Bé Ù - Vietnamese Street Food & Comfort Food

You cannot go wrong here. Everything on the menu slaps to a superb degree. My favs are the popcorm chicken, the limeade spritzer, and the tofu banh mi (with a side of peanut sauce). Chef Uyen is a very dope human who has built a beautiful business model around delicious Vietnamese home cooking and community mutual aid. We freakin love Be U!

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’ve eaten here many times and it is consistently delicious! So good!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best food in Los Angeles!!! Hands down.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Vegan bahn mi here is absurdly good, prices are some of the best in the neighborhood, and everyone who works here is absurdly friendly.

Be U has been on my list for years and today I finally sauntered over and went. I told the order taking lady it was my first time there and she was so excited for me. I got the Ban Mi Dip (basically like a French dip with consumme, but Vietnamese) and the limeade. The first bite I knew I made the right choice.
I will definitely be back. Seating is a small outdoor situation, super casual- so if you’re lazy and roll up in yoga pants and a bleach stained t-shirt like I did, you’re all good.
I’m all for oysters, fennel pollen, and avocado toast, but this was a great break from the typical Silverlake vibes & very worth checking out.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Lady working at the window was rude and rushed us from the moment we arrived though there was nobody else there to order. I got the tofu banh mi and my partner got the chicken banh mi. They were both very bland and dry, we have definitely had better elsewhere and for much cheaper. The limeade was good but kinda steep in price.

The only thing I would come back for is the salt and pepper fried oyster mushrooms. Could use a sauce because quite frankly everything here was dry but the flavor on the mushrooms was really good and made the visit worth it.

There’s only outdoor seating on the side and it’s pretty hard to find parking on the street.

Recommended dishes: Salt and Pepper Mushrooms

First time visiting this place. It’s “homestyle Vietnamese,” which usually means slightly better than meh. We had the chicken porridge, which was pretty bland and tasted overcooked, like they added a few cups of water to the perfectly cooked porridge to accommodate the night’s last customers. The summer rolls with oyster mushrooms and avocado were Awesome, the only thing I would come back for. The pork riblets and popcorn chicken were way, way, wayyyy too salty! I am still chugging cups of water hours later bc it was so salty! The bun with beef was okay, but the noodles were too wet. My kids loved the limeade.

The restaurant is on a very sketchy street. It seriously smells like you’re inside a very full pit latrine on a hot day all up and down the block! The restaurant has a “pay what you can” policy, which is laudable, but it also means that you will be eating with a range of unhoused people. While we waited for our order, there were: a drunk guy waiting for food with his pee bottle in hand; a homeless woman who looked like she was just beaten up, scowling at everyone; and two guys who looked like they were dealing drugs out of their car. My daughter was so nervous we went and sat in the car to wait for our take-out order. I do appreciate that the cashier was nice and did her best to deal with a glut of customers at the end of the day. Also, there were more vegan and vegetarian dishes on the menu here than is usual at any restaurant.

The food was ok— A+ for the summer rolls, A for the limeade, and B/B+ for everything else. I would not call this a family-friendly space, especially not at dusk. Next time we get a hankering for Vietnamese fare, we’ll drive the extra distance to Gingergrass in Silverlake, kitty corner from the Silverlake Library. It has great food and a beautiful atmosphere, and it’s not that much more expensive.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 5

I was in the area for business and I wanted a quick, light lunch. And woah! I had a really nice egg banh mi. That fresh crusty bread, the perfect pate spread and fresh veggies, topped with fried eggs with runny yolk. Absolute perfection, esp with the hot pepper salsa on the side. They have a small but cute patio on the side and service was quick and efficient. If I lived there I'd go daily. Highly recommend.

Food: 5

Service: 5

I love their food. They have one of my favorite Bahn mi sandwiches in the city but I noticed they recently started making them significantly smaller. This wouldn't be a big deal but for a sandwich that is already $14, it's a little ridiculous considering there are so many other great options for under $10.

Be U is a local treasure. The food is great and Chef Uyen does so much good for the neighborhood. Check Instagram for the weekend specials!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

tried the bahn mi for the first time today and now I will have to go back every single day BECAUSE IT WAS SO GOOD.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bánh MÌ Vegan Optional

We did not dine in so I can’t speak to the atmosphere or service, but the banh mi sandwiches? Perfection. The pork was well marinated and super tender, there was a good tang from the pickled carrot and daikon, the baguette is crusty yet soft, and the cucumber/cilantro/jalapeno was fresh and crunchy. We ate the sandwiches in silence which always means the food is good. This is a long-winded review just to say - Get the banh mi. 👌🏻

Food: 5

Delicious lunch spot

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious spring rolls ! They call them summer rolls . Will be back.

Love love love this place. The good they do for the community is beyond awesome. The food, so good! The staff, amazing. Great little patio to sit and chat and eat and drink. All if the bahn mi are great. But I'm partial to the vegetarian one with fried egg. The protein boxes, I always tell myself, just eat half and save some for later.... when I have 3 bites left, I just give up and finish it. Summer rolls are really good, very large and some options for fillings. Oh, and the coffee... it's like dessert. A very caffinated dessert...

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mango Cucumber and Mint Salad Vegan GF, Bánh MÌ Vegan Optional, Summer Rolls, Rice Noodle Bowl, Mango Salad, Bahn MI Tofu, Karaage