Banh Mi Keu Deli City.

Banh Mi Keu Deli City

Hieu Bui's test for a serious Vietnamese kitchen is how long the broth takes. He watched another Kingsland Road restaurant run out of pho and have it back on the menu within the hour: That is not possible if you are doing things properly (Restaurant magazine, 2023).

Why go

This is the City counter of Kêu, the fast-format spin-off from Bui's Vietnamese Kitchen group, and it sits in Salisbury House on London Wall between Moorgate and Liverpool Street. Bui was born in Hanoi, lived in Saigon, and was sent to London in 1999 to study marketing. He took a waiting job at Viet Ho on Kingsland Road, decided the cooking was nothing like home, and opened Cay Tre on Old Street with his uncle around 2003, then Viet Grill in 2006 and a 100-cover Cay Tre in Soho in 2011 (Restaurant magazine). The rules he set in those kitchens carry down to the sandwich counter: the kitchen soaks marrow bones to draw the impurities and then simmers them for 24 hours, braises meats fresh instead of batching and freezing them, and sends pancakes out to order. The wine list across the group was put together by the writer Malcolm Gluck, who is still a consultant. Kêu is now three shops, in Soho, Shoreditch and here, and it is the part of the business Bui is expanding.

Order this / avoid

• Order: the Hoi An Deluxe, which The Infatuation breaks down as ham, roast pork belly, sliced head cheese, chicken liver pâté, and a gravy-ish sauce that's heavy on pork and sweet onion flavour, plus pork floss1. If you want the plain version, the Kêu Original with mortadella and terrine is what The Infatuation's City review defaults to. Crispy pork belly and Saigon mackerel are the other two worth a look, and if you are eating in a chair rather than at a desk, the beef brisket noodles use the broth the group is actually known for. Sandwiches run GBP 13.25 to 14, small eats from GBP 7.50, a Vietnamese iced drip coffee GBP 3 to 4.95 (venue, 2026).
• Avoid: arriving late or on a weekend. This branch trades Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 3pm, and that is it. The rice bowls are also the weak buy at GBP 15.50 to 18.50; The Infatuation calls them "good, too, if a bit pricey."

What locals & experts say

• Jake Missing, The Infatuation, "The Best Bánh Mì In London, Ranked" (updated 8 January 2026): Kêu comes sixth, and the guide is direct about the mini-chain question: With locations in Soho, Shoreditch, and The City, Kêu is probably London's most recognisable bánh mì mini-chain. Don't let that make you think that its standards are iffy though. Its bread-watch verdict, which is the only measure that matters here: A bread you could go to war with. Bronzed, crunchy, and very submarine-like.1
• David Paw, The Infatuation (City branch, 14 January 2022, scored 8.0): The original Kêu in Shoreditch is our favourite banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) place in London, and their City shop on London Wall is just as good as the original... There's always a queue at lunch, but it moves quickly.2
• Hieu Bui, in Restaurant magazine (6 November 2023): on why he started, The way the food was cooked, and the quality was very different to what I was used to. I knew 100% that I could do it better. On competing with the venture-backed Vietnamese chains: What we are doing is different. We are offering the real thing.3
• Local rec: none. Jeff's own note is that the banh mi is great. REAL.

Good to know

• Timing: Monday to Friday 10.30am to 3pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Go before the 1pm crush if you have a choice.
• Booking: none, walk up and order. It is a counter with a queue and a number-calling system, built for takeaway.
• Dietary: the venue's own line is "Please notify staff about allergies, intolerances or dietary preferences." Meat-free options exist across every format: aubergine and tofu or tofu curry in a baguette, smoky aubergine or coconut tofu curry on rice, plus papaya salad and slaw. Nothing is published about coeliac handling, and the whole point of the place is a wheat baguette.
• Price: banh mi GBP 13.25 to 14, rice bowls GBP 15.50 to 18.50, noodles GBP 18 to 19, small eats GBP 7.50 to 9.75, drinks GBP 3 to 4.95 (venue, 2026).
• Hygiene: FSA rating 5 at the City of London inspection of 22 February 2024 (FSA).
• The other Kêus: Soho and the Old Street original in Shoreditch. Old Street is the one The Infatuation calls its favorite banh mi in London, so if you have a choice of trip, go there.

Jeff's take (his words)

• Note: "Great bahn mi" REAL.

Verdict

could-visit — It is the sixth-best banh mi in London on The Infatuation's ranking and the best one you can reach on a City lunch break. The group behind it is Hieu Bui's, and his rule is that a broth takes 24 hours and the kitchen makes every braise fresh, which is a real answer to the private-equity Vietnamese chains he competes with. Order the Hoi An Deluxe, which stacks ham, roast pork belly, head cheese, chicken liver pate, pork gravy and pork floss into a baguette The Infatuation calls 'a bread you could go to war with'. The counter opens weekdays at lunch only and shuts by 3pm. Go if you are in the City, do not cross town for it when the Old Street original exists.