Paris Banh Mi Duluth / Paris By Night Street Food & Lounge

Such a cute and chill spot to eat and hang! The decor is very nice. Their boba teas are good, but banh mis are a bit on the dry side. Tried the chicken and vegetarian sandwiches. Customer service was great, very friendly and courteous. Did not try the baked goods yet, next time. Plenty of parking, too.

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 stay. 8.9/10

The first thing you see when you walk into Paris Banh Mi in Duluth is a vast, empty hall. I should have noticed the warning signs then—like maybe they spent their whole budget on floor space instead of quality. I ordered the sugarcane kumquat drink, and being the ice-hater I am, I politely asked for no ice. The cashier smiled sweetly and said, “Sure! That’ll be an extra $4.” Excuse me, what?! Four extra dollars for… no ice? Do I get a discount if I ask for more ice? Will they pay me if I ask for only ice? Then, as if the absurd ice charge wasn’t enough, I watched them craft my “fresh” drink. Spoiler alert: The fresh kumquat came straight from a bottle! I was expecting a farm-to-cup experience, but I guess they ran out of farm and just went straight to the bottle aisle. Fresh? Try “fresh out of the convenience store!” The drink? Meh. Not worth the $7.99 price tag. I would’ve been better off sticking to my good ol’ Starbucks coffee—at least there’s no bottled kumquat involved! But hey, if you’re feeling generous, feel free to donate that $7.99. Maybe it’ll go toward buying a fresh kumquat or, you know, more empty floor space.

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 do next time.

I love to come and support new eateries, but this new bánh mì shop is ridiculous. I just ordered 1 sandwich and 2 drinks, but it took over 45 minutes to receive my order. Honestly, bánh mì was okay and nothing special. The only difference is that they use a skinny baguette instead of the traditional style. Compared to the price with the surrounding Duluth area, it is more pricy. No comments with my drink. This may not be a choice in Duluth.