It all began my junior year of college during finals week when I decided the crappy Vietnamese place near campus was not cutting it anymore. “There must be something out there” I thought to myself as I scoured the internet to find some place in the DMV to satisfy my banh mi craving.

Before I knew it, my eyes were set on Simply Banh Mi. I saw they were located in the basement of a building in Georgetown which was an hour away, but the pictures were already making my mouth water. “It’ll be a well-deserved break” I rationalized to myself.

An hour later I found myself at a no frills restaurant in Georgetown, the bougiest part of DC. As I walked in I was greeted with friendly smiles and a simple menu, I decided to go with the classic banh mi with cold cuts and pate. A few minutes later a sizeable banh mi was placed in front of me.

Now, I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. I’ve had great banh mi in NYC, LA, and Vietnam, but considering it was the only place within an hour driving distance that served banh mi, I was just lucky enough to find a store that sold it.

After I took my first bite, my eyes lit up. This banh mi didn’t just satiate my hunger, every bite made me want more! The bread was perfectly crispy on the outside but warm and soft on the inside, and the toppings were all premium quality. Together, it was everything anyone could ask for out of a fantastic banh mi, and I was surely going to return.

Since then, Simply Banh Mi has moved to the main floor of the building and expanded their seating area and menu. With pho, rice bowls, noodle bowls, and bubble tea alongside the banh mi options, they can cover most of your basic Vietnamese cravings. It’s a great place to catch up with friends, grab a quick bite to eat in between store hopping, or get take out.

There are quite a few restaurants like Simply Banh Mi that have a special place in our hearts. All of these restaurants have a few things in common: they are small businesses owned by great people that serve great food because that’s what they love to do. With this series of posts, we are looking to highlight these establishments and give you a peak inside the inner workings of them with some Q&A with the owners. Below is a convo we had with John, one of the owners of Simply Banh Mi with his sister Diana. Comment below if there’s any other questions you’d want to know about them, or you could just stop by the restaurant and ask John or Diana yourself!

Can you tell us a little about the beginnings of Simply Banh Mi? Specifically, what was the motivation in opening a fast casual restaurant focusing on banh mi?

Simply Banh Mi came to being after I was laid off from my job. I received a little severance package and decided I wanted to open a shop serving Vietnamese food.

Why vietnamese food? Well, my mother is a published author of two Vietnamese cookbooks, and I love her cooking. It made for a good starting place.

My sister was also interested in doing this, and she ended up quitting her job to join us. At that time, banh mi had already become a part of the area “mainstream.” I knew my mom made a helluva a banh mi, so we started selling banh mi.

Did you always envision a career in the food industry? If not, how did you decide to pursue it?

I never seriously considered owning a business. It was more of a “wouldn’t it be neat to have a shop?” type thing. Our mother is of the entrepreneurial mindset, and she always encouraged us to start a business. After having been laid off and receiving some severance money, I thought the conditions were about as good as they could be to open our shop.

In opening the storefront, did you consider any other areas of DC? How did you decide on Georgetown?

We never considered anywhere else. We started in a basement since it was available and cheap.

Does working in Georgetown present any additional benefits or challenges compared to other areas in DC?

The benefits of working in Georgetown are as plenty as are the challenges:

Benefits: We have a diverse set of customers from all backgrounds. Affluent DC folks, university students, tourists, and of course DC residents in general make for a wide-ranging client base. Georgetown is generally considered a super nice area, so that reflects well on us as a business. The customers we have met by being in Georgetown have been exceptional. I’m not sure if it’s a reflection of the area or the food, but we’ve been super fortunate that the vast majority of our customers are kind, generous, understanding and thankful. What more could you ask for as a business?

Challenges: Rent is higher than other areas in the DMV. Parking is also difficult for our guests which can unfortunately dissuade potential customers from visiting. In addition, our area of Georgetown is not as well-visited as the intersection of M Street and Wisconsin Ave. It’s a bummer. Being in Georgetown also means the buildings are tight and old, which makes kitchen and seating logistics challenging. I suppose that’s part of the charm?

With so much focus on Instagram and Yelp reviews, it seems there is more access to information about food than ever before. Has your engagement with the online community changed since opening?

We rely on the likes of Yelp, Instagram, Facebook, and Google heavily. Sadly, we are not very good at being proactive with using those sites. Thankfully our customers have been super kind and active for us by leaving largely super positive reviews, comments, and pictures across those platforms. Thanks guys!

Has the menu changed or evolved since opening? How do you balance adding new items to the menu versus serving customer favorites?

When we first opened, we only served banh mi sandwiches. We soon added rice, noodles, salad options, and finally pho noodle soups. Another change was offering halal meat for all beef and chicken items. Some argue it is a better quality of meat, and it also opens our offerings to an additional demographic of neglected foodies! Anything we think we can do well, sell well, and fit in within the logistics of managing our store we add to the menu. It is a long process to add something to the menu as it requires so much more than just making the item. Hopefully as we get more seasoned running this shop, we can add even more tantalizing items to offer.

Ignoring logistical limitations and customer demand, if you could add one item on the menu (that is currently not on the menu), what would it be?

Well it would be two: “Banh xeo”, which is a rice batter crepe like thing with a variety of protein and veggie stuffing. It’s frigging good. The other would be “bun bo hue.” It is a noodle soup which is a blend of spicy, sour, and lemongrass flavors. Traditionally it has beef shank, pork knuckle, and ox tail in it. My mom’s recipe for both of these is killer.

How would you describe Vietnamese food to someone who is not super familiar with it?

I would describe it as a veggie and herb rich cuisine with well-seasoned and marinated proteins. There are a lot of complementary textures and flavors. It is exotic, yet approachable food.

What are your favorite Vietnamese restaurants in the area?

Favorite Vietnamese place is “Hu Tieu Mi la Cay Cho Lon” in Eden Center.

Do you have anything else you want to share or plug? What’s next for Simply Banh Mi?

We love our little shop. We are not a highly-polished and super-efficient food machine. Instead, we are average people making our mothers home cooked food, and trying to make everyone who comes in feel like they are welcome and comfortable. We have made a lot of friends here because of that. Next for Simply Banh Mi is hopefully a beer/wine license and extended hours. Keep an eye out!

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