| European and asian sandwiches served on baguettes |
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 6/4/2005
Rating: 8
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Lee's Sandwiches comes to the rescue. I had lost my wallet the other day and I guess I left it at Lee's. The employees were honest enough to call me back to return it. THANK YOU! Bonus points for honesty. Thank you thank you.
This baguette sandwich shop might not be a surprise as Lee's Sandwiches are located throughout the bay area and southern california. I guess you can consider them somewhat of a chain but I consider a great alternative to Togos or Blimpys. Catering to a euro and asian style sandwiches, most sandwiches if not all are served on a baguette style bread. If you have ever visited europe, you'll see these type of sandwiches at the train stations, parks, etc. Normally served cold with minimum condiments, its a simple sandwich where the bread is what makes the sandwich.
The portion size is euro so dont expect the super duper size americano style. The sandwiches ring in at $4-6 and the vietnamese ones go for $2-3. Both times Ive been, Ive gotten the turkey club and turkey/ham sandwiches.
veggies - I was a bit disappointed with the lettuce. It was practically white lettuce. I wasnt aware they were serving albino lettuce these days but who knows, kind of bitter.
cheese - american cheese, probably the same stuff you get at the grocery store
meat - hmmm..ok stuff, grocery quality meat
bread - the real winner and the main reason why I would make return visits. Im a sucker for good tasting bread and have looked long and hard for french baguettes. I have looked everywhere, french bakeries, upscale grocery stores, restaurants and have yet to find a place that comes close to serving the stuff you get in France. Lee's Sandwiches does a really good job in getting that taste. Its not exactly the same but its good enough. The bread is crunchy and delivering a respectable taste. I like my baguettes more buttery but Lee's also sells baguettes and buttery baguettes. I havent tried the buttery one but Im sure I will on my next visit.
So if you are looking for a sandwich alternative, give Lee's Sandwiches a try. Its different, euro portion size, and quite cheap for the quality food you are getting.
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Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 739
Reviewed: 6/3/2005
Rating: 8
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Eddie and I hit up Lee's for an early lunch because we had to goto a class at noon. The place was doing good business at the early hour of 11am. I laughed as Eddie ordered 2 sandwiches. Granted they were about $2.50 each but still. I ordered the Avocado sandwich and a Thai Iced Tea. The Thai Tea was average, nothing exciting but decent enough. The Avocado sandwich featured their 10 inch baguette roll which are baked fresh on the premises. The bread, though hard, was amazingly good. Among the best sandwich bread I have had. Better than Subway for sure. I am usually not a big avocado fan, but this thing was rather tasty. The combination of the avocado with cheese and mayo, etc was truly nice. Anyway, I quickly devoured the rather thin sandwich and was still hungry. So I felt pretty lame going up there and ordering a second sandwich (this time a tuna and almond). It arrived and I ate half of it. It also was quite tasty, not quite as good as the avocado but close. So I walked out of there spending close the $7 to get myself stuffed. I think if I wasn't too hungry, this would be a perfect lunch destination. As it was, though, you can't get by on the cheap and fill yourself up. You need to look like a pig and order 2 sandwiches and pay the extra $. All in all, though, I was impressed and see myself returning in the future.
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Reviewer: Grace
Total Reviews: 42
Reviewed: 11/3/2005
Rating: 7.5
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Lee's sandwiches is a great place to get a tasty cheap treat. I always get the combination sandwich, which is a variety of meat, carrot, cilantro, jalapenos, and other stuff. I believe it's $1.50-$2.00, but it's insanely cheap for how much sandwich you get. It's on a baguette, and tied up in wax paper. The toppings on the sandwich makes it very unique, and sets it apart from the daily special at subway. It's definitely a very good bite for your buck, and I think the combinations on the sandwich are very unique but taste good as well.
They also sell a lot of other things such as pearl milk tea, smoothies, pastries, spring rolls, sticky rice, and a lot of other common Asian delicacies. They are usually all premade and are displayed near the cash register covered with saran wrap. They are price very inexpensively compared to other Asian restaurant, however some of them are more expensive than the sandwiches themselves. Either way they taste good too, although they kind of look iffy as they are just stored room temperature. |
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Reviewer: ne00
Total Reviews: 187
Reviewed: 12/3/2005
Rating: 7
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Lees sandwiches are cheap (or it seems), if youre looking for a snack on the go. Its a different story if youre hungry and looking to chow. I once read in the Mercury News that the owner of Lees Sandwiches wanted to revolutionize how Vietnamese sandwiches are served and transform it into more of an Americanized McDonalds style operation. They have definitely succeeded in the fact they have popped up in so many places now, but there are still minor flaws. When you order a meal with a drink, its not served together all at once. You may get your sandwich before your drink or after your drink and this can cause confusion sometimes when the sandwich shop is busy.
For those of you who have eaten Vietnamese sandwiches before, its SUPPOSE TO BE CHEAP! Its possible to find Vietnamese sandwiches ranging from 1.50 to 3.00 in almost every location. Sometimes the bread is freshly baked and other times its not. Lees breads are freshly baked, and thus it tastes good, but there sandwiches are smaller than the average sized Vietnamese sandwich. The bread is actually smaller in girth and length.
