Bé Ù

The food here is delicious.

I got the chicken porridge ($8.50) and a chicken banh mi ($12).

The chicken porridge was so tasty and warm. Fully satisfying. I do however wish they would serve it in a paper soup container instead of the plastic ones they use. I can tell with the heat and the flimsy plastic theres definitely microplastics ended up in your food. Paper would be compostable etc and overall more sustainable.

The banh mi was tasty and i like how they use softer bread than Lee's so my mouth doesnt get all scratched up.

Its still only takeout. Would be nice to have a bench to wait on.

I believe their best offering is their classic pork bánh mì, as the lemongrass flavoring goes so well with the pork, which itself is nice and juicy. The pickles are different from what I am used bánh mì thịt, but they are still very good.

Be warned that this is not a sit down venue. Prepare to eat in your car or elsewhere. Fun fact: I was eating my first Bé Ù sandwich in the dark. I was so hungry I didn't want to waste time not eating this sandwich, so I just sat in my car in the evening literally blindly eating my sandwich. This is problematic because bánh mì is full of different ingredients that could spill all over you if you hold the bread the wrong way. Thankfully they gave two layers of wrapping paper and I was able to mostly spare my clothing from smelling like dinner.

I also really enjoyed their bánh mì ốp la (I am an egg fiend), but be warned that it is so inconvenient to eat by hand. It may as well have been a knife and fork meal. My hands were getting eggy mess at every bite. Really good, but not as food for to-go.

I have returned to Bé Ù in multiple occasions expecting a high pedigree of food after the first delicious pork sandwich. Unfortunately, saltiness is a huge issue with their newer items. Both the au jus and the popcorn chicken were a tad bit too salty for me to comfortably enjoy. I thankfully had my water with me so I could balance the sodium. To give credit, the food itself is cooked to perfect texture.

(P.S. As this restaurant appears to be in a hipster hub, here is a PSA for the folx who don't know Vietnamese: bánh mì should never be spelled "bahn mi." To people who write "bahn mi": you should all be ashamed of yourselves for misspelling a six letter word. Rant to be continued at other bánh mì places...)

If you're interested in trying popular Vietnamese entrees outside of pho, head over to Be U! This woman-owned eatery is located in a prime hipster Echo Park neighborhood, and to me, it's a perfect blend of my culture superimposed on Los Angeles's colorful cityscape. The menu ranges from homey comfort-food entrees to popular street bites, and some new-age fusion items as well.

Atmosphere: 2/5 As a take-out-only restaurant located on Hoover Street, there's no seating and it faces traffic. If only there were some colorful plastic chairs (like the ones you see in SE Asia) - the vibes would be immaculate. However, you're either standing and eating or taking the food back to your home.

Service: 3/5 Wasn't bad but wasn't warm or friendly either - service was okay

Flavors: 5/5 Highly recommend:
-Banh mi trung op la (banh mi with fried egg): homemade mushroom pate is delicious, it inspired me to make some at home. The egg was crispy to the heavens.
-Rau ma juice: in English known as pennyworth, extremely refreshing, herbal, and will cool you down on a hot day.
-Tofu goi cuon (spring rolls): The peanut sauce offered with this was so yummy! The spring rolls were super fresh and all the herbs complemented the flavors.

Parking: 2/5 Street parking only, very limited

Pricing: 3/5 Definitely not cheap for Vietnamese food, however, LA is a high-cost-of-living area so I understand that the owner needs to maintain overhead costs and pay her employees a fair wage! Expect to pay $4-5 higher than what you're used to paying in the OC/SJ/SGV. The reason why I rate it low is because the portions are significantly smaller than what you'd get at a traditional sit down Vietnamese restaurant

Overall I recommend Be U if you're unfamiliar with Vietnamese food outside of mainstream pho, but if you're willing to drive to SGV, Garden Grove/Westminster, you'll be truly immersed in the cuisine and culture

Absolutely delicious!! Great person at the window taking orders, fast and again delicious! Cute little place to pick up your order from, even cuter fat baby mural on the side.

