Sate beef – Hitting the Sauce

I’d just finished my appointment when L floated the idea of lunch. I wasn’t in the mood to sit down anywhere, so I suggested takeout. There’s a new spot that opened up in Altadore, Banh Mi Boy. I’ve been creeping on their Google reviews for months. I’m skeptical of Google reviews, but seeing John Manzo and Chung Niem gave me pause. That was enough to seal the deal for me! Let’s listen to Fight for Your Right by the Beastie Boys.

Banh Mi Boy is a small, tidy shop, brightened by a colourful mural and hanging paper lanterns. It’s mostly takeout, though there are two small tables and a standing counter if you want to eat in. Street parking out front makes it easy to pull up and grab your food.

The woman taking my order had the vibe of an owner, clarifying, double-checking, and writing everything down. She pointed me to the Crackling Pork Belly Sub ($13.50), which John and Chung both flagged on Google, but I’ve been told to avoid fatty foods. I settled on an Assorted Cold Cut ($12.50) and a Beef Sate Sub ($12.50 + $1.50 for cheese) for Chew Steel. Five minutes, and I was out the door.

The beef satay sub came warm, a touch smaller than mine, likely from being toasted. Chew Steel picked up on the slow creep of spicy heat in the beef, set against light, crumbly bread. He doesn’t usually comment on my banh mi orders, but this time he said he’d come back, and that it beat Bake Chef’s sate beef sub.

My sub had three layers of cold cuts. It had a more natural texture than Thai Tai’s, though not as thick and rough as Saigon Deli’s. A stack of crunchy carrots, spicy jalapeños, and chunky cucumbers cut through the generous smear of rich brown pâté. The cucumbers tasted especially fresh. I would get this again.

Size-wise, these subs are bigger than Trung Nguyen and Kim Anh but not as heavy as My Tho BBQ. For the area, it’s priced well, and the owners are certainly generous when it comes to filling up the subs. Banh Mi Boy deserves bonus points for its mixed pickled vegetables, something you still see more consistently in Forest Lawn than this far southwest.

It took me a while to try Banh Mi Boy. Being in Altadore, I assumed the flavours might be dialled back, but I stand corrected. The shop is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, making it an easy late-night stop after a night out.

Update (June 2026): Added notes from a return visit to reassess the cold cut combo after my taste buds recovered.

I went back to try the cold cut combo again because my taste buds were still a little off on my previous visit. This time, I could better appreciate the pâté. Its dark brown colour and smooth texture are distinctive, though its savoury flavour remains a bit of a mystery to me. It’s familiar, rich, and hard to pin down. The generous spread was nicely balanced against a pile of ultra-crunchy carrots, cucumbers, and jalapeños. My only qualm is that I couldn’t tell whether the homemade mayonnaise was added. If it was, its flavour got lost among the other ingredients.

At $12.50 for a sandwich that’s nearly a foot long, it’s one of the best values in Altadore. Banh Mi Boy has earned a spot on my list of Calgary’s top bánh mì destinations.

Photo note: If the bánh mì in the photo above appears to be floating in mid-air, that’s because I edited out my hand. The original shot wasn’t particularly flattering, but the sandwich looked great.

Looking for more hidden gems? See my guide to the best bánh mì in Calgary.

I’ve been on a banh mi rampage. Lately, all I think about and all I crave are Vietnamese sandwiches. For this post, let’s listen to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift.

On Sunday, I wanted to try Banh Mi Nhu Y in Forest Lawn. There were two people ahead of me, but each person was ordering bags of subs. When it was my turn, I ordered a Satay Beef Sub – Banh Mi Bo Sate ($7) and an Assorted Cold Cut Sub – Banh Mi Thjt Nguoi ($6).

When an employee cut into the bread, the outer crust flaked apart, showcasing a soft, airy crumb. I asked for our subs to be toasted, but I’m sure it would be just as good untoasted.

A lot of love is put into each sandwich. For L’s satay beef sub, the sauce was gently ladled on top of the beef. Pepper and peanuts were carefully sprinkled on, and then drizzled with another sauce.

My sub was generously smeared with a yellow butter and a dark pate. Three meats were added – simmered pork, head cheese, and ham. My cold cut sub was delicious. The bread was light and crackled when I bit into it. The meats had a nice chew to it. The pate was thick and smooth. The vegetables were fresh and unpickled. I didn’t find the jalapeño spicy. The heat level was mild and the pepper was juicy and crunchy like a green pepper.

I tried a bite of L’s sate beef sub. I liked how the satay sauce mingled in with the yellow butter. The addition of peanuts added a little woodiness to the sub. I enjoyed the black pepper because it added a surprisingly sharp note. I liked L’s sub so much that if I came back, I just might order the sate beef instead of my cold cut combo.

I asked L to compare Banh Mi Nhu Y with Saigon Deli. He said both tasted the same to him. I vehemently disagree. I thought the bread at Banh Mi Nhu was lighter and Saigon Deli’s was chewier. The pate at Banh Mi Nhu was creamier and not as metallic. The meats at Saigon Deli have a rougher texture. Banh Mi Nhu is more generous with the butter/mayonnaise and pate than Saigon Deli. What I love about both stores is that you can tell the pate and mayonnaise is homemade, which gives it a totally deeper flavour profile than more processed spreads.

I’m going to continue on my banh mi rampage until L gets tired of humoring my weekend sub adventures. Next up, I’m going to post about the lemongrass beef sate and cold cut combo with pate from Kim Anh Submarine. To be continued.

Best bánh mì in Calgary → full list here: Best Banh Mi in Calgary.

Tag: Sate beef

Banh Mi Boy Calgary Review: A Late-Night Banh Mi Spot in Altadore

Banh Mi Nhu Y – Assorted Sub