Must-try restaurant in New Orleans metro: Banh Mi Boys

Something you learn quickly in the South is to try the hot food at gas stations, and that's solid advice at Banh Mi Boys in Metairie.

• Peter Nguyen opened this fast-casual restaurant in 2015 in the deli attached to his parent's gas station.

What I ordered: Bang bang shrimp banh mi ($13.52) and iced Vietnamese coffee.

• The banh mi — think of it like a Vietnamese poboy — comes with perfectly fried shrimp coated in finger-licking bang bang sauce. It's dressed with pickled carrots, daikon radishes, jalapeños and cucumbers.

Worth noting: The restaurant also makes fresh spring rolls, spam dishes, traditional poboys and loaded fries.

Zoom out: Banh Mi Boys also has locations on Magazine Street and in Columbia, South Carolina.