For its first-ever expansion, the Tenderloin’s enduringly popular bahn mi shop Saigon Sandwich will be landing near San Francisco’s waterfront this summer.
The new location, first reported by the San Francisco Business Times, will take over a compact storefront at 333 Jefferson St., #125, at the redeveloped Anchor’s Landing mall, a short walk from Fisherman’s Wharf. It will bring Saigon Sandwich’s super-affordable banh mi, some priced under $6, that has made the shop a local cult hit. They come filled with meats like barbecue pork or roast chicken, along with pickled carrots and fresh vegetables, on a fresh baked roll.
Jeffrey Nguyen, Saigon Sandwich’s second-generation operator, told the San Francisco Business Times that he intends to keep banh mi affordable at the new location, and to also serve alcoholic beverages such as soju cocktails, beer and wine. It may offer outdoor seating, Nguyen told the Business Times. Nguyen could not be immediately reached for comment.
Since opening in the early 1980s, the tiny, takeout-only Saigon Sandwich has drawn lines and acclaim. The New York Times Magazine once named its banh mi the best in the country. “The space at Saigon Sandwich isn’t much to look at, but the banh mi — fresh, cheap and astonishingly delicious — may be the best in America,” Jordan Michelman wrote in 2011.
Saigon Sandwich is part of a multimillion effort to overhaul the 153,000-square-foot Anchor’s Landing, home to San Francisco’s only In-N-Out, including a renovation that brought huge LED video screens and other cosmetic improvements, the Business Times reported in May. Other tenants coming into the complex include boba shop Little Sweet and Space Karaoke, a huge karaoke space inside a former Walgreens store. San Francisco’s second Taco Bell Cantina, which serves the usual Taco Bell menu plus boozy slushies, beer and wine, opened here in December to long lines.