Came here for dinner yesterday and was saddened by the decline in quality from the last time I visited 3-4 years ago. The veggie egg rolls were extremely oily and lacked flavor - it seemed to just be filled with unseasoned cabbage? The fresh spring rolls were similarly flavorless and came with a watery dipping sauce that I had to dump sriracha into. My veggie fried rice was decent but again totally forgettable flavor-wise. I've made better fried rice at home in a pinch. We also felt very rush to leave around 8:30pm even though they do not close until 9pm. I'm not sure if it's a staffing or ingredient/supply chain issue but I'm hoping they can find their groove again because I really want this family owned restaurant to continue thriving! read more

Busy with the lunch rush as we arrived at 1p. Vietnamese iced coffee made the right way "French Press drip" loved it had another to go also. My Pho Dac Biet was amazing light rich flavorful hot broth with nice portions of tender meat almost wanted to drink every last drop from the bowl . Bun was very good as well crunchy lettuce and bean sprouts fresh cilantro, veggies etc. Grilled pork and shrimp tasty and tender. I will be back! read more

A Dong Restaurant - Pho Dac Biet - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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This has been a sad moment for me at this place. I've had many friends who let me know since they have newly renovated after that fire they had, it hasn't been what it was and I have come here to second that notion. Sure the place looks similar with nicer decor and setting but the food has lacked. The pho that I used to love so much was so bland that I had douse it with Hoison and Sriracha to have some flavoring. Not just the food has lacked but the price has gone up a few dollars higher so it's a lose/lose all around. A Dong used to be a staple of Des Moines but it has falling downhill. I want to give it another chance but if I've been hearing it over and over again from different people and I've tried it myself to also have the same sadness... read more

Menu has a great variety. Atmosphere is laid back and slow. Better for a casual date or dinner with friends when you have time to spare.

We came here again on our trip back from KC for OK Go concert. I usually get the duck in bone egg noodle soup which is the best. I saved the big pieces for my wife. My wife had the chicken pho which my mother-in-law makes too. I have to say this is a close 2nd to my wife's mom. The egg rolls are also good too and close 2nd to my wife's mom too. Overall, the price and value is there for this place and always busy here even on Sunday after church. This place recently had renovation and the place looks very classy now. read more

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Absolutely amazed with this place. I'm not a huge pho person but I wanted pho today and OMG I'm so happy I stopped by. The pho was delicious and just the perfect amount. The noodles were quality noodles and the broth was top notch!!! It was very clear so I was skeptical but after taking my first sip, I couldn't stop sipping! Lol it's so refreshing!! It's rare to find a pho joint that has quality noodles and broth. A must try if you're in the area! I'll be bringing all my guests here when they visit and want pho! read more

I'm really disapointed in A Dong. As a person that eats Chinese/Vietnamese food a lot, I think I am qualified enough to say that this restaurant has gone in the wrong direction. I ordered stir fried noodles to go. Instead, I get "stir fried" vegetables (in quotation because the snow peas had so much crunch in them I swear they were raw), and a side of boiled noodles. I've had plenty of stir fried noodles in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and other parts of asia. This dish was not made the way it was supposed to be made. The dish also included shrimp that was MUSHY in my mouth. It was so overcooked--which did not appear to be cooked at the same time with the undercooked, practically raw vegetables. The shrimp probably was left over from who knows how many days ago before my dish was prepared. For the prices they charge, I expected better. I also ordered a tapioca drink. They put a tablespoon of tapioca in it, which eventually froze and I could not sip it up through my tapioca size straw. Again, I've had plenty of tapioca drinks in my day, from people who know how to make it right, and A Dong does not make it right. The tapioca balls (ALL OF THEM) are not supposed to be frozen. The tapioca balls were also not sweet which indicates they were not prepared the way they should have been. The menu has been shrunken down so choices are limited. The restaurant must be suffering financially because this is not the experience I had the first time I came here. I was the only asian person here that was not part of the staff. I think A Dong is starting to cater their food to people who do not eat Chinese/Vietnamese food a lot, or know what real Chinese/Vietnamese cuisine should taste like. I wont be coming back here. read more

Love this place! I really want a t-shirt! Pho was so yummy! Broth excellent, lots of meat and noodles plus a health plate of veggies on the side! I asked for chili paste and got a good healthy dose to kick it up a notch! Lots of great coffees to choose from too! I'm driving 4 hours and I know this will do the trick! read more

A Dong Restaurant - Vietnamese coffee #129! - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The place looks esthetic and the food is good, good place, and they have welcoming people.

