East Nashville’s New Banh Mi Shop Has an Opening Date

Fast-casual East Side Banh Mi is opening on Thursday, August 13, serving Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, salads, rice and noodle bowls. Owned by industry vets and chefs Gracie Nguyen and Chad Newton, the restaurant will open at 1000 Gallatin Avenue.

A first look at the menu (shown in its entirety below) shows a selection of seven Vietnamese banh mi, ranging from one with smoked Gifford’s bologna, ham hock terrine, and pate to a vegetarian-friendly option with chili crisp tofu and roasted eggplant. All banh mis come served on baked 10-inch baguettes garnished with fried shallot mayo, pickles, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapenos, and maggi. Salad, noodle, and rice bowls come topped with choice of protein — including lemongrass chicken, roasted caramel pork, Impossible Xiu Mai, or albacore tuna, among others. East Side Bánh Mì will also serve traditional Vietnamese beverages like toasted peanut rice milk and Vietnamese iced coffee by Nguyen Coffee Supply.

They’re sourcing locally as they can, using Bear Creek Farm beef/pork, Gifford’s smoked bologna, vegetables from Bloomsbury Farm, and coffee from Nguyen Coffee Supply.

On opening day, the new restaurant will donate 50-percent of the sales to Hands On Nashville — a non-profit that connects thousands of volunteers to hundreds of service project opportunities each month (including virtual volunteering during COVID-19).

Inside, East Side Banh Mi has seafoam green walls splashed with pops of pink and coral. The modern, 1,200-square-foot space seats 28 on various seating vignettes and features a dining room plus window counter and contactless pick-up option for takeout.

Local artisan RV Pottery designed the custom plateware for the restaurant.

East Side Banh Mì will be open Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

East Side Banh Mi [Official Site]

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