Lee's Sandwiches

Lees Sandwiches
Multiple locations

Cupertino (20363 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino - (408) 446-5030)
Sunnyvale (939 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale - (408) 774-0595)
San Jose: (260 E Santa Clara St, San Jose - (408) 286-8808)

The McDonalds of Vietnamese sandwich places and they have expanded aggressively. Vietnamese sandwiches (bahn mi) are made from French bread and filled with different types of meat (usually pork), cilantro, pickled carrots and radishes, some chilis and mayonnaise.

The bread here is soft on the inside but the outside is fairly tough and chewy. Many options are available, such as the combination with different types of pork (such as cha lua, a type of pate of pork steamed in a banana leaf), or you can choose different sandwiches made with grilled pork, barbecue pork and chicken. There are so many different sandwiches here that you can usually find something to your liking. If you’re not in the mood for a Vietnamese sandwich, then they have other more American style sandwiches.

For the price, you can’t beat Lee’s. This is a good cheap Southbay eat. You can walk away with a decent sized Vietnamese sandwich for around $3 (around $4 for the American style sandwiches). Although these sandwiches are not as authentic or tasty than the sandwiches at Huong Lan Sandwich in San Jose or Saigon Sandwich in San Francisco, they are adequate. I can’t make it to these other places often as they are out of the way, so I have to settle for Lee’s Sandwiches to satisfy my bahn mi cravings since they have multiple locations throughout the South Bay.

Maybe I'm being picky but the surrounding seem a bit sterile to me. Sure, there is a clearly defined area to stand in line and the bright lights and open kitchen assure the customer that the place is clean, but I'm used to the hustle and bustle of a typical Vietnamese sandwich shop. Sure, there is a typical efficiency and a gentle push out of the door, but the sterility of the environment was a bit jarring. This nagging feeling disappears once I bite into my bahn mi and chomp down on a chili. Yum.