Huong Lan Sandwiches on Spafford St.

This entry refers to a departed business that has closed or left town. All information here is for historical reference only.

 

Closed for Remodeling - taken 9/28/2006

A new Huong Lan Sandwiches will be coming to Davis in 2013.

On or before September 26, 2006, a sign was posted on the door stating that Huong Lan is closed for remodeling with no reopening date. A "for sale" sign has been placed in the window as well, and Stone's Cafe & Catering now occupies that location.

They serve fresh Vietnamese (Bánh Mì) and American sandwiches, bubble tea, assorted fried foods, spring rolls, flan and assorted Asian desserts. They have a large tapioca drinks selection, second only to the Old Teahouse.

Their board menu lists Western Sanwiches (~$3), Eastern Sanwiches (~$2), Salad (~$5), 13 choices of coffee and juice, 18 pearl drinks, and 10 smoothies. Yes, the board really does say Sanwiches, not Sandwiches.

The Vietnamese sandwiches run between $2.00 and $2.50, and with sandwiches such as French Pate, there is a wider selection than at either Sunrise Restaurant or Fluffy Donuts. They also have a large staff. Even at peak hours, they are capable of getting you a sandwich within a minute or so. Vietnamese sandwiches tend to be sparsely filled by American fast food standards, hence the lower price. They consist of a crispy white bread roll with filling. The bread tends to be a bit tough, but still tasty. The crisp/crunchy (not soft/mushy) nature of the bread is hard on the gums, so you may be feeling a bit of irritation after eating them.

The Davis store is the 6th Huong Lan store. The others are in Milpitas, Newark, Sacramento, San Jose. The space was previously occupied by Antonio's Take and Bake.

$8 minimum for credit card purchases.

They now have free wifi.

2006-06-03 this place is by far the best place for vietnamese sandwiches in davis. i think the vegetarian one is the best. this place and sunrise restaurant should not even be placed in the same sentence. the bread and the condements on the sandwich are way better here. i don't really think their drinks are that good though, but since tapioca express left and the quality of old teahouse has dropped, a good boba is hard to find in davis. sandwiches are a great deal from $1.99 - $2.49 —MattHh

2005-10-03 00:12:50   I recommend the grilled pork sandwich. It's lovely. —DatNguyen

2005-10-03 00:40:08   Sandwiches are larger and tastier than Sunrise. Nonetheless, they're not to good at requesting special orders i.e. no peppers or extra stuffs. Anyhow, they are friendly. The "specially prepared real pineapples" are canned. The drink, though... tasty. Eggrolls are edible but otherwise suck. Hmm. Thai tea is made "by the eye" meaning it's inconsistent and may be wonderful to crappy depending on the skill level of your server. :) —MichaelGiardina

• Ah, thanks for reminding me. The grass jelly drink came straight out of a can and it sure tasted like it did. It was underwhelming. —DatNguyen

2005-10-22 20:34:10   My lychee bubble had pieces of canned lychee in addition to the boba. I couldn't discern any particular flavor in the liquid portion of the drink. My pork-and-broccoli over rice was very good. —JudithTruman

2005-11-13 20:43:04   the shrimp spring rolls are good ... tasted pretty fresh last time i had them. —MindyYang

2005-12-08 13:59:56   This is my favorite place to get a quick lunch in south davis. The sandwiches are consistently good, and are equal to those of Sunrise Restaurant on a good day. I particularly like the fish and meatball ones. I'm not too keen on the fillings themselves, but the bread used to surround the pork buns and hot dog in the front window are especially good, and are a filling meal for $1.50. Oh, and the egg custard bun is tasty, and highly favored by the ants in my apartment. —CraigBrozinsky

2006-03-16 11:38:41   Went this morning. Not open until 9am and open laters on saturdays. Not sure the exact time though. —JudyTang

2006-03-21 21:57:01   Everyone should try the avocado shake. It's yummy and very rich. —PattyLouieJunior

2006-04-07 16:04:30   The steamed pork sandwich looked just like the one in the picture, which meant only 4 (or 5) thin slices of pork. Still, it was very yummy (what's that delicious condiment in it?) There was way too much ice in the honeydew pearl drink, but it was delicious! For a total of less than $5, the sandwich and drink are a very good deal. —JennaChan

