Esmai's Cafe - Brookline

At lunch I tried the char siu bahn mi (pork). The bread and vegetables were good, but the pork was lifeless. Just sliced plain roast pork slightly reheated like my grandmother might serve. It had no succulence whatever like a true Vietnamese preparation. Counter service was friendly but not especially quick. They seem to specialize in specialty teas, ice cream, and such. Maybe I'll go back there after lunch someday.

We dropped into Esmai's Cafe on a weekend to try their banh mis . We ordered the The OG Vietnamese Pork Cold Cuts Chicken Pate and the Smoked Char Siu Chicken. Our sandwiches were made to order and were ready pretty quickly. Both sandwiches had a great ratio of pickled vegetables to meat and were stuffed pretty generously. The baguette was toasted well, just crispy enough to give a bit but didn't tear up the insides of your mouth. They also offered a variety of hot sauces, including sriracha, to add to your sandwich. The store offers some seating so we were able to grab a small table. There is also a restroom in the cafe, which is always appreciated. We didn't have the chance to try anything else on their menu but their banh mis were great! Many folks came in to order their drinks so we might try that the next time we are here.

The coffee wasn’t good. The breakfast sandwich (Egg on a Croissant) option was also not so great.

The brown sugar milk tea with boba here is not very good. Large cup was half filled with ice (I did forget to say less ice, but cmon), bubbles were a bit hard, and it’s not very sweet for a brown sugar drink. Kinda tastes like watered down chocolate milk.

Walked past it, read the sandwich board outside about the Bahn Mi sandwiches, stopped in. Interesting and different kinds of sandwich (Bahn Mi, croissant, pressed), teas (with option for boba or poppers), coffees and Vietnamese or Thai coffees. Plus desserts. They have been here fir a couple of years but as a small store front on Beacon St are easy to miss when driving by. Today I was on foot and glad I stopped in. My mango green tea with mango poppers and Char Sui chicken Bahn Mi were worth finding a parking space snd returning. Staff was very friendly and informative about menu. Recommend them.