This is my go to bahn mi spot in downtown Oakland. Located just a few blocks away from Lake Merritt they're serving up massive Vietnamese sandwiches at a decent price. Friendly staff, delicious food, and quick service.

Discovered this spot while on jury duty nearby. The veggie banh mi sandwich was excellent and a great value. Service was quick!

Eggs and I have a love/hate relationship that's pretty one-sided. Some days I want them, some days they gross me out. Today was a loving day. This breakfast sandwich is delicious, the service was good, I felt comfortable and enjoyed watching the neighborhood stop in for fuel to start their days. One guy ordered won ton soup and flan. Two women ordered smoothies. Another left with a bagel and cream cheese and a Thai ice tea. Someone to my right sipped on a smoothie and spring rolls. Good food, expansive menu, reasonably priced.

Now they claim to be fresh and best...tbh yeah it was giving fresh and pretty best. I ordered the mango, spinach and avocado smoothie which was so creamy and sweet and refreshing! The chicken bahn mi was pretty big and the chicken was very flavorful. Both of these items came out to around $17-not bad! My mom's vermicelli bowl was incredibly flavorful, I'll probably order that next time. I'll definitely be back!

Wow, what a great little place! Ordered a Vietnamese vermicelli bowl with grilled pork and it came in mass quantity packed in a to-go container for under $12. My daughter ordered the chicken sandwich which was also pretty massive and reasonably priced. She got an avocado spinach smoothie and I got a really tasty peach honey spinach smoothie. It's a very small place with limited seating and limited street parking. But so worth it. We were extremely pleased and will definitely be back. Highly recommend this place.

While we got takeout, the service was great, and the restaurant seemed like a nice place to dine in and hang out, with a clean and peaceful atmosphere. They have vegan friendly options (make sure to ask for no mayo). I got the Curry Tofu Sheets Vietnamese sandwich. It was quite good, and overall the sandwiches are very reasonable for the prices. They are around 8-10 inches in length. The tofu sheets were firm, coming in a generous portion size, and while the sandwiches weren't dripping with a heaping amount of curry, the flavor was there. Great place for quick and affordable banh mi!

Ordered the coconut pork banh mi, which is a flavor I've never had in banh mi before. It was so so good; the flavor and portions were well worth the price (~$11). You could really taste the coconut!!

This is one of my favorite local places to eat at in Oakland! Their smoothies are delicious and relatively cheap compared to other smoothie places in the area. They are soooo refreshing on a hot summer day. As for food, I always get the tofu summer rolls with avocados. The tofu is marinated well, and the veggies are super fresh. I've personally not tried their banh mi, but I have heard really good things about them. The wait can be a little long on a busy day, but you should definitely swing by if you're in the area!

Saw this in social media and sent my husband over for lunch. He likes it so I gotta try. Came on a Saturday - got a grilled pork Bahn Mi + Vietnamese iced coffee. The bread of the sandwich was warm and crunch yet soft on the inside. Generous portion of meat. We were able to share the sandwich and were satisfied. Service was no nonsense and fast. Cute little mom and pop cafe, ran by a few ladies. They're so efficient.

First heat wave of the summer had us not wanting to cook tonight, so hubby suggested salads from somewhere in downtown Oakland. He'd heard good things from coworkers about Fresh and Best Cafe 2, and the idea of a Vietnamese salad with grilled meats sounded especially tempting. We are happy to say that after this first experience we are already dreaming about the next visit! We both ordered the Vietnamese chicken salad that featured well-seasoned and grilled chicken atop a bed of shredded green and red cabbage, red onion, celery, carrots, and fresh mint & cilantro. The salad was topped with crushed peanuts and crispy fried shallots. Salads come with a side of nước chấm, a Vietnamese sweetened fish sauce-based dipping sauce/dressing. The dressing was light and flavorful and blended perfectly with all the flavors going on in the salad. Both salads had a few slices of fresh jalapeños to turn up the flavor even more. But we reached for some chili sauce as well to help get some cooling sweat going! All the salad ingredients were crisp, fresh, and cold. The mint and cilantro were beautiful additions to the flavor profile going on. And the chicken we selected as protein was well-grilled and perfectly charred in places to add that wonderful texture and taste. We both agreed the nước chấm could have been spicier, but I guess this way customers can choose their own spice level adventure. We called in our orders, but the website also has an ordering portal for everything from breakfast, lunch, to dinner as well as coffees (American and Vietnamese) and smoothies. Our orders were bagged and ready for take away when we arrived. There is seating inside, but today was a scorcher or a day, and the place does not appear to have AC. If salads aren't your thing, Fresh and Best Cafe 2 also makes well-filled bánh mì as well as vermicelli and rice dishes. We can't wait to return soon and begin working our way through the rest of the menu!