Sing Sing Sandwich Shop

After Banh Mi Saigon, Sing Sing Sandwich comes in second for me! Thank the Lord for my parents who were both born in Vietnam & can introduce me to such amazing hole in the wall places that I’d probably never find on my own!!!
The bahn mi is always on point! I like that it’s much lighter and not as «heavy duty» (my dad would say lol). Their Ca Phe Sua Da is legit too! NOMMMS

I always get a combination every time I come here. Their banh mi is actually good. I really love banh mi in general. Im looking for some other places who have better banh mi so i can rate 5 stars.

This place doesn’t get enough credit, as Saigon Sandwich is down the street and gets all the attention.
IMO, Sing Sing has the best and most authentic Vietnamese sandwiches in the city. (I’m Vietnamese!) The meats are clean and not drenched in some greasy sauce. The sandwiches have ALL the right ingredients — you have to have cucumber, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and jalepeños!!! You end up with a fantastic and light sandwich that doesn’t way you down.
And the best part is that there’s actually seating inside, so you can come here with your coworkers or friends and enjoy your sandwiches inside! The place is legit and reminds me of little cafes in Saigon. Love it!!!

The banh mi is good but not as good as Saigon Sandwich. The employees here do not speak English that well. There is a backroom with things happening back there.

I normally don’t order banh mi dac biet but it was the perfect amount of meat. No weird pickled onions like a lot of vietnmaese sandwich places.
The bread was toasted nicely. I would totally go back.
Parking is a challenge so have a friend drive around the block while you grab the sandwich – also remember to bring cash!

Sandwiches were fresh, very tasty, and the bread was super crunchy!
If you’re not in a hurry I highly recommended it! (because it took at least 10 mins to slow toast the sandwiches in the oven).

After being led along by my native SF lady on a sprint-​like walk across the Tenderloin in order to avoid the violent piss-​odor cut of the Tenderloin, we arrived at a small strip of Vietnamese coffee shops.
«Oh good Sing Sing is still open»
The only English I heard inside was whatever me or the GF said and the reply to our order in English. Options were 4 many: Special Pork Combo, Meatball, Chicken, and Pork Skin. I pointed to the Pork Combo and the Pork Skin but GF accidentally got the Chicken instead and was delightfully surprised…
Pork Combo opened my world, Chicken godzillaed it… there was pâté and other things I won’t mention completing the combo that I absolutely loved. and they were soooooooooo good left a mystery. The jalapeño and the pickled carrot & daikon added fire and emphasis. The bread was cake-​lake, crunchy and sweet.
I’ll stop now. The whole meal was $ 8 for 2 sandos. Legit

Take it from someone who grew up eating banh mi that this place makes them just right. Classic style, get the combination viet deli meat. They load it up just right. What gives this place the 5 stars is their baguette, its the perfect crispy so if you don’t like your bread that hard then you might not like this place. There’s also no fluff, as you can tell this place is operated old school style for regulars to sit play cards and drink coffee. If you want the glam go to bun mee and pay your 8 dollars for a sandwich.

4bucks Flat for Pork Combination. CASH Only.
Its a good Sandwhich that does fullfill your appitite.
Hits the Spot better way harder then Subway in a great way.
Homemade light Mayo.
Fresh legitimate marinated right ingrediants.
Love the generous Cilantro and French sliced Jalepenos. Just a hint but not too much.
Theres an awesome article raving about it
Postef on the window. It got me curious.
I tried it today.
They have an impressive display of fresh cut meats.
The place is cozy.
There is a hint of second hand from smokers out front.
Lady is nice, they speak chui chow and cantonese.
Sandwhich looks small but its Dense.
Meat portion and vegie ratio is fair. They do have pâté but its lacking yhe Zing of old Kien Than.
They make it Fresh. The plastic chairs really brings me to Viet Nam outdoor restaurant furniture.
Id come back.:) Good to alternate my Banh mi spots. Favorite in the TL so far is Lees. Have to check in with Kien Tanh to see if they can bring back my favorite childhood style the way the mother use to make em. Fully loaded and packed with Flava!
Bought a sandwhich for work lunch. Eating it 4hours later andman is it great cold and after hours of marinating in my bag!;) you can smell the aroma!

As soon as I walked in here, I felt immediately transported out of San Francisco. I came in for a banh mi, and I learned that they make real Vietnamese coffee (without the mix) — I thought this might be my new spot. I looked across the counter and saw a bunch of ready-​made banh mis without vegetables, and my expectations took a big hit. My banh mi was not great — the bread was not fresh, and it was dense (a good banh mi baguette should be both crispy and fluffy). The meat combo had a good taste to it but there just wasn’t much overall. The ca phe sua dua saved the experience — this place does a Vietnamese iced coffee done right. With an old-​fashioned café in back, it’s fresh Viet coffee on tap — no mix here. I enjoyed it and would come back for the coffee, if not the sandwich. Maybe they make other things?

