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January 11, 2007
Lily's Sandwich, 10901 N Lamar Blvd
More exceptional bánh mi in far north Austin, this one tucked away in the brand new Chinatown center near Lamar and Braker. Lily's baguettes are thin and very crusty, and the joint is apparently popular enough that they run out regularly, so watch the late lunches. We had no problem loading up on barbecue pork bánh mi at around 8 one evening, and also tried a random "stuffed rice noodle" dish that arrived with sprouts, fried garlic and standard garnish, plus a few discs of forcemeat that proved to be challenging to identify.
The bánh mi leaned toward the insanely spicy side the night we visited, with copious jalapeños and pickled carrots. The heat of raw jalapeños is often a crapshoot, so who knows how spicy these will be next time around. If you're timid, grab a milk-based bubble tea next door before you order.
Lily's has a good selection of cold drinks but not much else; this is not a full restaurant like Tam Deli. If you can tune out the insanely loud DVD of Vietnamese entertainers on the TV above the drink cooler – or if that appeals to you – you'll enjoy the same kind of pleasant, brightly-lit strip-center ambiance you've come to expect from Austin's best Vietnamese restaurants. Then again, you may want to follow the lead of the majority of the other patrons and get a big bag of sandwiches to go.
Recommended
Posted by brentbuford at January 11, 2007 10:14 PM
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