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NYC Food Truck Lunch: Ground Pork Banh Mi From The Banh Mi Cart

Perry, the founder of New York Street Food, brings you his latest review on New York City street food.

Last week we wrote about the mini Asian street food market downtown on Hanover Square, where there are a bunch of different Asian vendors. We decided to go back to try the Banh Mi Cart, a staple of that block who we visited and wrote about over 4 years ago.

Since our last visit, they added pho and other daily specials in addition to the regular menu. Add that to 8 choices of banh mi, a few appetizers, and very reasonable prices, and you have the makings of a neighborhood institution. No wonder they have been around over 4 years in the same location.

We ordered the ground pork banh mi. It cost $6 for a solid 10" hero.

The ground pork was shaped like a torpedo, and was grilled and a little crispy on the outside of the meat. We could taste a small amount of fish sauce in the mix, along with some herbs, and a decent amount of heat. They do offer either spicy or mild options, so don't worry about the heat if you don't like spicy food.

baguette-and-ground-pork
Without the Fixings (credit: Perry R.)

Underneath the pork were julienned pickled carrots and daikon, which gave the sandwich a refreshing coolness and piquancy.

On top of the ground pork were cucumber spears, jalapeño pieces and fresh cilantro. The jalapeño really added some heat, but once again, they will be left off if you want mild instead of spicy. The fresh cilantro also left an unmistakable aroma and flavor, which we mean in the best way possible.

greens-from-banh-mi-cart
Banh Mi Fixings (credit: Pery R.)

The baguette was mostly soft, but held together just fine, and was crusty enough to leave a trail of crumbs in its wake.

All we can say is that we want a Banh Mi Cart in midtown. Is that too much to ask? It's a long trip from midtown all the way down to Hanover Square just for lunch. But it's a ride we're willing to take for the Banh Mi Cart!

The Banh Mi Cart doesn't have a social media presence, but they are on the north side of Hanover Square, just west of Water St every weekday for lunch.

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