Sing Sing has the most legit banh mi in the Bay Area. Better than Saigon or Mission in SF, Ba Le in Oakland, even Huong Lan down in San Jose.
Referring of course to the only type of banh mi that matters, the OG dac biet /​combo. And at Sing Sing, that’s one of the very few options, the second worth mentioning being the meatball.
The ladies here make sandwiches for the old Viet people who live nearby, not for the Soma tech workers or Mission hipsters who made a wrong turn into the TL.

Time: 11:42am/59°F cloudy
Purpose: After L & G didn’t wow me passing by this place, I saw older retired elders hanging on the window sill doing nothing just people watch and smoking. As you all know curiosity got the best of me. So I bookmark it vowing to return and make up for L & G.
Ambiance: Located on a slight incline hill sits this place with its only purpose is to sell sandwiches. Inside is somewhat run down, but still passes for a permit to sell food. It’s lackluster décor had me thinking, but then again some of the tastiest places resembles hole in wall type. To start there is three tables with red/​white tablecloth bottle of sriracha along with bottles of salt/​pepper shakers. Counter facing window sits three with mirrors rounding off the place. Not good set up as you can elbow someone sitting at table behind you just by stretching. A 36’in Hitachi TV playing dvd of new years celebration, Curtis coffee pot with stand, cold case display case filled with cured meat and pre-​sliced meats, couple of potted plants. There is a register, but they deal from their own pockets instead. All sales goes directly into pant pockets. As I look around there was another room past the walkway arch inner back area. Didn’t bother to look further as it looks like a kitchen with a dining table, but not a soul inside. The whole dining area is fill with incense scent. Your clothes would smell just like it. Best to order and step outside have them call you when ready. Everywhere I look there was an altar with traditional flowers and lit incense. Again best to take it and go if you don’t want to be bother by smoke.
Staff: Older lady nonchalant attitude. When I walk in she didn’t say anything just pointed out to laminated paper plaster on display case corner. Later I found out she’s not good with her English. I didn’t ask much afterwards only using hand gesture pointing out the fixings that I wanted.
Cleanliness: Grade C, needs work in here. Mirrors had dried white spots. Coffee warmer area needs a good scrub as stains are visible. Cold fridge display needs cleaning especially the sides showing a little rust.
Eats/​Drinks: Chicken sandwich $ 4. Pretty suprise that this was somewhat better or close to Saigon and L & G versions. The bread is not to tough or heavy inside soft while exterior slight crunch without tiring jaw. Fillings were plenty, a good balance of veggies and meat ration. Chicken meat was seasoned just right not overly graying white color, hate it when I get pieces of those. One thing about this sando some may or may not like is the oil/​vinegar squirted on. The lady should’ve ask me if, I wanted it or not. She went ahead assuming that everyone wants it. Its more than enough thus, making the bottom part of bread soggy and a mess to eat with.
Products/​Services: Only banh mi of four kind sold here-​chicken, meatball, shredded pork, combo. Cured fishcake, Vietnamese coffee, cold can beverages, cane/​coconut juices. Cash only, TV showing Vietnamese new years re-​runs of lion dancing.
Main Features: Banh mi sandwiches the House special combo best seller according to lady that sold me sandwich.
Punch Lines: Pricier than area, hard bread, good fillings, pleasing flavors, minimal seating, self pour coffee, run down, retiree hangout spot, TV, street parking, sketchy area, SFPD station, hotels by the day, week, month.
Tradeoffs: Place really trying hard to surpass Saigon, between the two its a tie at best. Except here the bread is light and crunchier, but charges $.25¢ more than surrounding areas.
Final Thoughts: The TL is known for seedy area, but is home to Little Saigon as they are good eats to be found here. You just need to walk and explore all of it, soaking it in. There may be no heavy signage of advertising. This place may warrant another return, how ever if another comes along that tops it, that’ll be the last. How I got into banh mi was when I met Stacy Hyunh. Over 20+ years ago while in junior high. Her parents owns a place that sells these, sadly they retired and move to DC, taste still lingers in mouth from time to time. She always would give me half of hers or sometimes the whole. I was stupid not getting the message. Ok, moving along still on the hunt for the best banh mi in the TL.

I’m Chinese and like phở and the Vietnamese restaurants that I’ve eaten at. I ordered the combination banh mi. The nice woman at the counter made the sandwich with care and handed it to me with a warm smile. All the tables were occupied so I took the sandwich to go. The French bread was good with great crust and the ingredients weren’t distributed totally evenly so every bite provided a different and interesting experience.
Ultimately, the banh mi that I had was a relatively simple sandwich so it’s more of a 3.5 stars type thing when compared to some more elaborate dish. That’s not to say it wasn’t anything but good. I could eat the same combination banh mi all the time and enjoy it.

