Cam Huong Restaurant

$3 sandwiches?! Beat that, Subway!

I've been a frequent visitor this quarter while taking evening classes at CSUEB's Oakland campus. I pop in to grab a banh mi sandwich, a boba at Quickly, and take it back to my classroom to enjoy.

Both the BBQ CHICKEN and GRILLED PORK sandwiches were delicious. I will say the grilled pork was a bit more flavorful with its garlicky, peppery marination. Don't be afraid to say YES to the jalapeno peppers! The peppers mostly de-seeded so you won't set your mouth on fire. In fact, I wish they had more heat to them. The meat pairs well with the pickled veggies, peppers, light mayo sauce, and fresh cucumbers between a French baguette loaf.

I will skip their boba selection tough -- for some reason they choose to use crushed ice which really waters down your drink or turns it into one solid icy chunk that you can't enjoy for the next 20 minutes. Just walk across the street for a variety of boba choices at Quickly.

I'm already excited to try another sandwich next week...maybe BBQ pork?

My favorite place for banh mi in Oakland Chinatown...super centrally located next to all the yumminess that makes up the 3 blocks!
One side is for the banhmi and the other side has dim sum...soooo incredibly delicious! How can you stop at just one place??

My favorite is the combination sandwich with pate. The grilled pork is pretty darn good as well.

Helpful tip: If you get it to-go, try popping it into the microwave for 30 seconds! Makes the bread warm and soft...yayy! sooo good!

Sadly this location is closed as of today.

https://www.eastbayexpress.com/WhatTheFork/archives/2018/09/18/cam-huong-in-oakland-chinatown-closing-today. But the International Blvd location will still be open.

Talk about cheap eats! I was able to get a whole Banh Mi sandwich with a small container of jook (rice porridge) for only $6!! You may not think this is cheap but in HI, the cheapest Banh Mi spot I've been to sells just the Banh Mi for $6! Ok, yes you're dining at a hole in the wall but you can't beat what you're paying for. This spot is cash only as a heads up. Solid 3.5 star spot in Chinatown Oakland.

When we came here, I noticed most of their customers get take out. We decided to dine in because we were hungry and wanted to walk around after our meal. The table wasn't very clean and the seats were wet. Luckily a staff member was waking out for something and I was able to ask her to clean the table and dry up the wet seats. I feel like the ladies taking orders in front rush you with your order but maybe that's just me. It does makes sense though since they are very busy and they want to get their customers in and out asap.

The Banh Mi was decent and had good flavor. I was expecting more since most of the Banh Mi spots I've been to in the Bay Area have legit sandwiches. The jook was also ok but lacked some flavor. Fear not! There was condiments on the table which I added to my jook. They do have complimentary water and tea for those who dine in. I'm definitely not complaining as the price is right for a good meal.

Great bahn mi shop! Perfect place for a cheap lunch in Chinatown.

Banh Mi Breakdown:

Bread - Crunch kind (not doughy).

Mayo- Pretty standards home made Vietnamese (sweet) mayo, sometimes they use a little too much.

Veggies- Carrot and daikon pickled to the right point, nice and crunchy but also add sour tast to the sandwich.

Meat- So many option! there are over 18 types of sandwiched to chose from. They have all of the usual suspects like: combination, grilled beef.pork, bbq pork, but they also have some more out there ones like fried salmon, chicken teriyaki and grilled pork chop*.

*Grilled pork chop sandwich costs a little extra at $5, but you get a while pork chop.

This place also has some great take-out style chinese food. They have great Vietnamese style egg rolls (meat and clear noodle filling.

I like to order an egg roll and a viet ice coffee with my sandwich for lunch, although you can definitely find better viet coffee at other places in chinatown.

Great banh mi for just $3.00...tax included!

The "really good place" that my Lunch Buddy, Daniel C., wanted to go to was closed, so he chose this restaurant because he remembered that there were a few tables and chairs inside for dining in. Good choice!

