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The Streets review: The Vietnamese menu here is short but tasty, and even the Taoiseach is a fan

There’s a cool outside area with a DJ set-up and seating is on high stools in a great location

The Streets
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Address: Hynes Bar, Prussia St, Stoneybatter, Dublin, D07 E1RD
Telephone: N/A
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Cost: €€

What’s on offer?

Dog-friendly and Gaeilgeoir-friendly, not only is Hynes’ Bar a decent place for a pint, there’s tasty food served from Friday to Sunday. The Streets is a Vietnamese-inspired food venture run by Mark Ta and Wai Fung Cheung. Raised in Dublin, their families hail from Vietnam and Hong Kong respectively. At home, their native languages were always spoken and all the food was from their home countries. As children, however, Ta spent some of his school years in Vietnam in order to learn the language and immerse himself in the culture of the country, as did Cheung in Hong Kong. A love of the street food they enjoyed in these countries inspired them to start a casual food business.

The menu is short, offering a choice between a bánh mì with chicken, pork or tofu, and the spice tray, a twist on a spice bag. Snacks include vegetable spring rolls and salt and chilli chips. There’s a cool outside area with a DJ set-up, and seating is on high stools and at tables. If you order your first drink at the bar through Irish, they’ll give you €1 off. The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, is a fan and was present on the evening we visited.

What did we order?

Vegetable spring rolls, a pork bánh mì and the spice tray.

How was the service?

Straightforward, you order at the hatch and wait for your food to be delivered.

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Was the food nice?

There were three handmade spring rolls, deliciously crusty, filled with corn, cabbage, glass noodles and beansprouts, and drizzled with chilli sauce. The bánh mì, served on crusty bread, was loaded with succulent, crisp pork and topped with pickled radish, coriander, chilli sauce and mayo. The spice bag was tasty, filled with pieces of battered chicken and chips, topped with sriracha mayo.

What about the packaging?

Packaging, in brown cardboard trays, is recyclable when clean and compostable. There are recycling bins at the bar.

What did it cost?

€25 for dinner for two people – vegetable spring rolls, €5; pork banh mi, €10; and a spice tray, €10.

Where does it deliver?

There is no delivery – it is on-site at Hynes’ Bar only. Open Fri-Sat, 6pm-10pm; Sun, 4pm-8pm.

Would I order it again?

Yes, this is tasty food that goes nicely with a beer, and the location is great.

Corinna Hardgrave

Corinna Hardgrave

Corinna Hardgrave, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes a weekly restaurant column