Bun Dong Ba – Vietnamese Noodle House

So far, me this place is 3 – 4 stars. But it’s closer to four since the food was made well. We came to this shopping strip and didn’t realize it was an Asian nirvana for Fort Worth locals, since there’s two Vietnamese places and a Thai place in this strip mall. And those cuisines are not that easy to come by closer to town. We picked this place over My Lan because this place has the banh xeo and the other didn’t.
I tried the egg rolls, banh xeo, and the strawberry boba.
Egg roll — they were good and the accompanying sauce was tasty but the rolls were not the bubbly kind that I much prefer.
Banh xeo — the rice crepes made with turmeric (making it yellow) and filled with sprouts, shrimp and pork, were accompanied with fish sauce and some herbs and greens on the side for you to eat with. The banh xeo was not overly greasy (it’s fried so it’s supposed to be a little greasy anyways, but there was no puddle of oil to speak about) and it was also a big portion. The shrimp and pork were good. The only complaint was that it was rather very bland — I had to use salt and my dining companion had to use the sauce that was meant for the egg rolls. With the modifications we made, we liked it. But the fact that we had to fix it to make it tasty enough is something to be aware about. Even so, it was well prepared that we probably would order this again.
The boba tea didn’t taste very Asian, but maybe it had something to do with the fact I don’t normally get strawberry flavored boba. They used frozen strawberries, which was appreciated so that there was pulp. But they also used strawberry syrup to sweeten it and I’m mixed about that. In the end, it tasted good and we were pleased. Just know it may not be a «natural» product because of the syrup.
Prices were good and service was friendly. The ambience was very nice considering most Vietnamese places I’ve been to look more run down than this one. But as you can see, I was tempted to give this place three stars for either the lack of flavor for the banh xeo or because of artificially flavored syrup for the boba. But in the end, the good preparation of the food helped make this place a good four stars, especially since good Asian is hard to come by in Fort Worth.

This is my go to spot for a good olé bowl of phở! The portions are amazing and the staff is very attentive. It’s also a plus because they do speak English very well. I’ve tried the shaken beef here and I do prefer My Lan’s.
But the phở the broth is amazing you can taste all the seasoning and I don’t really had to add much to it which is very nice. There are other places that I have gone to were I am going ham on the condiments.

VERY UPSET. I have been eating there since they opened thier doors. always sat at the medium size table #16 nobody has never said a word to me about sitting at that table for 2 years, The owner of the restaurant comes to me and says I cant sit there. all of the tables are vaccant is what I told him, He did not care, All he did was argue with me about the table I always sat at for 2 years at least 2 & 3 days a week. I have Never in my life ever been pushed out of a restaurant for sitting at the same table for 2 years. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. IF YOU WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE SHIT THEN THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU

Time to update my review. My favorite Vietnamese restaurant for several reasons. I have now been here a lot and tried a fair amount of similar restaurants.
This place is always clean. The service is almost always good. But the key to this place, besides the great food I’ve already reviewed in two other reviews on Unilocal,is something I really admire: relationships.
This family is friendly, motivated, and proud of their culture. It comes through clearly in multiple ways. They love to talk about their country, their food, and help me and my family and friends understand choices and options.
They recently completely redid their menu. It is perfect. Big clear pictures with a ton of explanations about dishes and how they vary. They put some serious thought into their menu format and the payoff is clear. It is grouped by themes and the choices make more sense.
I recently brought my sister-​in-​law and her husband along with my wife and some others. They weren’t completely sold on the idea of Vietnamese. It was a huge hit. The lady (I forget her name, the owners wife) is always charismatic, smiling, and willing to help match an item to a personal taste. We were all impressed. We came out full, laughing, and agreed it was a great evening.
If you find you aren’t sure about something, ask and learn. My daughters boyfriend went on a ministry trip to Vietnam not too long ago. I really enjoyed listening him talk to her. Her story is amazing about coming to America, working hard, learning English, and wanting to share the best of what her country has to offer.
I haven’t had a bad dish. Some I have enjoyed more than others. I’ve learned there are many styles of soups and the ingredients can get, um, shall we say, interesting? Cultural cooking at its best shared by a family trying their hardest to make their mark in America.
Highly recommended, esp if you want to visit and learn about Vietnam and their good.
One thing I find funny is their choice of music. Not cultural.
Or is it? I’ve started learning that Vietnam has had quite the adoption of all things musical that are American ever since the war in the ’60’s and early ’70’s. Evidently, they play music that might be the very thing one would hear in a typical restaurant in Vietnam.
Highly recommended.

