Paris Banh Mi Duluth / Paris By Night Street Food & Lounge — Restaurant in Norcross

Stopped by on Sunday around noon and we ordered:

1. every single pastry they had available including the pateso 🤣
2. 4 types of banh mi: the special, shredded chicken, grilled pork patties (nem nuong), and grilled pork (thit nuong)
3. 3 drinks: strawberry lychee, milk tea with cheese foam and the artichoke tea

First off, every pastry was great, they oftentimes use the crossaint style dough which makes each pastry a textural wonderland. THE BEST in my opinion is the chocolate one with little crisped rices on top as shown in the attached photo. The pateso was excellent, normally the meat is too dense for me in a Vietnamese pateso but PBM-Duluth's recipe was juicy and tender. You can't go wrong with any of the baked goods. 10/10

Secondly, I think there is a pretty big debate on what is considered a Vietnamese banh mi one camp says that the lighter loaf style is quintessentially Vietnamese, with some traditional banh mi carts even opting to scoop out the fluffy innards to make way for more "stuffing real estate." Another camp embraces the traditional french baguette style which is often described as a heartier crust in the form of a long skinny baguette but has less space for sandwich ingredients. To me, it entirely depends on what sort of person you are. If I prefer a lighter meaI, I would opt for a the shorter, lighter banh mi as I often find myself less full after eating one. If I was a working man, I would much prefer the traditional french baguette style as I generally find myself moving up a belt notch after finishing my meal. The difference really is that much in the doughier, thicker crust variety. Its simply more food.

That being said, the special banh mi (dac biet) was my favorite of the 4. There was a right amount of pickled vegetables in each sandwich but I love pate, the butter spread, and any sort of cold cut style of meat over "whole" meats. The occasional peppercorn in the meat was a nice pop of spice in random fashion. Since they serve banh mi with the traditional french baguette here, I was afraid there wouldn't be enough flavor for each bite. I was wrong. It seems the filling ingredients are over seasoned to account for this and instead what I experienced was a consistent delicious series of bites. 9.2/10. The shredded chicken banh mi is actually a bit of a misnomer. The chicken is more of a "shredded floss" similar to Vietnamese pork floss. It was surprising and the protein filled half the cavity. I think it needs more pepper flavor and something to keep the meat juicier since its in floss style? 8.5/10. The bbq pork (thit nuong) was on par with the chicken banh mi. They use star anise in the marinade which ive never experienced before. As for the grilled pork patties (nem nuong) banh mi, it was the least favorite of the 4 I tried. It needs to be grilled more to add that grilled flavor. It did have nice and thick cuts though so have no fear, meat lovers. 7.5/10

The strawberry lychee and artichoke tea drinks were 10/10 for me and the milk tea and cheese foam was 8.5/10. The cheese foam is also different than any other I've tried before, it's actually somewhat floral instead of the salty sweet profile most cheese foams taste like. All drinks were large and are more than enough for one person.

The decor: wow, excellent job! The plaster texture on the walls were well done and the divided sitting booths make great seating areas for large parties. Great choice of wallpaper accented by cove lighting along with the hanging grass/wicker lamps made everything seem somewhat too luxurious for what some would think is just a Vietnamese banh mi shop. Very tastefully done and makes for a great place to take your friends to and lounge.

The giant Eiffel Tower in the shopping center the store is located in has been around for years before the banh mi shop's arrival. Perhaps, appropriately, Paris Banh Mi has found it's home and is here to...

I haven’t tried their other pastries yet since I stopped by on my way to work and only got my grilled pork banh mi. In my opinion, though the price is a bit more than other banh mi joints, I would say it was worth it for $7.90 with taxes included. The meat was tender, tastes a bit different than other places but that’s just how every other place marinates their meat. My banh mi was packed with meat and veggies. Crispy enough so it wont break or fall apart. It was quick to get my banh mi since I did not come on grand opening days. Looks clean inside, a hint of French bakery decorated. Feels cozy. I need to come to try the rest of their menu for drinks and snacks as well. Overall, not bad. It’s convenient for me as this will be the banh mi joint that’s closest to my house. Every place has its own unique taste. You have to try it yourself to know which fits your palate most. Reviews are only based on personal opinions. I was skeptical coming since someone told me not to come but I had to be my own judge when it comes to food. And I was not disappointed. Although I did say no Cucumbers and cilantro since I dont eat them and don’t want to waste them, they were still filled in my banh mi. ( just a little reminder to pay attention next time)Keep up the good work guys. Sorry I had no time to take nice pictures of the store but will...

Sticking close to its name, Paris Banh Mi really went for the French-Vietnamese fusion. Upon research, it seems like this is a chain that originated from Orlando, FL. The Duluth location is the first to open in Georgia (and there's a Chamblee location listed as coming soon).

The space is very open and clean. The decor is modern and sticks close to the parisian theme.

The pastries were distinguishable from other places in the area. They were buttery and flakey, very true to the French style.

The baguette banh mi is long and skinnier than the traditional banh mi. Highly recommend toasting the banh mi to soften the baguette (making it less chewy). It's a skinny banh mi so the vegetables kept falling out. It seems like their banh mi filling is heavy on the butter and pate so some bites overshadowed the rest of the sandwhich. The shredded chicken and the vegetarian (lemongrass flavor) had a good taste. The vegetarian was just a tad salty.

Overall, there is room for improvement for the banh mi (needs to be more consistent), but the pastries were great. Will definitely need to try their cakes next time. There were some popular Vietnamese flavored cakes on display (e.g. pandan, durian, etc.).

Would give a 3.5 stars but leaning towards 4 for an optimistic future after this place has some time to get their footing...