Just Like That, Legendary Mission District Banh Mi Purveyor Duc Loi Is Going Dark

A major facet of the Mission’s historic food world is shutting off the lights. Howard and Amanda Ngo, owners of Duc Loi Supermarket located at 2200 Mission Street, posted a note on the shop’s doors saying it would close. “It is sad to announce that we, Duc Loi, will no longer be in operation,” the note reads. “Thank you for all your love & support.”

It’s unclear whether the original Duc Loi location is currently open — multiple phone calls to the business on Thursday morning went unanswered. On Wednesday, an Eater SF tipster wrote in to say Amanda Ngo let them know the business would close “next week.” According to a report from the Chronicle, the same owners as the Temescal Produce Market will take over the business on Tuesday, August 14 and rename it as International Produce Market.

The neighborhood grocer was much more than a simple supermarket to its fans. Through all the ups and downs, the banh mi sandwiches were huge and cheap — these days just $9 — and chocolate and peanut butter malt balls reigned supreme. According to the business website, the original shop opened in 1998 down the block from its current location, before the Ngos bought the property on the corner of 18th and Mission streets. The couple expanded into the Bayview in 2016 with Duc Loi Pantry which closed in 2019, the location of which is eyed as a possible future low-income grocer site by city officials. The Chronicle reports that the Ngos hope to reopen the Pantry someday if they can.

Despite doom loop nail-biting over San Francisco’s future, Mission Street has seen an on-the-whole positive last year or so. Piglet & Co. opened just a block away from Duc Loi in February 2023, bringing Taiwanese comfort food like honey walnut shrimp and pork toast to the area. Down the street, Grand Coffee branched out with a second cafe last June, and the business is adding outdoor seating for the first time this summer. Another Mission Street neighbor, Marco Senghor, upgraded his longtime Senegalese favorite Little Baobab into the appropriately named Big Baobab last August. As a big and visible corner of the neighborhood goes dark, there’s still reason to remain optimistic about the neighborhood’s future.

Update: August 10th, 2023, 12:40 p.m.: This story has been updated to add information on Duc Loi’s new owners.