Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Michael Chiarelli Ottimo Yountville California
      Bottega + Ottimo Yountville
    • Ciccio Yountville California
      Ciccio Yountville
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
      Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
    • Cole’s Chop House Napa California
      Cole's Chop House Napa California
    • Compline Restaurant Napa California
      Compline Restaurant + Wine Shop Napa
    • Napa, California
      Thomas Keller's La Calenda: A Tribute {Now Closed}
    • Ad Hoc Thomas Keller Brunch Yountville California
      Thomas Keller Ad Hoc + Addendum + Bouchon Bakery
    • Mandalay San Francisco
      Mandalay San Francisco (Burmese Food)
    • Boulettes Larder Ferry Building San Francisco
      Boulette Larder (Ferry Building) San Francisco
    • Bodega SF California (Vietnamese)
      Bodega SF (Modern Vietnamese)
    • Tselog Daly City California
      Tselogs (Filipino food) Daly City California
    • Mesa by José Avillez Macau
      Mesa by José Avillez Macau
    Home » Restaurant

    Le Petit Saigon Wan Chai - Best Banh Mi in Hong Kong

    Published: Apr 8, 2019 by Jennifer Che

    Le Petit Saigon Wan Chai

    I very well may have found my favorite sandwich in Wan Chai.

    I've always been partial to the Vietnamese banh mi. I love how the Vietnamese took a French sandwich and added their own vibrant twist to it. The French first introduced the basic French bread loaf to the Vietnamese in the early 20th century during the French colonization of Vietnam.

    Back then, a simple Parisian-style sandwich consisted of a French baguette, butter, and ham. These sandwiches (called “banh mi Tay“) were meant for the French locals living in the area, and were associated with expensive European delis. Soon, the Vietnamese began adding their own local ingredients to the simple sandwich, such as pickled vegetables, cilantro, and other Southeast Asian herbs. It became so popular, it eventually overtook the traditional French version.

    Although today the word “banh mi” is today associated with the Vietnamese sandwich, the term actually technically only means “bread”, and a sandwich having meat would have a descriptor after it (e.g. banh mi thit = bread with meat).

    Le Petit Saigon Wan Chai

    It had been ages since Bryan and I had eaten a good banh mi sandwich (probably since moving to Hong Kong!). We were thrilled when we discovered Le Petit Saigon, right in our "backyard".

    Le Petit Saigon is a small Vietnamese sandwich shop (more like a stand, almost) in the Star Street Precinct area of Wan Chai focusing on doing basically one thing really, really well.

    The sandwiches are not cheap, at least compared to Vietnam (or even Southern California). At 88HKD a sandwich, these are sort of like the gourmet version of a street side banh mi.

    However, it's an excellent sandwich and well worth the money. The bread is spot on, the vegetables and herbs are fresh, and the overall balance of flavors is really, really good.

    Le Petit Saigon Wan Chai

    Bryan got the classic Banh Mi Thit, which includes rolled pork belly, headcheese, Vietnamese ham, pork floss, mayo, chicken liver pate, pickles, spring onion, cucumber, fresh cilantro, chili, and soy sauce.

    Le Petit Saigon Wan Chai

    I really enjoyed my Banh Mi Ga, which had shredded chicken, chicken liver pate, mayo, pickles, spring onion, cucumber, fresh cilantro, chili, soy sauce, salt and pepper.

    The bread was just the right consistency - soft enough that you could easily eat the sandwich, yet with just the right amount of crisp on the outside. The meat was good, and the other ingredients, like the pickles, herbs, chili, and condiments, balanced each other out really nicely.

    There is a tiny bit of seating but not much. We ended up sitting on a bench right outside the restaurant munching on our delicious sandwiches.

    If you'd rather eat in the comfort of your own home, they even offer free delivery for orders over HKD80 (just one sandwich will do!). We definitely saw a lot of people getting delivery orders while we were there.

    I can't wait to go back.

    Le Petit Saigon Wan Chai

    Le Petit Saigon Wan Chai
    16 Wing Fung St, Wan Chai

    Related Posts
    Vietnamese Spring Rolls [Recipe]
    Brass Spoon Wan Chai [Pho]
    Jen's Guide to the Best Places to Eat in Hong Kong

    More Restaurant

    • Forbidden Duck Causeway Bay
      Forbidden Duck Causeway Bay
    • Kunming China
      Kardia Cafe Kunming China 從心開始
    • 凹糟管 Aozao Restaurant
      Aozao Guan 凹糟館 - Modern Yunnan Cuisine in Kunming, China
    • chocolate
      La Dame de Pic - Paris France

    Recent Posts

    • Bottega + Ottimo Yountville May 14, 2025
    • Ciccio Yountville May 11, 2025
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California May 8, 2025
    • Cole's Chop House Napa California May 5, 2025
    • Compline Restaurant + Wine Shop Napa May 2, 2025
    • Thomas Keller's La Calenda: A Tribute {Now Closed} April 30, 2025
    • Thomas Keller Ad Hoc + Addendum + Bouchon Bakery April 27, 2025
    • Mandalay San Francisco (Burmese Food) April 24, 2025

    Trackbacks

    1. Le Garcon Saigon Wan Chai - Excellent modern Vietnamese in Hong Kong - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      August 11, 2019 at 12:04 pm

      […] if we’re in the mood for something a bit more casual, we often swing by their little brother, Le Petit Garcon, for some awesome banh mi sandwiches, we we […]

      Log in to Reply
    2. Happy New Year 2021! A Look Back at 2020 - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      January 1, 2021 at 10:30 pm

      […] delivery spots included my weekly Din Tai Fung fix, falafels from Maison Libanaise, banh mi from Le Petit Saigon, and knife shaved noodles from […]

      Log in to Reply
    3. Fukuro Hong Kong - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      January 18, 2021 at 11:04 am

      […] and escape everyday life.” A member of the Black Sheep Restaurant Group (whose restaurants we really enjoy), Fukuro was most certainly spirited the day we visited. The place was packed, buzzing with […]

      Log in to Reply
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • Restaurante Litoral Taipa Macau
      Restaurante Litoral Taipa Macau
    • Antonio Macau Taipa
      Antonio Macau Taipa
    • Vienna Opera House
      Vienna Austria Trip Report
    • Steirereck Vienna Austria
      Steirereck Vienna Austria

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Support Tiny Urban Kitchen by making purchases on Amazon through our affiliate link:

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2024 Tiny Urban Kitchen