Banh Mi has become an extremely popular lunch staple in the bay area, and I was very lucky to move into a new place near a location of Dinosaurs, a San Francisco mini-chain for Vietnamese food. They have both Banh Mi sandwiches and spring rolls, so it’s become a quick and easy place to occasionally grab lunch.
Dinosaurs has a pretty decent selection of sandwiches, ranging from pork, chicken or beef for meat eaters as well as a tuna option for pescetarians, and a couple of vegan options if your diet is so inclined. My favorite flavor is the roasted pork with the addition of pate. However, I really loved the tuna sandwich as well. The sandwiches are in the $9-$11 range, so while not the cheapest Banh Mi in town, they are definitely a good value for what you’re getting. They also use some of the best bread I’ve had on a Banh Mi. And while I’m not vegan, I was intrigued by the crispy tofu option, and when I tried it, I was very impressed with the flavor and texture.
The spring rolls ($10) provide three options, two meat and one vegan. The meat options include shrimp with either pork or chicken. One of my favorites is again the pork spring roll, and they offer three dipping sauces for your spring rolls: Peanut, Hoisin or Vegan Fish. The peanut is my favorite as it just always makes me feel warm and happy inside. They also have a huge selection of chips and snacks, many from East Asian countries, and I’m pretty much addicted to the Honey Butter chips as they are a great balance of sweet and savory.
Having pretty decent Vietnamese lunch food nearby is pretty amazing, and while it’s not the best I’ve eaten, it’s definitely more than good enough to hit up when my shopping schedule hasn’t worked out well enough for me to have planned something for lunch. Plus those honey butter chips will probably keep me coming back forever.
Score: 4/5
Recommendation: Anything with the roasted pork and honey butter chips!
Dinosaurs
18 Boardman Pl
San Francisco, CA 94103
