The best banh mi in Sydney

Part of the beauty of the humble banh mi is that it can be served up from a hole-in-the-wall, and one of Sydney’s original grab-and-go spots, Marrickville Pork Roll, really is just that. You won’t be able to miss it though, with a line of eager banh mi buffs stretching along Illawarra Road, and even at times, back up to Marrickville Road. The traditional, winning formula remains unchanged, combining a generous helping of sliced cold-cut pork, with pickled carrot and daikon adding to the crunchy texture, and a liberal drizzle of house-made spicy chilli sauce. The sauce is a standout for this banh mi, with a subtle sweetness to go along with the heat, but it doesn’t overpower the rest of the roll. What are you waiting for? Get in line.

When you hear, “The pork’s just come out of the oven, so it’s still warm,” you know you’re in for a treat. And that’s exactly what we were welcomed with when we stepped inside this no-frills Vietnamese eatery on Enmore Road. The rolls span crackling pork, spicy curry chicken, spicy beef, barbecue pork, traditional pork and more, plus a selection of vego and vegan options with loads of fresh salad – one will set you back around $11.50. It’s hard to pass up just-out-of-the-oven pork belly. The baguettes are perfect – crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle – before being lathered with mayo and pâté. Ours was then filled with the still-juicy meat, pickled radish and carrot, fresh coriander and spring onion, and amped up with a house-made savoury sauce made from traditional pork cooking juices, plus a kick of chilli oil. So yum. Elsewhere on the menu, there’s pho and vermicelli noodle salads, plus fresh fruit juices for when you need a vitamin hit. We love how fresh the salad bar looks (and tastes), love the balance of the banh mi – and of course, that pork.

Family-run Banh Mi Bay Ngo is a well-known Bankstown establishment, with a respected track record of more than 30 years of good service and even better food. The family’s love of food and passion for cooking is undoubtedly why this banh mi is heralded across Sydney; each ingredient complements the other – from the rich pâté and mayo, made in-house, to freshly pickled shreds of carrot and daikon, spicy chilli and the secret barbecue pork recipe. The barbecue pork banh mi balances savoury, sour, and salty flavours well, and the ratio of meat to salad is right on the mark. This is how you do it.

Top Ryde Baker’s House is a family-owned-and-operated bakery located in the Top Ryde shopping centre next to Woolies. The first thing you need to know is that it’s very likely you'll be met with a line snaking along the glossy tiles. Do not be deterred. The second thing you need to know is that the wait is very much worth it. If it’s your first time, go for the classic pork roll. It has a golden and crisp exterior, and it’s light and fluffy in the middle. The roll is slathered with sweet mayo and rich pâté, with a generous filling of cold-cut pork, as well as fresh radish, onion, coriander and fried shallots for texture – it's the perfect balance of sweet and salty, fatty and fresh. Or go for the crispy pork, which has enough crunch that your neighbour can hear.

If you’re only going to hit up one banh mi store in Sydney's little Vietnam, make it Viet Hoa Hot Bread, a Cabramatta institution that has been knocking out authentic Vietnamese sandwiches for more than three decades. The bread roll is bang on, with a crusty, crunchy exterior and a light, airy interior. It’s complemented by cold cuts, bright pickled carrots, smooth pâté, and fresh chilli and coriander. Bonus point that Viet Hoa is open 24/7. 

Time Out tip: the roasted pork roll is only available after 6pm if you’re after more crunch.

If there’s one Vietnamese bakery that transcends suburban lines and draws crowds from near and far, it has to be Mascot’s Hong Ha Bakery. Operating for more than 30 years, the non-descript shopfront has been serving up the same fresh rolls since day dot, and you'll almost always spot a queue that snakes out the door. This is a traditional pork roll that celebrates simple things done right – the bread is the hero, still warm in the hand, straight from the ovens out back, with a golden crunchy crust and a pillowy interior. Three types of pork (Vietnamese devon, cured and barbecued) with a hearty slathering of pâté, mayo and a fistful of crunchy salad make this quite the stomach-pleasing two-hander. And the special chilli sauce hits with a sweet tinge before bringing the fire.

