Paper Rice
Vietnamese restaurant · Downtown ·
Build-your-own spring rolls, bowls & banh mi with fresh ingredients
Build-your-own spring rolls, bowls & banh mi with fresh ingredients
"Paper Rice is a fast-casual spot in Old Town Pasadena that takes the standard build-your-own bowl/wrap/salad formula and applies it to Vietnamese food. Groundbreaking? No. Delicious? Yes. The move here is to assemble one of their refreshing spring bowls: a bed of fresh greens topped with a protein of choice, plus a crispy egg roll, carrot-daikon pickles, cucumbers, lots of fresh herbs, crunchy fried bits, and a variety of dressings (ask them to mix the traditional citrus and savory peanut). If putting a BYO salad on this guide feels too much like a cop-out, try their house special sauteed salad, made with romaine, sweet onions, shrimp, marinated beef, and sliced boiled eggs." - brant cox, cathy park, sylvio martins, arden shore
"Paper Rice is a fast-casual spot in Old Town Pasadena that takes the standard build-your-own bowl/wrap/salad formula and applies it to Vietnamese food. Groundbreaking? No. Delicious? Yes. The move here is to assemble one of their refreshing spring bowls: a bed of fresh greens topped with a protein of choice, plus a crispy egg roll, carrot-daikon pickles, cucumbers, lots of fresh herbs, crunchy fried bits, and a variety of dressings (ask them to mix the traditional citrus and savory peanut). If putting a BYO salad on this guide feels too much like a cop-out, try their house special sauteed salad, made with romaine, sweet onions, shrimp, marinated beef, and sliced boiled eggs. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Team Infatuation
"For a salad that satisfies, look no further than the sautéed salad at Paper Rice. Heaps of romaine hearts are topped with shrimp, beef, hard-boiled eggs, and sweet onion. And best of all, the salad’s tangy, savory, and Vietnamese-inspired dressing is laced with beef and shrimp drippings." - Eater Staff
"Heading to the park with some rolls from Paper Rice sounds really good right about now. Each one comes with a crispy egg roll shell that’s been rolled up and deep-fried to add that extra crunch. The shop also makes banh mi with lemongrass chicken, soy-garlic tofu, or charbroiled Vietnamese sausage." - An Uong
"A light Vietnamese spot emphasizing spring rolls, salads, and sandwiches with build-your-own options for spring rolls and noodle bowls—cool, fresh choices for hot weather in Pasadena." - Cathy Chaplin