Hey, I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about Lee's sandwiches. I've been watching them build out this place north of 30th on Classen (east side) for the past year or more. They had a little sign on the marquee that said "coming in 2007, Lee's sandwiches," but I thought "there's no way that huge building will be a sandwich shop." Then, adding to my disbelief, they started expanding the already huge structure.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, they put up real signage on the building and sure enough, it's Lee's Sandwiches. I just don't understand how any sandwich shop can be that big. But the signs span the whole building. They speak of Euro-American specialties and ice cream and what not. It's still not open.

Anyone have insight into this. Is it a chain? Is it the world's largest sandwich shop?

Thanks,
Tim
EatAroundOKC.com (http://www.eataroundokc.com)

I've been watchin' too, but don't know nuttin! Anxious to find out, like you ...

Ok, I should be shot for posting this before doing a bit of research. I have now discovered that you can just type Lee's Sandwiches into Google and you'll find:

Lee Sandwiches (http://www.leesandwiches.com)

Check it out. It claims to be "The #1 Vietnamese & Euro-Asian Sandwiches Franchise in the world!"

Pretty impressive from the info on their website, including free Wifi, which I love of course. And what a selection of sandwiches. But, it's a chain and we've got such a great selection of local places right around there. I hope this doesn't hurt our locals!

Cool...I've never had a Vietnamese sandwich.

Cool...I've never had a Vietnamese sandwich.


[ot] Maybe you should ask them after a few drinks?
Sorry - the line was right there, begging to be said! :redface:

Cool...I've never had a Vietnamese sandwich.

you have to try the milk bottle place @ 24th and Classen...great V Sandwiches.

What exactly is a Vietnamese Sandwich?

What exactly is a Vietnamese Sandwich?

Ask Lauri, she knows what I'm talking about.

/volley

i have been watching it too, can't wait to try it!!

Looks cool. According to the website, the OKC location is only one of a few restaurants outside of Cali. I guess that has to do with the vietnamese population here...pretty cool.

you have to try the milk bottle place @ 24th and Classen...great V Sandwiches.


It's called Saigon Baguette I believe. They use their own ingredients except they get their bread from La Baguette. They take cash only, but a little hidden treasure of a place.

Yeah, if anything I see Lee's finally opening here as a good sign to our ever growing Asian community and an investment in the area. Now if that Sun-Moon Plaza will ever open up and we get the city to build the Asian Archway and streetscape as promised in a past bond issue, we will have a nice little asian district.

I kind of hate to see that place opening with Saigon, Neptunes (although I don't see them losing business because of Lees), the sandwich shop in the big grocery, etc...

By the way, Neptunes is UNBELIEVABLE. I don't know why I've never tried it before but I was very pleasantly surprised.

Wow! Lee's menu looks fabulous. And they're not too far from where I work. I can't wait to try them!

They are Vietnamese sandwiches but slightly influenced from the French colonial rule..hence the use of french baguette. Anyways, I love LEES!!!! They are cheap and deeee-lish. If you go, I highly recommend the FRENCH ICED COFFE (pronounced "caphe sua da"). It's cheap, refreshing, and addicting. Do not order the EURO sandwiches. That's like going to a chinese restaurant and ordering a corn dog and french fries. Just cuz it's on the menu doesn't mean you should order it.

If you like Lee's, try my aunt's bakery..it's more authentic and the real deal..."LANG'S BAKERY" It's nearby on Military Ave. They serve sandwiches, rice based, noodlebased dishes, pastries, cakes, etc.... It tastes better than Lee's.

What I like about Lee's is that it is like McDonalds of viet food minus the trans fats and other processed crap.

