Banh Mi Thai Tai

Some people say Thai Tai is only good for drunk food and those people would be wrong. Why do I need to be drunk to enjoy their huge, delicious, and cheap subs! I love how customizable their subs are; you can get whole wheat bread and you choose your own toppings and sauces, like you would at Subway. They also have interesting flavours like pineapple beef (my friend’s favourite) and a great vegetarian options (I always get the saté tofu). The yam fries are also amazing! I haven’t tried their drinks yet because I’m always way too full from one sub but it looks like they use real fruit, although I have yet to confirm. Overall, it’s one of the best banh mi’s I’ve had in the city and a favourite quick bite to grab on 17^th — drunk or not.

The name is fun to say, and the food is pretty good. The subs are super filling, but stick to the regular sate meats as the curry chicken was kind of boring.

Came across this place while I was wandering down 17^th ave.
I saw the words bubble tea and had to check it out!
I ordered a lychee bubble tea with half pearls and half popping jelly. They seem to have a number of flavors in each to choose from as well as from their regular jelly.
It wasn’t the most flavorful bubble tea I have ever had. And I really should’ve just gone for the regular jelly instead of the popping kind (which seems better suited for frozen yogurt)
The sub was a different story — it was generous portions of both chicken and beef cooked to perfection and let’s you chose what you wanted on top !
I decided on cucumber, cilantro, grated carrots and the thai sauce on a whole wheat bun. It was quite a large size and I was able to split it with my girlfriend.
I would certainly go back and explore different options of the bubble tea next time and order the sub the the exact same way!

I love this place. We order from them all the time at work. They’re friendly, helpful, and the food is DELICIOUS!
Pineapple beef subs are the best — sweet, spicy, delicious and filling!
Bubble tea? All of it is delicious. Pearls? Tasty. Jelly? Also tasty. Exploding pearls? SO DELICOUS!

If you’re looking for something cheap and fast, Thai Tai is the spot. Open late every day of the week, this is the place to go when you want easy on a late Saturday night.
There were a few people eating inside but majority of customers were grabbing food to go. We were in the same boat. It’s more of a take out joint than a restaurant.
— Sate beef salad roll (#4) ($ 5.00) — we grabbed a beef salad roll to try. There were only two of them. Pretty mediocre but they were pretty stuffed.
— French fries (#8) ($ 3.95) — crunchy and better than your average fast food joints. My one friend orders them all the time and loves it but I thought they were a bit stingy on the amount that we got. We were starved so these were gone pronto.
— Spicy sate chicken (#27) ($ 6.70), veggie (#20) ($ 4.25) & cold cut special (#21) ($ 5.95) — three of us ordered banh mi’s to go. These weren’t the best I’ve ever had but were decent. Portion size is gigantic, you’ll be full after eating one. They toast up the bun for you (yes!) and you can choose what you want for your toppings (everything obviously).
— Sate tofu and veggie spring roll bowl (#35) ($ 8.50) — our other friend wanted a more substantial meal so she opted for the sate tofu and veggie spring roll bowl. Lots of tofu, shredded lettuce/​carrots and green onions over your choice of steamed rice or rice vermicelli noodles. Again, big portions but it hit the spot. She had leftovers for the next day.
With so many other options on 17^th Ave to choose from, I can’t see myself coming back anytime soon unless I’m craving some late night banh mi’s eats. I haven’t been able to try banh mi’s elsewhere but I know there are better places in Calgary for them.

I was not that pleased paying $ 7 for a Viet sub coming from Toronto where I am used to paying $ 2.50-$ 3 for a sub but the subs here are 1.5 times bigger than Toronto’s typical sub. I got the charbroiled pork sub — different from what I expected. It wasn’t like the «banh mi thit nuong» I expected like what I get in Toronto. It was saucier and more westernized. Not a bad place for bubble tea. Large size for $ 5 and everyone in my group of friends enjoyed their BBT. Not really a dine-​in place– good for take out. Overall, not bad but not authentic.

Craving a bubble tea and on 17^th Ave, I decided to duck into Thai Tai. Service was fast and there was a lot more selection then I thought there was going to be. (including popping bobas — yum) I ordered a Mango Papaya with Lychee popping pearls and waited to savour my thirst.
When my drink was handed to me though I was a bit disappointed… the consistency was already runny and very «syrupy» like what happens when you leave one standing for 10 mins (maybe it was over-​blended?) first taste was good but very very sweet. I usually have no problem finishing bubble tea’s but half way through this one I felt like I was on a sugar high like no other — dizzy spells, tongue swelling and throat itchiness…
I’m not sure if this was a personal reaction — but since I never experienced this before from other bubble teas… who knows… I’m going to stay clear from this location in the future, which is too bad because it is quite convenient.

It’s not often enough I come here, even though I work right across the street. But when I have a craving for Vietnamese Subs, especially the chicken, I am there fast, the service is always good, the Subs are great, their portions are great, the prices are great as well, the only thing is the wait sometimes, it is a busy little place, but with great places comes big lineups,…worth the wait, and make sure you try the bubble teas, delicious!

