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    A Dong Restaurant

    3.9 (355 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    A Dong Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    A DONG RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - A Dong Restaurant

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    YangHwa P.

    Passing through Des Moine we found this Vietnamese restaurant. It was spacious and clean, especially the restroom was very clean! The service was attentive, friendly, and very good. We wanted to try something different from the usual Vietnamese dish we get back at home. We got pork stuffed squid, pork ribs with the restaurant's special sauce, spring roll, and sour lemon drink. I feel a bit of a mixed feeling with the food we ordered. The flavours were really bland compared to the flavours I am used to. The fish sauce dipping sauce (nuoc cham) almost tasted like water with a hint of fish sauce, which in my opinion was very off putting. Where I am from we have fairly large Vietnamese community so I can trust the flavours. I am wondering if the flavours here are weaker to cater to the non Asian palate? Anyway, the 4 stars is for the wonderful and friendly service this restaurant provided.

    Pearl Z.

    Have been here a few times and love it! It is a bit pricier than some of the other pho places. Their duck noodle soup was good but for the price I would've wanted more duck.

    Hot and sour soup with two spring rolls. see the iced tea? Very refreshing.
    Mary P.

    I was very disappointed in the lack of flavors in my most recent meal at ADong. I hadn't been since before Covid. It was a Friday around lunchtime and there were a lot of empty seats--same thing when we left--that's worrisome for a business. My friend ordered the equivalent of crab Rangoon, and said they were tasty. They came with a lemony sauce. I had the iced tea which is actually a very lightly flavored lime drink. It was very refreshing. I then had a cup of hot and sour soup, which had one shrimp in the cup and lots of nice crunchy veggies. But it had none of the hot nor sour flavors that I'm used to. I had two spring rolls with a very bland sauce. I should've asked for peanut sauce; I just assumed that what it was. Each roll had three shrimp in it, quite a bit of lettuce and some rice noodles. I didn't even bother to finish them. The waitress was pleasant. The room is bright and clean. Perhaps you're supposed to ask for some heat/spices?

    Looks extremely sketchy from outside.
    John M.

    Am trying my best to ignore the blatantly obvious innuendo in the name just like a respectable adult person should. A Dong, the best authentic Vietnamese restaurant that you have never heard of. I kid you not the outside looks more like a sketchy cigarette shop than a nice sit down (if you don't believe me check out my picture). Don't let the look deceive you though. I walked in with no expectations and I was amazed by this place. Here are the facts. 1) The food is fast, really truly fast. 2) The menu is in Vietnamese but they conveniently number all the dishes so that basic white people like me can order without looking like a fool. 3) The prices are super low. A typical authentic place will run $10-$15 on a plate whereas here more like $6-$8 for the same great quality. 4) The food tastes great (some sort of unbelievably not bland beef based bowl!!). I can't really elaborate on this one, you just need to find out for yourself. In conclusion, go try this place out. I have concluded.

    Stir fried egg noodles with beef, chicken, shrimp, and veggies  Shrimp spring rolls
    Ashley E.

    Agree with other reviews, nice staff but mediocre food. If you've had authentic Vietnamese, this is not it. Take the fresh spring road for instance. They were $5 or so for two of them and you can't have both pork and shrimp in them as you normally would, only one or the other. In addition to that they're not stuffed very tightly but fairly loose. The sauce was the most watery I've had and lacking in flavor. The fried noodles I expected to be the Chinese style that are crispy but as you can see from my photo they weren't. The dish was still tasty because noodles, seafood, and vegetables taste good together, and nothing was a weird texture, but it could have had more flavor.

    The spring rolls. PLEASE. The only ones and the best ones I've ever had.

    BREAK MY SCALE. So good. The customer service was so good they got us right in and the food came quick and hot. Everything was so fresh.

    Kid's pho portion

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    3 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    9 months ago

    I've been coming here for many years. Pho was $9 and now is $15. Still my favorite though! Miss the orchids, too bad they are gone now.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    We had take out, we all enjoyed it. Great flavor and portions. There were adults and kids all liking the meal!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Decent food, but honestly have never understood the hype. Service was good and menu is authentic.

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    2 years ago

    Best fresh Asian food in the Des Moines area! I have tried so many different dishes here & I'm never disappointed.

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    Pho All Seasons - Beef Carpaccio (Bo Tai Chanh)

    Pho All Seasons

    4.3(185 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $

    First timer! Friday dinner time and were seated right away. Friendly service. Food came out really…read morefast - tasty dishes.

