Rice Paper on Shea: Modern Vietnamese with a twist

Rice Paper is a Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in spring rolls and pho. They have more than 20 different varieties of spring rolls and their pho broth, which simmers for 18 to 20 hours, is made to order.

Fans flocked to the restaurant’s Phoenix location on 7th Street for years; Rice Paper now also has a Scottsdale location near Scottsdale and Shea as well.  

Lauren Kellohen, a bartender at Rice Paper, is glad to see the restaurant growing. She describes the restaurant as Vietnamese with a modern twist.

“Rice Paper is very heavily focused on a casual ambience, very calming, very relaxing,” Kellohen said. “We have about 20 different variations of spring rolls.” 

Some house specialties include the Shaking Beef, Crispy Rice, Lemongrass Chicken and Pho. “Pho is the most popular Vietnamese dish out there,” Kellohen said. 

“Check, Please! Arizona” guest Ed Neilson loves dining at Rice Paper. “It’s convenient for us, because it is close to where we live,” he said. “It’s just such a clean looking restaurant, and the staff and food are amazing.” 

Neilson orders the edamame and a variety of spring rolls, but the two that he loves specifically are the firecracker shrimp and the pacific trio. “They both are warm and crispy,” Neilson said. “There are three different dipping sauces. They are all amazing.”

Guest Carla Taghvaei orders the veggie pho with no tofu. Taghvaei summed up her review in a few short words: “It was just clean and fresh.”

Besides expected menu items like banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) and several kinds of pho, Rice Paper lays claim to having the largest fresh spring roll bar in Arizona.