The best banh mi in Melbourne

The literal translation of bánh mì is ‘bread’, and nowhere does it better than Springvale institution Bun Bun Bakery, set up by a husband-and-wife duo over 20 years ago. Lines snake out the door no matter what time you visit, but the staff behind the counter remain unfazed as they churn out between 600 to 1,000 rolls every day. Bun Bun’s fresh housemade bread is the perfect foil for the fresh hams and steamed pork belly. The sandwich is lifted by the julienned pickled carrot, fresh cucumber and spring onion shoots. A hot tip: ask for extra coriander and chilli to offset the rich chicken liver pâté and butter. Bun Bun’s best-selling roasted pork in barbecue sauce roll is stuffed with marinated cubes of crispy pork and caramelised onions. If we had to pick one, we’d stick to the original.

Phuoc Thanh isn’t flashy, but it serves up one of the best bánh mì in Melbourne. Flaky, light-yet-substantial bread envelops Vietnamese hams, pork loaf and brawn (a jelly-based terrine made from the pig’s head) as well as a smattering of fresh lettuce, which breaks up the typical holy trinity of pickled carrot, fresh cucumber and coriander. The grilled pork salad roll is laced with caramelised onions layering the sweetness on a roll already sweet from the soy marinade blanketing the barbecued pork. The equally popular crispy pork roll contains deep-fried shallots and spring onions that accompany the fatty cubes of crisp pork, which is drizzled with hoisin sauce. Both are delicious.

If you're way too hungry to wait in line at Phuoc Tanh, its neighbour, Lee Lee Hot Bread, tends to be a little quieter – which is surprising, because the bánh mì here are arguably just as good. Crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside tiger bread loaves are loaded with a generous assortment of fillings, but it's the crispy pork that gets the gold medal from us. The high quality pork crackle delivers a satisfying crunch, with the correct ratio of sauces, pate and pickled carrots. You'll also get a bigger bánh mì here than many other places, and the service is bright, friendly and efficient. This joint could even be Richmond's best-kept secret, but we've just let the cat out the bag!

Melbourne’s finest bánh mì can be found at this fuss-free Footscray institution, so get in line (and there's always a line). Crowds wait patiently for baguettes that are baked on-site daily, stuffed with house-made butter, pate, cold cuts like pork loaf and fromage de tete, lemongrass pork, and even deep-fried tofu, pickled carrot, fresh cucumber, coriander, Maggi seasoning and fiery rounds of chillies. But here, it's all about the bread and the bread is the best in Melbourne, hands down. Three speedy Vietnamese ladies will make your sandwich fresh upon order, with the roast pork roll being the most famous. The only downside with Nhu Lan is that they tend to be a little stingy on meat (sometimes, not always), and it's a smaller bánh mì than what you may get from other purveyors on this list. So you might need to get two if you've got a big appetite!

In Vietnamese, ca com translates to anchovy – the name of this shop’s former sibling, which was located just next door. The restaurant has since transitioned to a Laotian concept but its neighbouring bánh mì outlet, which began as a way to stay busy during lockdown, is still going strong. The rolls are sizable and filled with unique ingredients like “jungle-spiced” pork sausage, roasted pumpkin and sardines simmered in tomato sauce. At over $15 a pop, they’re a little pricier than the average roll but the top-tier fillings more than justify the price point.

Footscray's Hopkins Street offers a number of bánh mì offerings but few are as notable as To’s. The corner store offers a simple yet well-executed selection of rolls plus stacks of Tupperware filled with Vietnamese snacks and desserts. The mixed ham roll surprises us with its addition of pickled capsicum, though it’s disguised in the melange of pickled carrot, fresh coriander and cucumber. The mixed hams in To’s traditional roll are firm and freshly sliced with a decent slab of head cheese (a meat jelly made from the head of a pig) adding a pleasingly gelatinous fattiness. The richness of To’s crisp pork roll is offset by the absence of pâté or butter, with shards of crackling punctuating every second bite.

