This Vietnamese sandwich shop on Miami Beach was a pandemic success story. Now it’s closed
Benh Mi started as an Instagram pop up, became a Miami Beach storefront spot and it looks destined to be a pop up once again.
Benjamin Murray, former chef at the Mandarin Oriental who started selling banh mi sandwiches during the heart of the pandemic to make ends meet, has closed the Miami Beach storefront he opened less than a year ago with his friend and business partner.
The all-day sandwich shop inside the Esme Hotel on Española Way was only planned as a short-term location, his partner Michael Kaplan says. Already Benh Mi has started popping up in other spots, such as the new Smorgasburg outdoor food plaza in Wynwood. But Kaplan said Murray has otherwise shifted his focus to projects out of state.
“We finished our commitment there and are just exploring other pop-up opportunities,” Kaplan said.
The two have partnered on two other projects, Mimi’s, an all-day café in Edgewater, and a private-chef business, match-making out-of-work chefs with high-end in-home jobs.
Murray started selling his takes on banh mi Vietnamese sandwiches as part of home meal kits throughout the pandemic, with options for fried chicken, herb roasted pork and char siu mushrooms. He and Kaplan took a chance on a short-term lease, catering to the crowds around the hotel at 1436 Washington Ave., Washington Avenue and Española Way.
