Come lunchtime, the biggest queue on Smith Street is almost always the one snaking out the doors of this long-running Vietnamese bakery. Sandwich fiends flock to N Lee for its menu of traditional banh mi, crafted on fluffy rolls baked fresh in-house.

Born out of last year's lockdowns, the Anchovy crew's genius pop-up banh mi window proved so successful that it spawned its own permanent space. These days, Ca Com is slinging a tight rotation of innovative Vietnamese rolls.

With four popular, long-running outposts, the family-run Phuoc Thanh bakery has earned plenty of fans for its freshly baked breads — and the menu of classic banh mi are the stars of the show.

Its queues might be slightly less hectic than that of its counterpart up the street, but Sunny's is still one of the leaders of the pack as far as Melbourne's banh mi scene is concerned. 

Perched across the street from the buzz of Footscray Market, Nhu Lan is a classic Vietnamese bakery serving flavour-packed eats with zero pretension. The shopfront churns out its top-notch rolls without fuss, so you're never queuing up for too long. 

As the name suggests, this Springvale spot is slinging some top-notch buns — you'll find scores of fans who agree Bun Bun is a sandwich shop well worth crossing town for. 

Two bright, casual canteen-style eateries from celebrated chef Jerry Mai, Pho Nom are serving up Vietnamese street food classics with a fresh, modern twist — one at Emporium and the other on Collins Street. 

A long-standing favourite of Sunshine's multicultural food scene, Selina Hot Bread is a small bakery with a huge following. Venture in for a very good roast pork banh mi, packed with the traditional paté, mayo and fresh salad.

For an authentic Vietnamese grab-and-go feed south of the river, people flock to this modern bakery serving up a refined take on traditional banh mi each day. At Master Roll Vietnam, neat, colourful piles of salad ingredients beckon from the front counter.

Bullseye Banh Mi is a contemporary, Vietnamese-run eatery in the heart of St Kilda. Among the menu's many street food offerings, you'll find a solid lineup of rolls, starring classic-leaning fillings like barbecue chicken, crispy roast pork and braised pork.