Like another reviewer said, hit or miss at times. Was part of my weekly rotation of restaurants for about a year.
One night I ordered the phở. The same phở I had been eating in all of my other visits.
It came out flavorless and watered down. I sent it back. First time I ever sent anything back.
Owner came over and put up a decent fight about how I didn’t know what I was talking; she had been serving that broth all day and I was the first to complain. She insisted I eat it with another complimentary side of more flavorless broth.
Will not be going back.

I been here w my fiancé 1 time, our phở was so good, owner is very sweet ! Their restaurant is very clean! They from hue where have very good and healthy food in Vietnam. I will take my mom and dad come here soon ! :)

I love phở, honestly I’ll always give any phở place 4 – 5 stars, just depending on service. I also ordered the banh mi sandwich, I love it here. I also asked for not too toasted, I hate when the bread is hard. I just get the phở with tendon. There is a bit of a language barrier.

My wife and I love this place, usually order to-​go. The entire staff is very friendly, courteous, and helpful in making recommendations about trying new menu items when I don’t want my usual order. I’ve tried 3 other types of broths/​soups than the regular Phở-​style and while they’ve all been very different, they’ve all been solid.
I’ll also echo what other people have said about their ‘unlisted’ menu item: their banh mi is great and inexpensive.

Great service
Lots of options
Vegetarian friendly
The broth is on point. Definitely get phở, eggrolls and spring rolls. Skip the banh mi.

Great phở place. Even when busy, service is pretty good. (Unlike another unnamed phở restaurant… in the same plaza.)
Banh Xeo here is great. My friend tried it for the first time here and it’s her favorite Vietnamese dish now.
Rice plates, vermicelli, phở, everything I have tried here is good. Always clean. Recommended if you want some Vietnamese food and in the area.

The Special Friend heard this place had good oxtail phở. I believe I have never had oxtail with phở at a restaurant but when we eat it at home, there is always oxtail.
Its very clean and though I don’t rate a Vietnamese place based on service, they had super service here. It’s pretty nice! They also have a wide range of boba drinks and Viet desserts. I had young coconut juice with basil seeds and jelly. Very sweet and refreshing.
The eggrolls are good. It comes with a red dipping sauce that kinda looks like sriracha, but it’s not spicy, not sweet, not salty… I’m not quite sure what it tastes like because I tasted it by dipping my chopstick a bit, but I love eggrolls with nuoc mam so we asked for nuoc mam.
The Special Friend ordered the phở dac biet with oxtail and I ordered meatballs, brisket and oxtail. I like to taste the broth of phở before I add anything to it as a kind of litmus test for legit phở and this was pretty legit. They only have 2 sizes: L and XL. It’s a huge serving. Maybe I’ll order the baby size next time with one meat: oxtail. They are generous with the meats. I couldn’t eat all that meat together so I felt wasteful. The brisket even has the fatty parts! I love fatty parts… so it’s like eating phở at home. The oxtail was cut smaller so it’s easier to eat in a restaurant setting so you’re not sucking and biting around the bones like you would at home. It was tender and came right off the bone. If oxtail isn’t cooked long enough, it’s tough and chewy. I would definitely come back and not just when My Lan is closed like other people say haha! Oxtail phở is just right on a cold, rainy day!
Oh I didn’t go with 5 stars because I had to donate some tendon to the Special Friend’s bowl and I had other slices of beef in my bowl too. It’s extra meat that I didn’t order. But it’s still a solid bowl of phở.

This is my go-​to place for Viet food in Haltom City. I refuse to go to the other place a few doors down. It’s brighter, cleaner, friendlier, and cleaner here! (Yes, I said it twice) The owner is a sweet lady who came over after I ordered bun rieu without the noodles and suggested getting it with steamed veggies instead. It was delicious! She walks around and talks with customers. I never have a problem with service here, quite the opposite. They’re great! I will say, I’m not a fan of the phở. It’s not bad but then again I prefer home-​cooked phở always. Everything else that I’ve tried has been yummy!

Really great phở, good customer service and a nice clean establishment. I had the Spicy Seafood Phở. The broth was really flavorful and different than any other phở I’ve ever had. The spring rolls were nice too. I’ll definitely be back!