Are you kidding me? So so good. The ultimate sub and shrimp wonton soup are epic. The ladies run a pretty tight ship and you get in and out fast with fresh food. if I had to pick a weak spot it’s the bubble tea because its to addictive.

This is a great place to get some fast food take-​out that is tasty and much more nutritious then many other fast food options. Their soups, sandwiches and pearl drinks are all yummy. They have great vegetarian options too. The service has always been good for me. My experience at other locations has been good as well. Parking can be a challenge at this location and there is not a sit-​in option.

second best vietnamese submarine in the city. next to thi thi. I’ll be back for more for sure. The chicken was great, the beef was great. Just the right amount of spice.

Thai Tai is consistent quality, they’re open late, prices are good, and the bubble tea is amazing!
I’m very dairy intolerant, and unlike some other places that just use powder only (and say yes yes it has no dairy when most all powders do – most places routinely add sweetened condensed milk too, you have to really be careful), Thai Tai use good natural ingredients (i.e. real fruit) & will make you dairy-​free bubble tea if you ask them.
The only reason I didn’t put 5 stars is because they ALWAYS put cheese on everything without asking the customer. Very odd as with traditional Thai food that would never happen. FIne, put the cheese on – but then PUT IT on your menu for all to see.
Then those of us really allergic don’t keep having to ask for «no cheese please» after you’ve already made our food!
All in all, Thai Tai is an awesome institution. Especially for late night hunger attacks ;-)

This place is great for late-​night drunk walks home, but the subs are just so-​so. good bubble tea flavour selection. prices are good.

Here for work and they gave us a really crappy per diem… Calgary is expensive! Found this place near the hotel. I ordered the #25, which was chicken with beef sate over vermicelli noodles. The meat was a little tough and dry, but still edible. It was served with a good sweet and spicy sauce. Good portion size for under $ 10.

Best Vietnamese sub in 17^th Ave SW. I’m glad they open late. Although, I wish they can have some tables to allow customer to eat inside. I will order the ultimate sub: Sate Beef and Chicken mild spicy but have a good kick on it.

Cruisin’ down 17^th Ave and hunger strikes. «You want to grab a Vietnamese sub?» I ask. She looks at me. «What’s a Vietnamese sub?» SCREEEEEE! I pile on the breaks (in a safe and controlled manner) and hang a quick right into the parking lot of you guessed it — No, not Tim Hortons. THAI TAI!
Followed very closely behind eating these delectable baguettes stuffed to the brim with spicy beef sate, pickled carrots, fresh cucumber, cilantro, jalepenos, and those tiny red peppers that explode spicy all over the inside of your mouth when you chomp ‘em, is taking other peoples’ Vietnamese sub virginity. As a rule, Calgary is pretty ‘down to sub’, so this hasn’t happened in a long time. Needless to say, I pounced on this rare opportunity like a puma would pounce on whatever pumas might pounce on.
This is a clean little take-​out restaurant and a great place to satisfy all of your Vietnamese sub desires. There are no tables to sit at, but there is a dentist office style waiting area with some seats to wait at, or quickly push a sandwich into your face.

I found the name of Thai Tai a little confusing… it is more Tai and not so much Thai.
They had excellent spring rolls but I found the late night staff to be a little unfriendly and not so polite.
I was also not happy that when I asked for Teriyaki sauce on the side they gave me sauce that was filled with chunks of meat, a fact I did not notice until after I poured it all over my rice. As a vegetarian this was gross and a huge waste of food.
I bought a Chicken Teriyaki sandwich for my friend which did not at all look like chicken, blegh.

Thai Tai is a good fast food standby on 17^th Ave. The Vietnamese-​style subs are awesome — my favorite is the satay chicken. They use bread which is soft yet crusty on the exterior, and pass it through a broiler to get everything warm and toasty. The portion of chicken they put on is perfect — about equal to the amount of veggies when you get it loaded with all the toppings. I’ve tried the sate noodle soups and they are pretty good too, with a good balance of heat.
There are no tables, so it’s a great place to do take-​away. The lineups can get long on late weekend evenings when everyone’s indulgence in alcohol has led to a craving for subs. Other times, it’s not as busy but it may take a few minutes to get your order. This is fast food, not FAST food.
In terms of taste and value, I’ll take a sub from Thai Thi’s over one from subway any day.
Review #10 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Review Challenge 2012

Oh summer is here??? (Calgary weather –_​-​). Thai Tai bubbletea is definitely a summer time drink that you will greatly appreciate while the hot sun shines down on us. Fresh fruit is preferred! As previously reviewed, try the FRESH watermelon bubble tea or the FRESH honeydew pineapple! They are both nice and light, quenches the summer day thirsts perfectly!
Give them a try! :)

Dear Thai Tai,
I understand that your staff probably don’t want to deal with having to clean up a customer bathroom — especially since you’re situated on 17 Ave. I worked a few blocks down for a year and I only let pregnant women and children use our store’s bathroom.
But don’t put an «Out of Order» sign on your bathroom door if your staff is going to use the «out of order» bathroom TWICE while I wait for my sub to be prepared. That’s just bad form.
Minus 4 stars for lying, extra star because I USED IT ANYWAY, HAHAHA!
Protip: Lock the bathroom door and have customers request the key.