Warren, MI — Banh mi oh my, this new Vietnamese eatery in Warren is a must-try establishment for foodies and sandwich enthusiasts! I’ve long been a fan of this staple sandwich that hails from Vietnamese culture, which is typically a light sandwich on buttered fresh baguette bread with a mayonnaise or liver pâté spread, meat(s), and several fresh cut vegetables — the banh mi.

The Vietnamese roll/sandwich is simple in both design and the number of ingredients. But even after a few bites, this delicious sandwich oozing in flavor and textural contentment can have you feeling surprisingly full faster than anticipated. From the thick but airy bread, creamy paste spread, or thick sticky sauce to the combined taste/textures of the meats and fresh vegetables, this sandwich gets the job done! So when I recently had a friend share a social post by 88 Banh Mi & Bowl, a new eatery in Warren, I knew a foodie adventure was calling my name.

It was a calm Saturday afternoon, and I decided to go check out 88 Banh Mi for an early dinner (also to leave the door open for a late-night snack excuse). I intentionally didn’t eat much during lunch, so I would be ready to go all in terms of food intake. Around 4:30, I headed for the restaurant on Dequindre Road just north of 12 Mile in Warren. It’s tucked back a bit, along with a few other businesses on the northernmost end of a relatively empty strip mall on the east side of Dequindre. I parked right out front and eagerly walked inside.

Had I not closely scanned the Facebook page for 88 Banh Mi & Bowl, I wouldn’t have known that the establishment had only been open for about two months. I walked in and was immediately impressed by the stylish interior design, welcoming vibe, and organized snack bar. For a business only two months into the game, 88 Banh Mi & Bowl was operating very efficiently and delivering on multiple fronts from a customer’s perspective. The sleek interior gave an uplifting mood, heightened even more by the visual replicas of the banh mi sandwiches next to their corresponding number on the menu, immediately setting off foodie fireworks in one’s head and stomach. 88 Banh Mi & Bowl Owner Alice Nguyen has really fostered a fun, awesome eatery, and space!

One of the things that really makes 88 Banh Mi stand out is its snack bar. I wanted to save as much room as possible to sample a few different banh mi, so I didn’t delve into any of the snacks this time. But I spotted a few I want to try during my next visit! The cool part about the snack bar: the items along the top are open to sampling, and then everything can be found underneath for purchase! As of July 25th, here are the current items found along the shelves, according to 88 Banh Mi & Bowl’s Facebook page:

– Toasted Butter Bread

– Dried White Plum Seeded

– Vietnamese Banana Candy

– Soursop Candy

– Sour Plum

– Dried Passionfruit

– Sliced Dried Plum

– Thailand Dried Tamarind

– Singapore Dried Plum

– Several kinds of Beef Jerky

I placed my order and decided to try the Vietnamese Iced Coffee because who doesn’t love an afternoon caffeine surge! I ordered three smaller variations of banh mi (mini); that way, I could try a few bites of each and get a gauge of the different flavor profiles for my first visit. I ordered the Garlic Shrimp (I went with spicy), Roasted Pork Belly, and 88 Special. The banh mi comes with vegetables, including pickled carrots, pickled daikon jalapeños, cucumbers, and cilantro. I picked a corner table with decent lighting (for all the cool photos/video proudly displayed throughout) to continue gathering elements. During this time, Alice came by to say hello, and we chatted for a few minutes. She was making rounds through the dining area, checking on guests, handing out orders, and spreading a friendly and attentive welcome to all who entered.

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We chatted about the snack bar, and I expressed how excited I was to check out the banh mi! From the reviews and photos/reels I had seen shared on social media, the sandwiches looked packed and sizeable. And sure enough, when the trey of delicious wonders arrived, I was overjoyed to see the thick sandwiches and extras. Alice was also making sure that every table got to sample a side of the Butter Croissants, which were a testament to baking. I don’t mind enjoying a good croissant occasionally; let’s be real, it’s hard to pass on light, flaky, buttered bread, especially when it’s made as good as it is daily at 88 Banh Mi & Bowl, because WOW! This was one of the sweetest and most delicate croissants I’ve ever had; it had an excellent light, flaky exterior, and warm, chewy interior dough bake. It was the perfect balance of exterior-to-interior texture shift execution, keeping things light and crunchy where needed. And the pastry fun didn’t stop there!

The Pâté Chaud was a newcomer concept to my palate. This pastry delight equates to a ‘hot pastry pie’ and is a popular Vietnamese puff pastry. As seen in the above image, when the arrow is swiped to the left, traditionally, the pâté chaud is served with ground pork in the center, but chicken and beef are commonly used as well nowadays. The hot meat pie derives its name and origin from a time when France imposed colonial rule over Vietnam. During this time, the French introduced the baguette to Vietnam, inspiring the banh mi sandwich.

Pâté chaud is a rather simple dish, finished off in three to four bites, but the kind of bites where you extend your chew cycle every possible second to enjoy every last taste. The light and flaky consistency of the bread carried over from the buttered croissants, but this time with the delicious and savory pork added to the mix. From the sweet pastry exterior to the savory and seasoned meat tucked in the center, this side comes strongly recommended if you have that little extra bit of room left, perhaps after dispelling a mini banh mi (or large, by all means, get after it if you can).

