Review Highlights
“Fortunately the queue moved quickly (5 min,) and my overeager ass bought a pork roll and a chicken roll plus a drink for $11.” in 11 reviews
“n. Make sure you get the special mayonnaise and I always ask for extra coriander and shallot” in 2 reviews
“(God, I am drooling just thinking about them!) Crisp, crunchy freshly baked rolls, stuffed to the gunnels with salad and warm chicken.” in 4 reviews
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Recommended Reviews
Overall rating
35 reviews
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- 19 Feb 2015
Another institution that has the reputation from word of mouth. The line can be seen at any time of day, proving that the food served here is a 'must have' for locals and visitors alike.
When I worked nearby at Qantas, it was possible to ring through a big order and have it delivered. This saves having to queue. If you must queue, the line usually moves quite quickly with 3 - 4 woman making the famous chicken or pork Banh Mi rolls.
The bread rolls are the best, especially if you arrive early morning when the buns are fresh out of the oven. They are very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The ladies fill each roll so full of ingredients - chicken breast, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, marinated carrots, mayonnaise, coriander and then add a secret sauce that I am convinced makes the Hong Ha Chicken Rolls taste better than their competition.
Make sure you get the special mayonnaise and I always ask for extra coriander and shallots. The chilli served here is quite hot, so you might want to ask them to put on only a little bit or none at all. The number of times I have ended up with chilli lips. . .screaming for water to get comfort!
There are plenty of other items also available on the menu - Spring rolls, Ham Rolls, Pork Rolls, Tuna Rolls and the Meatball Roll and delicious rice paper roll boxes
The cost of a Chicken or Pork Banh Mi rolls is $5.00. Not bad at all price wise.
My advice is get in early or just wait in line - believe me you won't regret it once you have a bite. There is also a lull around 4.00 -4.30 just before the bakery closes.
WARNING: The rolls might be the tastiest and freshest, but they also are the messiest rolls to eat, as the crisp bread on the outside flakes off easily, making a big mess. Definitely, eat in the bag or over a plate!Helpful 5Thanks 0Love this 4Oh no 0 - Elana C.Sydney New South Wales107318994 July 2016
I'm a self confessed Hong Ha fan.
What more can I say, I work in the airline industry, the love of Hong Ha is something you're taught whilst in training. Airline crew & airport staff often frequent the queue stretching down the footpath of Botany Rd & for good reason.
I had my first taste of Hong Ha when I was training to be a flight attendant & we were doing an order for lunch, everybody wrote down that they'd have a roll "they're the best" our trainer said, so we all put our lunch money in & an order got phoned through like a school lunch order. When lunch time finally rolled around we had these crunchy Vietnamese Rolls packed with flavour it left me wishing I'd ordered a second one.
It's a family run business, & run with great structure. Not unlike a character out of a Seinfeld episode, & if you're a Seinfeld fan I think you might just know what character I may be referring to. ;-) "no soup for you"
The pork rolls are great, I have to confess I'm a chicken roll fan at Hong Ha & it's my standard order. Sometimes I order with Chilli & sometimes without. You can be sure that if you have it with chilli you'll need a few tissues handy for the runny nose that will follow. The chilli certainly packs a punch, so these days I more than often order without to be sure I can taste all the other great flavours in the roll. I love the pickled carrot, & the sauce that is squeezed over the roll makes for some extra deliciousness.
I sometimes don't eat my roll until I get home, so if you're travelling with it & don't want a soggy roll from all the sauce you can ask for a sachet of sauce to go. Just add it later to prevent your bread roll ending up with a little sog by the time you get to eat it. After all the crunch of the roll is half the fun.
Hong Ha opens at 6.30am, I know this, as I have been known to land after an all night flight & pop in there bleary eyed in my uniform to buy a chicken roll to eat when I get home. Don't be afraid of the queue's as they move quickly, & with great precision.
Hong Ha sell other delights, & you can even pick up a loaf of bread while you're there.
Just don't forget to try a Pork Roll or a Chicken Roll of you're passing by.Helpful 8Thanks 0Love this 6Oh no 0 - Antoinette L.Philadelphia, United States181219 Apr 2021
Fabulous Bahn mi, I had the roast pork for lunch then went and got myself another one for dinner because they were SO good!! So spoilt for good food here in Australia!!
Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Tina R.Sydney New South Wales151149624 Oct 2016
Ok - so this place has long lines day after day.
But I'm not a fan.
I asked for no chilli and they use the same tongs so EVERY banh mi I've gotten from here has had a hint of chilli.
The staff leave a lot to be desired. I figure when you're serving that many ppl day after day, what's the harm in being a bit friendlier?
As it does get so busy, one would also think they would be a little bit more efficient.
Been here quite a number of times as I've had to due numerous airport runs & thought I'd give it a chance - but to date, I've tried different banh mi's, and I'm still not sold.
