William Foss’s restaurant rests right on the water in Sausalito, by Spaulding Boatworks, with wooden picnic tables overlooking the marina. Yes, they also have red stools at a counter inside the restaurant’s glass and steel shell, but you’re better off outdoors. Their Saigon Salmon Sandwich ($22) is fun play on banh mi that showcases rosy medium-rare salmon, and tangy pickled julienne carrot on a soft Acme torpedo roll. The side of chile lime slaw with crunchy kick amp up the plate even more than standard mayo.

Banh mi doyenne Andrea Nguyen recommended this Vietnamese cafe in Oakland’s Lake Merritt. The space features a coffeehouse vibe, complete with art lined walls and house-made juices. I’d recommend their Vegetarian Sandwich ($5.25) with a mountain of wrinkly bead curd skins piled into a fluffy mayo-brushed baguette with lettuce, tomato, thick-cut cucumber, jalapeño, pickled carrot, soy sauce, and cilantro.

A blue awning greets grab-and-go guests at this Tenderloin institution. Most sandwiches cost only $3.75 and come on a crusty baguette with julienned carrots and daikon for crunch, plus cilantro, jalapeño, and mayo. Choose from fillings like peppery dark meat Roast Chicken (Ga), crumbly Meat Ball Pork (Xiu Mai) and Thit Cha Pate – a truly “Special Combination” of Steam Pork, Roast Pork and Pate. Saigon Sandwich also sells supplemental snacks.

Harry Lam is a Tenderloin banh mi specialist. Traditionally, the small cafe with red and white checked cloths only served a Special Combo, but Lam recently rolled out meatball (ban mi xiu mai) and chicken (banh mi thit ga). Still, I’d most recommend the Special Combo ($3.50) – Banh Mi Dac Biet – a sturdy baguette with a winning ratio of pate, cold cuts, cucumber, cilantro, pickled daikon and carrot. Sing Sing serves textbook banh mi.