Food Porn: 99 Fast Food Restaurant

If you love cheap Vietnamese and Japanese food, this is the place for you.

However, 99 Fast Food has so many things going against it..mostly its location.  It’s understandable that no one would have any urge to seek it out.  For starters some (most) would think its in a “bad” area of Buffalo (Bailey near the 33).  Sure if you’ve grown up your entire life in the south towns or north towns, yes I guess in comparison to the squeaky clean streets of Targets and Applebee’s, this is “bad”.  However it’s a couple blocks away from UB’s South Campus, and actually really isn’t that bad at all.  I had no fear parking my car on the street (at least during the day) and I would gladly go back to this location again.

The next is the name, 99 Fast Food doesn’t conjure up great images of world class Vietnamese cuisine or really anything worth eating from a place that sounds like a 7-11 style corner store.  You would be wrong however, the meal I had here was delicious and cheap.  Two things that are hard to find now in days.  Unfotunatly they do not have a website but you can imagine their menu if you have been to any vietnamese place in Buffalo (pho, spring rolls, bbq pork, bang mi, etc)

Variety style Banh Mi.

Now I have to give credit where credit is due, I never would have even heard about this place until I read an article on fellow Buffalo Food Blog Buffalo Chow.  But what really caught my attention in the review was a picture of some Banh Mi, which are Vietnamese sandwiches served on baguette rolls.  I first learned of these while watching a No Reservations Vietnamese episode where Anthony Bourdain and a fellow chef had a mammoth one and I’ve been dying for one since.  I was worried that I would have to wait to fly down to NYC before having one, but I was thankful to find some in Buffalo.

BBQ Pork

They served several different types, and they were $3 each (amazing price, buy 5 get 1 free too!).  They had BBQ Pork, BBQ Beef, Curry Pork/Beef and a Variety.  I tried the BBQ Pork which tasted great, combined with carrots, jalapeno peppers, and some pate’.  My only critique would be that the role was more of a sub roll and not on an actual baguette; a crispier true French baguette would have mad eit better but overall I can’t complain.  The meal was cheap and we also enjoyed some pho which was about 6 dollars per bowl (I didn’t take a picture, but incase you want to know what it looks like here).  The food was good, not the finest of Vietnamese cuisine in Buffalo (if you want that you would probably go to Saigon Cafe/Bangkok) but when you are looking for cheap, fast, and decent…this is the place for you.

BBQ Pork Banh Mi