Nhon Hoa Sandwich Bar
Vietnamese
9718 106 Avenue
(780) 425-0932

It is very ironic that my first experience with Nhon Hoa was at their second location on Whyte Avenue. While I have tried other banh mi (Vietnamese submarine sandwich) places in Chinatown, for some reason I always overlooked Nhon Hoa, which has been serving these sandwiches for over 20 years.

I had a good experience with the Whyte Avenue location. As a result, when I had a recent craving for the crunchy, chewy, tangy goodness of banh mi and was in Chinatown, I headed to the original Nhon Hoa. There are about a dozen different kinds of subs, from beef salami to satay beef or chickem to liver pate, all of which are under five dollars. My tofu (chay) sub was the least expensive of the bunch, at only $3.50.

My sandwich was packed with hot tofu that was marinated in soy sauce and was juicy and flavourful. Like all banh mi, it also had pickled carrots, cucumber spears, cilantro, and the very distinctive tasting mayonnaise. The bread was warm and retained its crunch, even long after it had cooled off.

Nhon Hoa also sells a variety of Vietnamese fast foods (spring rolls, salad rolls, some noodle dishes) desserts, and bubble tea. For extra value, there are some meal combinations that include a sandwich and bubble tea, or a can of pop and spring rolls. These are under ten dollars.

The same woman who was making sandwiches, was also taking payment from customers. She put on a plastic glove to handle the money. I am a stickler for details (and hygiene), and that impressed me greatly.

I only regret not grabbing a few napkins before I left, as bread crumbs flaked all over my clothes and tofu and mayonnaise dribbled down my chin. Not that I cared – I was determined to devour every savoury bite – and to return!