Absolutely some of the best phở in Haltom City! Flavorful broth, plenty of garnishes and condiments, and HUGE portions — all in their super clean and tidy dining room. Their staff is so friendly and helpful as well, always making sure that you’re aware of what you’re ordering. Yes, I do want raw beef — Bring it on! :D
My fiancé loves their beef fried rice too. I’m never craving rice when we eat here, but I usually grab a bite or two and the beef is tasty and tender. Yum!
Lastly, if you’re looking for a banh mi LOOK NO FURTHER! They usually have all the fixings to make one, but it’s not on their menu. Just ask about it though — It’s a fantastic and frugal lunch.
Damn, now I’m hungry!

I have been looking for Bun this good for a LONG time. Portuons are amazing, staff is super friendly and attentive.
My husband had the Phở and said it was some of the best phở he has had.

The ox pizzle phở is really good here and so much varieties! If you are looking for good Vietnamese food this is the spot!

Came here when my lan was closed… lol.
First thing I want to mention is their service. This place has got to have the best service of all Vietnamese restaurants. Usually you get your cup of water at the beginning and that’s that. But not here, I don’t remember my cup ever being empty! Quite refreshing.
My fiancé and I had the rice «special» dish number 1. We were surprised at what the surprise actually was. It was the thit nuong, chargrilled beef, and shrimp done two ways. Usually these are included in a normal rice dish so idk what made it so special on this dish?.
Overall, it was ok. Not good and not bad. Would I return? Probably if my lan was closed… lol.

Most come here for their variety. While My Lan is down the row for their signature broken rice dishes, Dong Ba is good for their soups. Any soup!
Namely, they serve this dried spice mixture that I really enjoy adding to my soups. Just a nice touch.
I usually order their bun bo hue, however, I do know their phở is good too. Veggies are fresh. Comes with beef, huyet heo (pig blood), cha. I would say it’s in good competition with the new Duc Truong Bun Bo Hue restaurant down the street. They taste similar but the other place gives a larger portion.
The venue is clean, average amount of seating, easy to bring a group in. The management is the sweetest as well. Fair pricing and fresh ingredients. I come back from time to time when I’m in the mood for a soup.

Really glad we tried this place rather than going to one of our familiar haunts (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But ya gotta venture out and try some new places, or we’d all still be eating at Pancho’s, amiright? Eww.
As others have noted, the first thing that sets apart this restaurant from others is that you actually get outgoing, friendly service. That is a rarity for the Vietnamese restaurants, where service typically ranges from mostly efficient to non-​existent, but almost never engaging. The owner waited on us this day, and took a great deal of time to ask us about our familiarity with Vietnamese cuisine, and made suggestions from there. She was very pleased when we were a little adventurous and decided on the spicy seafood phở and the spicy phở traditional style with beef and pork. I appreciated that the generic nature of that description might lend itself to some more unusual includions, and I had her throw in a pig’s foot for good measure. Add the ox pizzle? Ummm, not this time. Maybe next time. Or not.
So all the Unilocalers are correct in that the spicy phở broth is incredible and the dry chili seasoning provided alongside would be addictive. Seafood phở had all the usual swimming goodies, but the beef & pork had some unusual pieces. Most were good. I’m not a big fan of the Vietnamese meatballs, but the flat loaf slice of ground meat was really wonderfully flavorful, although I didn’t get a chance to ask exactly what it was. I did wonder about the dark, soft material in the soup that didn’t have a distinctive taste — took me a minute, then I figured it out. Pig blood? The owner smiled, nodded and said «we call it the pudding». I’m ok with that, but don’t feel the need to have it again.
Enjoyed this restaurant very much. I look forward to coming in to try some additional new foods. If I’m feeling crazy the next trip in, maybe I’ll order the ox pizzle. Or maybe not.

Hii all. Just finished inhaling my spicy phở and sad now because it’s all gone. At first when I saw this on the menu, I thought, is this a gimmicky way of selling bun bo hue? Well it kinda is! But different because they use the typical phở fixings with bun bo hue broth. I am so glad I took a chance because it absolutely delectable. The best BBH is hands down Phở Tay Do in Dallas. That shit is amazing. The broth isn’t quite on their level, but it’s good for it being eaten with phở noodles vs the normal BBH noodles. Not too salty and less fish sauce.
I get so annoyed when people give one star for bad service. The best authentic Vietnamese restaurants typically will not have the greatest service. Whatever it’s fine, just make sure I have water and my bowl of noodles is hot and I’m good. Basic bitches ruin things for real. The manager was actually really sweet to me today. She told me to invite my friends. I am, via Unilocal review. Come in and make your tummy happy.