If it's size that makes you swoon, the bánh mì at this charming bakery are sure to win you over. You might even have to share! You'll see the classics here (pork sausage, crispy pork belly and roast pork), but if you're after something a little different, try the fish cake filling.  As one of the few places to make their ham on site, that's also another great option. So why is Minh Duc not always as choc-a-bloc as some other bánh mì joints in Springvale? While you still may encounter a line at lunch, there's a dispute around the freshness of the bread here. But it's the housemade ham and top-tier pate you come for at Minh Duc, the quality of which is unrivalled.  Make sure you grab a bubble tea from the nearby shops afterwards to wash it all down. Simply delicious.

Vegans flock to the family-run Trang for their bánh mìs, which range from mock roast duck and chicken, to eggplant tempura and lemongrass tofu. The roast pork roll contains roasted pork cubes which offer a balanced blend of fat and crackling. Less traditional fillings of purple cabbage, capsicum, fried shallots and roasted peanuts do little to cut through the richness of the pork and pâté. A better order is the soy-soaked vegan duck, which is meat-like in texture, and drizzled with an unconventional peanut sauce. Hot tip: if you’re ordering several bánh mì, the lovely staff may chuck in a few spring rolls on the house.

Selina Hot Bread in Sunshine may not be as synonymous as Trang is with vegan bánh mìs, but it should be with its mock tuna, mock barbecue pork and mock chicken. The VN ham roll comes with five generous slabs of cold cuts (some, too thick) packed with raw onion, shallots, red chilli, coriander and pickled carrot with the requisite spreads of pâté and butter. The acidic combination of raw onion and fiery red chillies result in one of the spiciest, tear-inducing bánh mìs – and we love it. The tofu roll is filled with spongy pieces of tofu that are microwaved and stuck in a roll that is assembled with raw onion. The soy-and-hoisin marinated tofu absorbs all the savoury notes of its seasoning and works a treat with the crunchy housemade bread. 

The family-run Spring Hot Bread where Anna Nguyen and her parents have been baking bread since 2003 produces rolls that are light but still with substantial heft. The julienned carrots do a great job at cutting through the richness of the cold cuts, chicken liver pâté and butter-slathered insides of the mixed ham roll. The pork skewer roll is filled with grilled pork – dark pink from the chargrill – that tastes akin to reconstituted meat and won’t be to everyone’s taste, but is a favourite amongst locals in the Springvale area.

N Lee opened Collingwood in 1991, expanding to Little Collins Street in 2007 and Collins Street in 2010, but the original store has not received a glow-up – it remains a no-frills, sparsely decked-out bakery where bread is baked in-house, daily. The chillies are far from ornamental and the generous proportion of pork liver pâté, pickled carrots and daikon, fresh cucumber and coriander to sliced cold cuts makes it a real winner. Meanwhile, the thinly sliced slabs of tofu in the vegetarian bánh mì are marinated in a soy mixture and sandwiched amongst the usual fixings plus a garnish of fried shallots, elevating it into an option even meat-eaters should consider. 

This Reservoir joint is a hidden gem, tucked just a hop away from the train station. Their crunchy tiger rolls are a cut above, jam-packed with all your standard fillings, plus an impressive selection of vegan meats. The vegan crackling pork is a top contender – it’s finished with hoisin, fried shallots, peanuts and chilli, but the meat is flavourful enough to excuse the absence of condiments. Meanwhile, if you eat meat, try the barbecue pork skewer bánh mì.

Best Baked Daily is yet another unassuming shop churning out some impressive vegan options. It’s located in the quieter end of Northcote Plaza (and is so small you could almost miss it), but the flavour-packed vegan chicken roll is worth searching for. The mock meat is a satisfying consistency that could even turn a carnivore, but the sauce is the real highlight, which effectively straddles sweet, sour and salty – the only thing missing is spice, which can be remedied by a healthy handful of chilli.