Fast Food Giant Takes Aim at Banh Mi, With a Little Help From Malai

Fast food conglomerate Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, et al) sure does love putting test concepts in DFW. Earlier this year they debuted one-off Chick-Fil-A competitor SuperChix in Arlington, and now they're preparing to open the first of two planned Banh Shop locations on SMU Boulevard. The second will open at DFW Airport later this month; no additional Banh Shop locations are planned at this time.

It'd be easy enough to dismiss banh mi sandwiches coming from the same folks who hawk Doritos Locos tacos, but much like SuperChix, there's really nothing about Banh Shop that resembles its fast food mega-siblings. It's also worth noting that Banh Shop wisely sought help from a couple notable locals: Braden and Yasmin Wages of West Village staple Malai, who clearly know a thing or two about Vietnamese food.

Along with several different banh mi options, the menu also includes "Southeast Asian salads, soups and wok-fired bowls," plus a unique Southeast Asian twist on elotes topped with "Saigon sauce" (coconut milk, butter and nuoc mam) as well as red pepper, scallions and cheese. Each sandwich includes the traditional accoutrement of cilantro, Thai basil, pickled carrot and daikon and cucumber-cilantro aioli; protein options include honey-caramel glazed flank steak, grilled pork meatballs and chili-coconut marinated chicken, plus grilled tofu and a couple eggy breakfast options. (Per Mike Hiller at Escape Hatch, the all-important baguettes are custom-baked by Village Baking Company.)

Banh Shop officially opens Friday; after that, business hours will be Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight.

· Banh Shop [Official]
· Chick-Fil-A Competitor Super Chix Opens in Arlington [-EDFW-]

[Photo via Banh Shop]