Illustrations by Jessica Dunham
Vietnamese Street Tacos
Nick Ho and Nora Gavarrete of Chino’s mix their Asian and Hispanic backgrounds for these delicious tacos, which offer marinated chicken, cucumber, carrots, cilantro, and jalapeños bundled in flour tortillas and smothered with cilantro mayo. Chino’s Street Food at Findlay Market, 119 W. Elder St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 218-6955
Bánh Mì
French colonial rule of Vietnam in the mid-19th century created this sandwich when street vendors in Saigon took baguettes and filled them with traditional Vietnamese ingredients. At Dope!, you can get these handhelds with pork belly, lemongrass chicken, tofu, or beef, and topped with pickled daikon, pickled carrot, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno, and an aioli mayo. Dope! Asian Street Fare, 100 E. Court St., 2nd Floor, downtown, (513) 263-5940; 2912 Wasson Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 351-0123
Tornado Potato Fries
A whole potato cut into a spiral, fried to a golden crisp, and slapped on a skewer, these aren’t your average fries. Made popular in South Korea, Hawkers Alley tops it with your choice of tangy condiments: spicy salt, spicy mayo and parmesan, Japanese mayo, barbecue sauce, or truffles and parmesan. Hawker’s Alley, 28 W. Court St., downtown, (513) 421-2326
Okonomiyaki
First found on the streets of Osaka, these savory pancakes can be topped with your favorite protein and drizzled with Japanese mayo. At Quan Hapa, you can get three versions: house, tempeh bacon, or classic shrimp. Each comes with tonkatsu sauce, green onion, and an egg sunny side up. Quan Hapa, 1331 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-7826
Korean Corn Dog
Replace the cornmeal batter of an American corn dog with a wheat or rice flour batter and you’ve got yourself a gamja hot dog, a.k.a. Korean corn dog, which gained popularity in the 1980s in South Korea. Decibel Korean Fried Chicken’s dogs are coated in batter, rolled in diced potato, and fried twice. You also get a side of sauces—the restaurant’s signature “fly” sauce and gochujang BBQ sauce. Decibel Korean Fried Chicken, 922 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills, (513) 429-5002; 2750 Park Ave., Norwood, (513) 332-2214
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