Lees= Viet fast food/McDonalds

Lang's = ma and pa style burger joint

If you go to Lees or Lang's, try the "BANH MI THIT NGOI(viet cold cuts)" and the "BANH MI THIT NUONG(charbroiled pork)"

banh mi = bread (french)


See you guys there! It'll be my new lunch and hangout place because I hate getting too much discount and free food from my aunt's bakery haha

you can get the same thing at subway!!! no need to drive all the way to viet ville-

dude, the carrots and veggies at your dime a dozen subway are not the same pickeled veggies as the viet kind! The bread is also quite different!

Forget viet sandwiches... WHOPPERS ARE BEING SOLD AT TASTY THAI RIGHT NOW!!! COME GET THEM WHILE THEY'RE HOT!

And Chili's Baby Back Ribs!

This place is looking really close to opening, but it looks like they are still in training. Sign on the door says they are still closed but doesn't say when they open. Anyone know anything?

Friend of a friend has been to some of the Lee's in CA and says they are excellent. But I don't know anything about an opening date.

I drove by after church Sunday afternoon, it appeared as if people were inside eating. They also had tons of ballons by the door. I'm wondering if it was a pre-opening training or something. I imagine they will be open by this next weekend from the looks of it.

Nope...they announced an official grand opening on the 28th of last month which they delayed...they said to return back on Monday (today) ...still no luck Their opening is delayed and they won't know when it will happen because they are waiting to get the place inspected by a fire marshal. I took their card to call next time so I won't make a wasted trip.

They are now open. If you guys plan on visiting I would highly recommend waiting a couple of days. It was very chaotic during our visit.

It wasn't that chaotic...I just came from there an hour ago. It was obviously not running as optimally as it should but the sandwiches and coffee beverages taste just like the ones in California and Texas. Their credit card machines aren't working yet so bring cash!

Are they open in the mornings? If so, how early? The say free wifi and coffee so I wondered if they had breakfast?

Are they open in the mornings? If so, how early? The say free wifi and coffee so I wondered if they had breakfast?

They open 6am-9pm daily. Their food can be eaten anytime really. Viet xiet can be eaten anytime of the day..it's just universal like that. :)

Awesome! 6am with free wifi -- a dream come true. This has great potential to provide an alternative to Panera for me. It's tough to find places open that early. I will check it out soon in the AM.

As an okie that's been living in Orange County for the last 5 years and has to move back soon, I'm happy to hear this place is open. There is one near where I work that I go to for lunch some times.

Lee's doesn't have the best Banh Mi sandwiches around, but I hope they do well. I'll have to try Saigon Baguette and any other place in that area once we move back. I am totally spoiled by all the really good vietnamese food in OC. I will really miss Bun Bo Hue:(

I stopped by at 6am on Monday but discovered they are cash only. Having no cash, I had to move on this time. I have to admit, I was surprised by the cash only for such a large chain. It seems that their long term plans are to offer an ATM in the restaurant, but it was not yet operational when I was there. If you can pull it off, that seems like a great business plan -- avoid all discount rates and make money on the ATM fees. But, it sure is inconvenient for guests like me who never carry cash.

I stopped by at 6am on Monday but discovered they are cash only. Having no cash, I had to move on this time. I have to admit, I was surprised by the cash only for such a large chain. It seems that their long term plans are to offer an ATM in the restaurant, but it was not yet operational when I was there. If you can pull it off, that seems like a great business plan -- avoid all discount rates and make money on the ATM fees. But, it sure is inconvenient for guests like me who never carry cash.

I believe their credit card machine is down. All the other Lees have the credit card machines.

After going there like 6 times since they've been open. I'm officially sick of the place...my favorite thing there is the LEE'S ICED COFFEE...it's bomb.

If you want baguette sandwiches, go to Lang's Bakery in the Little Saigon shopping center near Super Cao Nguyen supermarket. Their sandwiches are 10x better and cheaper to boot. That is a true cash only place..ma and pa style.

However, I do like Lee's ..it's a good place to take the dates for a quick meetup.

6string!!!! I am so glad you said that! I think I may be a Lee's Ice Coffee addict! I am thinking about it night and day (especially night because I can't sleep anymore from all of the Lee's coffee).

