Dung Gia Restaurant — Restaurant in Maine Township

I had been eyeing this eatery for a while now, but what drove me to try it out was that my coworker had recently returned from Vietnam and couldn't stop praising how amazing the food, so I decided to have lunch there.

The ambiance makes me nostalgic, with a wonderful calming Vietnamese melody playing in the background throughout the area, which has a charming decor. All of these factors make me feel at home.

As an appetizer, I started with a beef roll. Marinated beef, bean sprouts, lettuce, and rice vermicelli noodles make up the filling. It's encased in a translucent rice paper skin. They also gave fish sauce as a dipping sauce because the roll tasted bland without it. The only thing I don't like is their meat. It had a mild flavor and was dry. The appearance is unappealing and reminds me of beef jerky.

My entree was their pho dac biet. It was served with garnishes of bean sprouts, lime, jalapeo, and cilantro on the side. I believe their broth lacks a strong beef flavor and scent. They also omitted to include tendon, which is generally included in all pho house specials. The meat-to-noodle ratio is inconsistent because I ate more rice noodles than beef.

As an addition to the pho, I ordered banh mi thit bo nuong. The bread is good and flaky, but I wish they had toasted it a little more. I prefer my bread to have a great crust. I enjoyed their onion pickles since they really bring out the acidity and sweetness. The beef was prepared in the same manner as the appetizer, which disappointed me much and compromised the flavor of the sandwich.

Their service was prompt, and I received my meals in a timely manner. Customer service, on the other hand, requires some effort. I felt rushed at first, and before I could finish my order, she snatched the menu away. She barely came over to check on me.

I don't agree with their business practices. I get the impression that they cheap out on the ingredients in order to save money. I recognize that food prices are high, but there must be...

this place would have gotten 5 stars but they are oblivious to the American "the steps of service" no if you can get passed the fact they will probably get any type of modification to your order wrong and give you some of the worst service in town, the food is stellar, been going there for over 5 years, Every time I ask for a dish with "extra" this or "none of that" its typically ignored completely... but I just can't get passed how good the food is, love/hate honestly i wish they would hire more professional service industry workers as this place lacks this part COMPLETELY... but again... the food... OMG.

Update: The food has gone to sh*t. Went there the other day, and I dont think I will be going back. It's unfortunate. I miss going there multiple times a week and enjoying what used to be the best springs rolls and pho in the area. Now everything tastes old, the pho has no life, the noodle are just a clump at the bottom of my bowl and they almost always miss something on the side, weather be a sauce for rolls, skipping an ingredient in the spring rolls, or not providing any cilantro on the vegi plate...

This is the most classic mom and pop store that serves the most generous pho. I really don't know any place where you can get a combination pho for 12 bucks.

Also, there are very few pho places that serve with chicken broth, instead of beef. Here you get the cleanest broth, hint of sweetness from thinly sliced onions. This is the spot where I come when I have a hangover or want clear, white broth, or I dont want to be bothered with parking in viet, town, or city.

There are times I crave beef broth pho, where it's more savory, beefy, and spice, then I go to different spots. Any other occasion, I come here.

Their fried rice is kinda weak and small, and they haven't really tried main dishes. But their springroll and banh mi is solid, again great price.

Highly recommend pho 38 and spring roll, pork banh mi.

The appetizer picture in this post is #19, it was okay. Sometimes you get served by kids, sometimes parents etc. Not sure what these other reviewers want more from mom...