Tis Me Michelle

This will be part of the Mills Market series, part 1. For now, Part 1 of 3 plus a roundup. I finally hit up the market after seeing so much about it. I got in close to 11am, and it wasn’t super busy, but not all the stalls were open at that time. Banh Mi Boy is the first to open at 10am.

After taking a quick lap, I stopped by. I saw some folks checking out the menu, but there was no line. I stood in line for a few minutes before someone took my order, which was only annoying because there was no line. They have a few menu items, obviously including a variety of banh mi options. There’s a summer roll station and so many drinks available too. I ultimately went for the Banh Mi Boy Special – banh mi.

The Meal: The banh mi boy special is the classic cold cut banh mi option (đặc biệt). I recently had a banh mi from SOMOT and got the classic option. I figured it’s a good base option to truly compare the different spots. Similar to my Thai restaurant hunt for the best Pad See Ew. If you’re unfamiliar with a banh mi, the classic usually comes with cold cuts, jalapeño, cucumber, cilantro, and pickled carrot
and daikon, house paté.

This one was good and was a decent size. I liked that the baguette was a little crusty on the outside, but soft on the inside. Sometimes the bread can be too hard. I’m not sure if it was the Florida heat, but the pickled veg didn’t have the crunch I wanted. After I refrigerated it at home, it came back a bit. I was disappointed that the jalapeno didn’t have heat, which isn’t really on them, but I look forward to having that bit of heat in the sandwich. Felt like all the veg was lackluster, even the cilantro didn’t have too much flavor. I’m starting to wonder if it’s just me. The meat itself was pretty good.

Most of the banh mi’s, including this one, were $9.99. I know it’s more expensive than it used to be a few years ago, and than some other spots in town, but not terribly priced. When I come back, I’d definitely want to try the Pho French Dip. It has beef shank, onions, bean sprouts, basil, jalapeño, with a side of pho jus to dip into. That sounds like an experience. The other item highlighted by the Michelin Guide was the other one I would have gotten, the crispy pork belly.

Overall: This was the quickest experience I had at the market. It was a good banh mi. I wouldn’t come back for that one specifically, but there are definitely other banh mi’s and other items I’d come back to try.

Rating: 8/10

Address: 1110 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32803