And, their $1 baguettes and croissants are great! Try the ham & cheese croissants.

I think I will go there now!

Bye

I went there yesterday for a cup of coffee and to see what the hype was about. I had the iced cafe mocha. It was excellent however they used wayyyyyyyyy too much ice in the coffee and they rang me up and gave me a small when I ordered a large. I tried to clarify it with them, but they didn't speak good English. The place is huge and clean, but is a little overwhelming the first time I went in. They have several counters/sections you can order from, depending on what you're ordering. Since I don't speak Vietnamese, it was a little intimidating even though everything is in English and Vietnamese. I suppose that's how they feel when they visit a nice American restaurant.

Anyhow, again the coffee was great, just not very much with all the ice. I also got a $1 butter baguette. I took it home for dinner last night and it was good. It was a little on the dry side from the get go, but just steamed it a little bit and it and added a little butter and it was great!

Ok. So I had to take Ms. Searls' advice and head over to Lee's for the iced coffee. I walked in about 7:40 this morning.

As others noted, it was large, bright and very clean.

I was a bit confused at first as to where to go, so I just looked for the drink menu.

I ordered the famous "iced coffee." It was already ready when I got there. I suppose they were expecting a few folks to come in, so they already had about 3 or 4 made in advance ready to go. It was a bit strong at first sip, but quite good. I do agree with metro about the ice, though. Almost as much ice as a Sonic drink (light, crunchy ice, too), so I kind of had to ask myself "where's the coffee?" But, it seemed to last for awhile, so it turned out okay.

Their smoothie menu definitely sounded intriguing (avacado smoothie, anyone?), so I might have to indulge in one some day.

I also grabbed an Almond Croissant (was really hoping they'd have Pain au Chocolat given their french influence, but alas...). Croissant was nice. Not to heavy, not too dry. But, it was also a bit light on the almonds.

As I was walking out, I noticed a rather large counter filled with their "day old" supplies. As it was early, I'm guessing this will have been gone by the end of the day. At least I hope so. If not, I hope they work out arrangements with the Regional Food Bank for a pick up. I would really hate to see that much bread go to waste.

Will definitely try it again, and am anxious to try a sandwich when I can venture over for lunch.

Introducing Lee’s to OKC
Journal Record
March 18, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – Minh Nguyen is looking forward to building a satellite network of restaurants across Oklahoma City around his new Lee’s sandwich shop on North Classen Boulevard.

Backed by a Small Business Administration loan, Nguyen helped the Lee’s chain jump from California earlier this month. Nguyen has been overwhelmed by the customer response, which has had a larger number of non-Vietnamese than he had hoped for.“It’s been beyond my expectations,” Nguyen said. “So far 50 percent have been Caucasian. And I have no problem with that, considering there are 600,000 people in the city who might like to try our product.”

The Lee’s concept started in the 1980s when the Le family immigrated to San Jose, Calif., and started selling Vietnamese-style sandwiches, and formally entered the market with the first of about 30 shops in 2001. The to-go restaurants now offer a mix of traditional Vietnamese flavors such as inexpensive banh mi sandwiches – seasoned with pickled carrots, daikon and cilantro – and non-Vietnamese standards such as ham and cheese served on baguettes or croissants.

Other products include fresh pastries, ice cream, smoothies and shelved packaged foods such as pate. Nguyen’s restaurant, as the first in the metro area, will serve a unique support role for the other shops he has planned. A large portion of the store’s indoor space is set aside for the production of bread products that will be shipped to other Lee’s.“It is important that the baguettes and pastries always taste fresh and excellent,” he said. “It is what people will expect.”

The building was a perfect match for Nguyen’s needs. It had been built for another businessman with an Asian smorgasbord in mind, but quickly closed for undisclosed reasons. The extra space worked well for the bakery area, which is visible to diners via a large glass wall. And the building is on the northern edge of the Asian District north of NW 23rd Street along Classen.

