Dong Que

Fantastic and authentic Vietnamese. Even better than most places in Little Saigon in LA

If I have to give you 1 recommendation it would HAVE to be their baked fish. Absolute MUST TRY! If this isn’t their specialty I don’t know what else to say, it’s absolutely delicious!
First off we went here due to a family gathering and the «adults» of the group decided to order 3 servings of this baked fish. The skin was crispy and the fish meat itself was very tender and juicy. This was great, especially since the fish dish included a huge plate of fresh veggies and rice paper to wrap up the fish meat inside. If you’re going to order this dish, don’t just eat the meat, take the meat and wrap it in veggies and rice paper like a summer roll and dip it in their fish sauce or pineapple sauce. It’s absolutely divine.
But other than the fish, the overall place was large enough to accommodate a large group of people. The location however is a bit shady looking. The restaurant itself was in a shady looking strip mall, which doesn’t exactly make you feel safe and that’s us eating in the day time. Inside they had, what seems like, Christmas decoration up. So it’s basically the normal tacky Asian restaurant you’ll normally see around. The bathroom was not the best, but I guess was doable.

Nice, clean venue. We had their baked fish ($ 40.00 for a medium). Setup was basically the same as Saigon Block. However, the fish here is a lot better. The fish came out tasting fresher. Also, the condiments and sides that accompanied this family style dish were generous in portion and so there isn’t a need to pay extra for more salad or cilantro.
I ordered a child’s phở (rice noodle soup) for my two-​year-​old daughter and she ate the whole thing. I tasted the broth and agreed that it had a nice flavor.
Service here is like any other Vietnamese restaurant — what service? You get your food and if you need anything else, you gotta start waving the staff down.

Not even good Saigon block is way better food came out in an hour even though I called 45 minutes ahead was ignored until I had to pay and fish was not even good they told me it took so long because they wanted the skin to be perfect came out not crispy

Wow! This restaurant is authentic! At least for my taste buds because I was eating stuff I had to google image about! The food that came out was just outright cool looking! They even dressed up the fish that was fried! It was huge!!! Usually some dishes served at restaurants are kinda scary looking no offense but I’ve had some fish dishes served to me and I was like wow.
The atmosphere is clean and the staff made sure to check up on your table frequently. The price was ok and I would return back for another meal.

A really good Vietnamese restaurant, and one of my favorites. This use to be Saigon Kitchen and is now under new ownership and re-​designed on the inside. The new floor plan is very open and roomy with plenty of seating available. There’s a variety of food options and all the plates I’ve tried have been tasty!
So just this past month, my husband’s aunt and uncle (who’s Filipino) were visiting from California and they wanted to compare how Vietnamese food tasted in TX. From what I hear, Vietnamese food is suppose to be ultra good in California so I was anxious to hear their opinions. We ordered Chicken Phở, Cornish Hen Rice Dish, Broken Rice and Meat dish, Vermicelli, Egg rolls, Che Ba Mao (Vietnamese dessert with jelly and coconut milk), and Flan. All were delicious and the food portions were just right. Everyone loved the food. His aunt and uncle thought the food was comparable to what they tasted in Cali… thumbs up for TX! For anyone curious about the Beef Phở, that’s good too. Also, we went on a Monday night and it was pretty crowded with Vietnamese families… a validation that the food is good and authentic! I saw one family bring in beer so I guess it’s BYOB.
For pricing, it’s comparable to other Vietnamese restaurants in the Garland/​Richardson area. With ambience, it’s just casual. I want to point out their Christmas decorations because I thought it was funny that it wasn’t taken down since the Christmas before. So when you eat here, it’s Christmas every day. Also, the complex is pretty old, but in my experience the best Vietnamese places are always in complexes that are not shiny and new so don’t be steered away from its exterior. Lastly, this place is suppose to be known for their baked catfish. I personally don’t like eating that dish (I’m not a baked fish fan), but every time I come here, I see it ordered a lot.

