baguette express opens in city heights

baguette express, serving vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, has opened its second franchise location here in san diego after starting out in san bernardino. it's in the old arby's on el cajon blvd. smack in the middle of crack ho central, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the great value this place offers.

we stepped right up to the counter, all ready to order, only to realize that the online menu is specific to the san berdoo location only - no 8" sandwiches, and no snow bobas either. that's ok, they still have some decent spring rolls and tons of banh mi sandwiches on freshly-baked baguettes. i got the express special, which consists of a variety of meats - mostly vietnamese ham and bbq pork (thanks, mmm-yoso). the pickled carrots, radishes and sparse mayo-like coating of egg yolk/butter made for a tasty sandwich, but it's the long light and flaky baguette that really gives you value for $3. jay's cajun shrimp baguette was delicious, like a trip to new orleans via saigon and paris. the menu is certainly not limited to vietnamese mainstays - you can get most any kind of sandwich with the french/viet twist described above.

fortunately we beat the rush - it was about 5 pm and the place became absolutely slammed with a line nearly out the door, comprised mostly of vietnamese. clearly the word is out in the neighborhood. after we observed several patrons leaving with multiple baguettes, we purchased our own - a 27" baguette for one dollar! beat that, vons. i also grabbed some taro chips from the extensive selection of asian snacks, and a tapioca/fruit/jelly/shaved ice concoction for dessert. now if they could just replace all the arby's in san diego with banh mi shops...