The Shepherd Mall office complex and Oklahoma City University west on 23rd are large bases of potential customers for Nguyen to tap into. Nguyen ate at Lee’s for the first time about three years ago on a trip to California; he was sold on the restaurant immediately and wanted to bring it to the metro area.

Nguyen said he’ll need about six to eight months to gauge the market response to Lee’s before he can start looking to open other stores. He’ll likely look for venture capital investors, he said, because he enjoys running the business himself.

http://journalrecord.com/_images/articles/t_labsLee's%20Sandwhiches.jpg

Minh Nguyen, owner of Lee’s Sandwiches, stands in front of the newly opened business’s pastry counter Monday afternoon. (Photo by Kendall Brown)

tried it today for the first time. Had one viet and one euro sandwich. both very good and very cheap. then tried their ice cream; one chocolate, one kiwi and one coffee. also good and cheap. we'll be back. best "chain" sandwich place in town.

Hmmmm, a thread comes back to life after a near on two year nap. Maybe I just figured out lunch come Wednesday.

Hmmmm, a thread comes back to life after a near on two year nap. Maybe I just figured out lunch come Wednesday.

LOL, i figured it was better than starting a new thread.

I never seem to get a good sandwich when I go. I guess you have to know what to order and know what's in it. I ordered the vegetarian sub and did not like it one bit...I tried to give some to my dog to finish and she looked at me like I was crazy.

The iced coffee is just like the little brown cans called Mr. Brown. You can buy em at cao nguyen

I have a co-worker that is kind enough to feed my addiction with ham and cheese croissants for breakfast. At two bucks a pop they're bigger, more filling, better tasting, and a bigger bargain than grabbing McWhatevers on the way to work in the morning.

Really wish they took a card though, or had an ATM that dispensed something smaller than a 20.

I go for lunch on occasion…… it’s like $2.50 for a 10” baguette sandwich. Agreed that they aren’t stuffed with meat, but for the price they aren’t too bad. Grab a couple of spring rolls with dipping sauce and you’ve got a pretty tasty lunch on the cheap.

Bánh mì - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1nh_m%C3%AC)

I like the combo of carrots and cilantro and whatever they put in there….good stuff!

Lee's rocks....if you're looking for a tasty sandwich for under $7 this place can't be beat IMO. I've tried a couple of different ones and I like them a lot.

I also love the open atmosphere and bakery. I don't know why, this is really a cool little shot. Too bad it took me 2 years to discover it.

I will never go to another sandwich shop after tasting Jersey Mike's Italian Sub. Best sandwich around!

Couldn't find a thread on Lee's Sandwiches on N. Classen Blvd. so I thought I'd mention it.

This place is the only destination sandwich shop for my wife and I the last couple off years. The selection is as big as the restaurant itself and the prices are great too.

You can get a sandwich, chips and soda for $4.

We usually split a ham, turkey and cheese on croissant with the pork and shrimp rolls ~ less than $8 and plenty of food for two.

The ingredients are always so fresh and the sandwiches taste like you always hope one at home will, but never does.

We occasionally try one of their ethnic selections of drinks and desserts - some are pretty scary looking.

The only thing I don't like is their 'gourmet ice cream.' We've tried 4-5 flavors and didn't like the taste or texture of any of them. If you haven't tried this place, you should. Its good on your appetite and your wallet.

Couldn't find a thread on Lee's Sandwiches on N. Classen Blvd. so I thought I'd mention it.

Lee's Sandwiches: the biggest sandwich shop ever? (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=11911)

Neptune's - Lee's - Subway ????? (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=21111)

I assumed it had been covered. Why is it that often when I do a search I get no results? I searched for "Lee's" prior to my posting and got ZERO RESULTS.

Okay, by zero results I mean nothing I was looking for.....

I actually got;

Bicycle Alley Closes After Three Years

Where are all the former news anchors?

California Dreaming?

