (especially the onions).
I had their signature sandwich, the iSandwich for under $4.00. It came with all the normal banh mi fixings (jalapenos, pickled carrots and daikons, and cilantro) on a roll with curry chicken. That’s right…curry chicken. No complaints about this sandwich at all. Everything was perfect: the chicken was infused with the curry, the bread kept all the juicy goodness inside (similar bread as Yeh Yeh’s, and the fixings were all flavorful.
One other great thing these guys did was add other traditional Vietnamese dishes, like vermicelli bowls and a beef stews dish. I have not had the vermicelli dish yet but the beef stew (with bread) was awesome. I think it was actually better than the sit down restaurant next door’s, Pho Tic Tac’s. The beef stew was about $7.50 and came with carrots, pineapples, and beef along a french roll for dipping into the stew. The pineapples was something I was not expecting. I’ve had my fair share of Vietnamese beef stews but never have I had it with pineapple. Really, the only complaint I had was there was not enough beef.
The restaurant, although small is normally empty. Most people get their food to go so if you need to dine-in there’s five tables to chose from.
Note 1 – These guys make this stuff fresh so be prepared to really wait. If there’s a lunch rush it could take up to 20 mins. If you are really in a hurry make sure you call ahead to get your order in first.
Note 2 – you can add a fried egg for $1 more to your sandwich. A must try for next time. Also, there is also teriyaki here? Doesn’t seem to fit but I’ve been looking for a place that serves teriyaki on a Sunday. For some reason all the teriyaki places in North Seattle close on Sundays.
