Banh Mi Bar & Bistro Offers 'Fresh' Foods, Owners Say

Norristown Patch: When did you open your business?

Banh Mi Bar & Bistro: Banh Mi Bar & Bistro opened it's doors on Thursday, February 21, 2013.

NP: Who is your ideal client or customer?

BMBB: The ideal lunch guest for us are the people who work in or around Norristown. We get guests from as far out as King of Prussia and Blue Bell who come in for lunch. For dinner, we've been getting people from all over the place. They can come from as far as Philadelphia all the way out to Phoenixville and Doylestown. We also get a lot of guests who just happen to stop in and try our food because they were just driving by. Every once in a while there would be a family with kids, but for the most part, it's couples or a group of friends who come in with a bottle of wine or two.

NP: What makes your business unique from others in your field?

BMBB: What makes ourselves unique from others is that we do everything fresh. The meats we use are never frozen and the vegetables and fruits are farm bought. Our smoothies and bubble teas are also fresh. There are a lot of places out there that sells smoothies and bubble teas, but be careful and know the difference between fresh fruits verses powdered. We will never use powder.

NP: What made you decide to open a business?

BMBB: Opening a restaurant has always been a dream to me since I was 12. I told myself that I would open a restaurant between the ages of 28-30 and I think my dream has been fulfilled. Why at such a young age? I thought that by this time I would have had my good share of partying and living the night scenes. It's the perfect age to get my life together and to start building my future. Old enough to make good decisions and young enough to handle the stress that comes a long with running a of the business.

NP: What’s your most popular item?

BMBB: Our popular items shift from Banh Mi at lunch to Dinner Entrees at night. To have Banh Mi at lunch is quick and not costly at all. Our dinner entrees have been selling more due to word of mouth. When we ask our guests how they hear about us, the answer is usually, "from a friend" who told them to come try this or that. Mostly everything on our menu sells, but if I would have to recommend something, I'd go for the scallops with pancetta and quail eggs and the filet mignon or pork ribs. Those are my personal favorites.

NP: What makes your community special?

BMBB: I like my community. A lot of people get the idea that Norristown is unsafe. I've never had a problem walking down a few blocks at night. The people are friendly. Almost everyone I walk pass whether it's day or night says "hi". Norristown is a working project but it's already at it's first stages of upcoming. There's plans to make a restaurant district on the same block that Banh Mi Bar & Bistro is located. In just a few months, another restaurant will open across from BMBBistro. We will both have outside seatings. It will be nice. A lot of these restaurant districts start our in areas like Norristown. Northern Liberties is an example.

NP: Where can customers find your specials?

BMBB: Our guests can find our specials online through Facebook, Twitter, or our website.

Banh Mi Bar and Bistro, located at 31 W Main St. in Norristown, is open Monday through Saturdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Learn more about Banh Mi Bar and Bistro on their website and on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.