Rice Paper

Located at 906 Greensboro Road in High Point, Rice Paper offers Vietnamese cuisine for lunch and dinner (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) daily. Outdoor seating is available, and there is a drive-thru (which may not yet be in operation).

Rice Paper doesn’t do anything exceptionally, but it does a number of things well. There is plenty of parking, and though the building seems small from the outside, plenty of seating as well. The interior is tastefully appointed with dark woods and hanging lights. The establishment was mostly empty when my wife and I visited, but we went during an off-hour (Sunday mid-afternoon). Lunchtime on a weekday may paint a different picture.

The menu here is appreciably extensive. Banh mi, bubble teas, pho, and vermicelli bowls share the stage with dishes less common to the area such as hu tieu or pressed noodles (banh hoi). With the ability to go large or small, vegetarian or carnivorous, Rice Paper has something for everyone.

For our first visit, my wife and I split a fresh roll and each took on a banh mi (grilled pork and the classic Vietnamese ham/pork/vegetable respectively). A Vietnamese coffee and a Thai tea rounded out our meal. The roll was lettuce-heavy but tasted fresh, and the accompanying peanut sauce delivered the expected flavor. The grilled pork banh mi was seasoned well, but both sandwiches were quite a departure from what we were used to. The bread was soft rather than crisp, and the mayo lacked tang. Perhaps Saigon Bakery has spoiled us. On a more positive note, the Thai tea seems like a future re-order, and the coffee was appreciably strong.

As mentioned above, Rice Paper’s offerings run the gamut from small bites to full meals, and the prices vary accordingly. Banh mi are a perfectly reasonable $5 each, and our app (sized for two people) was $7. Some of the rice and noodle dishes run into the teens, and nothing seemed like too much of a reach. Though servers were not always easy to understand, they were attentive and accommodating, and our food came out quickly.

Were Rice Paper situated in the heart of Greensboro, it would be subject to stiffer competition and would rate an occasional visit for some of its less ubiquitous menu items. But in the eastern High Point/Jamestown area, it serves a much bigger need and is a must for anyone in the vicinity with an appreciation for Asian cuisines.