The Dong Ba that was once a divey eatery on Beechnut, recently transformed into a modern eatery and relocated onto Bellaire Blvd, in the heart of the Viet side of Asiatown. (#1) The good news is the place is much larger, is still family owned, and the food could give any Central Vietnamese establishment in Houston a run for its money. The bad news is that they're still very understaffed, especially on weekends, and the pace to seat folks, receive food, and clean tables/bathrooms can be a challenging. The modernization is somewhat blursed (#2) on all fronts. It is brighter, shinier, and way more spacious. The prominent "Dong Ba" font reminds me so much of Pho Sapa (#3), Hanoi Quan (#4), and the recent (#5) Pho Ngon. The layout is much more group friendly now. The best part is still the food, which makes it one of the best Central Vietnamese spots in the city. The banh beo is excellent and the my quang is still one of the best versions I've had in Houston. Additionally, the banh uot variations, along with the banh ram it and bot loc are as tasty as ever. The nem nuong and bun rieu are also very on point. While it is still family owned, the place has outgrown the staff. Their staff can barely keep up with tables when it's busy, the bathrooms are a bit of a mess, and the pace for food and seating have been less than ideal. Their prices have ticked up a couple of dollars across all items, I imagine to pay for the space, and become part of the foodflation gang. They're now more credit card accepting than ever. While I really hope they can get the service kinks ironed out, I hope they can also make improvements with the bathroom situation. Ultimately, Dong Ba still has a lot to offer and I plan on only going during their off-peak hours. __________ (#1) Which should frankly be a different Yelp listing. It's a completely different establishment. (#2) A blessing and a curse. (#3) https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pho-sapa-bellaire-blvd-houston?select=4lQLDRxrUfKhIY-aKTMjIg (#4) https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hanoi-quan-houston?select=WPw8IKH55OtqmFvPf9OxQg (#5) https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pho-ngon-houston?select=0r3vbRo8AFiZmpJsdPMWfQ&tab=interior read more

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Had a great visit to this Central Vietnamese cuisine restaurant. The restaurant had good decor, design and murals add to the authentic food experience. Service was fine, about what we expect for a typical Chinatown restaurant. For the food, we ordered: Cà Phê Sữa Đá - Vietnamese Coffee (8/10) This was a great Vietnamese coffee. Good balance of coffee and sweetness. Would have liked to have less ice in my cup and more coffee. Chả Giò - Eggrolls (8/10) Solid eggrolls. Wasn't overcooked, came out hot and fresh. Bún Riêu - Vermicelli and tomato soup shrimp crabmeat and egg (8/10) Good soup. Reminds of my family's homemade bun rieu. Would definitely get again. Cơm Thịt Nướng - Rice served with marinated slice char-grilled pork (6/10) The rice dish was ok. Seems this place is better known for some of their noodle soups and specialty items than for their rice dishes. Overall, good visit and would come back again. read more

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We had an app that was delish, our bun rio was okay as we've had others with a bit more flavor. We would try their noodle dish next time! The decor inside is truly authentic and makes you feel like you're back in Vietnam. If you're in the area definitely give them a try! read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Loved the experience. My favorite was the banh lit. It basically is a rice flour ball with savory inside on top of a crispy shell. It's great for texture and taste. Really not sure we can get anything like it. Banhbeo is good. We had a tapioca dumpling which I liked too and it kinda reminds me of Chinese dimsum. The bamboo leaf wrapped item was also good but not my thing. One texture and all. Fried egg rolls were solid. read more

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Dong Ba is a Vietnamese restaurant focusing on Huế, central Vietnamese, dishes. We ordered the Bánh Bèo Chén, Bánh Lá (Nậm) Chả Tôm, and Bánh Ram Ít. My personal favorite was the Bánh Lá (Nậm) Chả Tôm. The texture soft and melted in my mouth and is one of my favorites in Houston. The Bánh Ram Ít came in four and had a crispy bottom layer and chewy, rice flour layer on top. I liked how the layer portions were equal, but my family preferred more of the chewy mochi layer. Their banh beo, which came with ten small dishes, is pretty good but not as soft as I would like and more on the denser and chewier side. Definitely go light on the chili when putting it in your fish sauce. The chili is grounded fresh and was super spicy! Overall, I really enjoyed their banh nam and would go again to eat a huge stack of them. read more

