Bee BanhMi Vietnamese, a fast-casual eatery offering Southeast Asian street food, is now open in Cary.
Proprietor Kaley Tran, a native of Vietnam who moved to the Triangle area in 2015, also owns popular Raleigh restaurant Anise Pho. She joined forces with close friend Judy Hou for the new endeavor.
“It has been my dream to open a place with this type of concept,” said Tran during a recent sit-down visit. “When most people think of Vietnamese food, they think of pho, but I wanted to do something out of the box.”
Kaley Tran, left, and Judy Hou, right, are the proprietors of Bee BanhMi in Cary.
The restaurant’s signature banh mi sandwich involves a toasted baguette stuffed with pork sausage and ham, house dressing, pate, cilantro, and fresh, thinly sliced carrots, cucumber and jalapeno. Alternative protein choices include grilled chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu and meatball.
Meat is marinated in locally sourced honey from Blye’s Bees in Cary.
Additional entrees include steamed bao buns, five-colors salad, house rice platter and a noodle bowl, all of which come with diner’s choice of protein.
Among the intriguing appetizers include fresh summer rolls wrapped in rice paper, fried dumplings and crispy fried egg rolls.
For something distinctively different, order a side of shrimp chips, which are somewhat similar in consistency to pork rinds, but are made with tapioca flour.
Refreshing smoothies like Sunset Pina Colada, Strawesome (strawberry, peach and mango) and the bestselling spinach-infused Island Green are a great alternative to typical dessert.
Be sure to try the classic lemon iced tea, which Tran says is a popular trend in Vietnam.
The restaurant’s casual dining room features sunny yellow walls with honeycomb-style hexagon shaped shelves.
“I am so thankful that I could come to America and make my dream come true,” Tran said with a broad smile. “We could not do it without the support from people here in the community.”
Closed Tuesdays, Bee BanhMi is open six days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dine in, takeout and delivery are available.
Bee BanhMi
1871 Lake Pine Drive (MacGregor Square), Cary
(919) 650-3485
facebook.com/BeeBanhMi10