Bummer dude. I love pho and it seems that I have had few "meh" pho experiences but this was one of them. It wasn't so much that the pho was lackluster but that the service was fairly awful. Our server seemed perturbed when I asked for the standard basil and sprouts that typically go with a bowl of pho - odd? And, because I have a serious lack of control when it comes to ethnic eats, every visit to a Vietnamese eatery requires an order of veggie soft spring rolls. These tend to vary more from restaurant to restaurant. I honestly can't remember what it was about these particular rolls that made them so disappointing but I know that I wouldn't order them again. Even if the food would have blown my mind I probably would still give this place three stars due to the less-than-hot customer service. It's amazing how strongly friendliness (or the lack thereof) can make or break an experience. read more

Everything about A Dong is amazing. It is a place where dreams come true. The noodles are supreme. I get the spiciest foods from this place, they deliver joy to me. I love A Dong. read more

Only eaten here one time. I ordered four different dishes. They were very bland. It seems like the food has been Americanized to appeal to a broader spectrum of Iowans. The sauces seemed watered down. Not sure I will return. Extremely disappointing. Staff was very nice. read more

I LOVE ADONG! I've been coming here for 15+ years and they hands down have some of the best egg rolls and spring rolls in town. I always get vegetarian here 1c tofu egg roll appetizer, 16c tofu curry stew is my favorite and so is the Veggie Pho! The restaurant can sometimes be slow because it is family ran and is short on staff. It will more than likely take a bit to get your order in but don't worry it is well worth the wait. The menu is very extensive and can be over whelming for first timers, second timers and third timers. It is good to come here with a seasoned regular or ask the staff what there favorite dish is or the most popular. If you like mild or spicy this place is for you. If you want the spicy route (which I always do) ask them for the back of house spicy chili oil. If you get lucky they also have fresh peppers that they will sometimes bring out. It is mostly in the summer but they are tasty and they grow them right outside the building. Another A Dong favorite for most is the condensed milk coffee but my favorite is the loose leaf Jasmine Tea. My guy and I visit A Dong about once a week. Give it a go and you'll be in love. read more

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This is a Des Moines staple for anyone interested in food. If you're a white, midwestern Applebees lover, you're potentially going to get angry and leave because chicken fingers with bbq sauce side isn't on the menu. Everyone else, read on. I'm most familiar with the vegan menu. There are days when I CRAVE 16c or 14c. I mean crave. I can't stress it enough - A Dong is fresh. Doesn't matter what I get, the food always tastes like the first time I fell in love with it. I usually also get an order of egg rolls 1c, 2c and 3c. The sauces are savory, too. If you're eating vegan, you already know A Dong is right up there as one of your favorites. Otherwise, if you're just going for Vietnamese, and if you've never been there, you MUST try this place. Excellent service, excellent food, great place, clean, well lit, a real gem! read more

Atmosphere in this place was not the most comfortable. Something about this place where when you speak, it echos and I don't like people listening in on my conversations and I don't care to listen to others that's the ambience I got in that place. This honestly is probably one of the worst pho I have ever eaten. But am still willing to give it a 3 star since I am not about trying to hurt people's businesses but rather give my honest opinion so that the owners can do what they want with this. The noodles, I can tell, come from dry packaged noodle that has been rehydrated. It has a specific taste and smell to it. My question is why serve dry pho noodle and not fresh? The overall pho broth taste and quality was no where near the traditional Vietnamese phos I've had and I've been to a lot since I'm from Southern California. Good luck to this place! read more

Parked my derrière in a seat at exactly 12:30p, as I set an alarm on my phone for a 1:30p conference call. Due to that, I was glancing a lot for the time. At 12:52, I was finally asked if I wanted something to drink. 22 minutes...that's a long time to wait, IMO. Ordered my Vietnamese iced coffee and some hot tea. Those were served promptly. Then, I went ahead and ordered when my drinks arrived and got: shrimp yellow curry, stir fry beef and black mushrooms, and a clear noodle soup with shrimp and bbq pork. Food was served within 10min of ordering. The only thing I would order again is the stir fry beef and black mushrooms. It had a great brown, flavorful sauce, lots of onions, julienne bamboo shoots, beef and black mushrooms (one of my favorite vegetables of all time). The clear noodle soup w/ shrimp and bbq pork was bland as heck. I tried extra lime, cilantro, both slices of jalapenos, even some hoisin sauce and sriracha. Nope, it was just pure water, very disappointing. Even worse was the shrimp yellow curry. This is the THIRD time in recent history I have ordered yellow curry somewhere and been served broth with a little curry flavoring. Pitiful. When I order yellow curry, I want yellow curry. I even took a picture on my white plate to show how thin the curry broth was. It was, literally, yellow colored broth, and the lack of flavor matched the wateriness of this dish. So disappointed with this dish. For a $35 lunch, we fought over the one decent beef dish and left the other two almost untouched. No one came around to inquire as to how our meal was going, and since tickets are at the counter one is expected to just go up and pay when they're done. This is the second bad experience at Adong, first was about a year or so ago. I'll give it one more go and then I'm done for good. Very sad, used to be so good. read more