Bé Ù is a little gem tucked away in a blink-and-you-miss-it structure a little north of the 101, and you don't want to miss it! Lunchtime sandwiches to die for, super friendly folks with our food prepped and ready to go when we arrived. Tip: Bé Ù gets busy at lunch so order ahead to avoid lines. Both the chicken and tofu Banh Mi sandwiches were stellar. Definitely recommend if you're looking for fresh, quick, tasty lunchtime Vietnamese fare.

Solid 3 stars. It was good but wasn't great and didn't amaze me. Fresh ingredients and popcorn chicken was nice and hot. But nothing amazing for me to go back and and get again. Sandwich was lacking flavor.

Wanted something quick and saw this place was around the corner, so I walked there. Thought I might sit there and eat but they didn't have in door dining.

The girl who helped me was super friendly and very informative too. Should've asked for her name. But why was she informative?
Because I asked what they had to drink and she said "Rau Ma". I probably said what like 5 times. But then she got into details and said "it looks like matcha but it isn't!"

I'm super glad I got this drink. I like the sweetness this drink has too. Like she said, "it's very refreshing". Indeed it is lol.

Oh and the chicken sandwich... from the bread to the spicy aioli. Former kitchen manager, Adrian Samayoa, is a genius!!!

Must try!

WHEN: Fri @ 11:15am

I've been wanting to try this spot for some time now, and today was the day! Why? Because I am actually hungover and rice porridge/congee sounds really good right now. And Be U has it, and its only 15 minutes away, which is SUPER close by for LA.

I was able to park in front because street sweeping starts at noon and this spot is for take out only (no dine-in). Here's what I ordered:

BANH MI SANDWICH - $10
Choice of main protein, patê, aioli, pickled radish & carrots, cucumbers, jalapeños, cilantro.
Yes yes, I know, who would ever pay $10 for a banh mi right? It's fine, it's hard out here, and it's actually good. I chose pork and there were thick sweet cutlets of them in this bad boy. I appreciate the generous amount of aioli but I did not taste any pate in there. Was there really any? Overall the sandwich was really good to me.

CHICKEN RICE PORRIDGE - $7.50
Rice porridge cooked w/ house-made chicken stock. Served with shredded chicken. Garnished with scallions, cilantro, fried shallots & black pepper.
Oh man tastes exactly how my mom makes it (shhh don't tell her I paid for porridge!). It really hits the spot and it's so tasty! I love that it's topped with fried shallots and scallions and cilantros. The chicken is mostly shredded white meat and they sunk to the bottom of the container, so stir it up!

CA PHE SUA DA (Vietnamese Iced Coffee) - $4.50
Slow-Dripped Café Du Monde coffee w/ Longevity Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk. Served over ice. Made in-house.
Whoa that first sip! It's like they knew exactly how much condensed milk I like in my coffee! Ahhh 10/10!

Since they do not have dine-in options, the staff kindly suggested the park nearby called Bellevue Recreational Center, and it was a nice park with plenty of parking on the street (the lot was full).

I got take out from this spot twice., and tried a good selection of the menu. The food is fresh and flavorful. I really enjoyed the popcorn chicken with crispy curry leaves, the banh mi and both the corn as well as the mango/mont/cucumber sides. The fried shallots in many of the dishes are so satisfying. The Vietnamese coffee is strong and solid.

It is ahigh traffic area but they conveniently have 10 minute parking right up front.

The same lovely lady helped me both times. She is very welcoming and memorable. She addressed a small issue I had with a previous order, which was unexpected. It's a treat to experience great service on top of satisfying food.

It is very rare that I leave a review on yelp. That said I just completed an Instacart delivery to this restaurant. Not only did they tip well, everybody there was super friendly. To top it off, they offered me a Banh mi sandwich and it was easily the best I've ever had. Shout out Be U.