- Michael Gebert
- Grilled pork banh mi at CoCo
Several years ago I was in Santa Cruz, California, and discovered something I hadn’t expected to see anywhere this side of Saigon: fast-food banh mi chains. But if you thought about it, the Vietnamese-French fusion sandwich, with its crusty baguette, Asian meats (paté or grilled), and crunchy fresh vegetables, was a perfect candidate for taking off as a more exotic substitute for Subway. Back in Chicago, I expected them to break out beyond the Vietnamese neighborhood on Argyle shortly. Banh mi haven’t quite taken off like cronuts, but they have spread out a little—Nhu Lan opened a shop in Lakeview and Banh Mi & Co. has even opened in sleepy Roscoe Village, between the Costello’s and Jimmy John’s. Another relatively new one to break out of Argyle is a storefront on Lawrence a few doors west of Ashland, CoCo Vietnamese Sandwiches & Pho.
CoCo Vietnamese Sandwiches & Pho, 1613 W. Lawrence, 773-516-4760, cocovietnamesesandwiches.com.