They are only offering to-go or delivery during COVID. Dine in option is unavailable. I recommend the Pork stuffed tofu and yellow curry. I've never tried pork stuffed tofu before but it was good with the tomato sauce that they give you. I also wrapped it in lettuce with the radish and it tasted even better! The yellow curry taste similar to Thai yellow curry but more watered down and light. I'm a bit disappointed in the spring rolls and vermicelli noodle bowl with Shrimp. I'm from Southern California and it didn't taste as good as the ones in San Gabriel or Garden Grove. The shrimp wasnt even seasoned and it tasted bland even with all the fish sauce that they gave me. Overall, I would go back but avoid those two. They have over 100 dishes on their menu so I'm sure there are more dishes to explore! read more

Having only had Vietnamese food a couple times before, A Dong was easily approachable to my inexperienced self. The menu is extensive with over 80 dishes to choose from, but I was still able to traverse the translations and find something that sounded great. The portion sizes were generous for my friends and I, and after trying everyone's dish, I found out that I preferred their shrimp even more than the boiled beef. I would come back with my girlfriend for a fun yet casual dinner for a high quality meal with quick service. read more

A Dong Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

My friend who just returned from a trip to Vietnam recommended this place to me. And since she was endorsing it I knew it had to be good and authentic, so I was down to try it out. I ordered the #1-Pho A Dong. It was delicious, the broth was so flavorful and the ingredients were nice and fresh. Staff was friendly and the environment was enjoyable. Highly recommend you check out this place and their Vietnamese cuisine! read more

A Dong Restaurant - #1- Pho A Dong - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Been going here for 30 years. Great food and service. We will continue to support small businesses especially great ones

Good food nice choices I usually have the yellow curry with chicken and potatoes and it's like a stew. It's great Asian comfort food on a cold day but really nice sunny day. They have a tremendous amount of choices for food. They also have a nice pho and it's a good choice any day but especially nice late evening or not cool or cold day I recommend to visit parking it be a problem so be aware that. Service is great. It is one of the Moines oldest Asian Vietnamese restaurants. read more

I had been wanting to try pho for the longest time and I live right behind A dong so I finally bit the bullet and did it. I was a bit nervous because some yelp reviews said it was flavorless and what not but I was trapped in my house without a ride so I ordered it anyways. And I am sooooooo soo glad I did. I ordered the #2 pho Tai with raw beef and was blown away by how delicious it was. I can't believe I've been depriving myself this long. I thought the broth was very tasty and found myself drinking the rest of it from the bowl. It was packaged perfectly with all of the toppings in one box, the raw beef wrapped in foil (which I really appreciate I was afraid it would be overcooked by the time I got home), and the super hot broth in a big plastic container. It was phenomenal on a cold iowa day. The service was very quick and friendly too. Everything felt very clean even the vegetables, herbs and what not that came in my food. You can tell they put care into their preparation and what they do. I will 100% be coming back several times throughout winter to get a pho fix. Thank you a dong, I'm now addicted! read more

A Dong Restaurant - a variety of food items - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The staff was incredibly rude. No customer service whatsoever. Food was okay though. Won't be coming back here.

I got bun bo hue to go and spring rolls and I wasn't impressed! they did give a large portion of meat but not much variety! The broth tasted really plain and the quality and love I have seen in many bun bo hue soups was missing here.. I had high hopes for this place given the reviews. I also thought the spring rolls and they were a bit off ? I will be going else where, sorry but this first order really put me off ! But I will be raving about the name forever read more

I've eaten here several times since moving to Des Moines. I realize it's a staple and that everyone is in love with it and etc. I give it 5 for consistency and really fast, always extra friendly service. The food is always good, but seems to be sorta like baby-steps to real Vietnamese. All the flavors are the most mild versions of what they could be. I'll blame that on the local majority palate that A Dong is successfully catering to. If they could crank it up on the sour, spicy, funky stanky side of Vietnamese, I would be all over it like white on rice, pun absolutely intended. For now, I'll keep coming back for pho because it's phocking cold outside and the only cure is more cowbell, I mean pho. read more