I should have ordered the baked fish or the seven course of beef (bo 7 mon) but didn’t.
The service was great. The menu was large and included a lot of authentic and even rare Vietnamese dishes that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Exotic meats are also presented in the menu, including frog legs and somethings that showed up as cave bird poop in google translate. Don’t ask. Point is — it’s pretty god darn real.
The phở was okay, the noodles were good. Spring rolls were great. My plate, the grilled pork came with other things that I liked and didn’t care for, but it was definitely a large portion and for a good price.
The place was large, nice and clean, and looked much better inside than outside. People were coming in and out throughout my time eating here during the off hours, so it was a good sign.
I would like to come back to explore the menu better — and with a group so I could get the stuff that this place is known for.

This place sucks. Period. We drove 50 minutes for their famous baked fish, and while the food was just mediocre, the service was abysmal. We first ordered a large fish. After waiting over an hour, we finally asked them where our food was. They had forgotten about it (what?). They came out and told us they ran out of the large fish, and only have the small one left, so we just got it. At this time, I was already irritated. We then ordered another small fish. The food came out pretty bland, and it was a challenge getting them to give us more noodles and veggies.
And the cherry on top, they had the audacity to charge us for two large fishes. I was beyond annoyed at the level of service of this place. Don’t come here if you appreciate good service and delicious food. Never again will I be coming here or recommending it to other people.

When people rave about a food option in specific, it would be in your best interest to see if that food option is worth it if you’re ever at the place. So take my word when I say that you have got to try the Baked Cat Fish [1] here!
There are three different sizes of fish:
S for $ 35
M for $ 40
L for $ 45
Yes. Service is pretty mediocre. [2]
And yes. It is located in an awkwardly shady seeming area.
But trust me, it will be worth the visit.
OVERALL
The baked fish here was a lot better than Saigon Block, although Saigon Block does give off a friendlier and cleaner atmosphere. My family has been on the hunt for a restaurant whose baked cat fish would meat their expectations and I think we have finally found the place, quite unexpectedly.
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[1] The fish meat was perfectly cooked; not too dry and just the right amount of moisture. The skin was THE CRISPIEST fish skin my taste buds have ever touched, yet! As freakishly weird as it may sounds, it was like eating fish Lay’s potato chips ha (I’m sure you guys get what I mean).
[2] Equivalent level as going to your local Chinese buffet actually; not quite the most attentive and sociable folks around town.

Good place for large groups to come and eat family style. The fried catfish is the only thing I’ve tried here and is probably the most popular item. You can order the fish by size depending on how big your group is and they’ll bring the rice paper, veggies and fish sauce for you to wrap. The fish is cooked really well and isn’t too hard to cut and share. The rice paper is too small for my personal preference because it makes it hard to add everything I need in it! Overall I recommend this if you’re craving fish and spring rolls and don’t wanna go through the hassle of making it at home yourself. Note: if you can call and order the fish about 20 – 30 mins before you arrive, it saves you a lot of time and you’re still usually waiting once you order ahead.

This place was absolutely delicious. I ordered the fried fish and I was ever so happy. Great service, clean store and fresh veggies. A true authentic Vietnamese restaurant

The baked fish, Thai seafood hotpot, and 7-​course beef are the best dishes here. Don’t try anything else, you’ll be disappointed.
Don’t expect first-​class service at this restaurant. For me, really don’t care as long as the food is good so I gave it 5 stars for those three mentioned dishes.

Great baked fish! But it’s a little bland. I kind of like Saigon better.
Still, great place for Vietnamese food!
They are great with their service, takes orders fast and do their very best to get what you want.
Décor is great. I still think the most accurate review here would be Paul H.
Come here to experience some vietnamese food!

My sister and I took my mom here for dinner last night for Mother’s day which was okay. We have already anticipated how busy it was going to be and it really was. The ambience and service was a typical average Vietnamese restuarant. If you dont know what it is, then you probably havent been to an athentic restaurant.
We normally order the baked fish which we use rice paper to wrap it to be a spring roll. The mam nem was probably my favorite part of this dining experience. Also, they offer you plenty of noodles and vegetables to use in your spring roll which is hard to find these days. The baked fish is pretty good here.
I havent gotten a chance to try the other Vietnamese dishes BUT the baked fish is known to be good here so I would recommend ordering it.

