Dalat Restaurant — Restaurant in Ann Arbor

I've worked in a small business setting before, so I don’t take writing a negative review lightly—I know firsthand how challenging it can be to keep a business running and maintain good customer relationships. However, my experience was so shockingly unprofessional and outright hostile that I feel compelled to share it, not out of spite, but as a clear example of how a business should not treat its customers.

I've supported Dalat for years, frequently ordering pho (and other dishes), and even recommending it to friends. After receiving only one piece of tofu in my last order and assuming it was an honest mistake, I called after placing my most recent order to ensure I’d receive the standard portion. What followed was bafflingly rude.

The employee, curt and uninterested, relayed my request to the manager. Instead of addressing a simple concern, he abruptly cancelled my order while I was still talking with the employee—after I had already driven all the way there and arrived to pick it up. When I asked why, he dismissively said it was "not his problem" and that they "hate customers like you on DoorDash." (For reference, DoorDash is the only method they allow for takeout orders.) As I tried to clarify, he began yelling about being "too busy for this" and insisting I take it up with DoorDash—even though this was not a DoorDash issue, but a mistake by the restaurant itself. All he had to say was "I'm sorry about last time; we'll make sure it's right this time."

Unfortunately, my experience isn’t unique. Looking at their responses to other negative reviews, it's clear they resort to name-calling, threatening to publicize payment details, and becoming defensive rather than handling concerns professionally. A restaurant that treats feedback as a personal attack and responds with aggression instead of accountability is not one that deserves anyone's business, let alone loyalty.

So no, please don’t thank me for not coming back, as you have with others. Instead, ask yourself why so many customers leave with the same complaints. When people repeatedly walk away feeling disrespected, the problem isn’t them—it’s you. I hope you take a moment for self-reflection and develop the self-awareness to choose a more compassionate path moving forward. And if empathy isn’t your strong suit, try a simple apology next time—it costs nothing and goes much further...

Disappointed with my carryout that I got this evening. For feedback purposes I will outline the issues we encountered.

First off, maybe not a huge issue in the grand scheme of things but we got a message saying the food was ready 11 minutes after the order was placed which is a little on the quick side for food we expected to be cooked and fresh.

We ordered banh coun cha lua, this was not in the order when we got home, so that sucked, nor was the extra noodles I ordered. After eating what we did get I am not going to bother chasing that up.

The main issue on the food side of things is it was literally devoid of any seasoning. The shrimp rolls had zero flavour, a pinch of salt should not be too much to ask for. In fairness it did taste fresh and the texture was good but it literally had no flavour, of anything. The pho, whilst being a little better, suffers from the same problem, it just tasted underwhelming and was lacking seasoning and flavour. The beef was chewy and just bland. My wife got the bun thit nuong, it was ok but there was hardly any beef, it was like a beef garnish rather than a central ingredient for the dish. Again seasoning was a big issue. The egg rolls were fine, but a deep fried spring roll is hard to screw up.

Overall the experience was terrible, I hope it was a blip and that you guys can sort your issues out but I shan't be returning any time soon. I wish you guys all the best, as a fellow worker in the industry, I know how hard it has been to survive the last year. But by the same token I feel it only fair that the public should know what they are spending their money on.

Edit: Thank you for reaching out, I was not looking for a refund but it is much appreciated. I wish you guys success in the future....

My family wanted to try pho in Ann Arbor. We came across DaLat and read some good reviews. Being from San Diego and often eating in Little Saigon in Orange county, DaLat does not satisfy our quench for good Vietnamese food. First, we order the egg rolls; came out hot but hardly any meat inside, just veggies. The dipping sauce also know as "fish sauce" was bland and tasteless, although it had the pickled carrots and daikon as usual. I asked for the chile paste and they brought out something I didn't recognize eating with egg rolls. Next, we ordered the "Banh Xeo", Vermicelli noodles, Wings and Pho Ga (Chicken). The wings came out somewhat burnt with no flavor. We drenched the chicken in the sweet/sour dipping sauce to make it edible. The vermicelli noodles were bland, and barely any shrimp, meats or noodles. My daughter's pho ga was also bland and tasteless with hardly any noodles or chicken. For such a big bowl, not much food was given to satisfy her appetite. Lastly, the Banh Xeo was crispy, but slightly burnt at the edges. I make better Banh Xeo at home. I ate it, because I was hungry and didn't want to wait any longer as they close early; like 7:30 pm on a Saturday night. Our bill was over $65 and I reluctantly gave them a tip as I felt sorry for the waitress working the whole restaurant. I guess we are use to good Vietnamese food in California and will not settle for subpar food. Unfortunately, my family and I will not be...