    After a long work week in Ames and having good, but mostly American/Western food, we needed an…read moreethnic fix. Enter my comfort zone, Pho from my motherland. I knew we were in the right place when we walked I. And half of the restaurant were Vietnamese peeps. Was a warming experiencing hearing patrons throw a few traditional Lunar New Year greetings at each other and the owners. It's a small mom and pop shop, so much so, pop was the sole soldier working the entire front of the house. As such, don't expect super fast service, but good service nonetheless. We started with the fresh spring rolls, which were good, and their fried egg rolls, which I probably won't order again. The egg rolls were pretty much veggies, loosely filled, and served with a sweet and sour type dipping sauce. It was more of an Americanized Chinese style egg roll, not a Vietnamese cha gio with nouc cham. I ordered the pho dac biet and it was VERY good. The large is HUGE. Most places back home have suffered from shrink-flation and large bowls are tiny now. Not this place, I struggled to finish the bowl. My friends got the seafood pho, and another got the pho ga (chicken). I of course did not slide my chopsticks in theirs and swipe a bite, but they said they enjoyed theirs. I would definitely come back here again and maybe try some of their other dishes.

    Photos
    Pho All Seasons - Casual but friendly dining room.

    Casual but friendly dining room.

    Pho All Seasons - Pho All Seasons

    Pho All Seasons

    Pho All Seasons - Not so great egg roll. More like American Chinese style, not a Vietnamese cha gio

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    Not so great egg roll. More like American Chinese style, not a Vietnamese cha gio

    All Phở You - 7. Spring Bowl Combo

    All Phở You

    4.1(67 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    The food is EXCELLENT here; dirty wings are nice and crisp on the outside, tender and juicy on the…read moreinside. The Pho is a heavenly light broth with mild or spicy flavor as one chooses, while filled with noodles and generous helpings of meat or vegetables of your choice. Other choices of dishes from Thai or Chinese regions are well made with a wonderful scent, zing to the sauces and visual appeal that makes everyone at the table envious or hoping for a sample that might be shared. Service and price are exquisite, too! A great spot to get the right food when you want something a little different, this is my new go-to spot.

    Food came out quickly! They have a wide variety of different dishes on their menu. Service was…read moregood, and the food came out fresh and hot. I ordered the Pho Special (comes with brisket, beef tendon, eye of round, and meatballs). My dad got the Vietnamese ramen (egg noodles with meat & shrimp), my mom got the sizzling clay rice pot, and my brother got the stir fry beef egg noodles. Not the best pho I've had, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Broth had great flavor, however I wish I could have had raw steak as I prefer that in my pho but that wasn't an option- I usually like getting raw steak to put into the hot soup and let it cook a bit through as you put it in. I would eat here again though. The restaurant was clean and service was prompt. Nicely decorated, and prices were fair!

    Photos
    All Phở You
    All Phở You - 19. Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

    19. Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

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    Pho 85 - Ankeny - So good we forgot to take a photo!  10. Well-Done Brisket & Flank Rice Noodle Soup

    Pho 85 - Ankeny

    4.2(109 reviews)
    9.1 mi
    $

    Definitely worth a visit! Their pho is incredible, affordable, and it comes out very quickly! For…read moreanyone who isn't absolutely starving, I'd say a small or medium size would be perfect. Their large bowl is absolutely giant! I highly recommend the #2, which is the raw steak and brisket. It comes with a heaping plate of bean sprouts, jalapeños, limes, and cilantro you can put into the pho, as well as some chili garlic oil and another teriyaki-ish type sauce. Every bit of the meal was absolutely fantastic!

    Time to update my review…read more I was craving Pho. I know that this is the best place in Ankeny for me to kill the craving. Walked in on a early evening and got the last table available. Greeted warmly by a young man who sat us. Another young lady came and got our drink orders. Tvs are on at both ends of the small restaurant but not turned up. Music plays from the overhead speakers. I ordered us the shrimp spring rolls. I just love soaking them in the peanut sauce that comes with them. I ordered the small well done brisket and tendon. Yum. Pho comes with a plate of basil leaves, jalapeños and, bean spouts to add to your broth as you want. It comes out hot and delicious. Hubby got the chicken pad tai. He liked it. I got to take some of my soup home with me to have later. I really enjoy this little place. Lots of people walking in for pick up too. All great signs of a good place to eat.

    Photos
    Pho 85 - Ankeny
    Pho 85 - Ankeny - 7K. Chicken Pad Thai Topped with Peanut

    7K. Chicken Pad Thai Topped with Peanut

    Pho 85 - Ankeny - Spring rolls and mussels

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    Spring rolls and mussels

    A Dong Restaurant - vegetarian - Updated May 2026

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