RM students are only beginning to discover a brand-new Vietnamese sandwich shop just minutes from campus: Ba Le Sandwiches, a Chicago-based restaurant, opened its first Maryland location on Thursday, Sept. 25. The restaurant features a menu that includes Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, soups and fruit smoothies, and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day of the week. It is also located about a six or seven minute walk from the school.
In an interview with the Tide, owner Julie Vo said that among her customers, two of the sandwiches are already gaining popularity. “[The] best selling lunch item is going to be sandwich number one or sandwich number two,” she said. The menu posted on Ba Le’s website states that the first sandwich, the “Special,” includes ham, as well as some ingredients that many students may not be familiar with. These ingredients include pate (a French spread made from finely ground and seasoned meat), headcheese (a meat jelly made from edible parts of pig’s heads) and pork roll. The second sandwich, called the “BBQ Pork,” is made with more familiar ingredients. These include pork, lemongrass, lemon fish sauce and scallions. According to their website, the shop also has vegan and vegetarian banh mi, and most items are nut-free.
While many students may not have discovered Ba Le because of its recent opening, Vo says that the proximity of RM to the shop has begun to pay off. “So far, it has increased business a little bit. The students come by during their lunch hour and buy sandwiches, smoothies and hang out. So it’s been nice,” she said.
Freshman Andy Zhu said that he hasn’t found a restaurant that he enjoys eating at during lunch. “I’ve left the school a few times. I haven’t found any actual places to eat, though.” The store is brightly lit and has a plethora of breads to choose from. There are several spots along a counter where guests can sit down and enjoy their meal, or guests can choose to take their food to go. Most of the sandwiches cost under $10, and the most expensive ones don’t go over $16.
Ba Le Sandwiches was founded by Le Vo. He first started selling banh mi sandwiches in Saigon, Vietnam during French colonization of the country in the 1950s. The website explains that the French taught Le Vo how to bake baguettes for his sandwiches and gave him French ingredients to experiment with. This unique French influence is reflected in the restaurant’s food today. The aforementioned pate, for instance, was invented by the French.
Ba Le joins a melting pot of Indian, Persian, Thai, Hawaiian, Mexican and various other cuisines at Ritchie Center, and it adds a unique new flavor to the community that may attract students looking for fresh and diverse food options. “I think it’s just cool and dandy and awesome,” Zhu said.
