The best Vietnamese sandwich battle – Paris vs Saigon

There are two big Vietnamese sandwich shop in Chinatown, Paris Sandwich and Banh Mi Saigon, both well known for their fresh delicious sandwiches but which one has the BEST Vietnamese sandwich(Bánh mì)? My judging criteria are on presentation, ingredients, and taste.

1. Presentation:

(left)Paris Sandwich $4  (right) Saigon Sandwich $3.95

The Paris Sandwich took maybe less than 5 minutes from order to pick up. The Saigon Sandwich took about 20 minutes with close to 15 people waiting on line.

2. Ingredients:

Paris Sandwich’s ingredients: Vietnamese mayonnaise with special ground roast pork, salami, and a mix of pickled carrots, cilantro, cucumber,  and jalapeno peppers if you order spicy.

Saigon Sandwich’s ingredients: The sandwich is huge. The ingredient has same as above, the only difference is they use a Chinese barbecue grilled pork in place of the Vietnamese mayonnaise with special ground roast pork.

3. Taste:

Saigon: The over-toasted crunchy bread will scratched the roof of your mouth.  A heaping amount pickled carrots, radish with each bite, and cilantro gives it that freshness taste.  The meat they use is a fatty roast pork bits which taste very Chinese.

Paris:  Perfectly toasted piece of bread, and with the right amount of vegetable and meat. They give just enough to ensure that it overloaded .

My verdict: Paris Sandwich WINS – No annoying lines, fresh authentic Banh Mi taste, and a baguettes that won’t scratch up the roof your mouth.

Paris Sandwich Bakery Cafe
113 Mott St
(between Canal St & Hester St)
New York, NY 10013

Banh Mi Saigon
138 Mott St
(between Grand St & Hester St)
New York, NY 10013