Hurstville's Phu Cuong King's Hot Bread has been serving delicious, full-to-the-brim rolls since 1997 that’ll take you from Forest Road straight to the streets of Hoi An in one big bite. Coming in at eight bucks, the classic pork roll arrives in a fresh and crunchy baguette with mayo and pâté and filled with pork belly and Vietnamese devon, cucumber, shredded carrot, red onion, coriander, spring onions, chilli, King’s famous soy sauce and salt and pepper. Happiness in a bite? It’s pretty bloody close.

While simplicity is often a key strength in the world of the banh mi, here at Kenny's Pork Rolls in Darlinghurst, variety is king. There are a whopping 12 banh mi variations to choose from including a particularly good grilled sweet sausage roll and an unconventional eight-hour slow cooked lamb twist. But people flock here for the crisp pork belly variant which never fails to satisfy. 

Found on Botany Road in Alexandria, Lokha calls itself a ‘Vietnamese Fusion Café’, and we reckon that’s an accurate summary of a spot that serves chicken karaage banh mi, Philly cheese steak banh mi, and Vietnamese-style tacos, among others. The corner eatery, which opened in 2021 just one month before the lockdowns, is run by a 'fusion family' spanning Samoan, Vietnamese, New Zealand and Australian heritage. On the menu, there are noodle salad bowls, beef pho and Vietnamese beef stew, but Lokha’s banh mi is our pick. And we aren’t the only ones: the team serves about 200 of these bad boys a day. As well as the karaage banh mi, we dig the Vietnamese grilled chicken roll. The chicken is coated in a fragrant makrut lime and soy sauce marinade, and the cucumber, onion and pickled carrot provide a fresh crunch.

It takes some guts to challenge Marrickville Pork Roll, but Alex ‘N’ Rolls – just a few metres down the road in a humble, converted terrace – puts up a mighty good fight. The roast pork roll is a flavourful delight, a well-blended balance of saltiness and fattiness, with thick-cut pork carved fresh at the counter, and served on a hefty and firm roll that easily accommodates the pork drippings in its fluffy filling. Maximise your pleasure by taking a seat at one of the tables in the sunny courtyard. Though a heads up: Alex 'N' Rolls' hours are unpredictable. Join the FB group 'Is “ALEX ‘N’ ROLLS open?!?!' to keep up to date. 

Named after the pronunciation of the Vietnamese word for bread (Ổ Bánh mì), this quaint shop, shoehorned into one of the heritage sandstone terraces on Harris Street, has been open since 2014. The banh mi offerings are uniquely varied, ranging from the traditional pork roll to twists like the veggies delight – a mix of stir-fried vegetables with salad and a fried vegetarian spring roll. But the pick of the bunch for a hearty lunch is the chicken schnitzel banh mi, a crumbed, fried chicken breast served on a crunchy-crusted toasted baguette, crammed full of thick cucumber slices and grated carrot, and topped off with a tantalizing herb and chilli mayo.

Micheal Le founded this simple corner restaurant on Enmore Road in 2011. Recipes here were passed down by his grandmother, Thi Ba Nguyen (the smiling face in the restaurant's logo), who was taught to cook by her own grandmother. This lineage of culinary knowledge manifests itself in some truly outstanding banh mi. The roasted pork and crackling roll is a popular favourite, and something of a standout amongst Sydney’s favoured banh mi establishments. Baguettes here (both white and wholemeal) are fresh from the family’s Marrickville bakery; the wholemeal is worthy of a try, swapping a hard crust for a super light and spongy crumb that’s easy to rip in to. You'll find tart slices of Granny Smith apple in your salad, which amp up the slightly sour component of any good roll. It’s all packed in with a plentiful helping of succulent roasted pork, with crisp bits of crackling folded in, making up for any lost crunch.

The legends at Lit Canteen in Alexandria are taking care of your takeaway needs in perhaps the best possible way. Their banh mi boxes feed four people (or two very greedy ones) and have all the fixings you know and love: pork meat; pickled daikon and carrots; little pots of mayonnaise and pâté and atomic chilli for those who are bold. There's a vegetarian option available too, for you plant-based peeps out there. The team are delivering the boxes direct to your door, just give them a buzz.