2006-04-11 17:57:09   Not sure about the large staff. That's certainly true in Sacramento, but the one in Davis is often understaffed. Good sandwiches, though. —MisterProfessor

2006-05-11 02:12:04   The spring rolls weren't too good last time i got them...the skin was dried out...i think it was b/c i got the first one out of the fridge thing....but my gf's was good she said b/c hers was behind mine so no drying occurred —ChrisLee

2006-06-28 01:47:58   The service has always been good and speey when I've been there. Living less than five minutes away in Greystone I am grateful for this place as a cheap eat I can run to at random times of the day. I'm a fan of basically all the food items they carry, but am more of a Old Teahouse kind of guy when it comes to their drinks. Recommeneded: 3.50 Chicken leg with Rice, Vermicelli Noodle "Eggroll" thingies with Pork, Custard Buns, and the Lychee Drink —AlvinTsao

2006-07-08 10:16:18   The guy behind the counter with a skewed cap is really friendly and accomadating(sp?). I asked for cucumbers in my sanwiches and they didn't charge extra for them. —PattyLouieJunior

2006-08-05 13:26:25   This place is freaking awesome. Sanwiches are really good and cheap, and the bubble tea here is the best in town (until Tapioca Express comes back!). War Sanwiches! —VietNguyen

2006-08-22 11:04:06   I advise people to just order the sandwiches because they're made on the spot whereas their other dishes wrapped in plastic may have been sitting for a while. Buy the sausages (Cha) they're cheap and good. —PorkFoo

2006-08-28 18:21:04   They now have pearl tea stamp cards; I think it's buy 10 get one free. Also, they have specials on Monday: buy one pearl tea or smoothie, get one Eastern sandwich free! —ThuHo

2006-09-26 20:12:21   I'm skeptical about the "remodeling". I'm thinking they just shut. They stayed open all through the slow summer months, then closed for remodeling a few days before school starts? Doesn't make sense. If they're gone I'll miss them. Their sandwiches were a really good deal. Anyone know another place in Davis that sells sardine sandwiches? —SteveGreen

2006-09-26 20:15:39   I just checked their website, hlsandwiches.com, and the Davis store has been deleted. I hope another store just like it opens in that spot. —SteveGreen

2006-09-26 22:41:07   I don't recall the Davis location ever being on their website actually. But I agree that the "remodel" is pretty suspicious. —AndrewChen

2006-09-27 07:52:34   This place was great - if a bit slow. Passed last night and saw that the place is "For Sale" :( —GarethBevan

2006-09-28 12:44:24   I tried to go with my family and a friend a few days ago. There were people inside, but it wasn't open. Too bad. I really like the sandwiches and the people here. I think the comment above is correct in saying that the chain has never mentioned the Davis store. It looks like I'll have to be going to the HL near SF Market in Sacramento more to get my sandwich fix. —MisterProfessor

2006-09-29 00:46:38   It's hard to pay Davis commercial rents selling $2.95 sandwiches. You've got to sell high volumes which HL store didn't have. Lee's sandwich shops around the Bay have low prices and high rents but they do a huge volume. Lee's is expanding rapidly and I think they'd see great success in Davis, although not in the Huong Lan location. Not big enough. Anyhow I'll miss HL. —SteveGreen

2006-10-02 00:43:30   There's a "Free Sandwich with any Pearl Drink" coupon in the Davis Enterprise of September 28—printed a week or more after Hoang Lan closed! Makes me think they closed on short notice. The "For Sale" sign in the window says the restaurant is available for $20,000. It's unusual to frankly advertise price like that, in a store window. —SteveGreen

2007-02-02 10:03:25   Does anyone know exactly what will be taking HL's place? I saw a scribbled sign indicating some sort of gormet coffee shop. Can anyone confirm or elaborate? —JasonHaberman

"Stones" will be the new occupant in the now closed HL Bakery at the 5th street plaza. We will be serving Fair Trade Organic coffee and Teas, hot and cold expresso drinks, smoothies, as well as freshly made sandwiches, salads, and soups. Catering will also be a service offered at Stones. Should be opening sometime around the end of the month. stay tuned for more!