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Featured

Park Slope Banh Mi Wars: Hanco's Vs. Henry's

By Sarah DiGregorio, Tuesday, Aug. 25 2009 @ 1:57PM
Comments (5)
Categories: DiGregorio

IMG_1563.jpg
Left: Hanco's classic bahn mi with pate, ham, and ground pork; Right: Henry's version of same
​
As we reported earlier, there is a gen-u-ine banh mi war going down in Park Slope, and nothing could be more titillating.

Fork in the Road, reporting from the scene, thought that it was obvious that Henry's has ripped off Hanco's--the menus are nearly identical, from the menu items (although Henry's has added smoothies), to the font, to the food descriptions. On the other hand, you can't copyright a sandwich. In any case, now the two identical spots will have to compete in a smallish market--so Fork in the Road decided to see which place had the superior banh mi.

IMG_1560.jpg
Left: Hanco's grilled pork banh mi; Right: Henry's version of the same
​

The truth is that neither one of these spots is peddling truly great banh mi. Both are tasty, and either one will kill a craving, but if you want a really delicious Vietnamese sandwich, you still have to go to Sunset Park or Chinatown.

Still, there are pros and cons, chiefly that Hanco's sandwiches are $6.50 and Henry's are $5.95. Plus, Henry's are bigger, have better pickled carrot/daikon, and a more generous hand with the mayo and Sriracha. On the other hand, Hanco's has better bread--crustier and more flavorful--adds more cilantro (good or bad depending on your taste), and has comfortable seating. The roast pork from both places is identical, as is the pork roll, ham, ground pork, and pate in both versions of the classic.

The advantage goes to Henry's, for the better value.

Henry's Bubble Tea and Vietnamese Sandwich
433 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn
718-788-8882

Hanco's Bubble Tea and Vietnamese Sandwich
350 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn
718-499-8081

Comments (5) Write Comment
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Comments (5)

Kayt says:

Thank you for the taste test! Poor Hanco's though.. they got ripped off by someone who upped them in the end. I guess that's capitalism..

Posted On: Tuesday, Aug. 25 2009 @ 5:21PM
noisejoke says:

Then again it's half hour by train and foot, or ten minutes by car to Ba Xuyen. I think the banh mi is still $3.95 there. And, oh yeah, twice as good.

Slope denizens: save your money for the crappy and overpriced dumplings from that dopey truck on 7th ave.

Posted On: Tuesday, Aug. 25 2009 @ 8:40PM
Rochelle says:

Ha! I work across the street from Henry's, and my coworkers and I grabbed lunch the other day. Another plus about Henry's is that they are super eager to please - and really, really speedy.

The pate was a little .. meh .. though.

Posted On: Wednesday, Aug. 26 2009 @ 1:02AM
Danny says:

now that you're comparing $5 banh mi's, how does this stack up to Baoguette's "classic"?

Posted On: Wednesday, Aug. 26 2009 @ 11:00AM
Sarah DiGregorioAuthor Profile Page says:

I think Baoguette's wins in a battle of expensive banh mi--better bread and pate. (Even so, to me, Baoguette is tasty, but not so good as to justify the hype.) Only real reason to hit up Henry's is if you're in the neighborhood.

Posted On: Wednesday, Aug. 26 2009 @ 12:02PM

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