Sandwiches Worth a U-turn: Paris Banh Mi
Images: Jingle Jackson
I had just barely sat down at our table before I texted my husband's best friend who lives in California.
"Plan a visit up here soon, Toby. We found a place in Everett that serves corn dogs covered in hot Cheetos!!!" That's not my kind of combo, but for our friend, who loves those hot Cheetos and a good hotdog counts as gourmet food to him, Paris Banh Mi on Everett Mall Way is sure to be his new favorite place whenever he visits.
And, frankly, setting aside that combo, (yikes!), it might be one of my favorite new lunch places too.
I was heading for Target the other day when the words Paris - a wonderful city of light - and Banh Mi - a wonderful sandwich to bite - grabbed my attention. Two of my favorite things in one cafe name? Hello, u-turn.
Paris Banh Mi Cafe and Bakery did not disappoint. While I didn't explore any of their bakery delights (lots of croissants and cheesecakes to select from) I loved checking out the menu. When you enter, you find the bakery items on trays and in a case to your left and cafe ordering straight ahead. We had a friendly server help direct us to what were some of the customer favorites and that's where we landed. We ordered the banh mi special sandwich, the half mozzarella/half hotdog Korean corn dog, a salted caramel coffee and a mango slushie. All of it was delicious and all of it I would order again.
The hotdog was crisp and crunchy with cheese that stretched and stretched when you bit into it until you got down to the hotdog half that was a solid offering as a corndog. There are several flavors of the Korean corn dogs to choose from and while I might not go for one of those, I love that they are in Everett rather than needing to drive down to Chinatown in Seattle. The banh mi sandwich was also delicious. It was full of a selection of meats accompanied with cucumber and pickled daikon strips.
Our drinks were especially fun. My coffee drink was super rich with a balance of coffee and caramel flavors enhanced with a bite of salt. Really delicious but I saved half of it to finish for later. And the mango slushie tasted like frozen fresh mango. Completely fruity and refreshing. I'm scheming on the strawberry milk slushie for my next visit, but they also have unique slushie flavors like lychee and taro.
It was clear I was not one of the first to discover this bustling spot. While Paris Banh Mi has a line of tables for inside dining, there was also a steady business of to go orders while we sat for lunch. Don't miss out! There's easy parking. And, as a sweet treat afterwards (if you haven't succumbed to one of the slices of cheesecake in the Paris Banh Mi case), you can indulge in a decadent delight from Midnight Cookies in the same strip mall.
We live lucky my friends! - Jingle
Paris Banh Mi
607 SE Everett Mall Way, Unit 2
Everett, WA 98208
Jingle Jackson grew up in Everett, attended WSU (go Cougs!) and worked a great career at Snohomish PUD. Now, she is working on the pursuit of new adventures and fun wherever she can find it.
