Shout out to Adonis Eats (@imadoniseats), who is a Bay Area foodie, for doing a San Diego tour of eateries and featuring Paris Sandwiches on his tour. Check him out on Instagram for foodie related vignettes, but the clips I watched of him were at my fave Filipino restaurant R&B Filipino Cuisine and Paris Sandwiches, which specializes in Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches. This was me and my wife's first time grubbing here and after mimicking Adonis' choices of the #1 House Special and the #15 Crispy Pork Belly, I can definitively say that we'll be visiting this sandwich shop many times.
Paris Sandwiches is located in Mira Mesa specifically within the Target shopping center on Mira Mesa Blvd. This shopping center is one of the bigger centers in the area, so there is plenty of parking. The shop is located on the east end of the shopping center across from the Vinh Hung Vietnamese supermarket and is one of the tenants in this strip of businesses. It's a short jog away from Golden Island Dim Sum restaurant and O'Reilly Auto Parts; a few doors away from Domino's Pizza; Trining's Bakery is in the same spot; and it's next door to LHK Noodle Bar. The only negative about Paris is the lack of seating to enjoy their incredible sandwiches. There is a plank of wood facing out the windows where people can dine in and there are five stools for customers. There is one outdoor table with three chairs, so take out will be the preferred method to enjoy their sandwiches. The decor is minimal with one television showing an Asian show, a plant on top of their cold box that holds cold drinks and cold food, and a ceramic Virgin Mary and smiling cat.
I've indulged in Bahn Mi sandwiches from Vietnamese Pho restaurants here in San Diego, but after watching Adonis' snippet on Paris Sandwiches, I made sure to include this sandwich place on my Yelp's Want To Go list. I imitated Adonis' order of the #1 House Special and the #15 Crispy Pork Belly. When you order the #1, make sure to ask for extra pâté, which is a spread of finely chopped or pureed seasoned meat. What will capture your attention from first bite to your last will be their fresh baguette. The vessel alone that holds everything is a standout by itself and I'm sure would be tasty with melted butter. Combine the bread with each of the different components and I can unequivocally say that the #1 and #15 were two of THE BEST Bahn Mi sandwiches I've ever eaten. The #1 House Special comes with a combination of cold cut ham, pork roll, pork belly, and with the pâté, it was tasty, fresh, and a satisfying sandwich. The #15 Crispy Pork Belly comes with roasted crispy pork belly and sweet and sour sauces. What I enjoyed about the #15 was the little kick it had with fresh jalapeños, the crunchiness of the pork belly, and once again, the freshness. My wife and I had the day off to chomp on these sandwiches and we seriously had difficulty deciding which of the two sandwiches were our favorite. For me, I loved both and would order both in a heartbeat.
Paris Sandwiches will be our go to Bahn Mi sandwich joint and we can't wait to introduce our kids to these two delicious sandwiches. My wife and I decided to order the #1 and #15 and split the sandwiches, so that we can taste each sandwich. Next time, I'm going to order one of each just for myself. Seriously, they're that yummy!!! read more