New York helped inspire Bun Mee. Fifteen years later, the San Francisco sandwich shop has returned the favor with a Flatiron outpost.
The Vietnamese fast-casual chain opened its first New York restaurant Thursday, October 8, at 115 East 23rd Street. Founder Denise Tran started Bun Mee in San Francisco in 2011, drawing on her Vietnamese upbringing, her mother’s recipes and the sandwich shops she discovered while working as an attorney in New York. Among those inspirations was the now-closed Porchetta.
The menu includes a Classic Combo bánh mì with lemongrass pork, pâté, mortadella and pickled vegetables, plus a ribeye sandwich served with pho broth for dipping. There’s also a crispy fried chicken bun with lemongrass chili crisp, rice and noodle bowls, and Vietnamese coffee topped with soft whip and five-spice powder.
The 28-seat restaurant occupies a 2,200-square-foot space decorated with brick walls, Vietnamese graphics and tropical-print seating. It is operated locally by John McClave, Nam Hoang and their family, who plan two additional New York locations, according to the company.
For its opening week, October 8 through 14, Bun Mee says it will donate a portion of proceeds to Hot Bread Kitchen, which helps New Yorkers enter the food industry.
Where: 115 East 23rd Street, Flatiron. Hours: Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Dine-in and pickup are available. Restaurant information.
“Flatiron is one of the city’s most exciting neighborhoods, and we think Bun Mee can offer something unique to everyone here, from the students to the office workers,” McClave and Hoang said in a statement announcing the opening.
