{"id":4864,"date":"2026-08-25T17:35:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T08:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/?post_type=news&p=4864"},"modified":"2026-10-06T15:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T06:48:16","slug":"american-chef-banhmi","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/american-chef-banhmi\/","title":{"rendered":"American chef's charcoal-grilled pork banh mi draws a 2-hour wait every day in Saigon"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Phong ward, there's a banh mi stall where you can't get served without lining up for two hours from the morning. It sells just one item, charcoal-grilled pork banh mi, priced at 88,000 dong (about 500 yen) each. American chef Chad Kubanoff opened this small sidewalk stand outside his own home on August 3. For travelers hunting a single must-try stop in Saigon, and for locals curious about the neighborhood's new favorite, here's what's behind the line.<\/p>\n

\"\u30b5\u30a4\u30b4\u30f3\u306e\u4f4f\u5b85\u524d\u3067\u8c5a\u8089\u3092\u70ad\u706b\u713c\u304d\u3057\u30d0\u30a4\u30f3\u30df\u30fc\u3092\u4f5c\u308b\u592b\u5a66\u3068\u884c\u5217\"<\/figure>\n

In a city where street banh mi can be had for tens of thousands of dong, why do people wait two hours for one item priced at more than double that? The answer isn't the price or the buzz \u2014 it's the charcoal-grilled pork itself.<\/p>\n

One item, 50 a day, gone within an hour of opening at a sidewalk stand<\/h2>\n

Kubanoff's stand has no menu board \u2014 just one item, charcoal-grilled pork banh mi. He prepares 50 a day, using up 10 kilograms of pork. The stand opens at 9 AM, but customers start lining up at 8, and on some days it takes two hours from the back of the line to get served. There's no dedicated shop \u2014 just a charcoal grill set up on the sidewalk beside the house where he and his wife live.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never expected it to be this popular. All 50 sold out in an hour,\u201d Kubanoff says, still surprised. His Vietnamese wife, Thuy, says, \u201cI feel bad making people wait this long. But seeing how patiently they still line up tells me they really like the taste.\u201d Nothing is made ahead of time \u2014 the meat goes on the charcoal to order \u2014 so each one takes time, and the line never shrinks.<\/p>\n

Ten years running a Vietnamese restaurant in the U.S., and the signature dish was always grilled pork<\/h2>\n

Kubanoff is 38. He's lived in Vietnam for 10 years and lives here with his Vietnamese wife and children. Before moving to Vietnam, he ran a Vietnamese restaurant in the U.S., where the best-selling item was always grilled pork banh mi. Having already found that it appealed to both local and international customers, he didn't hesitate to build his fresh start in Saigon around this same one item.<\/p>\n

He has another side to him too. He runs a YouTube channel introducing Vietnamese street food, with over 130,000 subscribers. Having spent years eating his way through the city's food stalls himself, he's now the one standing on the street grilling the pork. Vietnamese tasters who've tried it have given it as high as 8.5 out of 10. The appeal of this stand comes down to a foreigner winning over local palates with a Vietnamese classic.<\/p>\n

The 88,000 dong comes down to an overnight marinade, caramel basting, and charcoal<\/h2>\n

The price reflects the labor involved. The pork is marinated overnight starting the evening before. While grilling, it's brushed with caramel and splashed with water along the way over the charcoal. That gives it a fragrant, charred surface while keeping the inside moist. The sauce is a house-made mayonnaise with a light kick. Rather than using pre-made grilled pork, running every step \u2014 charcoal, marinade, and finishing \u2014 through each individual piece is what produces both the above-market price and the two-hour line.<\/p>\n

In Saigon, where a standard banh mi can be had for tens of thousands of dong, 88,000 dong looks like a bold price. But even among other \u201cexpensive banh mi,\u201d this one has a different color from places where the buzz comes first. A Michelin-listed shop's$8 wagyu banh mi<\/a>sparked controversy over the price itself, whereas Kubanoff's stand builds its price on the labor of the cooking method rather than the ingredients. It's a similar shape to thebanh mi thit nuong that sold for $28 in New York<\/a>after crossing overseas \u2014 one more sign that banh mi is expanding its territory from \u201ccheap snack\u201d to \u201ca dish worth lining up for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan Phong ward, opens 9 AM, 88,000 dong \u2014 a quick-reference guide before you go<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Location<\/td>\nOn the sidewalk beside a couple's home in Tan Phong ward, Ho Chi Minh City<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Start date<\/td>\nAugust 3, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Opening time<\/td>\n9 AM (customers start lining up at 8)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price<\/td>\n88,000 dong (about 500 yen) each<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Daily quantity<\/td>\n50 (10kg of pork \u2014 sells out in about an hour of opening)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wait time<\/td>\nUp to 2 hours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Menu<\/td>\nJust one item: charcoal-grilled pork banh mi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Exchange rate estimated at 1 yen \u2248 175 dong, US$1 \u2248 148 yen (88,000 dong = about 500 yen, US$3.36). Rates fluctuate with the market.<\/small><\/p>\n

What people will pay for \u201cstreet flavor\u201d \u2014 a question that resonates with Japanese food-lovers too<\/h2>\n

What this stand shows is that even a street-food item can win customers on price and wait time, as long as the maker's story and effort come through. A foreigner who has spent 10 years documenting Vietnamese food, grilling each piece over charcoal himself instead of relying on premade product \u2014 that transparency is what turns the above-market price into something people accept. For Japanese travelers on a food tour, it offers a different kind of pleasure from banh mi shops that compete on being cheap. For comparing banh mi with prices attached, reading it alongsidea price-tagged tour of Hoi An's famous banh mi shops<\/a>will give you a feel for how prices vary by region.<\/p>\n

For anyone planning to actually go, here are a few points worth keeping in mind.<\/p>\n