Dong Nai — Restaurant in Austin

I was so excited today to be able to be attending a class down in South Austin today, because I was going to be able to eat some awesome Pho today for lunch at Dong Nai. Since I had only been there once before, I enter the restaurant with my friend around 12:10 pm, we were seated by an older woman who started to sit us at a two person table, but moved us to a four person table instead "so you'll have more room". We sit down and the same woman asked our drink order and we replied with a water and soda. She went to help seat other patrons as well. Around, 12:15 pm another waitress comes to take our order, and we replied with P2. and P10. with a Fried Pork Eggroll. She replies with okay and proceeds to ask if we had ordered drinks, in which we replied yes with the other woman. She leaves and the gentleman on the floor brings us two pork spring eggrolls, which at this time the restaurant is filling up. My friend was puzzled because he had requested a Fried Pork Eggroll. Which really didn't bother me since I was hungry and I figured hey mistakes happen. My friend was not please, so by this time the lady who took our food order had dropped off the drinks and left. When the older woman finally came around to fill our drink order, she discovered that one it was already done and second that my friend didn't eat the rest of his eggroll. Which then I replied with he didn't want that eggroll, he though he was getting the fried one. She then replied, jokingly, "but this one's better for you." I still didn't care because I wanted Pho. Now, I started to notice that the other patrons who had arrived after us, started to receive there meals before us. My friend was commenting on the time and stated that we would have to eat our meal quickly since it was nearing 12:40 pm, and we had to be back at class by 1 pm. So, I decided to just pay the bill the we had occurred and leave. The lady who took our food order was surprise to see us at the register. We stated we were unable to wait any longer as we had to be somewhere else. By this time the male server, walks toward the register and says I have your food here. I replied with no, we have to leave, in which the lady replied do you want it to go? I said no and proceeded to pay in which she's tries to make small talk with us. Now, the most upsetting part of it all was that we so happen to be the only African Americans in the whole place at the time. If I could give this place a zero I would because at the end of the day, what's really upsetting, is they did nothing more to retain my business. Which unfortunately means I won't be coming back to this place, not even if the...

This place will hands down set the bench mark for quick, local Asian cuisine.

I am typically not a fan of Chinese food, nor restaurants that are multi-ethnic Asian combined into one. Growing up exposed to nearly every ethnicity of Asian culture has afforded me the opportunity to see the best of ALL the different types of cuisine at their best...and worst.

With that being said, I go to Dong Nai for Vietnamese food. So please, take this as a review for their Vietnamese cuisine only.

You have to be prepared to walk into a somewhat dark and dingy looking hole in the wall type of restaurant. Put that aside so you can enjoy the dining experience if you are picky on appearance.

The staff is incredibly attentive. Within seconds you will have your ordered drinks, no matter how "made to order" they are. Likewise it is rare to wait any longer than 30 minutes for your meal, no matter how extensive.... give or take if they have new wait staff.

Your meal will come out piping hot or crispy chilled, depending on the dish. Their spring roll peanut sauce is some of the best I've tasted. I'm not sure their trick! Vegitables are crunchy and vibrant where as the meats are tender and savory.

And the best part of their Vietnamese cuisine, as it should be at a quality place, is its light with no residual weigh-down as many expect to feel with the usual high carb, highly salted meal of lesser quality restaurants.

Dong Nai has been our family hot spot since the early 2000s and I hope will be...

I want to start off by saying that to please please do not touch someones child's hands before they eat. Although the staff was so so kind and I say this with extreme sensitivity do not touch a babys hands that isn’t yours, your touching things in your restaurant and cooking food and can easily spread food born illness to my child. The food was great and tasty thank you, however I do think the overload of onions in the chicken bun was excessive had it been thinly chopped probably wouldn’t had bothered me as much because I do like onion however the size was much larger than the noodles making it hard to eat. I also noticed when going to the restroom it smelled really bad in the women’s restroom and could smell it almost at my table. When your in a place for a long time you can lose your sense of smell sometimes for certain things I get it but the restrooms need to be cleaned. There was also a toothbrush laying on the sink and that kinda grossed me out. This was my first time here, and I would probably order take out again but I wouldn’t dine in for the reasons mentioned above. Overall the place is nice and staffed with kind people however I hope that you actually read this...