Un Bien
Caribbean restaurant · Ballard
7302.5 15th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117
Highlights
Un Bien’s vibrant Caribbean shack in Ballard serves messy, juice-dripping roast pork sandwiches on crisp Macrina baguettes with bold aioli and pickled jalapeños.
Un Bien’s vibrant Caribbean shack in Ballard serves messy, juice-dripping roast pork sandwiches on crisp Macrina baguettes with bold aioli and pickled jalapeños.
"In the Paseo vs Un Bien debate, we are team Un Bien all the way. In fact, we’d argue that this little walk-up window in Ballard makes some of the best sandwiches in America—and not just because we have a strong affinity for onions. The shining star is their Caribbean Roast, with pulled pork that’s been slow-cooked with the greatest marinade in all the land, and topped with sweet grilled onions, spice-flecked aioli, crunchy romaine, cilantro, and pickled jalapeño on a toasty Macrina baguette. If pork’s not your thing, you can count on the juicy char-marked chicken breast sandwich." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"If someone tells you to go to Paseo during your trip, kindly (but firmly) suggest Un Bien instead. The menus are nearly identical, but Un Bien is where the original Paseo owners work, and you should be eating an original Caribbean roast pork-filled baguette—not a lackluster stunt double. Even though Un Bien’s drippy sandwiches are massive, grab some fire-roasted corn as a side, and eat it all on a beach picnic at Golden Gardens Park. Note that you may end up with tender pork bits, zesty aioli, and charred onions all over your (formerly) clean t-shirt, but that Tide Pen in your rental car’s glove compartment has been waiting for this moment." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"We don’t need to get into the Shakespearean drama that resulted in the demise of the old Paseo, that legendary Caribbean sandwich shop run by Lorenzo Lorenzo. Suffice it to say that Un Bien, run by Lorenzo’s sons, is carrying on that legacy, and more importantly the marinade. Sweet, tangy, dripping from the slow-cooked pork (or chicken thighs), you could make a whole meal out of the marinade itself. The onions are so tender and flavor-packed you should be able to get a sandwich that’s just onions, and in fact, you can. Don’t tell anyone but sometimes we’ll buy a little container of their black beans and eat spoonfuls in the car while we do errands." - Eater Staff
"The Caribbean roast pork sandwich from this fuchsia and teal shack on the side of the road has the power to do two things: bestow upon you eternal joy and completely f*ck up your white t-shirt with meat drips. It’s worth it for this toasted Macrina baguette stuffed with tender braised pork clinging to tangy marinade, sweet onions stamped with char from the grill, tart pickled jalapeño, romaine, and a zesty aioli that laughs in the face of standard supermarket mayo. That, plus some of the best grilled chicken in town and fire-roasted corn slathered in limey aioli, paprika, and parmesan make for a perfect meal, especially if you’re picnicking at Golden Gardens. And especially if you have a Tide Pen handy." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"It's important to realize that if you kickstart your dozen-miler with a massive Caribbean Roast baguette from Un Bien, the going might get tough. But as a post-workout destination, we heavily endorse guzzling Jarritos while being blissfully oblivious about where the sweat ends and pork drippings begin. " - aimee rizzo
