The small shop serves Asian-centric grab-and-go items and made-to-order banh mi along with coffee, housemade pastries such as savory Japanese chicken curry pie and mapo tofu pie, and breakfast sandwiches with eggs, cheese and a choice of ham or bacon on a soft roll "with milk bun vibes," Le says. While it's currently open from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, Le plans to start welcoming guests at 8 a.m. starting January 1.
Before recently moving to LoHi, she lived in the Whittier neighborhood for about five years. At the time, Sun Market, Sesame Sandwiches' neighbor, hadn't opened yet, and the only real lunch option was the Whittier Cafe. Le saw the need for grab-and-go and sandwiches, and banh mi seemed like the perfect fit. "It was the natural choice," she shares.
The menu includes a variety of banh mi options, including tofu, sweet chili meatball and spicy tuna. There are also curry chicken salad sandwiches and classics like a BLT with avocado.
Sesame Sandwiches is definitely a neighborhood place — Le is asking neighbors for decorating input and has already started a photo wall of customers — but the sandwiches are good enough to become a destination for a wider audience.
Vegetable egg rolls, Vietnamese iced coffee and a curried chicken salad sandwich from Sesame.
Kristin Pazulski
Le is pretty new to the food industry. She has a background in marketing, which she used to do pro bono work during the pandemic, helping local cafes reach customers.
Two years ago, Le started creating Asian fusion dishes at Playground, a former virtual food hall that now serves as a commercial kitchen in the former Broadway Market space. There she makes grab-and-go items like spicy veggie bao dumplings, seaweed salad and Hawaiian macaroni salad, which will be available at Sesame and, soon, at Denver International Airport.