New $50 bills

When I search I can't find crapola either

Buddy told me about this place last year but have yet to try it

Why is it that often when I do a search I get no results?

The search function sucks now. I don't know why that is.

I found the Lee's threads by looking at the tag cloud, under "sandwiches."

Lee's Sandwiches: the biggest sandwich shop ever? (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=11911)

Neptune's - Lee's - Subway ????? (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=21111)

Yes, it is physically larger than any other sandwich shop...

Has anyone ever looked at the Lee's sandwiches locations?

Locations = California, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Korea, Vietnam, China, and Okc.

Sometimes people complain that Okc is last on getting chain restaurants and stores but this list Okc was one of the first.


Excellent place to eat unique sandwiches too, although I like the original Vietnamese sandwich store under the Braum's bottle on Classen. Saigon Baguette, http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/46/501330/restaurant/Uptown/Saigon-Baguette-Oklahoma-City

I've never done the milk bottle store before but have heard good things. I may have to do it next time.

Lee's has a Groupon offering $10 of food for $5. Offer expires today..... http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1254809

Hi Brian, I agree with you about Lee's - great place!

About the search - it's awful. However, there is an excellent way to search OKCTalk. Just use Google with the site parameter. For example, look in the Google search box in the screenshot below and look at the results.


http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/2803/leessandwiches.jpg

It's a far better way to search the site. I have a quicklink that goes to Google with the okctalk.com site parameter already typed in. I just add what I want to search.

EXCELLENT MikeOKC, kinda embarrassed I didn't think of that. I remember reading about that type of search on LifeHacker or similar blog.

About the search - it's awful. However, there is an excellent way to search OKCTalk. Just use Google with the site parameter.

<image deleted>

It's a far better way to search the site. I have a quicklink that goes to Google with the okctalk.com site parameter already typed in. I just add what I want to search.
If you use Firefox and are more keyboard-inclined, you can make it a Firefox keyword search with the following steps (Mac users substitute Cmd for Ctrl):

Go to Bookmarks -> Organize Bookmarks (Ctrl + Shift + B). Select a folder from the list at left to create the bookmark in, then right-click and select "New Bookmark".

- In the "Name:" field, put whatever description makes sense to you ("OKC Talk site search" or something of the sort).
- In the "Location:" field, put:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%s+site:okctalk.com
- In the "Tags:" field, apply whatever tags make sense to you, or leave it blank (I tag all my keyword search bookmarks "keyword").
- In the "Keyword" field, type whatever you want to use as your custom keyword to perform this search - I chose "okct".
- Leave the "Description:" field blank, or put in whatever description makes you happy.

When you want to perform a search, you can do "ctrl +l" or click the Firefox location bar, then type in "<your keyword> <your search query>", or "okct lee's" for this thread's example using my chosen keyword.

Ate there last night. Had ham and cheese croissant, the wife had turkey on a baguette, and others with us had eggrolls and a vegetarian baguette and tapioca.

Ham& Cheese was average, but the croissant itself was amazing, as was the baguette. The fresh baked bread on site makes all the difference IMO. This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've been, but will probably be back more often now that they are taking debit cards (I rarely keep cash on me).

As an inner North resident, Lee's is a staple of life. It is very well managed, and CHEAP! The night time can be great there too, they often run awesome one night only dinner specials. On occasion they have a deal for a Vietnamese beef stew and a full length baguette for $5, it's an AWESOME deal.

Excellent place to eat unique sandwiches too, although I like the original Vietnamese sandwich store under the Braum's bottle on Classen. Saigon Baguette, http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/46/501330/restaurant/Uptown/Saigon-Baguette-Oklahoma-City

I will agree whole heartedly, if it is proper Banh Mi you want Saigon Baguette is the king of the neighborhood. Also, if you haven't eaten at Saigon Baguette, you have no idea how cheap a lunch can be. We're talking $2 here people.

They are adding a drive-thru.