Café Nhu Y

Sorely missing the seitan Vietnamese hoagies enjoyed while living in Minneapolis, my partner thought finding this seitan sandwich would be as simple as walking into one of the many Vietnamese restaurants around Washington Street in South Philly. Not so. We kept poking our heads in Vietnamese hoagie shops that didn’t serve vegetarian sandwiches.

I had never had a Vietnamese hoagie, or Banh Mi, so was anxious to try the sandwich he so raved about. When we caught wind that Café Nhu Y served tofu Vietnamese hoagies, we were there! Café Nhu Y is a tiny store front near the corner of 8^th and Christian with barely enough room to hold the small deli case, drink cooler, one bistro table, prep area, and the owners of the store.

As I sat and watched the owners fill the long, narrow french roll with thinly sliced tofu and vegetarian paté, strips of sweet pepper and cucumber, pickled radish and carrot, cilantro, jalapeño, and sauce, I couldn’t wait to get home to see what I was missing.

The cilantro, and radish and carrot salad gave the hoagie a distinct flavor not to be found in most hoagie shops. You'll love Banh Mi if you love Asian flavors. My partner was a little disappointed, as the hoagie he loved so much in Minneapolis had seitan instead of tofu, and a tangier, sweeter sauce than the light sauce on Café Nhu Y’s hoagies. I wished the sandwich had been stuffed with more innards, but at $2.75, I guess you can’t complain.

Café Nhu Y, 802 Christian St., Philadelphia, PA 19147, phone 215-925-6544