We found metered street parking nearby in Oakland Chinatown. It was a rainy day, and I still ordered the #1 Banh Mi - Thit Nguoi - Combination of Cold Cuts w/Pate (sandwich) - because it seemed to have everything. Also, if I return again, I will just go down the line and order the next item on the list! It'll be easier to remember!

Service was satisfactory. My #1 was already made, so it was just handed to me quickly. It was quite an efficient system which was good for me since it was my breakfast and I was almost starving! I was really happy with such an economical and tasty meal! Nom nom!

Super affordable lunch/dinner! However, I'm only a fan of their banh mi when the bread is fresh and toasted.

BANH MI - I've ordered banh mis here multiple times. My go-to is their #6 banh mi combo (dac biet) with everything + jalapenos--only $3.50.

I used to always order the #1 combo, but they tend to have a ton of premade #1 sandwiches. The first time I tried it, I saw them toast the baguette, making for a warm, crunchy and delicious sandwich. Every other time, however, they're either too lazy to toast it or they give me a pre-made sandwich. The sandwich innards are still delicious, but the bread ends up tasting extremely STALE (ick!!!). On the plus side, their banh mi's come with a generous amount of mayo and pate.

Now I stick to the #6, which they always make to order.

VIETNAMESE COFFEE - I ordered a vietnamese coffee from their bakery location when I first visited Oakland Chinatown. I was extremely disappointed that they barely added any condensed milk--tasted more like coffee with sugar and milk/creamer. I would pass on this and grab a drink at one of the boba shops nearby.

I've purchased their pickled veggies before and they're quite expensive. I believe $4/lb. Haven't tried their other hot food/pre-made options, but their egg rolls are 75c each. They also have che and drink options in their fridge.

SERVICE - Quick service. The employees speak Vietnamese, Cantonese, and English.

OVERALL - Still come here every so often for a good banh mi, but they should be consistent in whether or not they choose to toast the bread. Also CASH ONLY!

Cheapest food you'll get in The Bay area?

Typical old school Viet restaurant/bakery. There's all the cheap eats, including the Thit Ngoui / Viet bun (cold cuts sandwich) for $3. It's standard food. But no where else you can get this in the Bay area. Too bad it's in a more ghetto part of Oakland. The Chinatown area is a bit run down unfortunately.

It's fairly busy, but service is fast. People mostly do takeout, but there's a small area of tables and chairs for anyone who wants to sit and eat.

I just heard they are closing today 9/18. I will so miss the best Banh mi sandwiches I've ever had. Get in while you can I'm posting this at 2:00 on 9/18

What a gem of a hole in the wall! Originally, we were going to grab dim sum, but the original place we were going to was closed. Lucky for us our friend suggested Cam Huong. Walking in it looks like any other typical Asian place on that street with pre-made hot food and a few dim sum choices. However, it also has a large selection of Bahn Mi sandwiches ranging from $3-$4.75 with most being around $3 or $3.50 (the salmon, which was highly recommended by my friend was $4.75).

I ended up getting my standard grilled pork. It took them less than 7 minutes to make 6 Bahn mi sandwiches, super fast! Now for $3.50, I didn't expect much. However, it was made exactly how I like my Bahn mi sandwiches. Freshly made break rolls with a nice crunch, lightly pickled veggies, well marinated sweet, but savory pork with just the right amount of heat with jalapeños. So good and cheap!

You cannot go wrong with a $3.50 freshly made Bahn mi sandwich that contains both meat and fresh veggies. Yum! Will come again.

Note, parking is super difficult. But once u find it this place is well worth it :)

I know everyone talks about their bahn mi, but this place is also my go to cheap eats restaraunt.

They have a great variety of stir-fry noodles and dishes, as well as one of the best duck egg congees & BBQ sticks in town. I also like their fried bananarolls. There's delicious vermacelli to go meals and tons of snack offerings as well. Their Viet coffee is a little too strong on the coffee.

They speak Chinese, Viet and English. They always have plenty of attentive staff behind the counter, will help warm up or provide utensils, and somehow still manage to provide excellent customer service within such a tight and busy space.

It's oily, it's grimy, but there's no other place that can better satisfy an asian food craving for $2!