I am Vietnamese, I have eaten over a hundred Banh Mi sandwiches, including banh mi sandwiches all over SF, Socal, and even Vietnam. This place is AMAZING. It’s super legit. So good.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS PLACE:
1.) The bread is crispy, warm and sandwiches are made to order w/​fast turn around.
2.) The amount of meat and veggies is perfect. The flavor is divine.
3.) No lines!
4.) Call ahead & pick up — it will be ready in about 5 minutes
5.) There’s tables to sit down inside and enjoy your sandwich
6.) You can get you Vietnamese coffee fix at Sing Sing at the same time!
My faves are the #1 and the meatball. Yummy! And the lady who makes the sandwiches is really nice. The one time I forgot cash, the she told me not to worry about it, gave me my sandwiches, and said I can pay next time. Now that’s an amazing feeling — knowing me as a customer, and that neighborly feeling of — don’t worry, I got your back, and I trust you.
For what they do, which is a simple and delicious Banh Mi sandwiches, they do it very well. Cash only!
Fan. Big fan.

Worth a try! This place gets a solid 4 stars. It’s $ 4 a sandwich, which isn’t necessarily cheaper than Saigon, and I wouldn’t say it’s more food either. The differences:
— This place toasts their bread more. It’s really crispy when you bite into them.
— The sandwich has slightly different ingredients. If you like green spring onions in your sandwich, this place puts a nice touch of it in.
— They are more sanitary… as in this place actually puts in the effort to wash hands after handling cash and before handling food. By overall health code standards though, this place might be not as compliant… although nothing that would make me worry about eating their food.
— The wait can be just as long as Saigon.
— Organizationally they don’t seem as quick or fast as Saigon’s system.
— This place is legit a Vietnamese shop/​hangout. There’s always a ton of Viet people hanging out here.
— I like the sauce slightly more at Saigon.
— The meat may be of slightly higher quality at Sing Sing… at least for the combo sandwich!
— They are open much later than Saigon!
My first choice will still be Saigon, but this is a pretty close second and I’ll probably hit this place up when I need a fix after Saigon hours.

I stumbled upon this place looking for vietnamese sandwiches.
I was outside and tried to get in, but their «door» /​gate was closed. You know, those black metal caged gates that shops use at night to prevent robberies? Well, it might take a while, but you have to kind of jimmy it to open the gate.
Once you’re in, the guy asks you what kind of sandwich you want, but his English isn’t the best. I tried asking if he has a steamed pork (cha lau) sandiwch. He didn’t quite understand what I was asking for, and it wasn’t on the menu, then later I saw that they sold the actual rolls of pork, and I pointed to it.
While he was making it, I noticed the breads were quite small. I was ready to be disappointed.
I was not.
When I unwrapped the sandwich (that was cut in half), I looked at the cross section of the cut. It was loaded up with meat! Lots and lots of meat! more so than most places. Awesome. It tasted good, and was really filling.
Each sandwich is $ 4.00 so don’t be fooled by older reviews that state they’re any cheaper. $ 4.00 is a bit pricy, but rent in SF is expensive, and they didn’t skimp on the meat!
Recommended and will return.

I had seen a review via the SF Gate that Sing Sing had the most authentic Banh mi in San Francisco, so just had to check it out.
There are lots of pluses from my experience, the young woman who helped me was friendly, and made me feel very comfortable, Sing Sing has that small family feel that can be very special, plus this area of Hyde St. tends to not be busy so parking is not as difficult as other parts of the tenderloin.
As for the Sandwich, it was very mixed for me, and probably because I am a White Boy who was introduced to Banh mi by Saigon Sandwich.
I got the Combo but did not really like their fancy pork that for my taste had to much fat, plus some of the vegetables where cut very large where they ran the length of the bun, this might possibly be authentic but for me it was not what I was expecting. But that said the Bread was very good, as was most of the Sandwich Filling.
So right now my feelings are very mixed, and I want to check out their Meatball & Chicken to see if they are more to my taste, and would encourage other to at least check out Sing Sing, and see if their Banh mi appeals to you.

Pretty good banh mi but not my favorite (meatball banh mi @ Dinosaurs!). It’s not clear from the reviews but there is a selection of sandwiches, not just one choice. And it’s not any cheaper than Saigon Sandwich or any other banh mi around town. It’s not that hard to find despite being off the main drag of Little Saigon — there’s a sign above the door.
I got the combo sandwich for $ 4.
Good if you’re in the area and don’t want to deal with Saigon Sandwich but not worth going out of your way.

Always the best vietnamese sandwiches to get from norcal to socal. Had a few sandwiches down south and around the city and so far… This sandwich is by far the best and the most authentic. Feels like youre eating a sandwich off those carts u find around vietnam. Banh mi saigon is down the block and its literally bbq meat and not the real authentic kind. If u want that americanize stuff get it elsewhere but if u want it to be legit… This place is a must try.

I looooove their Vietnamese coffee ($ 3). It feels like robbery when you’re paying a dollar or so more for a full sandwich. Ask for extra EXTRA light cream otherwise it’s too sweet.
The sandwiches are pretty standard Vietnamese bahn mi. I think I prefer Saigon Sandwiches (bigger, more pickled slaw, and just tastes fresher), but these are even cheaper.
The cashier/​owner/​chef lady is super sweet!