The Good Days Vietnamese restaurant in Brunswick, Melbourne, has been highly popular since opening in 2016. Now, owner Nam Nguyen has taken the step to open up a Good Days Banh Mi Shop 15 minutes up the road from the original restaurant.

The new store is a return for Nam, as he used to run a banh mi shop in Adelaide before moving to Melbourne. He had a brief return to banh mi making during COVID, when Good Days started selling them online and in person, often selling out.

The banh mis at the store have their roots in classic Vietnamese cuisine, but Good Days puts their own spin on things.

“In Hoi An—they kind of make the best banh mis in Vietnam—they always have a sweet mince thing they put in, so we sort of adapted that into an XO sauce that we make ourselves,” Nam told Broadsheet.

“It gives it a richness and umami that’s slightly sweet. It’s just another layer that they do in Hoi An that’s a little bit extra.”

The shop offers a range of different sandwiches to suit those of a variety of dietary requirements, but mainly, Good Days Banh Mi Shop is focused on serving good banh mis.

“We’re not doing anything out of this world… we want to keep it a banh mi,” Nam said.

“Even the proteins, most of them you’ll find at a banh mi shop. Except maybe the turmeric fish and cauliflower, but that turmeric marinade is very Vietnamese.”