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Had been here a few times but thought the family aun business was harder for the owner to manage. The old location was small but feel crazy and personal touch. This new location is much bigger than the old one but locked of attention and the service was way fall behind compared to the old place. Thought the food was still good but service is way too slow. They forgot our order and reminded 3 times and was delivered something different than what was ordered. We also order Congee but they told us they ran out of chinese donut thst should come with the Congee. They felt that was okay and then just walked away without apologizing. In addition, there was no organization for the check in as people were trying to cut in line and they let them. We had to voice out and let them know. I hope they can hire more people and get better. read more

When I'm sad, happy, going through the ups and downs of life, Dong Ba will always be there for me. I went and ordered Banh Ram & Mi Quang - both hit the spot nicely with the central Vietnamese flavor. Services are hit and little misses, food will come out pretty fast so expect to be ready to eat soon after you ordered. This my comfort food spot, in a quite sketchy area - we went recently and another store owner was arguing with a few loiters outside, so don't expect a 5-stars parking experience here. read more

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Recently discovered that Dong Ba had move location more to the heart of Bellaire. They are still one of the top Hue restaurant in the area. The ambiance represents the Vietnam culture in a lit, spacious, and lively way. The service is usually quite slow allowing you to pick your own table upon arrival, however, the food comes out really quick. They are known for their BBH and Banh Beo but I wanted to try something else. I could also recommend their Bun Thit Nuong which was a good size and delicious. read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

During our Houston trip, I really wanted some bun bo hue and Dong Ba was one of the recommendations. Dong Ba specializes in Hue cuisine so they should specialize in bun bo hue! Came here for breakfast with three of my friends. I'm sort of glad that they have other things on the menu since two of my friends won't enjoy bun bo hue as much as I do. My friend and I decided to share an order of the thap cam and a bowl of bun bo hue. The thap cam had four different appetizers for you to try and my favorite was the banh bot loc -- great flavor and texture! The bun bo hue was OK to me. It's a bit too light on the flavor than the other versions of bun bo hue I've had. Not sure if that's how it's supposed to be? My two friends got their bun thit nurong cha gio (vermicelli noodles with pork and egg roll) and com thit nurong + bi + trung (rice with pork, shredded pork, and egg). They both enjoyed their dishes. I think Dong Ba is a great place to go when everyone likes to eat different things. The food was good but I'm not sure if I'd return if I were to come back to Houston just because there are so many other places to go to! read more

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been coming here for years! the appetizers & banh canh are what i mainly come for, they're both so so good. these dishes are especially a bit harder to find around the city too since it's a northern speciality. the vibes of the place is like most typical viet restaurants , nothing out the ordinary. service is quick! read more

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I honestly loved this little hole in the wall restaurant. It boasts of authentic Vietnamese food. I took my Filipino Boyfriend here to try the food for the first time and needless to say, he loved it. We both did! I will say the rice/tapioca cakes: Banh Beo, banh koc, Banh cuon, and bot loc were out of this world. The accompanying sauce was delicious, and everything was fresh. Unfortunately, the Bun Bo Hue, was not as good. It felt like something was missing from the broth. But other than that all the food was quite good - extremely flavorful and homey in the best way. We also ordered the Ca Pha Sua Da. Even for Vietnamese coffee, I'd say it was pretty strong. It had me bouncing off the walls lol. Despite being strong, I still thought it was enjoyable and refreshing. The service was good! I get shy when speaking Vietnamese and ended up ordering in English and we had no issues there. Our server was friendly, and despite the restaurant being busy, we got all of our food in a timely manner. Overall, I though we had a great experience and would definitely come back for more! read more

