Dong Nguyen

Solid quick good food. The free chicken feet soup was awesome. We had all the recommended dish and they did mot disappoint. The hainan chicken, beef cube with tomatoe rice, the cornish hen with macaroni. Like one of the reviewer said, the sauce for the hainan chicken did not go well with the dish (but i am not a sauce person, so its alright). The beef and cornish hen was really good. Not dry at all. So overall, solid food and will come back.

Hainan chicken: Expect mediocrity not the best. The rice is okay (not the best), the chicken is really tender but flavor not that strong and the soup is the worst with mustard greens so it’s bitter and has a hint of green vs. just deliciously chicken. $ 8 not bad price.

I like this place. I came once for Hainan chicken and I think it was probably the best I’ve ever had. The meat has bones (unlike Savoy) but I don’t care that much. It’s tender and cooked perfectly! And the rice was the best part for me. It was a bit oily, but so flavorful!!! The sauce was whatever for me, I didn’t bother using it. The rice and chicken was good by itself! The service was surprising pretty good compared to other places.

Hidden gem in the sgv! I have been coming here since high school and seriously the best red rice and steak plate you can get for the best deal.
Also, the hainam chicken is so so so delicious !!

I thought this place was semi-​comparable to savoy but no, I was totally wrong…
They are located in an old, dingy strip mall with 168 supermarket as their neighbor and plenty of parking spots in the lot.
We ordered to-​go and while the chicken was packaged nicely, for approximately 8 $ per order, the proportion of chicken to rice was off… and the chicken meat was full of bones. I can handle all of that if it was good BUT THAT SAUCE… just what the heck are they thinking?! SWEET & SOUR SAUCE?! The flavors didn’t even match!!! I did enjoy the crispy cucumber and tomato slices though.
Each meal came with some chicken feet broth which was delicious, but even that can’t entice me to come back anytime soon.
Overall, the meal was pretty blech…
Tip: CASH ONLY

Hello my Unilocalies,
Thank you for my friends for introducing this place to me. Sometimes you just want some delicious Vietnamese food, but not just Phở, you want something with big chunks of meat and rice, then this is the place for you. Parking here is super convenient, they have a HUGE parking lot shared with many stores and the 168 supermarket, so never need to worry about finding a spot.
I have to say this place definitely has the best Cubed Steak (Bo Luc Lac) with tomato rice ($ 7.75) not too bad for the price. I’ve been to many different Vietnamese restaurants to try out the same dish but no other places can compare to this place. I love places that gives you free soup when you sits down, if you’re like me who loves that then this is the place for you. I’ve been here about 2 – 3 times and everytime that I’m here I order the same thing because you can never go wrong with the cubed steak and tomato rice. Their portion is actually pretty big for myself, but that also can be because I don’t eat that much, but none of my guy friends ever complained if the portion is too small.
Their meat is not the best quality, it does get a little chewy on some parts but they do season it very well. I personally like to add extra pepper on top of mine since I do eat pretty heavy spices and spicy. But if you are like me I definitely suggest adding pepper on top of the meat and the lime/​pepper juice that they give you as a dipping sauce.
I definitely suggest this place if you want a quick bite during work, or just something fast for to-​go. This place does get a little pack during the busy hours but most of the time that I go are the times where not many people are eating, so that’s not too bad. Their service is decent, they definitely get their food out very fast, I waited less than 5 minutes for my dish.
Overall, 4 stars for service, 4 stars for food/​drink, 3 stars for environment and decoration, and 4 stars for cleanliness. I’ll come back whenever I crave for Bo Luc Lac again in the future.

–Cash Only–
Family owned restaurant known for their simple dish that you don’t need to share with anyone else.
They are known for their Hainan Chicken and I love it here; even more so than the famous Savoy that’s down the street. The sauce is sweet and savory and their chicken is so tender. I’m slightly drooling just thinking about!
Soup is also included with every order, no charge.
I really don’t order anything else here besides their Hainan Chicken, so I can’t vouch for their other dishes.
Parking is easy with their big lot.
*closed on Thursday

Small slightly hidden restaurant. Ordered the hainan chicken with rice and tomato paste fried rice with fillet Mignon. Had complimentary chicken broth with chicken feet and Chinese Broccoli; very good. Service was good, very attentive at keeping our drinks filled and and sauce that came with the hainan chicken; also at taking our orders and delivering our food in a timely matter. The hainan chicken was decent, the rice that came with it was good. The fillet Mignon was delicious as was the tomato rice. However the tomato rice could have been more flavorful. Would come back here to try other dishes, the menu had a lot of options and the staff was great.

