This Banh Mi Chain Just Opened Up In Corona, California

Carrot and Daikon Banh Mi opens up new store in Corona, California

Have you tried Carrot and Daikon Banh Mi?

Carrot and Daikon Banh Mi sandwich still wrapped

Carrot and Daikon Banh Mi is a Vietnamese shop that sells...you guessed it, banh mi! This shop is a small chain with a few locations in California and Nevada. According to their website, Carrot and Daikon Banh Mi is planning to open even more locations in the future. Their latest location opened last month in Corona, California. 

If you don't know what banh mi is, it's a Vietnamese sandwich combined with pickled carrots, daikon, green chili pepper (if you like spicy) and your choice of meat. The bread used for the sandwich is a baguette. I've seen the baguette in long form, but also in the shorter round loaves. As for the meat, there is a huge variety ranging from grilled meats to pork roll (Vietnamese bologna). I've even seen vegetarian options at some banh mi shops. Lastly, you can top off some banh mi with extras like pate and mayo. 

I've had Carrot and Daikon Banh Mi before, but I couldn't remember how it tasted. As a result, I decided to order a banh mi again in order to make a review. Disclaimer, I did not purchase this banh mi from their newest location, but at a more accessible location to me. I ordered a pork roll with pate banh mi. Here is what it looks like below:

Banh mi filled with pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber, pork roll, mayo and pate

This banh mi was huge and definitely filled with contents. I was slightly worried about the ratio. There didn't seem to be too many slices for pork roll....

Long slices of pork roll, very thin

After inspecting the banh mi, I took a bite.

Bitten banh mi 

After I took a bite, my mouth was immediately met with an explosion of flavors and textures. I could taste the sourness of the pickled veggies, but it wasn't overpowering. The taste of the buttery bread filled my mouth as I took another bite. The bread was fresh, crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. There was also some sort of savory sauce in my banh mi. I initially tasted all of these elements in the banh mi. But then....

There were a few things I didn't like about the banh mi. I think my banh mi had too much sauce. I'm not sure how to describe this sauce. It is good, but I think after eating about half the sandwich I felt like it was a tad too salty. However, I feel like the sauce is unique to the Carrot and Daikon brand. I'm not sure if I've had any other banh mi with this sauce. Also, the pork roll was a bit blander than I would like. I couldn't taste the mayo or pate that much. Maybe there just wasn't a lot of mayo or pate on my banh mi. That's a bummer because I would much rather taste more mayo and pate than the sauce. 

Overall, Carrot and Daikon Banh Mi is worth a try. Despite my remarks, this is still a very solid banh mi choice. Next time, I'll just ask for no sauce (or just a little bit) and more mayo and pate. 

The Rating:
Food: 8.5/10 I would eat here again.

Customer Service: 7/10 Standard

Ambiance: ?/10 - Ordered take-out

Have you tried Carrot and Daikon Banh Mi? What do you think?