A Bit of History and the Story of Banh Mi Bread: Lu's Sandwiches

Story and photos by Julie Craven

When the site that for nearly 60 years was home to Totino’s Italian Kitchen becomes home to Lu’s Sandwiches and their banh mi bread, it's a reminder of how ethnic food evolves. Foods go from exotic to mainstream, new ones take their place, the cycle continues.

I can remember a time when pizza was considered ethnic food. Really. The place to go was Mama Nick’s Circle Pizzeria in Waterloo, Iowa. Today, pizza is considered about as American as a grilled cheese sandwich, but I imagine that was not the case when Totino’s Italian Kitchen opened its doors on Central Avenue in the early 1950s. The Totino's Pizza production facility followed in Saint Louis Park, and entrepreneur Rose Totino grew her family business to become one of Minnesota’s iconic food brands.

The first retail establishment in the new Red 20 apartment building, Lu’s Sandwiches opened a few weeks ago, the second location for this Vietnamese fast-food, family affair. Known for banh mi sandwiches and egg rolls, Lu’s slogan, “Be greedy, have a fresh sandwich that tastes amazing!” is the perfect headline for this sassy sandwich shop.

Banh mi is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of breads. Bread, specifically this type of baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period in Vietnam and it is lighter with a thinner crust than traditional French baguettes. The sandwich filling options vary - ham, chicken, pork, meatballs, grilled beef, tofu and mock duck, all served on a banh mi roll.

It's the diverse “fixings” that made ordering fun and my ham sandwich so yummy - dressings like French pate, fish sauce and mayonnaise; veggies that include lettuce, carrots and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno, peanuts and mint.

The Red 20 building makes the claim that it's just steps to “everything from Polka to Punk Rock, restaurants and boutique shopping” and the name, and exterior, is a nod to the famous red sauce at the Totino family’s restaurant. Totino’s memorabilia serves as decoration for the 130-unit apartment building, including a plaque on the building’s street level that tells the family's story.

Lee and Sandra from the Lu's Sandwich team were a delight and said customers have remarked that they are a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I commented how much I loved the logo on the back of their shirts. So much so, that they humored me, grabbed a colleague and posed for a group photo.

The sandwiches were delicious, the type you'd make a special stop for to take with you on a road trip. Having said that, I'll confess to being pretty darned excited about another retail establishment opening at Red 20 in the fall. Hello Glam Doll Donuts...!

Website:  lusandwiches.com

Location:  10 6th Street NE  Minneapolis, MN  55413 

Julie Craven can be reached at julie@millcitymedia.org.