In September Hong Kong food magazine Foodie named Banh Mi Nem the “Best Vietnamese Restaurant” at its 2025 Foodie Forks Awards.
This year it also became the only Vietnamese banh mi shop to make the Michelin Selected category.
Tucked in Wan Chai District, the small eatery stands out with its Vietnamese sign: “Banh mi Nem”. Lines often stretch outside the door, with people sometimes waiting for up to an hour.
The shop is owned by Dang Kien Di (known as Kiki Phung), a Vietnamese who has lived in Hong Kong for nearly 20 years.
Vietnamese cuisine in the city used to be limited mostly to pho and banh mi, often changed to suit local palates.
In 2024, after quitting her job as a court interpreter and switching to food and travel content creation, she opened Wan Chai’s first banh mi shop.
Kiki Phung and her husband in front of their banh mi restaurant in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Photo courtesy of Kiki Phung |
“I tried countless banh mi over the last two decades here, but none tasted like in Saigon,” she says.
Most local versions use French-style baguettes, which many Hongkongers find too dry and tough.
At Banh Mi Nem, the bread is strictly Vietnamese style: crispy on the outside, airy inside.
The restaurant also uses herbs, scallions, cucumber, and pickled vegetables, ingredients often omitted by other Vietnamese eateries in Hong Kong.
To ensure authenticity, Kiki’s team makes its own cold cuts and pickles and imports pork pate from Vietnam. The bread is baked daily at a facility.
She says: “I always explain to customers what makes Vietnamese banh mi different. After trying it, most say it’s unlike anything they’ve had before.”
The menu features five fillings: chicken, vegetarian, cold cuts, braised pork with egg, and roasted pork.
A sandwich costs HK$70 (US$9), higher than the HK$45 norm elsewhere.
“Good food brings people back, no matter the price,” Kiki says.
Within less than a year of opening Banh Mi Nem made it to the Michelin list.
Kiki was both amazed and overjoyed since street-food-style eateries rarely make it to the Michelin list.
Before the recognition, the shop sold about 500 sandwiches daily. Afterward, with demand skyrocketing, she opened a second location in Central to keep up.
Before becoming a restaurateur, Kiki returned to Vietnam to train, secure paperwork and find the right location.
Recreating Vietnamese bread in Hong Kong proved the biggest challenge due to differences in climate, water and ingredients.
“The city’s humidity makes the outside go soft easily,” she says, noting the bread is only about 70% of what she aims for.
Operating costs add further pressure. Rent for her central locations averages HK$50,000 ($6,400) a month, and full-time staff salaries are around HK$22,000.
Training staff, most of them unfamiliar with Vietnamese cuisine, has also been difficult. As a result, she still handles most tasks, from kitchen prep to operations.
“Finding long-term teammates isn’t easy,” she says.
What keeps her motivated is the support from locals and visitors alike.
In October actor Nicholas Tse visited and even filmed the preparation process.
“The roasted-pork braised banh mi is delicious, the pickles are tuned to a balance of sweet and sour, very appetizing,” he said in a video that garnered more than 200,000 likes.
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Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse tries Banh Mi Nem’s banh mi as captured in a video he shared on social media. |
Duong Minh, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, visited the shop in August after seeing it online.
Despite having to wait for half hour, he was happy, saying the cold-cut banh mi tasted just like in Saigon, from the crust and pate to the egg sauce and cold cuts.
Kiki says many Hongkongers and foreign tourists are delighted to discover how diverse Vietnamese cuisine truly is.
Banh Mi Nem has expanded its menu to include dishes like Bun thit nuong – grilled pork with vermicelli and Vietnamese coffee.
“Every comment makes me happy; it is a sign that we’re bringing something meaningful to people,” Kiki adds.
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