Restaurant Wed Jun 03 2009

Wicker Park's Vietnamese Sandwiches

Bon Bon is a fun Wicker Park storefront cafe serving Vietnamese sandwiches. Its shelves and cooler are lined with treats and snacks like Pocky and red bean rice cakes. I took the portobello sandwich, well-seasoned, with pickled daikon, cucumber, carrot match sticks, and cilantro. I passed on the mayo. It comes on a baguette that has a nice chew inside yet a good crunch on the outside.

"I used to say I wish I didn't have to go to Argyle to eat these Vietnamese sandwiches," a friend told me, "and now I don't have to." Although she'd like to see Bon Bon do a tofu sandwich. (Apparently, the ones on Argyle are great.)

Imagine a sandwich shop with colorful chairs and walls, a nice wood floor, swivel lounging chairs, a sofa at a coffee table, and still plenty of tables to eat your sandwiches. This is the type of place I could see myself pulling out my laptop and hanging out, using the Wi-Fi for a few hours. Their coffee is strong - at least when I ordered it black - with solid chicory tones. They have receptacles to separate recycling from garbage.

Bon Bon, 2333 W. North Ave., (773) 278-5800

— Chris Brunn / Comments (2)