The baked fish is impressive! The dish comes with a lot fresh greens and rice papers. It’s like eating DIY spring rolls. You grab a piece of fish and moisten you rice paper then pile everything into it. Then you roll it like a burrito and dip it in to their special dipping sauce. That sauce looks totally suspect but TRUST ME it’s super tasty.
I tried the other dishes and they were just average. I would just come here for the baked fish dish.

Never going back here again. Worst food poisoning incident in the US I’ve ever had. I ordered 3 bo mon (3 courses of beef) and my bf had the thit nuong (pork chops) with rice. We shared dishes, we both felt nauseous and hugged the toilet all night and next day. Dong Que was the only common food we ate. I don’t understand why Vietnamese restaurants are so cheap about sanitation and health codes.

Opens late til 10pm
Décor: ⁴⁄₅
–quality, comfortable wooden chairs
–large tables thats perfect for large parties 8 – 10
Service: ³⁄₅
Food: ³⁄₅
–The bun bo hue isn’t as spicy and overall just isn’t impressive.
–The na cuong catfish is HUGE. Very crispy with minimal seasoning.

Located where Saigon Kitchen used to be. The menu has the typical items you’d find in a Vietnamese restaurant (phở, hu tieu, bun, and rice dishes), but also contains some more unique items as well (fried fish, bo ba mon, etc). The restaurant is nice and clean on the inside and the service was great — very attentive and they have plenty of servers who can speak English fluently. Prices are comparable to other Vietnamese restaurants, although definitely expect to pay more for their specialty dishes.
I was in a rush when I came in, so I had to stick to the more typical dishes. I ordered a rice dish and the fiancé got com bo luc lac (shaking beef?). Even for your average, everyday dishes, the quality was top-​notch! Let me tell you, that beef in the com bo luc lac was soooo tender! Like melt-​in-​your mouth tender. and the grilled pork in my rice dish was very well marinated. And, I don’t know what they do differently, but their café sua da (vietnamese coffee) was the BEST VIETNAMESE COFFEE I’ve ever had. Ever.
Just be careful driving around the parking lot outside the restaurant. It’s always hectic and full of reckless drivers.

This new restaurant located in Garland is the place to take your family and friends out for lunch/​dinner. They take reservation so if you plan to arrive in a large group, I would call in advance. Place is pretty clean and spacious inside. They have friendlier staff members compared to other Asian restaurants. Also, they are not cheap with their condiments, napkins and veggies. If you’ve explored a variety of Asian restaurants, you will know what I mean.
When going in a large group, we usually order their baked catfish which is delicious as compared to Saigon Block. I actually like it better here. The prep time is much quicker than SB in my opinion. It’s also BYOB so that is always a plus. For additional dishes, I recommend their combination fried rice which isn’t as oily/​fatty as most places. One of my favorite dish is the Banh Hoi Ba Vi which is something you prep spring roll style. Comes with dipping sauce and plenty of fresh vegetables and noodles. Must try!
They offer so many specialty vietnamese dishes that one visit just isn’t enough. Parents are hard to please when you take them out to these type of restaurants they usually like to compare it to their home style cooking. Most parents I know approved this place so you know it must be good!

LOVE THIS PLACE. Hands down one of the best Vietnamese restaurants I’ve ever been to.
Walking in you wouldn’t expect much, it seems like a newly modeled place in a sketchy neighborhood. It’s truly the definition of a «hole in the wall» place. Not very well known but extremely good. The décor was pretty and the restaurant is very clean and new. The bathrooms were clean as well as the tables and chairs.
The Food was A-​MAY-​ZING. I loved the shaken beef and the phở was delightful. The food is evenly and generously portioned so you get the best bang for your buck! The food literally came out less than 5 minutes upon ordering. It was hot and fresh, ready to eat.
The service was also extremely good too. Normally at Vietnamese restaurants you would have to go up and ask for everything like a refill of water or more napkins or even the check, but here they actually served you. Well. My water was never empty and the server came to check up on us frequently.
I’m coming back here any chance I get!