The Delmar Loop has seen many restaurants come and go over the past several years. With the development of the Loop trolley, the street as a whole is still growing and changing, as it adjusts to its popularity and new construction projects.

VietNam Style, which opened last October, is a new contender to the Loop restaurant scene. It brings with it two characteristics that are more or less unique to the Loop: Vietnamese style food and affordable pricing.

Brock Workman | Student Life

VietNam Style sits on the Delmar Loop at the corner of Delmar Boulevard and Rosedale Avenue. The restaurant opened in October.

Located on the eastern side of the Loop, past Skinker Boulevard, VietNam Style faces the massive new apartment complex that is scheduled for completion later this year. It is a bit of a walk for many students living on or around campus but certainly not an unreasonable one. The restaurant itself is not very large; it has seating for around 30 people. However, take-out is always an option. The dining room, while not extravagant, has plenty of room and is relaxed enough to enjoy a casual dinner out.

I had only eaten Vietnamese food a few times prior to this meal, so I was eager to see what VietNam Style had to offer. The main categories included steak, noodle bowls, sandwiches, salad noodle vermicelli, rice platters and vegetarian options. This was a wide enough range to satiate most preferences, and for my meal, I chose the House Special Vietnamese Sizzling Steak. It came out predictably hot and sizzling and was served on a platter surrounded by a sunny-side up egg, French pork liver pate, sardines, Swiss cream cheese and a grilled pork patty. This is a spectacular range of additions to a steak and to a picky eater, this might might be terrifying. Admittedly, I was underwhelmed by the liver pate, but the fun of the dish was experimenting and combining the sides with the steak to see which flavors worked together. The steak was cooked through but was still juicy and covered in house sauce that was easily soaked up later by rice or French bread.

Brock Workman | Student Life

VietNam Style offers the Bo Ne Dac Biet, which contains Filet Mignon, a sunny side egg, French pork liver pate, grilled pork patty and mackerel in tomato sauce. The dish costs $15.95.

It was also a lot of food for the price. In addition to the steak meal, I ordered a share of a slightly spicy beef-ball kebob appetizer and Vietnamese coffee (coffee that is dripped onto condensed milk). The meal was $18 before tip, which is pretty reasonable, given that this could be a typical entree price elsewhere on the Loop. More frugal selections can be made, including a $6.95 lunch special that includes a drink and appetizer or a dinner for two for $21.95. Additionally, appetizers and sandwiches are discounted from roughly 10- 25 percent, as a part of a winter promotion. In addition to dining in, any of these meals can be carried out or ordered through delivery by a food delivery company called Skip The Dishes.

VietNam Style is a great addition for college students looking for tasty food that is quick and cheap. It might not be the perfect place for a fancy date, but it is great for a Tuesday night if you don’t feel like cooking. My biggest worry for VietNam Style is whether it will be able to carve a market out of the exceptionally competitive Loop restaurant scene. The completion of the apartment complex and trolley will boost exposure for the fledgling restaurant, but the high turnover rate for Loop restaurants shows that new eateries are not always welcomed with open arms. In my opinion, however, the food is appetizing and unique enough to find a customer niche, making VietNam Style worthy of being a Loop staple.