Decided to try this spot on DoorDash. It's pretty good and so far the price is super reasonable. The mini sandwiches are so cute and super filling for me. It's the perfect size compared to the regular size. I'm a simple gal, so I always enjoy the regular luncheon meat combo.

Back at it again. Their bread is top notch for banh mis, and this time I got the grilled pork. The grilled pork is tender, juicy, and flavorful. They are generous with the protein, and included all the accoutrements missing from my last experience. That elevates this place to 5 stars from me. It is more expensive than my last visit, but still worth it! All those people lining up at the plaza next door (Duc Huong) are sleeping on Cali Sandwiches!

I was in the mood for banh mi, so I decided to order ahead a vegetarian sandwich, no jalapeno, via DoorDash for pick up. The bread was light and airy, not dense, but not too hard to bite into. I particularly liked the dried tofu parts since they were savory. Overall it was okay, it was a good deal since it's $7 but not the tastiest or most memorable banh mi I've had.

Cali Sandwiches has been in my regular rotation of banh mi places within San Jose. They are one of the few that do a banh mi heo quay (roast pork). And oh boy, they really load it up. It's filled with crispy pork and such a good bite. It's my favorites sandwich that they offer on their menu. I wish they use more sauce because with the crunchy bread and crispy pork, the taste would be so elevated if those textures could be brought together with a sauce. Also for whatever reason, they don't add pickled daikon/carrots to that sandwich, so make sure that you request it. Their classic thit nguoi is done very well. The mayo and pate are delicious, and this is just a classic sandwich (with authentic vietnamese cold cuts) that is done very well. They also add thinly sliced onions too. Why not 5 stars? My only complaint is that sometimes the bread is inconsistent. Sometimes its a good texture, but other times I believe they re-toast it and it becomes too crunchy and makes it hard to eat. Overall, I am a big fan of Cali Sandwiches. It's very authentic and I love the variety that they offer.

Current sale going on for Banh Mi: Buy 4 Get 1 Free. As of 4/1/24, there will be another sale of Buy 2 Get 1 Free on all Banh Mi or Pate Chaud. I stopped by specifically due to pate chaud cravings. With Cali Sandwiches being in the same complex I was already in, why the hell not??!! What initially should have been a purchase of 1 pork pate chaud and 1 chicken pate chaud ended up being: 5 Assorted Vietnamese Baguette 1 Pork Pate Chaud 1 Chicken Pate Chaud 1 Cup of Yogurt To be honest, the Banh mi is mid. Flavors are lacking, literally. It's missing that extra bit of umph I need to make this place stand out above the rest. With that being said, the bread making skills here are fantastic- crisp yet fluffy in all the right places. Overall the sandwiches are not bad, they're just not great. The pate chaud isn't overwhelmingly oily and flavors are good. Yogurt was by far the best item purchased. I'd come here again specifically for that. 3 stars for the food but one added star for the service. Staff is super friendly, they are extremely patient, and presentation is EVERYTHING- they really take that extra bit of time to make sure your purchases are neatly sealed.

Sadly, I've never had a banh mi sandwich before, until I stumbled upon this little spot in little Saigon/San Jose!! The lady behind the counter, was incredibly helpful and sweet since I am somewhat vegetarian, and a lot of their sandwiches, have meat in them, as well as different types of meat/pork and seafood. I got a vegetarian sandwich, and it was delicious! The pickled daikon and carrots were so flavorful, I didn't even notice there wasn't any meat in the sandwich!! I also loved how there are at least four cases of pastries, filled with croissants! I love bread as well as croissants because they're so light and flaky. These particular croissants were all made in house, and the owner even sells the bread so you can make your own croissants and pate at home. I'm not one for pate, but I'm also not going to knock anyone else else's food since I don't like eating it personally, I don't mind telling others about it. Lol. This place is rather small with a couple of tables and chairs, but still very cute and quaint! They do have an indoor eating area and a great window section, the plaza parking lot has rather small parking spaces since I have a SUV. I was worried about getting my doors dinged, but I got my food to go And I loved the croissants and my son loved the chicken pot pie croissant as well as the pate. He eats everything, yet he's picky!! So the fact he likes it means something! I will definitely be back here again when I'm on Eastside! Hee.

I'm not the most prolific Banh Mi afficionado, but I can at least say it's a pretty darn good sandwich place, with each roll packed full of delicious Vietnamese goodness at a very competitive price. Owner and workers were all very friendly and warm in their demeanor. As they very loudly display, there's a nice promotion that seems shared with other banh mi spots on this block (gotta get in on that competition), which for each sandwich already being only 7$ each, you got a pretty good bargain. There's also a plethora of baked goodies and sugarcane juice for sale! It's been a while since I've had baguette bread, but I swear I haven't had them as good as Cali has them. They successfully walk that tighrope of crunchy exterior (but not so much that it tears your mouth apart) and soft interior. The sandwich fillings are also generally solid, with some slices of pretty fresh jalapeno (so the heat is pretty real if you're not used to it) and plenty of pickled fixings. Meats were generally pretty darn tender and held up pretty well if you're not eating them immedietly (except for the crispy pork, that needs to be eaten fast). Between the sandwiches and their pate chaud (which is unbelievably flaky), I'd def recommend Cali as a place to at least drop by to see if they suit your fancy. I was quite happy with their crispy skin pork (#5), but their other fillings are all solid.

Over the past few months, a few buddies in a group chat have been saying so many amazing things about the Bánh Mì Heo Quay (Roasted Pork) here. I'm always searching for great Vietnamese sandwiches in San Jose so I had to check it out! The Bánh Mì is loaded with 4 ounces of chopped roasted pork, fresh cilantro, jalapenos, onions, cucumber, and sauce. The pork skin was super crispy, the meat to fat ratio was great, and the tender meat was seasoned perfectly. The bread was also very good, crispy on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside. This Bánh Mì Heo Quay tasted great, just needed just a bit more sauce for my taste. If you need more meat, you can buy it by the pound on the side. It was like $18/lb when I went. They have other goodies here like desserts, drinks, and a variety of Patê Sô options too!