Tabac Bakery

Tabac is often compared to Bun Bun, and after trying both, they each offer very different things. This is the most loaded bánh mì I have ever had in terms of pork. The portion is extremely generous, easily the standout if you are looking purely for value. I had never tried tiger bread before, but in this case it was more soft than crispy, with very little crunch. The pork itself was also less crispy and much fattier, probably around a 60 to 40 fat-to-meat ratio. It was tasty, but I personally prefer something a bit firmer to balance out the bread. Because of how much pork there was, the overall bite felt like a meat explosion. There was a lot going on, but the pâté did not really come through, and the flavours felt a bit masked rather than balanced. Compared to Bun Bun, which had better bread texture, this leaned much more towards quantity over balance. Value-wise, Tabac is hard to beat. The bánh mì is huge, heavily packed, and very filling, so if you are chasing portion size and meat for the price, this is the place to go. However, if you are looking for better bread crunch and a more balanced flavour profile, you might not find it here. That said, I could have just had a bad batch of bread, or the pork may have softened it as it sat. Either way, it is still great value, but for me, Bun Bun edged it out overall for balance.

It used to be a lot slimmer / smaller but the taste is still amazing! Fresh bread, fresh crispy roast pork but a little annoyed they brought out fresh bread but she didn’t use it for my banh mi, but they did for the people before and after me.

Found this place from an Instagram post of a foodie influencer and always keen to try new banh mi’s, I’m vegetarian so had the tofu veggie roll and thought it was very good! Had it as take out. The tiger bread roll is the best! I would recommend if you are in the area.

Tabac, Bun Bun Bakery and Lily Banh Mi all sell good Banh Mi, just depends on which is more convenient and closer. Lily’s is slightly more dry compared to Tabac and Bun Bun, but the portion is the best amongst the three, if you want a hearty meal. Tabac and Bun Bun gives more pate and sauce, and their buns are softer while being crispy at the same time. Service wise, Lily’s tops it as the owner herself comes out and serve the customers every time we went, and always carries a warm personality. Bun bun bakery is the worst in consistency, and some servers there give only 5 or 6 pieces of meat for the entire banh mi.

Fresh meaty banh mi - we got the pork belly and it was so crunchy on the skin. They also add crackling pork rind which adds texture to your bite. Only $10. Their bread is also softer than your standard banh mi which is preferable for me since it is easier to get the whole banh mi in one bite.

Today I went on an adventure to Springvale to find my favourite food, banh mi. There were so many places selling it. Today I tried the tabac crispy pork, and I liked it — the meat was generous, and the bread was crispy. So far, this has become one of the tastiest banh mi I’ve ever had.

I’m very disappointed with my experience. It felt like older, lower-quality bread was being given to certain customers. The owner even went inside to swap out three breads and then told me she couldn’t cut them in half because it was overbaked. I’ve also had similar issues when purchasing just bread. 👎🏼