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I ordered the com thit nuong. The meal was underwhelming, the meat was a bit dry and lacked the juicy tenderness that I was looking for. Whenever I get com thit nuong or com tam I am used to getting a side of broth (nước lèo), however this place didn't have any or at least they didn't bring me out any (I didn't ask). I will say that my review was purely based on what I ordered. I saw the other dishes that they serve there from the other customers and it seemed to be legit and tasty. read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - Com tam - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Highlight: Thập Cẩm My favorite place in Houston to get traditional central Vietnamese food. Banh beo had a nice soft texture with a hint of chewiness. The toppings were great but the pork skin doesn't really have that much flavor. The banh beo with the pork and shrimp toppings were so good. The banh bot loc had a good tapioca chewy texture and the shrimp was crunchy and flavorful with the soft shell on. Banh ram it was the most unique specialty I've tried and the crunchy rice flour paired with the chewy and stretchy glutinous rice ball was such a nice treat. Hospitality: Fast service. Honorable Mention: Not a large restaurant so there's not a lot of seating but enough to seat large groups. read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - Thập Cẩm ($11.49) - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

The banh beo was my favorite dish here. Super thick and generous with the pork and shrimp. The fish sauce mixed with chili was spicy and delicious. The banh bot loc and banh it ram were also made well. As for the bun bo hue, it was good but a bit on the blander side. Very affordable prices here! read more

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Ok parking lot sucks. There's parking but there are potholes EVERYWHERE and people just drive in every direction without caring that you're backing up. Ok I'm from the suburbs so I'm use to nice lots and slightly more considerate drivers. Rant over. Moving onto the food. I didn't know what not to order so I pretty much ordered almost everything. My daughter had pho no meat. She liked it. I had the refreshing mung bean drink, the mi quang and the Banh in the little plates. Everything was so perfectly seasoned so delicious I inhaled it all by myself. Food came out fast and service was good. To go for my dinner that night I ordered the clams with the banh trang and bun rieu oc. That was good too. Overall I'll def be back when I'm in the area. read more

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Hue food or Central Viet food is such a unique part of Viet culture. It's not common to find an authentic Viet restaurant that can do Hue food right. This is a mom/pop kind of place and that's how you know you're at the right place. A sweet Viet grandma came by and took our orders. We ordered the banh bot loc as appetizers to share and then each got our own main dish. Loved the banh bot loc. It came unwrapped from the usual banana leaf. Bun Bo hue is probably the most popular Hue food and the broth was on point with the right kind of spice. It's more of a kick rather than it being really spicy. I ordered mi quang which is one of my faves Viet food. Great portion and the turmeric noodles had the perf texture. The ambience feels like what you would expect if you were looking for authentic Viet food. The menu does have English translations so easy to order if you don't speak Viet. read more

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Friendly staff and food came out fresh. We got many dishes to go and they were packed well. They have good banh bot loc tran and banh cuon. Their thit nuong is a little on the sweet side, could reduce the sugar on this. Overall a good experience, would definitely come back! read more

The food here was not super impressive to me, but also wasn't horrible! I did really like their banh beo, as it was thicker than most banh beos I've tried, and came with a lot of toppings. The texture of the banh beo with the crunchy toppings was very nice! The combo dish with the banh bot loc and banh ram did not really impress me though. I thought the banh ram it was a bit flat and I prefer Nam Giao's a lot more. The bun rieu I ordered was a decent size, and was pretty solid, but just slightly light in terms of flavor. Overall, the location was a bit out of the way from normal Bellaire restaurants that I'm used to, so I probably wouldn't make my way back here unless friends wanted to come! read more

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Pretty solid place. I love to get banh beo and banh it ram here. They have the crispiest toppings on top and the crispy bottom of the banh it ram is so buttery flavored. I ordered Togo and they took care to package it well. read more

I have eaten at this restaurant many times in the past. Today, my friend and I came back and wanted to try their baby clams noodles (bún hến). Their bún hến was so good. We also tried their corn milk. Wow, it tasted so good. The restaurant is kind of small, but we like the big forest background wall poster because it is so beautiful. This restaurant is located in a run-down area, but it is safe. read more

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This restaurant is a hidden treasure. I was craving banh ram it and saw on another yelp review they had them. So delicious! Craving satisfied! Also we got bun rieu which was pretty good. And the goi cuon Tom thit nuong. Husband said it felt like a homecooked meal. We really enjoyed this place! read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Authentic Hue restaurant. They have moved to Bellaire. We loved bánh beo kho, bánh it nam, bánh cuốn thịt nướng, mì quảng, bánh nam. We can't wait to return. We went to their address listed on Yells and found out that they've moved since November 1. read more

