Cali Cafe Sandwiches

*** Cali Cafe has closed, and is now an outlet of Bale.

With the slightly warm weather we had today, it only made sense for us to grab a few Banh Mi for lunch. And since we were in the Mira Mesa area, we decided to give Cali Cafe a try.

Both Renee and Rob have mentioned this little shop to me in the past. Because Lucky Seafood, Lucky Pho, and Tan Ky Mi Gia are all located in the same strip mall, I really hadn't paid much attention to this small, but well lit, and clean restaurant.

The Banh Mi here are priced at $2.75, and other Deli type sandwiches at $6.

As is my MO I ordered the Dac Biet:

First off, this is the "long type" of Banh Mi, much like those at K Sandwiches. The baguette is also thin, minimizing the amount of bread, and maximizing crust. this "Special"(Dac Biet), was simply single layers of Ham and Lean Pork Sausage, nothing special. I enjoyed the addition of thin slices of red onion to the standard pickled veggies. In addition to the standard wedge of cucumber were 2-3 slices of  Jalapeno. Since these were cross slices, you never really knew where they were in your sandwich. This creates and interesting Jalapeno Roulette of sorts. I really didn't care for the mayo in the sandwich either, here's wishing for a smear of pate'. Overall, a decent though not outstanding Banh Mi, very pedestrian flavors.

The Missus ordered a BBQ Chicken Banh Mi:

 

The Missus enjoyed Her sandwich, and I found that the BBQ chicken was very nicely flavored. The rest of the sandwich was the same. I felt that the BBQ Chicken fared much better than the Dac Biet.

The sandwiches at Cafe Cali aren't too bad, though a half buck more than those at Lucky Seafood several doors down, the sandwiches here are bigger. I'd say I enjoy the bread and BBQ Chicken here, and the Dac Biet and more exotic flavors at Lucky Seafood.

Some Notes: Seems like many people place take-out orders and come back for them after shopping. I saw several very large orders picked up while waiting for my 2 sandwiches, probably due to the "Buy 5 and get 1 Free" promotion. As with many of these type of places, there is a nice selection of drinks, and other items for purchase.

Cali Cafe Sandwiches
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Open 8am-7pm Sun-Thurs
     8am-5pm Fri-Sat

Comments

[thess]

Hi again Kirk!
Holy molly! How long are these sandwiches? Good for one person?
I find the jalapeno slices interesting though.

[Nguyen Le]

My favorite one is the banh mi thit nuoung(bbq beef). speaking of k sandwiches my brother's friend actually owns the place.

[Rachel]

LOL! I love the description of your jalapeno roulette. You are so imaginative.
Any banh mi is good ... although I would too have been disappointed at the "special" which looked quite common.

[elmomonster]

Jalapeno roulette! I love that game! I anticipate getting hit, disappointed when I don't...sometimes, to up my chances, I stuff more jalapenos from the inevitable mound that my friends usually fish out of theirs.

[Andy 食神]

hmm.. wonder if there is any relation to Pho T. Cali.. the one with the Laughing Cow Cheese logo rip off... but probably not.

[Chubbypanda]

Kirk,

Mmmm... Bahn mi. My quest for the perfect bahn mi in Irvine continues, but I'll have your pictures to sustain me.

Damn, I'm hungry.

- CP

[Kirk]

Hi Thess - Yes, these are meant for one person...maybe 10 inches long. Don't worry they are not that filling!

Hi Nguyen - If they BBQ flavor is the same, I'd say all the BBQ is good here. The BBQ Chicken had a nice flavor...and no rubbery-fatty-tough parts.

Hi Rachel - Thanks so much....personally, I like something interesting in the Dac Biet..something, well, special!

Hi Elmo - Well, you're cheating...doing the Jalapeno Roulette with loaded peppers!

Hi Andy - Could be. I thought the one with the laughing Cow was Pho Hoa...but I must be mistaken.

Hi CP - Let me know when you find it. I'm still searching as well.....

[Fred]

I dropped by this sandwich place today to have a try, and got a barbecue chicken sandwich like the missus did. I agree that the chicken had a nice flavor to it. The sandwich seemed to be lacking in something, though. I think I like the ones at Lucky Seafood better.

The lack of a barbecue pork sandwich on the menu was also a bit disappointing. I happen to like those as well.

[Kirk]

Hi Fred - I'm more of a head cheese, etc... kind of guy, and I miss the richness of pate, and I think the pickles don't have a whole lot of flavor...except for the onion.

[Sandy]

I was at Lucky Seafood over the weekend to purchase groceries, and it looks like Cali Cafe Sandwiches has been replaced by Ba Le Sandwiches. I'm assuming that this is related to the Linda Vista shop, but I have no idea.

The Grand Opening banner was advertising "Buy 2, get 1 free" for sandwiches and sugar cane drinks.

I got sandwiches at Cali Cafe in May, and was disappointed with the quality of the bread. It was Memorial Day weekend - perhaps the bread was a day or two old?

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - I thought that Cali Cafe made a decent, but not great Banh Mi....it was trying to be sort of like K Sandwich North. Thanks for the info, I haven't been in the area since we returned from Peru. This will be the third shop there that I can remember.....I'm wondering what it is about the location.

[Sandy]

I don't think I ever stopped at Cali Cafe's predecessor, but I do recall that location was a used book store for many years.

Tan Ky Mi Gia was preceded by a pho restaurant. I always felt bad for the place because it seemed near-empty; I think most people went to Lucky Seafood for pho (like us).

The Philipino bakery a couple of doors down from Cali Cafe has had a name/owner/management change recently, too.

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - I recall seeing a sign saying that the location was going to become an outlet of Valerio's....a pretty well known Filipino Bakery. Many people I know like the Pan de Sal.