On weekends, customers queue for hours outside Phe, a small cafe in Chinatown, New York, where a menu centred on Vietnamese banh mi chao has become one of the city's most talked-about breakfast experiences.
For Thanh Nhi, a 27-year-old Vietnamese living in the United States, the visit was driven by nostalgia. Having not returned to Vietnam for more than two years, she said the meal she missed most was a traditional Vietnamese baguette.
"It's very difficult to find an authentic Vietnamese baguette in the US. Most bread here follows the French style, with a denser crumb and a harder crust. Just being able to eat a proper Vietnamese baguette made the visit worthwhile," she said.
Thanh Nhi said the cafe's American owner could take orders in Vietnamese, while several Vietnamese staff members helped create an atmosphere that reminded many customers of a breakfast shop back home.
She ordered banh mi chao, served with salted coffee and coconut coffee. The sizzling cast-iron pan included pâté, cheese, butter, pickled vegetables, cucumber and stir-fried beef, closely resembling the version commonly served in Vietnam.
"It felt like I was eating at a pavement cafe in Vietnam," she said, adding that the presentation reminded her of Hoa Ma, a well-known breakfast spot she used to visit in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City.
A serving of banh mi chao costs about USD 28, a price she described as expensive even by New York standards. Despite that, she said many diners considered the food and the experience worth the wait.
She also noticed many international customers enthusiastically ordering the dish, attracted by the sizzling cast-iron pan and its aroma.
"Many said the queue was absolutely worth it. My international friends are also becoming increasingly interested in Vietnamese food and often ask me to take them to Vietnamese restaurants or cook Vietnamese dishes," she said.
Another customer, Alcira Barr, a 26-year-old from Mexico, said it was the cafe's atmosphere that first caught her attention rather than the food itself.
Having spent several months travelling across Vietnam with her husband, she wanted to see whether the cafe genuinely recreated the experience of eating there.
"As soon as I walked in, I was reminded of Vietnam. The plastic stools, the layout, the music and the atmosphere all felt completely natural. It doesn't feel like a themed restaurant; it genuinely feels like a small eatery in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City," she said.
It was also her first time trying banh mi chao. She said the steaming cast-iron pan, accompanied by the aroma of butter and beef, made an immediate impression.
"I enjoyed combining each piece of bread with the beef, pâté, soft-boiled egg and pickled vegetables. The balance between rich and tangy flavours made every bite interesting," she said.
Barr said the dish differed from a typical American breakfast because diners assembled each bite themselves rather than being served a fully prepared meal. She added that pâté and pickled vegetables were still unfamiliar flavours for many Americans.
"If I recommended it to friends, I'd say it's one of the most authentic Vietnamese dining experiences I've had outside Vietnam. Not just because of the food, but because the atmosphere makes you feel as though you've returned to Vietnam," she said.
The cafe has also attracted attention from the American media. In early June, The New York Times included Phe in its list of notable dining destinations in New York, praising it as a place that captures the essence of Vietnamese cuisine.
The cafe currently serves a single main dish, banh mi chao, while customers can request additional pâté, pickled vegetables, spring onion oil and sauce free of charge.
The popularity of Phe reflects the growing international appeal of Vietnamese baguettes. Earlier this year, TasteAtlas ranked banh mi heo quay first among its list of the 100 most representative Vietnamese dishes.
Previously, CNN included the Vietnamese banh mi among the 25 best sandwiches in the world, highlighting its versatility and broad international appeal.