I had not been here in many years. A Dong did not disappoint. There is something for everyone. They have light dishes, vegatarian, pork, chicken, shrimp. The menu is huge. Hard to make a decision. I went with the chicken, vegetables, rice, and egg roll. The restaurant was 90% full but the service was on point. My dinning partner and I were able to grab a great meal with time to spare before a show. Definitely want to go back and try other dishes read more

A Dong Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Great fresh take out close to 235. If you are passing through on the road , skip the burgers and fries and have some Vietnamese.

I can never say enough good things about this place. We land here weekly it seems. Great neighborhood gem, always friendly service. Huge menu with lots of variety. read more

A Dong Restaurant - #108 Rare Beef Salad - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Great authentic taste and wonderful customer service ! I highly recommend the well done beef pho. We also tried their home made hot sauce and it was equally delicious. Extremely spicy though! read more

Wowsers! A Dong has amazing Vietnamese food. My friend and I were in Des Moines trying to find a healthier place to eat when we found this gem. The place has plenty of seating and is very spacious. When we went it was not too busy so getting a seat did not take long. The staff was very friendly and we got our food really quickly. The portion was very big so the food was very filling. The price of food was pretty cheap and with the portion you're getting it is an overall good deal. The menu has many vegetarian options as well as many options with meat. They offer a variety of Vietnamese cuisines so there is plenty to choose from. On top of this they have bubble tea! The bubble tea was very good and a lot more authentic than a lot of other bubble tea options in the area. I recommend comming here anytime you are in Des Moines! read more

A Dong Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I have been sleeping on A-Dong but not anymore, we went for Father's Day and went a little crazy ordering food left and right, out waiter did a great job keeping up with the order and the food came out hella fast, but it was fresh, super hot and full of flavor, they made shrimp fried rice taste amazing and it such a basic dish and the #72 stir fried shrimp with spicy lemongrass was super refreshing, I wish I could remember the other dishes, I can't wait to come back and try more on this very large menu. read more

i love pho and this place unfortunately ranks amongst the worst i have had. im sorry des moines people yall have it rough. no idea why its rated high for food. pho and chicken com ga was bad. read more

Food was subpar and service was horrible. We asked to add more variety of beef (tripes, meatball, etc) in the bun bo hue but the server told us it's not going to taste good even though we're willing to pay extra. The broth was also very plain. read more

Their menu is huge with something for everyone! I usually come for vegan pho which is pretty tasty. I hope to try some of their other offerings soon but seem to keep sticking to pho. Service is good, lots of space and very reasonable prices read more

I had a delicious shrimp dish, and the setting was pleasant and a short distance from work. Great for a lunch splurge!

