Alexandra
Originating from Korea and landing here in Vancouver, East has met West to varying degrees of satisfaction. I don't quite understand the reasoning behind the name Paris Baguette. There doesn't appear to be anything that you would directly link to the City of Love, and unlike the real deal, Paris Baguette only offers one type of baguette (that I can see). Just what we need downtown, yet another fancy schmancy bakery. Paris has moxy though, planting itself firmly in the Robson District where dozens of bakeries have already been operating for awhile. It seems to be a loving "screw you" to their competitors, as Paris hit the ground running upon opening and hasn't stopped since. By all accounts, they are outperforming other bakeries which would weep to have even a third of the customers that Paris churns out on the daily. A large part of their success is due to the fact that they have wisely chosen a high traffic area with a neverending stream of customers. Another part of it is probably due to the eyewatering number of items which should please even the pickiest person. The last piece of this pie of success is without a doubt the glaringly reasonable prices that will make you wonder if you're really downtown or not. Paris Baguette has adopted what I like to affectionately call Tray & Pay, which is exactly what it sounds like. You load up a tray of confections, bring it to the counter, and pay for your purchase. Truth be told, their items are hit or miss. Absolutely steer clear of their Peach Iced Tea, which is basically diabetes in a cup. For every Asian Bun that tastes like it came straight from Chinatown is a Mochi Donut that has enough sugar to put Roger's out of business. Taste is subjective in terms of pastries, sandwiches and cakes, so to stack the deck, they also hock universally appealing artisan items such as chocolates and jams. With a spacious dining area that is never empty no matter what time of the day you go, Paris is a more than nice place to spend your day at. Fluency in French not required.