Most Vietnamese sandwiches Ive eaten use some sort of pâté as their spread, but Lees use Mayonnaise as their spread, which actually makes the sandwich taste a bit different. To add pate, it costs 0.50 extra, which of course takes the price of the sandwich to new heights versus the average price of a Vietnamese sandwich. There are several choices of meats that are not normally seen at other shops that sell Vietnamese sandwiches. Lee also offers and American style sandwich on a baguette or croissant. These sandwiches usually cost much more in comparison.
If youre hungry youll be spending a good 10.00 or more for your meal here. I went with a friend and I ended up ordering a Vietnamese sandwich (2.75) with an avocado smoothie (3.50) and an order for 2 Pork and Shrimp spring rolls (1.99). This already is over 8.00 for the meal. As I mentioned above the sandwiches are smaller than the standard size. It went down super easy as the baguette was fresh. The smoothie came out mush later than the sandwich. The smoothie is like a meal in itself as they dont skimp and really fill it up to the top of the dome lid. The Spring rolls were the typical pre packaged kinds in rice paper.
After we ate, we were both still hungry. We decided to share an order of beef curry soup with baguette. The meal added 4.75 extra to our tab and what we received was a large bowl of curry soup with some beef cubes in it and 2 baguettes to eat with the soup. The soup would definitely not fill you up, but they knew the 2 baguettes would. Even after the second order, we were only just satisfied but I didnt want to seem like I was a pig and neither did he, so we left it at that.
When we placed our second order for soup, my friend requested for a small bowl or an extra soup spoon but they refused and instead gave him a small plastic spoon which is basically useless. He ended up eating some bread and beef while I had the soup, bread, and beef. After all I ended up paying for it all. The final tab was over 12.00 and we were only half full.
Pluses: Good sandwich for a snack or on the go. Good tasting fresh baguette. Lots of meat choices for your Vietnamese sandwich. Theres always a coupon around for Lees for 10% off or 15% off.
Minuses: Can be chaotic when busy. Sandwiches are smaller than the norm, thus its actually not as good of a value as it seems. Stick to the sandwiches as there is a high markup on everything else.
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Reviewer: DoctorJZ
Total Reviews: 32
Reviewed: 7/9/2005
Rating: 8
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I tried Lee's for the second time and came away impressed. These sandwiches are very inexpensive, and with the asian and euro influence, they are somewhat exotic as well. they feature baguettes, which are always fresh, and are clearly the highlight of what they do here. They have a neon sign, similar to krispy-kreme, boasting 'fresh baguettes now'.
As well as sandwiches, they serve numerous egg and spring rolls, noodles, pearl drinks, and smoothies. quite a variety of things.
i ordered a grilled pork vietnamese sandwich(I'm not sure what the difference in grilled and bbq pork is when you are talking about vietnamese stuff, because the pictures looked similar) and a salami and cheese euro sandwich. bothe served on a baguette and 3 shrimp eggrolls.
the total bill was only $8, and this clearly was enough for two lunches, but I really wanted to give this place a serious try, so i figured I'd go all-out.
The bread is outstanding. and fresh as can be. it would pass just fine in paris as the real deal. very crispy on the crust, like a true french baguette ought to be.
the grilled pork sandwich was good. it had a hint of spiciness, and came with a standard vietnamese assortment of veggies like carrots, daikon(i think), cilantro, and thinly sliced fresh jalapenos(raw, not pickled). the sandwiches are filled less than regular american sandwiches. at 2.75, this 10-inch sandwich was a bargain.
the salami dissappointed me. it was genoa or something and i strogly prefer a dry salami. plus the chees was plain, the used iceberg lettuce and sliced the tomato at least two times too thick. mayo on the bread and a mustard packet. I'd prefer better meat, and either real lettuce or none, and a proprer slice of tomato. it is as if they asked themselves 'how could we make a euro sandwich more american'. a better spread would be nice, too, viniagrette or something more exotic than mayo/mustard. also -and here is a real bummer- they forgot to remove the inedible casing to the salami prior to slicing it. this left my sandwich inundated with strips of plastic!!! I'm a bit of a sandwich expert, and this is just silly. either a lack of training, laziness, or a really dumb mistake. but even with all the negatives, i still enjoyed eating it. Fresh bread goes a really long way to making a sandwich good.
the egg rolls were tiny, and ready-made(sitting under a lamp). 3 for a dollar, and boy, these were pretty tasty. the sell larger baskets of them, and i thought i might go through some of these this football season. they are really cheap.
but they didn't serve any sauce with them, and i couldn't see any area of the place where i could find things like sauces and stuff. but the little buggers were tasty enough anyway.
Overall, this place is a great value, with a diverse menu. some of the best french bread around. i wonder if they sell it plain?
i would say that the sandwiches are quite different than american-style but really good and much cheaper. This place won't satisfy everyone, becasue the sandwiches are unusual. i will definately return. perhaps every week or two.
