Cali Baguette Express

I've been going here for years and realized I never made a review for it! I have to applaud them for cleaning up the interior and organizing it. There's many seating now. The shelves, the refrigerator, and freezers are stacked nicely. No frost build up in the freezers. And the hallway to the left of the freezer has been sorted through and cleaned. (Workers area I'm guessing). They have other Vietnamese goodies available at the counter. Like Banh Gio, Pandan Honeycomb Cake, Banana pastry, Pate Chaud sometimes, etc. I love the pandan honey comb cake because it's so springy and the texture is smooth and vanilla like. It's really good! The banh gio has a meat and woodear mushroom mixture that tastes incredible when you heat it up and eat it with nuoc mam (fish sauce mixture). You can also buy a fresh baguette, we do this all the time (even today!) It comes home nice and soft, with a good crispy exterior. In the refrigerators they have different Vietnamese desserts aka Che, Shredded green papaya and beef jerky (sold separately), pickled veggies, shredded chicken floss, and more. They have bottled drinks as well: like Mogu Mogu or soda. They also sell Lee's Coffee Concentrate in the freezer which is nice! This can make multiple cups of Vietnamese coffee. I remember I bought one and brought it to the zoo with me, since it was frozen it melted throughout the day and was nice to sip on like a slushy! I love banh mi #2: pate cha lua. This is pate spread with a Vietnamese meat loaf. Pickled veggies and cucumber slices. Comes with cilantro and I ordered without jalapeño. Very filling sandwich. Flavorful and delicious, I like to eat half and save half for the next day. My mom decided to try a new one of theirs, a crispy pork belly Banh Mi! We had this when we went to Hoi An, Vietnam. Cali Baguette cut the crispy pork belly in sizable chunks. Ample amount of fat and meat. Melt in your MOUTH! The crispy pork belly wasn't too crispy that you'd feel like you'd break a tooth. I think some spice would take this banh mi to the next level. I recommend this spot for cold sandwiches (banh mi)! So good and I feel like they give you a well balanced amount of pate, meat, and veggies to baguette ratio. They have hot sandwiches as well, but I haven't tried it yet. They also have smoothies and iced Vietnamese coffee.

I've been here a couple times recently and forgot how good they are. Super convenient as well to go through the drive through. What clinched it for me is that their prices are reasonable given the size of the sandwiches in this environment. My go to is the Special (Dac Biet) for $7. It's on a long baguette with less filling than some places but more than enough to make it tasty and feel like you're not missing out. And it's long enough that you can split it among two people, unless you're both famished. Show me a place where you can feed someone with great tasting food for $3.50 a person in 2024! I'm a fan.

Best bahn mi sandwiches in San Diego. The bread taste fresh, I get the Asian sausage with egg which I can't find anywhere else. They have a bunch of other small foods too, service is good. Minimal seating, but I normally take it to go.

My favorite banh mi spot in SD! My favorites are the grilled pork loaf and the new crispy pork belly special. Also keep in mind that you can make modifications so you can add egg to make it a breakfast sandwich or combine meats. The bread to filling ratio is always good and they make their baguettes fresh on-site. The staff are also the sweetest, very much have acquired some new aunties!!

Come for the freshest, tastiest baguettes in San Diego. Their bahn mis are amazing too.

I've been here once bout 10 years ago and never thought, "oh this place is good."Today, I happen to be in the area and thought I'd give it another try and I just wasted $13 on nothing.. I ordered the Avocado smoothie and the milk tea with boba for my daughter and 6 of the egg rolls.. NOTHING tasted how it's suppose to.. The Avocado smoothy had zero Avocado taste to it, my daughter called it a green vanilla milkshake. I asked how was her milk tea and she said, "ummmmm, I mean it's okay." I tasted it and still have no idea what it is. The egg rolls taste like deep fried rice paper with lots of glass noodles.. We will never come back here.. They were nice people though.

Good pork banh mi, friendly cashier, quick service.Offers a variety of Vietnamese snacks & sweets. Drive-thru, dine in, or takeout. Conveniently located. Welcoming atmosphere.

Hmm should probably pass on this one...When someone here has a drive thru, you think it's convenient right? WRONG!I really had high hopes for this place as I've been to the one in Mira Mesa and had amazing service and food. I guess they aren't all created equally. This one was definitely disappointing.First off, waiting about 20+ minutes in the drive thru ain't right. Second, the sandwiches were lackluster, very minimal ingredients, skimpy and dry. Lastly, two sandwiches and a soda was about $17 for that price I'd say take your business elsewhere and get you a better quality sandwich.

I ordered the spring rolls and the sauce was watered down and not even good. It's not even close to good peanut sauce. The shrimp was over cooked and stale. It was not worth $5 for 2 spring rolls.

I only come here if/when my mom wants something from here but I'd much rather go to the competitors. Their sandwiches are average in price and quality. They're about ~$6 now. They have other menu items such as rice dishes, vermicelli bowls, drinks, and to-go appetizers such as spring rolls, egg rolls, and desserts at the counter. They also have refrigerated dessert and drinks along with dried snacks.The only convenient thing about this place is their drive thru which is nice but horrible! I really don't understand how at times I'm sitting stuck in the drive thru line for 45 minutes! Kind of ridiculous considering everyone is usually just ordering sandwiches like how long does it really take to make an order?! They need to work more efficiently and find a better way to expedite services.