+The 2 most popular dishes here are the hainan chicken rice plate & the bo luc lac/​french styled filet mignon cubes rice plate. The hainan chicken rice is better than Savoy, and have less of a wait. I also got the wonton noodle soup here, and it’s very standard. Although the wontons were a little small, the big portions compensate for it.
+Parking is great since it’s in a giant plaza with the 168 market next door
+Service is great, they bring you soup upon your seating and refill water when you’re low

Cash only! The best Hainan chicken ever flavor wise! Wish there was more meat on their chickens, but still filling nonetheless. They cook their rice with chicken broth. Extra yummy!!! Lunch special comes with broth $ 7.97

I have been coming here for about 10 years and the food has always been very tasty and delicious. The restaurant is fairly small, it can fit about maybe 10 small parties.
Their Bo Luc Loc/​Beef cubes with red rice or Hainan Chicken with rice are my two go to dishes. They will definitely not disappoint. The beef cubes are marinated and cooked to a point where they are still very tasty and moist. And their hainan chicken is also cooked and still very moist as well with a side of ginger sauce.
Not only that, but if you order take out, your food is always ready within 10 – 15 minutes. The only thing I would say that they need to improve on is to also allow credit card/​debit card payments since they only accept cash.

I love love love this place. I always have to have a Hai nan when I’m in Socal. It’s cheap and the service is always great. I love their dipping sauce that comes with it. I practically drown my whole dish in it. Plus, it only cost 7.25 for it! WTF! If I was to get that in San Jose, it would be 2 bucks more and it wouldn’t be the same.

I love great deals and I also love delicious food. When you combine them together, you’ll get a satisfying meal at Dong Nguyen! My friend and I came here for dinner on a weekend night and the place can get busy. We didn’t know that there is a takeout option, which would be helpful for those who don’t feel like waiting. But for us, our wait was probably around 10 – 15 minutes.
We ordered:
1. Tomato fried rice w/​cornish hen: My friend ordered this one and he was very pleased with the light crispy texture of the chicken. He enjoyed the whole thing completely. Will definitely recommend! (⁵⁄₅)
2. Hainan chicken rice: Delicious! I love the flavor of the rice and the chicken. I would say that it is comparable to Savoy’s (but Savoy’s is slightly better). I love the sauce dip for the rice and chicken, but I do wish they had a variety of sauces for dipping like the other restaurants I’ve been to for this same dish. But other than that, everything was delicious. Very filling (⁵⁄₅)
3. Tomato fried rice w/​cubed beef: I ordered this one to go. The rice was delicious and the cubed beef was yummy too. (⁴⁄₅)
Cash only. There’s plenty of parking as it is in the same lot as 168 Market. Service is friendly. I highly recommend their Hainan chicken rice and cornish hen!

If you live in SGV and you haven’t been to this spot you need to drive here and eat it as soon as possible because you are seriously missing out on some bomb chicken. Located off of Valley Blvd in the same parking lot as 168 supermarket. This small store makes you feel like your actually eating something at home but taste really good and enjoyable.
I was first introduced to this spot from my parents year back in the day when I was younger. I still remember coming here with my parents and them ordering the Hainan Chicken rice and I would get the deep fried chicken with like tomato rice I believe. Both dishes are super delicious and really filling.
They do give you huge portions here compared to many other chicken spots. Either way if you never been you really got to go and do this place up SGV style. :)

Com Ga Roti (fried Cornish hen) was always a childhood favorite of mine and up to this day remains so. I especially love it when it comes with red rice (ketchup rice!). I was really excited to order the #2 Fried Cornish Hen with red rice.
Service was quick and the food came out fast. Don’t expect amazing service here but they do give you complimentary chicken broth with some mustard greens and chicken feet.
The Cornish hen was delicious and crunchy. The hen wasn’t dry and the rice was good. The meal wasn’t out of this world but I still enjoyed my meal here and so did my family.

I came here for the Hainan Chicken Rice. Although it was pretty good, it was served towards the chill side and I’m not sure if I got sick after eating it but both myself and my friend who ordered the same thing had to use the bathroom shortly after. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and not blame them for it but I’m still a little skeptical.
It came with a soup which is pretty standard and nothing particular to brag about. This place has a very hole in the wall feel to it and not necessarily in a good way. I usually like to go to place that’s a little more welcoming to eat and I just didn’t seem to get that vibe here.

I would never go back unless a friend wanted go.
We got there about half an hour after it opened for the day. The waitress seated us right a way. We asked for a booster seat. She came over with a booster seat, a plastic bowl, and spoon for the baby. That was a very nice gesture and saved us from having to ask for it later.
We placed our order and literally five minutes later our two orders cams out. We had one shaken need with tomato fried rice and one shaken beef with tomato macaroni noodles. While I do appreciate quick service (who doesn’t?!) I appreciate HOT (temperature wise) food more. This über quick delivery of our food and our (at the very best) lukewarm food lead me to one conclusion. Our food was already pre-​made and was just warmed up and put on a pretty platter to serve to us. Had the microwave they used been a little stronger in strength or had our food spent a little more time being heated up maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad. I expected my food to be freshly made when I ordered it (not unreasonable right?!)
We also ordered their Hainam chicken and rice to go. Many who have gone to this place recommend it. A few claiming that it is better than Savoy. I have also been to Savoy. My verdict: Savoy is better. Here the chicken tasted old and rubbery. Sauce was mediocre at best. Rice lacked all chicken flavor. While Savoy is better than here I wouldn’t return their for my Hainam chicken fix either.
My go to place for that is Phở Ga Bac Ninh on New Ave in Monterey Park.
The fact that this place is cash only doesn’t help with my rating either.
Stay away my foodie friends! There are a lot tastier and cheaper places in this neck of the woods!

This family owned restaurant has been in business for a while. They offer variety of Chinese/​Vietnamese dishes. I got there around 630 on a Friday night and we were greeted and seated right away. My first impression of this place was that it reminded me of my aunt’s house. The service was AMAZING! The two waitresses were very accommodating. They always refilled our drinks without us asking, and they gave us extra sauces when they saw that we were running low. It’s the best service restaurant on Valley Blvd. I would give them 5 stars for service.
As for the food, I thought it was ok and affordable. Hainan chicken for $ 7, Bo Lu Lac for $ 8, and Seafood Chow me in for $ 8. It’s the best deal around! Plus, there’s no wait.
Hainam chicken rice was ok. I wish they gave us more chicken and also have the option to order white meat. Their sauce is different from savoy, but it’s still very good. You’ll just need to add more garlic chili if you wish to have it spicier.
Bo Lu Lac was aight. There’s nothing really to rave about. The cubed beef were kind of small so which made it very chewy. The taste was kind of blend too. Their tomato rice was ok, I’ve had better. I think Kim Ky’s BLL is way better.
Seafood chow mein was however super delicious! I would definitely get it again!
Overall, I had a good experience at Dong Nguyen.

— — — — — — — — — — — — -My 500^th Review — — — — — — — — — — —
If you’re looking for some hainan chicken that’s differ from Savoy or Green Zone, this should be your second/​third option. I’ve been here once awhile back and haven’t been back since a few days ago. The man wanted hainan chicken dish and was wondering if there was something other than Savoy. I go to Unilocal for this and thought wait, there’s this place in the CVS plaza. And so we made a trip.
Although, the chicken isn’t all that great because it’s bone in. Not sure if you can ask for it to be de-​boned. BUT, what is great about there hainan dish compared to the other two places, is the hainan rice and dipping sauce. Delicious!
Sec best dish and they are known for: Filet Steak Cubes w/​Tomato rice. Bo Luc Lac. So full of flavor. Dip it with the lime, salt and pepper. Probably one of the best Bo Luc Lac out there.
Nothing fancy or modern about the restaurant. Just your simple family owned spot. Speak Canton and they treat you nicer ;)

I was getting pretty hangry one day as my significant other had slept in until 1pm. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem except I’m a guest at a friend’s dad’s house, so I’m not planning to raid the fridge anytime.
As soon as my significant other awoke, I said, I’m getting hangry. I need something simple, quick, and delicious. After a few minutes, he drove me to Dong Nguyen. We ordered their staple dish — Hai Nam Style Chicken with Rice. I wolfed the food down in about 7 minutes… yup, it was that good!