by I don’t know, man, it’s Friday afternoon and pretty much all the news is right there in the headline: Un Bien now has a third sandwich shop in Queen Anne, which means you no longer have to drive to Ballard to get the mini-chain’s incredible Caribbean cuisine.
But since we’re all here, how about a few more details? The restaurant is on Galer Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, and it’s open now, but only from 4 to 9 p.m. so the team can “work out the little kinks,” says co-owner Lucas Lorenzo. Starting next Wednesday, it’ll be open at 11 a.m., like the other two Un Bien restaurants, both in Ballard. Unlike those restaurants, you’ll be able to order inside instead of at an outdoor window, so no more waiting in line in the rain.
As for the menu, it will be exactly the same, because when you have the reputation of Un Bien, why bother with anything? Big sandwiches with tender onions and marinated meat full of flavor, as well as classic Caribbean sides like beans and rice (seriously, don’t sleep on the beans).
But while Lucas and his brother, Julian Lorenzo, have been mastering the art of the sandwich for some time now (their father, Lorenzo Lorenzo, started Paseo, now under new management after a messy tragedy), expanding Un Bien has proven more challenging. Lucas says the owners have been working toward opening the Queen Anne location for two and a half years, navigating a lengthy construction and permitting process as they transformed a non-restaurant business into a restaurant.
“I’ll never do that again,” Lucas says. “I only buy turnkeys.” [restaurant spaces that require minimal renovation] From now on.”
Does this mean Un Bien is expanding? Sort of, but don’t expect a fourth restaurant anytime soon. “We’re moving very slowly,” he says. “A lesson we’ve learned from watching this with other people is that growing quickly and going too fast can cause problems. So we’re going to spend the next couple of years fine-tuning this place, and if it makes money and we’re confident, then we might branch out somewhere else.”
A Queen Anne Property is located at 319 W Galer Street and is currently open Wednesday through Sunday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