Lots of people order the spring rolls, so I thought I'd give it a try. It has to be the saddest spring roll I've had in a very long time. There was hardly any filling & lots of burnt bits - whoever is in charge with changing the oil certainly is not on the job.
I've then ventured to the other Vietnamese place, Saigon's Fresh Roll (I think I prefer this place) a few doors down - that's in another review. But will definitely go there instead. Staff much friendlier.Helpful 2Thanks 0Love this 3Oh no 0 - Johnny N.San Diego, United States293821120720 Mar 2018
I've had plenty of banh mi in California and Vietnam... and I can say with confidence that these are one of the best I've ever had. Cheap, great flake bread, and a ton of delicious fillings in a time when many places skimp. We found this place purely by accident, as we were riding by on the bus on our way to (I forget)... we saw a long line and knew we had to get off at the next stop.
Being the typical Vietnamese, we both got a Banh Mi Dac Biet (I'm not even sure it's on the menu, but any legit sandwich place would understand what we meant by "Sandwich Special") and they delivered with lots of bbq pork, pate, cha lua (pork "bologna"), etc... an "everything " sandwich.
Maybe it's because we spoke to them in their native tongue, but they were super friendly with us, asking us where we were from, if we've back to the motherland, if we liked Sydney, etc. We've seen grouchy service, and this was not it.Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 1 - Aris L.Los Angeles, United States17951810710 Feb 2018
Not bad for a vietnamese sandwich. I ordered pork banh mi..taste good..
CONCLUSION = RECOMMENDED!!Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Benjamin B.Sydney New South Wales1818107149095 Nov 2013
7.25am.
I'm doing hot laps of Mascot killing time while a flight I'm waiting to pick someone up from is delayed. My pug is in the passenger seat. Her chair is way back. Her hat is on backwards. She illin'.
I cruise - real slow, like - past Hong Ha Hot Bread, as fun a name to say phonetically as ever there was. It's open. What time is too early for a pork banh mi? Trick question hot shot, it's banh mi time all the time player.
I hand over $5. I get a fat-stacked fresh-baked hand torpedo but oh no, she forgot the chilli and I have to hand that sucker back while she slathers on an extra-large apology dose of the good stuff. Then I'm eating it on the pavement while my pug, who is tied to a pole, watches in outrage. Haters gonna hate.Helpful 7Thanks 0Love this 14Oh no 0 - Angela Y.Sydney New South Wales184322122310 May 2014
What's worse than giving a restaurant a bad review? Giving a restaurant an a-ok review when it's currently rated 5/5.
I'm nervous to go against the crowd but I just have to. We ordered the bbq pork roll and chicken roll. As Howard C. mentioned, the pork was definitely better than the chicken roll so I would recommend sticking with pork. That being said it just failed to meet the claims that this is the best vietnamese roll place in Sydney. I had my reservations coming in because I thought how could a vietnamese roll be as good as the ones in Cabra unless it someone was imported from Vietnam and managed to get past customs. Although even if that happened I'd still put my money on the ones in Cabra being better.
Many people argue that it's the bread that makes sets banh mi apart and I would have to agree. While good I just don't think the hong ha bread has anything special on other banh mi's in Sydney. Out of pity, one day on my next trip to the airport I may just have to try one of the other 2 vietnamese places along the same road with no customers and compare them to Hong Ha to see if there is any significant difference to warrant the long lines outside this joint.Helpful 4Thanks 0Love this 1Oh no 0 - Emmanuel S.Sydney New South Wales70274929 May 2016
The difference between this shop and others is that the bread is fresh at all times due to their high turn over including all their ingredients, I prefer the chicken over the pork as the chicken is shredded and wok fried whereas the pork is sliced which comes from a packet. The schnitzel is over kill, very oily, however great for those fat days! You would prefer this over any fast food if it came down to it.
Helpful 2Thanks 0Love this 2Oh no 0 - Jodie H.Woollahra New South Wales1049812 June 2016
3.5 stars sorry Hong Ha.
We were told its "way better" than Marrickville pork roll (am I allowed to name drop in Yelp reviews?) so excitedly made the 16 minute drive, thrilled we had a more "local" spot to get delicious pork roll.
The line was long and excitement built up. Our excitement slightly dwindled when we realised how slow the line was moving - but finally we were there. Bbq pork roll was ordered and we practically ran to the park to demolish it.
The first bite was average but that's to be expected - you're just at the beginning and it's mainly a bread bite (which I must note, the bread is delicious). But as we continued through, we realised it was ok only. If I lived close by we'd probably drop by again. The meat was a little dry. It didn't have the complexity of flavours. Ingredients weren't mixed together well enough meaning you'd have one mouthful of carrot then one meaty mouthful.
Guys, trust me on this- Marrickville pork role is the winner in the banh mi competitionHelpful 1Thanks 0Love this 1Oh no 0