This is the story of a Dad, a Daughter, and A Dong. (obviously, things could get weird) It's really hard for me not to give A Dong 5 stars but it's even harder for me to not turn this whole review in to a bunch of innuendos. In fact, the only thing curbing me from going totally inappropriate right now is that my Dad actually chose this joint on a road trip we took together and I know he's totally going to read whatever I write here... With that being said... + I am a virgin and know nothing of this dong business. + It was totally not me who used to throw chewed up bits of food behind the microwave to rot while pretending to re-heat my cold, uneaten, unwanted food. + I also don't know why we had ants. + I did not secretly watch that recorded VHS of Schindler's List to see what naked people look like when no one was home... like, every day for the entirety of my teen years. + And last week I definitely did not go over to a 3rd party friend's house, get cruddy and start throwing handfuls of candy corn on other party guests from an over-hanging balcony above, then lie about it straight to the home-owner and even offer to help find and beat up the person who would do such a terrible thing. (just as a few random and hypothetical examples). I would never do those things. Those are terrible things. I'm a good person. People definitely do not make it a point to tell me I'm the worst on a daily basis. In fact, I'm such a good person that I'm going to note it twice just to drill the point home. A Dong? What's that? I don't even know why that would be funny to anyone. Just a totally normal name for a restaurant. Great idea, Dad! Let's eat A Dong! Perfectly normal, perfectly healthy. Nothing to see here, folks. So my Dad did actually find this place on Yelp since he's pretty hip to that swing and suggested we get A Dong based on my boy Patrick T's mega helpful veggie-centirc review. I was in the midst of driving across the country from Chicago to San Francisco with all my worldly possessions, my Dad and two of my cats, and my criteria was just a place that we can get decent veggie food that would be ready quick enough that I wouldn't have to worry about the cats sh*tting all over the car while I go in to pay. A Dong filled all those requirements. The veggie menu is extensive and they do vegan as well, which I was definitely not expecting to be in abundance on the Des Moines scene, and I don't know how familiar you are with Vietnamese food in general, but it's basically easier to find a needle in a haystack than true meat-free entrees at a Viet restaurant so this was a pleasant surprise. I think if I had the opportunity to go here more often and find the right dish for myself, this would totally be 5-stars, but as it stands I thought the menu descriptives could use some work as we ordered two things that kind of sounded like straight up noodle dishes (what I was craving) but both turned out to be noodle soup, which, turns out, is hella difficult to consume while driving and my pants suffered many sad spill stains because of it. I was glad that the menu uses a number and letter system next to the names of each item because there's like 400 different things on their menu and maybe 8 that could actually pronounce and they all rhyme with schpring schprole. The menu was actually so large that I had to whip out a highlighter to remember which of the 5-million dishes offered were the ones we wanted to order. The inside is super cute, portions are hefty, prices are nominal (I think we got 3 entrees, 2 appetizers, and a bubble tea for something crazy like $23), service is friendly and they were fast as f*ck which was exactly what we needed given the whole multiple angry cats in the car with all my valuables thing. I especially loved the mango watermelon bubble tea they whipped up. Really hit the spot and gave me just the jolt of energy I needed to make it to our next stop in Salt Lake City sans sleep. I would not hesitate to eat A Dong every time I roll through the great state of Iowa from here on out. read more

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Ehh... Where do I begin? Well, let me give you a little background about my Vietnamese food life. I come from CA, let alone the very Asian town of Arcadia AKA Arcasia, so my tounge has adapted itself to good, authentic Vietnamese food. I had high expectations for this place because of all the hype it has received and let me tell you, that was a bad idea! I ordered some spring rolls with mean and a blate of fried noodles with chicken and veggies. First off, the spring rolls. Now these babies aren't cheap (for 2 rolls it's about $4?), but they are really tasty if made correctly with good ingredients. The rice noodles in them were hard, the lettuce was not fresh, and the meat was weird, texture and taste wise. They also weren't wrapped tightly so the contents kept falling out. These were probably the worst spring rolls I have ever had. Next comes the fried noodles dish. Now these were pretty typical and they weren't terrible, but they weren't amazing either. Honestly, you really can't mess up fried noodles. Unfortunately, this is a Chinese dish not a Vietnamese dish (Trust, trust, I know my Asianess). I did not come to a Vietnamese restaurant to be served Chinese food. I was hoping they'd put at least a Vietnamese twist, but nope. Overall, this place isn't worth it's value and doesn't deserve it's hype. I'm going to look for an authentic Vietnamese hole in the wall around Des Moines and I'll let you yelpers know when I find one! read more

Very good food. My husband and I had take away noodle dishes. Both were tasty and very fresh. The staff I dealt with were friendly as well.

A Dong is one of our favorite places to eat. The food is always delicious and the service is great. The Pho is a must try. Today we had the #113 Hot Pot. It was amazing. Served with a hot coal in the center of the metal pot (hence the name), it comes sizzling and smoking right out of the kitchen. The broth was spicy and delicious, although I added a little more kick with some sriracha. The soup has generous amounts of meat and vegetables. It is sublimely tasty. I included a picture of the cauldron of deliciousness for reference. If you like Asian food, and especially if you like Vietnamese food, this Des Moines treasure is a must stop. I cannot recommend them highly enough. read more

A Dong Restaurant - #113 Hot Pot. So much awesome. - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Based on the name, 4 star rating on yelp, and wanting to get something that I could continue eating on my drive to Omaha, I stopped in at A Dong Restaurant for some spring rolls & bubble tea. I was not disappointed. *I ordered the shrimp spring rolls, along with the tofu spring rolls. Delish! I would say that the tofu spring rolls were some of the tastiest I've had to date. *I also ordered a Taro bubble tea. Yum! If you dig the way your milk tastes after your Fruity Pebbles or Froot Loops have been soaking in there for awhile, then you'll love this flavor. Needless to say, I stopped again on my drive back home. Duh. I also ordered extra to bring home, and they were over accommodating by packaging ingredients separately with ice packs. You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be back when I'm in the area! read more

A Dong Restaurant - Taro Bubble Tea = Delicious! - Vegetarian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa