La Dong

The restaurant transports you to south east Asia, or at least a glorified Hollywood version of it. Very cool vibes and very instagramable.As for the food, we started with the crispy spring rolls and summer rolls, both with shrimp. The summer rolls held together perfectly in the usual rice paper wrap. The veggies were fresh and the shrimp was well cooked. Overall, what you would expect at a Vietnamese restaurant but double the price. The crispy spring rolls were excellent. They are wrapped in a net wrap, which is so much better IMO than the regular wrap. The filling was delicious, but nothing special. Lastly, for appetizers, we got the bone marrow. What a decadent dish. The fat from the bone marrow with a lob of pate work perfectly over a well toasted baguette. Now for the mains. The broth for the pho is incredible. I drank it up, which I probably shouldn't have - I assume it goes way over the daily recommended salt consumption. We got the pho with the wagyu. Super tender beef. Does not come with the usual Hoisin and sriracha sauce, but you don't need it. I kind of also miss the other accompaniments - beef balls, tendon, tripe. Overall, the quality of the noodles and broth were excellent.Next came the duck tamarind. The sauce was so savory - I poured it over a bed of rice and went to town with it.We got a grilled branzino, which came with lettuce and rice noodle - we wrapped it all together in the lettuce and dipped it in a citrus spiced sauce; flavors all worked incredibly well. Lastly, we got the crab fried rice. I didn't get to try any - was too full from the above - but my son thoroughly enjoyed it.Service was excellent - attentive and helpful in assisting us in navigating the menu. La Dong does an incredible job in elevating Vietnamese restaurant. The quality and flavors make this place worth a visit.

La Dong is a beautifully and culturally adorned spacious Vietnamese restaurant around Union square. Somehow it kept coming up on my insta newsfeed which led to our weekend lunch here. Reservations were very easy to make.The service needs improvement in that they were too attentively trying to clear food from our table when we were still eating. We hadn't even been there for an hour yet so we felt rushed and unable to enjoy catching up.The food was really good though. I really liked the crab fried rice. My friends really enjoyed the pho. The crispy spring rolls were above average as well.Despite the good food, not sure if we are going to come back given the rushed service.

Good place for Vietnamese food! Came with a friend and shared two dishes.The crab fried rice is definitely one of the better ones I've had. It comes with a sauce that helps make it flavorful and there is lots of crab on top. The dry beef pho was also good, lovely sauce with a bunch of vegetables and different meats.

Food (5/5): Wow! This might be my favorite and the best Vietnamese restaurant place I've been to! The ribeye pho was possibly the best pho I've had. The meat was so melt in your mouth and the broth unbelievably delicious. All the dishes were so amazing. The prices are a bit higher but totally worth it.Service (5/5): The servers were helpful and attentive with food coming out fast. Ambiance (5/5): Beautiful upscale ambiance with umbrellas in the ceiling and the whole place looking fancy. Really nice spot.

La Dong is bringing restaurant dining experiences back! Okay, maybe those experiences haven't gone anywhere but either way La Dong is crushing it. First there's the charming interior design of the place that has just the right amount of art direction and charm to make you feel like you're somewhere cool. Then there's the details -- like the branded plates and the cozy nooks and the weirdly dark bathrooms. Just more fun little immersive things that nobody bothers to do anymore. Then the service is super friendly and prompt, lovely people who are chatty and down to help you decide from all the lovely things on the menu. And then of course there's the menu -- amazing! A great mix of interesting Vietnamese food and recognizable staples, all of it darn delicious. The gigantic sesame rice cracker is a stand out appetizer, as was the tofu scallion and meatballs. Also a fan of the crab fried rice, which is a generously large portion. I can't wait to come back and explore the rest of the menu -- maybe next time with a bigger group so we can really taste it all.

Next level Vietnamese food, amazing ambiance, noise levels on the average end and, great location! Can't ask for anything more I guess?When traditional classics are elevated to next level, we appreciate that food a lot. The best Vegetable Pho ($21) I've ever had, where the broth packs a lot of flavor. The accoutrements consist of some spicy chilies and vinegar garlic which elevate the taste further, and just when you think you have a perfect dish, a spice packed garlic, cilantro hot sauce if what you can request for, if you enjoy spicy food - which goes extremely well with the rice noodles!The Crab Fried Rice ($32) from the Chefs special menu was amazing too and was a good plate to share between two. This dish accompanies the hot sauce.Specific shoutout to Jaycee for her excellent service, attentiveness, and her contagious smile! Will definitely visit again and will be the go to recommendation for Vietnamese food.

The food was good, but didn't quite live up to the hype. The restaurant has a cool-looking interior.Summer roll - a bit bland on its own, mostly relying on the sauce to give it flavor. I found that the roll disintegrated very quickly while holding it.Banh mi - nice fluffy bread and tart and crunchy fillings. The tofu had a nice chew to it as well. The truffle and vegetable soup served with it was nice and subtle.Salted coconut coffee - not too sweet and in good balance.

I think the vibes are great. The decoration is cozy and somewhat Vietnam inspired. I gave 5 stars for the atmosphere here. However, for the food, as Vietnamese, I think it doesn't have the base taste of what Vietnamese dishes supposed to taste like. The server was trying to upsell every time she can, make the experience a little bit awkward

Had a wonderful exeprience at La Dong! It is very refreshing to find an elevated vietnamese restaurant done at such an excellent quality.My party tried a mix of items, with my personal favorite being the ca ri hai san (seafood curry), which tasted velvety smooth backed by punchy flavors... I have been thinking about this dish for a few days now! Other people also really enjoyed the wagyu pho, which was delightful.We also tried an avocado ice cream at the end, which helped to end the meal nicely. Service at the restaurant was also superb!

One of the most beautiful and well decorated restaurants I've been to! The wagyu pho was flavorful and the meat was super tender! The banh mi hit the spot and was everything I hoped for in the sandwich. It comes with some soup which is different than the pho broth - and it is also very good. Good pho, but a little pricey