Original Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches

The restaurant was unclean, with visible roach bait in the corners. The counter was cluttered with unrelated items, resembling a hoarder’s workspace. There was only one employee, an older woman who seemed to be handling everything. The milk tea I ordered was terrible—it had a powdery texture and was excessively overpriced. I also tried two banh mi sandwiches, which were disappointing; the meat didn’t taste fresh at all. I didn’t hear any cooking sounds coming from the kitchen, leading me to believe the meat was pre-cooked and just reheated. Overall, the sandwiches were also overpriced for their quality. I won’t be returning here.

Food prepared by your momma. Thanks super sweet. It's hard to find someone who try's as hard and delivers to make you happy.

I've only gotten one thing here so far, the duck sandwich, several times. It is so sublime that I have yet to try anything else, although I did get a pork sandwich once for my friend, who liked it. The duck meat is juicy, delicious, perfect. Its quite out of the way for me, so I typically jump on a Citibike from elsewhere in the East Village just for this sandwich. I suppose I'll have to try a few more items. Eventually. But man I love this sandwich!

The sandwich was gross. No cilantro too. The bread was moldy and old. The meat was dried out.

To be honest, Nicky's is not the place to go for a good banh mi. Despite receiving a four-star rating from the last 61 reviewers, I have to disagree. If you've ever had an authentic one made with fresh ingredients and the right kind of bread, you'd likely feel the same way. We tried the classic, the chicken, and the pork chop versions, and all three were disappointing. The meat quality was subpar, and there was hardly any of it on the sandwiches. They were lacking in key ingredients—no cilantro, no jalapeño, and the only sauce was a heavy amount of mayo. The only other fillings were some barely pickled carrots and a small cucumber that got lost among the other flavors—or lack thereof—in what felt more like bread layered with mayo than a true banh mi. No thanks, Nicky. I probably won’t even share this on social media because it doesn’t deserve the spotlight.