A new Asian restaurant featuring banh mi, a famous Vietnamese dish, recently opened near the TCU campus.
Bánh Shop opened in October at 3051 S. University Dr., taking over the space previously occupied by Pizza Snob. In addition to banh mi, the fast-casual eatery offers a variety of Asian dishes including wok’d bowls, soups and salads. Shareables, including summer rolls, pork belly bites and dumplings are also on the menu.
Prices range from $6.50 for shareables to $11.50 for baguettes and $14.50 for soups and salads.
While Bánh Shop does not claim to be an authentic family-style Asian restaurant, Co-founder Mark H. Brezinski said its recipes contain high-quality, imported ingredients like fish sauce and coconut milk. He also emphasized that all sauces and meats are made in-house daily, supporting the eatery’s goal of serving fresh, vibrant Vietnamese cuisine in a fast-casual setting.
“Our goal is to try to serve customers within five or ten minutes,” Brezinski said. “And you can order at a kiosk, you can order with a bartender, you can order from a cashier. Food is cooked quickly on woks and grills.”
Since the chain opened almost eight years ago, the concept of Bánh Shop quickly expanded through airports, with five airport locations nationwide, Brezinski said. After finding success in airports, Bánh Shop attracted interest from a franchisee to bring the concept back to the streets. Brezinski also shared that, in addition to the TCU location, Bánh Shop plans to open three more DFW-area restaurants in the next three to four months – in Las Colinas, at the NorthPark Dallas mall and in downtown Dallas.
Since opening its doors, Bánh Shop has earned recognition for its innovative Vietnamese cuisine and customer service. The restaurant has been named to numerous “best of” lists, including Zagat’s Top 10 Must Try New Restaurants in Dallas, Travel & Leisure’s Top 12 New Airport Restaurants and Restaurant Hospitality Magazine’s Best Meatball Sandwich in America. Bánh Shop also received awards for Best Veggie Sandwich from CBS Local, Best Airport “Street” Food from ACI and Excellence in Customer Service from the DFW Airport Excellence Awards.
Bánh Shop has become a go-to place for some TCU students because of its convenience.
“It’s perfect when you only have a short break between classes,” senior computer information technology major Esau Rodriguez Olvera said. “Bánh Shop adds nice diversity to the campus food options. It’s cool to have Vietnamese dishes like Banh Mi and summer rolls that you can grab on the go.”
Bánh Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Brezinski said the restaurant is still working with TCU to accept Frog Bucks, the university’s prepaid meal plan, as a payment option in the near future.