Worst service ever! Food was OK. Nothing amazing. However, service suck to the bones. Not worth it. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. read more

wanted to try this place but was closed the first time we went. anyways second time the charm. ordered: bun rieu, banh uot and the sampler platter. all was great. first time having banh uot. bun rieu was on point. great broth, lot of ingredients. the sampler was a good way to try three things. the banh ram it(sp??) was my favorite. chewy, crispy and tasty with the pork. also had the salty lemonade which was refreshing. service was fast, restaurant was clean and they take credit card. ample parking lot too. read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - bun rieu, banh uot thit nuong - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Honestly it's very difficult to find good and authentic banh beo around China town area. Service can be slow but food is delicious!!

came to this restaurant on sat morning :) and it wasn't too crowded! we had bun bo hue, banh beo platter, and com hen all were so tasty, staff were rly friendly and helpful too! they also do pretty good job with party trays read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - bun bo hue and banh beo platter - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is good in my opinion. BUN BO HUE is really good. We also got banh it ram and banh beo.

We ordered bun Bo hue n bun rieu oc. They only come in one size n about $13-14 per bowl. It takes about 20-25 min for the food to come out. Both dishes r tasty n umami. If u eat with a lot of veggies, u have to ask the waitress. Otherwise, it comes with a small plate of veggies. read more

came here from austin when visiting home. easily the freshest and best bahn beo around town, and i have tried so so so many different spots. didn't really try the other dishes, but plan to next time :) read more

I have been to Dong Ba a few occasions now, and I would probably give it a 3.5 stars. Dong Ba serves Central/Hue Vietnamese cuisine, so may be a little specific for American crowd - just FYI. I have always love all the Hue rice cakes, so we ordered a number of them today. Banh Beo was alright - they serve both the Wet and Dry toppings for Banh Beo. I usually eat the Wet kind, and truthfully was expecting more to the sauce/topping. Banh Nam was pretty nice, it was elastic but melt in your mouth as well. The reasons for the 3 stars today would be that the service was lacking. They completely forgot my Banh Canh order, so my whole table had food and I had to remind them before my Banh Canh was brought out. And I was extremely disappointed that to my surprise, they used Udon noodle (Non-Vietnamese wheat noodle) instead of the actual Banh Canh (either made with rice flour or tapioca starch). The broth was also meh, but the Udon noodle really was unbelievable. read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - Banh Canh Tom Cua - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I took my dad here who was born & raised in Vietnam. He actually approved of the dishes & really liked it. The owners are so cute & kind, and it's definitely a "mom & pop" restaurant. The three picture of the food were my favorite dishes. We also got the rice with thit nuong, and it wasn't bad. My husband got the Mi Quang, and it was just okay, nothing special. Would definitely come back. read more

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This is such a staple place for my family and I! Been coming here since before the son of the family inherited the restaurant. We go at least twice a month. If you're craving hue style appetizers then I highly recommend this place. I always get the bánh canh each time without fail; it's extremely flavorful. All the appetizers like bánh bèo, bánh bột lọc, ram ít, etc are always so fresh! The bánh nậm comes out still radiating heat! I love spice and their crushed up chilis complement the dishes perfectly. There's only one server and she's the sweetest lady ever! It gets quite crowded on weekends so service can be slow since it's only her waiting on tables. However, the food here is so worth the wait. My favorites here: -bánh bột lọc -bánh nậm -bánh ram ít -bánh bèo -bánh canh tôm cua -mì quảng read more

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The food was really good. I ordered 4 different dishes and really liked them all. Ban beo unlike the one I had before. It added rice flour and other flour so the texture was more chewy than traditional. I like the sauce for the rice wrap. The peanut butter and garlic enhance everything. The only bad part is potential safety concern. I saw media and polices in this shopping center when I drove in. Found the news on the news after ate. read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Honestly, everything I had here was fantastic! Already excited to come back to eat everything again. Ordered the: Banh ram it - MUST ORDER Banh beo chen cha uot - So good, their toppings are "chefs kiss" Bun bo hue Bun hen - Must order Banh canh tom cua - yummy! Service was good and food was even better. read more