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The first banh mi sandwich up to the plate: the (spicy) Garlic Shrimp! Admittedly, for the mini, I expected the sandwiches to be smaller than how they came out, so I was pleasantly surprised and excited to know that I would have leftovers for later in the night. I unwrapped the first banh mi, the garlic shrimp, which I enthusiastically agreed to order spicy. Before even biting in, I could tell by the color and smell the freshness of the vegetables, which were coated in a delicious spicy garlic sauce (which I was about to learn was made in-house) from the shrimp. The sauce was smothered on a bountiful amount of shrimp beneath the vegetables, which, sure enough, tasted as if they were sliced just an hour or two prior. The pâté along the bottom layer of the bread blended with the house sauce wonderfully, while the shrimp was very garlic-infused and had a tamed heat but still enough to feel some warmth in your face.

The bread was also very fresh and brought me back to my days of slinging sandwiches at Jimmy Johns in downtown Grand Rapids. As an avid sandwich eater, I must say nothing beats a sandwich made with fresh bread straight out of the oven, and this bread was pretty darn fresh — and I know bread! The exterior was lightly buttered and crunchy, giving way to a softer and doughier middle fluff, which was softened further by the pâté and house sauce. Bite after bite was a whirlwind of flavors from every corner of the sandwich, delivering a truly stellar garlic shrimp banh mi with bursting flavor and a unique sauce that really stood out. Seafood is not usually my first choice, so I’m very glad I went a bit out of my comfort zone on this one, even electing to eat it first. I was so hungry and in my foodie zone, I ended up eating the entire sandwich… you know, for research/foodie purposes and such. I would definitely order this banh mi again, and I strongly recommend it!

Shortly after finishing the first banh mi, Alice stopped by again to see how everything was going. I confessed I was very happy with the Garlic Shrimp, expressing that the spice level was perfect and that the unique sauce really made the sandwich stand out. My guess ended up being correct; Alice informed me that all of the sauces were made in-house from signature and traditional recipes. It turns out Alice and her team make and prep a LOT of stuff in-house. From fresh pastries and desserts (coming soon!) to banh mi bread, sliced vegetables, and cured meats to cutting up imported sugar cane for signature drinks, Alice Nguyen and her team are bringing it to the table! Alice is also extremely nice and very engaging with her patrons; you can tell there is a real investment in how she communicates with her guests and staff. While this blog is purely a passion project of mine, it’s nice to acknowledge moments where I actually really enjoy these adventures. Like when I know I’m highlighting a great restaurant not only for its food but for its owner and staff, the ones who bring life and fulfillment to our bellies! The ones who share their stories and cultures, traditions, and love for creating through the foods they serve.

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The next banh mi up: the Roasted Pork Belly. This time I thought ahead and cut the sandwich in half, ensuring I would have a stopping point reminder to wrap the second half after demolishing the first half. I peered at and sized up the banh mi; since I happen to be a big fan of pork belly, I wanted to make sure I approached it at the right angle for a bite to capture a little bit of everything. As you’ll note in the image below, with the slide arrow pulled to the far right, there was a fair amount of thick and tasty vegetables atop the pork belly. Served yet again with a remarkable house sauce, the pork belly itself was absolutely solid and tender and had an excellent exterior crunch via the roasting. The vegetables provided a great and healthy filler to counterbalance the salty pork. Again, every bite had a bit of everything from lightly toasted bun to bun, and every bite was as satisfying as the last. The pâté paste complemented the savory pork, aided by the butter to keep everything moist and flavorful. My high expectations were most certainly met, with the only downside being that I was limiting myself to only half of the sandwich so that I would have enough room to try a few bites from the third and finale banh mi: the 88 Special.

Taking a full bite of the 88 Special is where it’s at. A mouthful of the pork roll, shredded chicken, grilled pork sausage, Vietnamese ham, and roasted pork belly all in one bite is extremely satisfying. Again, despite only limiting myself to half of the sandwich, I really enjoyed this one. With all of the meats, it wouldn’t hurt to consider getting the vegetables on the side, but I went for it and had it fully loaded anyway. The meats are all delicious; notably, the shredded chicken and ham stood out upon first introduction to my taste buds, with each meat bringing its own life to the flavor party. The addition of the vegetables round out this banh mi as a hearty meal that will leave you full — I could only manage four bites! I would definitely get this banh mi again in its large form as the sole purpose of a visit alone, a very satisfying sandwich that will undoubtedly bring me back.

While I stuck to the banh mi for this visit, it’s worth noting 88 Banh Mi & Bowl also serves (that’s right) customizable bowls that you can build by selecting your base of rice or noodles, picking your proteins (up to 3) and even adding on a fried egg. The bowls all come with an egg roll, jalapeño, cucumber, basil, Vietnamese pickles, bean sprouts, cilantro, and a homemade sauce. The banh mi sandwiches also come in larger forms than the mini, with the option to get the vegetables on the side if you prefer, so there are options at 88 Banh Mi & Bowl for everyone!

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I’m very excited to see what the future holds for Alice Nguyen and her team at 88 Banh Mi & Bowl because they hit the ground running and have already established something special at this eatery. Absolutely stellar and fresh banh mi sandwiches, a budding pastry empire (hint, keep an eye on the menu for when the cookies appear), and a very kind owner who is clearly excited to be sharing her heritage and traditional Vietnamese recipes with the residents of Warren and greater Metro Detroit area. Passing by or through Warren? You got to stop and check out 88 Banh Mi & Bowl!

For more information on 88 Banh Mi & Bowl, click here.