I don’t know man, it’s Friday afternoon and pretty much all the news is right there in the headline: Un Bien has a third sandwich shop now in Queen Anne, meaning that you no longer have to schlep to Ballard to get the mini chain’s incredible Caribbean food.
But since we’re all here, how about some more details? It’s on Galer Street between Third and Fourth avenues and is open now, though at the moment 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 from 11 a.m. like the other two Un Bien locations, which are both in Ballard. Unlike those shops, you’ll actually be able to order inside rather than going to an outdoor walk-up window — so no more waiting in a line in the rain.
As for the menu, it’ll be exactly the same, because when you have Un Bien’s reputation why mess with anything? Big, sandwiches featuring tender onions and flavor-packed, marinated meat, plus classic Caribbean sides like beans and rice (seriously don’t sleep on the beans).
But if Lucas and his brother, Julian Lorenzo, mastered the art of sandwiches some time ago — their father, Lorenzo Lorenzo, started Paseo, now under new management after a complicated drama — expanding Un Bien has proved more difficult. Lucas says that the owners have been working to open the Queen Anne location for two and a half years, dealing with a long construction and permitting process as they converted a non-restaurant business into a restaurant.
“I’m never gonna do this again,” Lucas says. “I’m only buying turnkeys [restaurant spaces that require minimal renovation] from now on.”
Does that mean Un Bien is in expansion mode? Kind of, but don’t expect a fourth restaurant anytime soon. “We go really slow,” he explains. “A lesson that we learned from witnessing it with other people is expanding quickly and getting ahead of yourself can cause issues. So we’re gonna spend the next year or two dialing this place in, and if it’s making money and we’re confident with it, then we might branch out somewhere else.”
Un Bien Queen Anne is at 319 W Galer Street and is currently open Wednesdays through Sundays, 4 to 9 p.m.
Michael Johnson is a tech enthusiast with a passion for all things digital. His articles cover the latest technological innovations, from artificial intelligence to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
