Vietnam Restaurant — Restaurant in Dallas

My wife and I have eaten at the Vietnam Restaurant on average once a month for the past thirty years. Not only has it been an institution for us, but we've brought quite a few other people in over those years.

After eating at the Vietnam Restaurant this evening (April 15, 2025), I am truly sad to say we won't ever be back.

In recent years, the food, which was once outstanding, has been increasingly hit-and-miss, yet managed to retain a minimal level of quality to keep us coming back (if not quite as often).

This evening the food was off-the-charts bad. So bad, in fact, that when the waiter came over to check on us I asked if the restaurant had changed ownership or hired a new cook. I described the poor quality of each food item we had ordered, and the waiter said he would go back and talk to the manager. He returned and thanked us for our feedback, saying the manager would "check."

"Check what," I asked, and he replied, "check on the chef."

At the end of our meal, of which we were able to eat less than half, we were presented with a FULL BILL. When we got to the counter to pay, the waiter, sensing our dissatisfaction, extended a 10% discount --- better than nothing, but considering our lengthy round-trip from Arlington and the fact that after paying for an expensive meal and leaving hungry --- well, it just wasn't enough to bring us back. Ever.

Sad, especially after thirty years...

Not bad, but definitely underwhelming.

The pho is adequate. It was unusually seasoned with a hint of what tasted like cinammon. I had the large, which seemed on par with most places' normal size.

The shrimp spring rolls were a bit shy on filling other than cabbage, and the mung bean wrapper was very chewy.

And as I've found to be the case with many Dallas area Asian restaurants, the Diet Coke was expired and tasted bad. I don't know why, but there doesn't seem to be any attention to the expiration dates of package products until someone points it out. (I once saw 2L bottles of Diet Coke at Skillman Wok that were so far expired that the color had settled to the bottom).

And at $18+ for pho, spring rolls, and a soda, it's definitely not the best value for your dollar. Especially with the dingy, gloomy, interior that looks like it hasn't been updated since Reagan was in office. The front windows are obscured and let in a weak light even at midday. The high tin plate ceiling has sadly been painted over with white paint that has since been neglected, leaving it looking depressing.

Add to that the many abandoned electrical boxes and conduits of times past, and the room feels hollowed out.

The whole experience felt like a place where someone's dreams died, but the place remains...

I've already been to Vietnamese Restaurant twice... and I plan to go back soon. I've had the shrimp and scallops rice plate. The scallops were bay scallops, not sea scallops, but I've come to expect that in Dallas. Next, I had the pork chop, shredded pork, and fried egg rice plate. The thin-sliced pork chops were seared to perfection. Their menu is so long and varied! Everything I've had was fresh, tasty, and beautifully presented. The wait staff is very polite and attentive. Management is friendly. Even the cook is friendly! And, you can get a glass of Pinot grigio with dinner. Fried bananas for dessert. The single-cup-drip coffee approaches espresso. I love it! And, importantly, there is plenty of room for me to maneuver my power chair. Well, I went back for the 3rd time in 2 weeks and had the smoky beef stir fry. OMG... I've never had this much beef ever, anywhere! See photo... I expected that the beef would be on top of a pile of veggies, but the beef goes all the way to the bottom of this heap. And, it was lean and tender and sooo tasteee! Excuse me... I...