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Reviewer: pyunnyhana
Total Reviews: 47
Reviewed: 1/31/2006
Rating: 8.5
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Since I was a child, my parents would buy Lee Sandwiches products from the King Road location when they were too busy to cook, or buy sandwiches in the bulk for a road trip to Reno. Lee's used to use traditional French bagettes but about 5 years ago, they started to expand, improving their recipe. The prices went from 1.50 to 2.00 and over, but honestly, the new bread is delectable! I could eat it by itself.
I grew up eating the special combination sandwich, and have yet to try the American versions (they look good though). With a sandwich and refreshing soymilk (I highly recommend the freshly made ones in the bottles instead of cans), you would pay only around 3 dollars. If I had spare change, I would buy one of their pastries (Pate chaud is oh-so-good)
If you go to the older locations like on King Road, the selection of food (pre-packaged food, homemade food, desserts, pastries, snacks, drinks) are endless. At the newer “Americanized” locations (I usually go to the one on White Road, next to Albertsons) the selections arent so wide, but then again, the main focus is the sandwiches.
I find the sandwiches huge and find myself getting full halfway through the 10 inches. Prices are incredibly cheap compared to other eateries, will leave you a full wallet and stomach. Here, you can even make use of a dollar. However, it's a little odd how the Cupertino location is not only a bit more expensive, but they charge tax! The prices in San Jose are set on the menu. What you see is what you get.
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Reviewer: wchane
Total Reviews: 148
Reviewed: 5/2/2007
Rating: 8
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Although I've had Lee's Sandwiches before I don't believe I've physically walked in and ordered for myself. My first impression was "HOLY CRAP THIS PLACE IS SO CHEAP!!!!!" I ended up picking up a pork roll & pate baguette sandwich for $2.75 and a couple pork & cabbage egg rolls for $1.50.
This is not your standard banh mi/vietnamese sandwich but a thin more european style baguette sandwich (maybe i'm wrong here, but i'm used to the football shaped rolls), the sandwich is not stacked but is made very neatly. Thin deli sliced meats piled with pickles, greens and a layer of pate. There's nothing to complain about when it only costs $2.75
The eggrolls were decent, but nothing to rave about. Actually a bit over priced at $1.50, maybe it wasn't so cheap after all. I'd eat them again if offered, but won't go out of my way for these.
Next up...the pre packaged spring rolls and rice plates!
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Reviewer: takeru
Total Reviews: 31
Reviewed: 1/31/2009
Rating: 8
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Like myself, am sure that by now everyone and their brother has been to a Lee's many times. I go to this particular location semi-regularly, but now that I'm an agent will add my 2 cents:
First thing that struck me on this visit was the oppressive heat inside. May be understandable in the summer, but it's january. What the heck, is Mr. Lee running a sweatshop here, cuz it felt like it!
Normally I order grilled pork or chicken w/ the french roll option. This probably isn't as 'authentic' (that is if you consider Lees 'authentic') as w/ the baguette. So why do I 'roll' this way? Cuz a long time ago when this place first opened, the cool guy who worked at the counter tells me: "Here's a secret: order it on a roll and you'll get more". Maybe he recognized I was a big eater? ;-0
I also usually add an order of either the seafood rolls or pot stickers. Yeah they're probably mass produced, frozen, then flash fried, but they're both damn tasty. Better than any of the frozen stuff I've tried from say, TJs.
This time ordered the grilled chicken and pot stickers, total 5 bucks. Prices have gone up since this place opened, but that's still a pretty good value. For the same amount would much rather be eating this than a subway 5 dollar foot long!
The roll was quite fresh, with the right amount of crunchiness on the outside but not so much that it cuts up the inside of your mouth as you chew it. The chicken had the usual good soy-tinged flavor although no grill marks so who knows how they really cook it. The daikon, carrots, and parsley added a nice texture and crunch. The pot stickers were the small, thin skinned style, charred on the bottom and filled w/ a tasty mixture of ground chicken + spices + whatever. Totally addictive and at about 2 bites per, could probably pound down a dozen of these babies with ease.
A funny thing here, mixed in w/ the viet cookies/pastries are pringles and rice crispy treats that were obviously bought in costco mega packs but are being sold here as singles. Guess they're trying to appeal to everyone.
Taste-wise, Lee's isn't quite up there with the 'dive' mom/pop shops like Cam Hung or the pho places that serve sandwiches like pho quyen 2. But places like those are sparse around Cupertino. For consistency, convenience, and low price, you can't beat the mcdonalds of bahn mi. |
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Reviewer: Stevetacular
Total Reviews: 25
Reviewed: 9/23/2006
Rating: 7.5
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Here's the the long story summarized about Lee's Sandwiches:
- Their cashiers can range from nice to filled with attitude.
- The bread there isn't as great as the bread at Thanh Huong.
- Their sandwiches have great prices.
- Their special puts WAY too much pate on the bread. I mean it's not even flavorful pate, it's a very drab pate.
- Their roast pork/chicken is okay...one time they gave me a chicken sandwich that flat out sucked though (they put in shredded, dry as hell chicken)
- You can get better and more che somewhere else. If you really wanted good che you could go to a more Viet place. However, it's cheap so whatever.
Summary: Price is king over flavor at Lee's Sandwiches. |
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