A Dong Restaurant

They use what seems to be the freshest vegetables and meats, the food is always awesome! Plus, there's always leftovers which reheat great the next day for lunch! Pros: excellant food Cons: kind of loud when busy more

i cant think of a place with a broader selection or fresher ingredients. everything is always perfect. the service could certainly be better. you are forgotten the moment your food arrives. like another reviewer said, its impossible to order anything after being served. we wanted to order coffee and try one of the more interesting looking drinks from the menu but couldnt manage to get the attention of the waitress for over 20 minutes. guess i will have to order it up front next time. killer food, lower than average service. i will always go back but only due to the great quality of the food. Pros: quality of ingredients Cons: waitress abandons customers once the food arrives more

I like to have a glass of wine while I read the menu (and my paper). The first glass comes promptly, as does the food and then service is GONE. I would order a second glass, but they never come back. I would often order some take out, but they never come back. This has happened repeatedly, causing me to leave no tip. I love the food, but the lack of service keeps me away. Pros: Good, fresh food, delivered promptly Cons: Completely unsatisfactory follow-up service more

I went to what my friend claimed was the best Vietnamese in New York and it wasn't even close to our beloved A Dong. more

My peers and I like their fresh food. more

I was at the restaurant a few years ago and was very disappointed at the food and haven't return since. I decided to give the restaurant another try today, and the food hasn't improved: it is still too Americanized and too bland. I ordered bun cha gio thit nuong (noodle with egg rolls and grilled pork) to go and was so upset at what I got: the dipping sauce was tasteless, the pork was cold and old, and there wasn't enough noodle. Just last week, I ordered the same meal from Lucky Dragon Restaurant on 2nd, and for the same price, I got a lot of noodles, grilled beef, shrimp, and tasty eggrolls. My friend ordered noodles with grilled shrimp at A Dong with me and she got 4 (only 4!!) shrimps! Come on! When you go to A Dong and see a lot of White Americans there and not a lot of Asians, it's a huge sign. If you want really good Vietnamese food, I recommend you try TNT Restaurant on MLK or Lucky Dragon on 2nd Ave. more

This restaurant is my favorite. The food is very exotic and something I cannot make at home. The staff is very efficient and get your order quickly and cook it very well and very quickly. The food is similar to Chinese, but very healthy. The food fells very rich, but is very light because no outside fat is used. I really reccomend people that like to try something new, or want a healthier version of Chinese. This is a great restaurant. Pros: Good food, high quality foods for not as much money. Feels like a Vietnamese home. Cons: Nothing more

I just spent the last 20 minutes explaining why A Dong is inadequate and this webpage went blank after clicking the done button. So, I'll keep this one short. I'm Vietnamese & from CA and this place makes my palate sad. A little better than Pho Ha Doa's chlorinated tasting water but not by much. Pros: Spacious inside Cons: Parking is terrible, better park on the street if you can find a spot more

I totally agreed with your comment that A Dong is ""Overrated"" There food is not even good at all. It is okay but so not Vietnamese~~ no taste to the food whatsoever--just simply a lot of MSG. If you like Vietnamese's food A Dong is not the place to try it at. But I think since it was the first place that opened in the Des Moines area everyone think that it is the best. The PARKING SU*K!!!! there it is so small and so hard to get in and out when there is no ROOM to back out to. TNT is actually pretty good but don't get any soup. There Bo La Lap is good! But should always try other restaurants like Pho Hoa Dao, Lucky Dragon, Chinese Kitchen. Pros: Clean, cute restaurant. Cons: Small parking space/not so good food :( more

I absolutley adore this place. The Pho is THE best. Hands down. Although there menu is a little confusing, it's nothing to lose a star over. Pros: Delicious Pho Cons: The menu is a bit confusing, but it's no big deal. more

A Dong is seriously overrated. As a Vietnamese, I find A Dong food to be somewhat ""Americanized."" The food is a bit bland and there is no distinct taste in any of the dishes. The egg rolls are not Vietnamese egg rolls, but Chinese egg rolls made of mainly cabbage. The beef in bun thit nuong has no marinating flavor. All other dishes we ordered had one similar taste. White Americans love this restaurant because, I think, they can't tell what Vietnamese food actually should taste like. To them, something that just has a pleasant and inoffensive taste is THE BEST VIETNAMESE FOOD IN DES MOINES! Americanized Vietnamese food is NOT good. I suggest trying TNT Restaurant, which is more authentic. more

I love Adong, but was very upset when a co-worker of mine (who is Vietnamese) overhead a conversation from the kitchen. The statement was as follows: ""just pick it up, it is for the American table"". more

This is by far the best Vietnamese place in Des Moines. The food is always fresh, and there is a wide variety. I live in CA, stuffed with Vietnamese restaurants, and still was not able to find a better duck dish (#42). Every time I am in Des Moines, A-dong is on my to do list. My favorites (and highly recommended) are vegetarian spring rolls with their awesome fish sauce (2C); roasted duck (see above); and curry chicken. Their Pho-s are great too. Pros: healthy, fresh, fast more

This is the BEST asian food I have ever had, the food is always great and you have to try the EGG ROLLS with the dipping sauce, WOW is what comes to mind. I would HIGHLY recommend this place for dinner or lunch. more

Excellent and healthy asian food. We enjoyed 2 new juices from China as our beverage and treated ourselves to their fresh warmed veggie spring rools with peanut sauce. We will be repeat customers after we had such an enjoyable meal. My husband had the Chicken Ginger and I had the Chicken and Veggie on Crispy Noodle. Both excellent in presentation as well. more