This is located in a shopping complex with plenty of parking spaces. The service here is pretty quick. This restaurant serves hue food and the menu is very similar to nam giao's menu. There's some things here that's done better than nam giao and vice versa. My sister and I came here for the first time and ordered the #17 combination appetizer, the bun rieu and the banh uot thit nuong. My favorite thing that we tried was the banh ram it. The banh uot thit nuong was really good as well. The banh beo was just ok. I think I prefer the banh beo from nam giao better. I didn't care much for the bun rieu. Overall I'd still come back for the banh ram it and the banh uot. read more

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Any restaurant named after my dong must be pretty impressive, right? So this is a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant that has all of the ingredients that you would need for fantastic family style cooking, and the kind of place which you would only find in this part of Houston. They make wonderful noms and they do an excellent job - All Things Considered. It's one of the better Vietnamese restaurants I've been to in Houston, and although I've only been here once there will definitely be a second trip soon. read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - I have Barbi's fabe Dong Ba none - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

There is only one woman in front of the house, so please take time with her! A tip when coming to the restaurant is to know the food item so that you can get served immediately. The food was good, and the wait time was decent. It's a reasonable price, but be aware that a credit card is $15 minimum. read more

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Small joint serving some of my favorite viet apps. If you're worried about social distancing, etc. it's probably best just to get takeout here. When we were there, it was busy and they only have like space for 30-40 people. We ordered two trays of banh beo (one wet and one dry), one order of banh bot loc and one order of the banh it. I really liked the wet shrimp banh beo - it was salty and sweet. All the apps had a good chew. The nuoc mam that comes with the apps is light and not too sweet. For main dishes, I got a mi quang - which I would give a 7. It was missing a few toppings but still good. My nephew said his com tam bi was also good. Don't follow maps to get here, it'll bring you to the back - just look for the shopping center at the SE corner of Beechnut and Wilcrest. read more

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Dong Ba is the place I go to get authentic Vietnamese food. We've also used them for catering, as well! I've been going here for years, and I always come back at some point because I can't get over my Dong Ba cravings! It's in Bellaire in a rough-looking shopping strip strewn with trash, but the food is good. Food quality varies a little from time to time, but overall, it's always been pretty good. The inside is simple with little decoration. There are a couple waitresses that are always there that speak Vietnamese and English. Service may not be the best but there's few of them and they do their jobs adequately. The banh uot with peanut sauce is always good bevause the roasted pork is so flavorful. Those with texture issues may not like this because it has veggies, soft rice rolls, and chewier pork. The banh it is always a go-to. Very good and fresh, gooey rice ball on top of a fried piece of goodness. The shrimp inside has the shell and the pork is always nice and fatty. The eggrolls are a classic that always deliver. Has pork and woodear mushrooms. Comes with fish sauce and vegetables. Banh beo is a crowd favorite. Definitely order and douse it in fish sauce. The crispy pork rinds on top are always an extra treat. The soup in the photo is SO good. The broth is so flavorful and almost viscous. Has lots of crab meat and a few pieces of shrimp. Nice thick noodles and super savory with garlic pieces and green onion. Got the Mi Quang to go and it's very good. Buttery noodles, thin cuts of meat, flavorful and satisfying broth, and comes with vegetables and peanuts for a nice crunch. Simple place with great food. A very authentically Vietnamese place. read more

Dong Ba Hue Restaurant - Eggrolls, ban it, pork in rice rolls (banh uot), banh canh tom cua - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This is an authentic Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in Hue cuisine. Service is hit or miss, depending on how busy they are and the server you get. One time, we got a young lady that was very courteous and honest. We asked her if a particular dish was good and she gave us her honest response. Overall, the food better than some other Hue places we've tried in Houston area. The Bun Bo Hue is not as good here as some other eateries that specialize in BBH only. Banh Canh was good, Bun Hen was just average. Come here for the Banh Nam, Banh It Ram, and small tapa dishes. 4 stars for food, 3 stars for service. read more

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