Dong Que Vietnamese Restaurant

If you’ve got a banh xeo craving then come here! Biggest darn things ever. Big enough to share! Beautifully crispy, and the herbs and salad to go with it are so freshly and thoughtfully presented.
Their rice paper rolls are also a delight. Wonderfully constructed, and the accompanying sauce is addictive — so buttery and sweet at the same time.
Café sua da is also delicious (but then again anything with condensed milk is good!)
The menu is quite pricey compared to the rest of the restaurants in Footscray. But I’m sure you’re paying for the quantity and quality of food here.
Inside is clean, staff is nice and helpful. Great place!

$ 38 for 2 of us.
Tea, traditional spring rolls, Bahn xeo (vietnamese pancakes), and rice crackers with grilled pork & rice paper.
Huge dishes, very very tasty, fresh, good service. Like most of the vietnamese in Footscray, you’re there for the traditional food, not the décor or 5 star service
Fun Fact: came here a few years ago on the Rickshaw Run as part of the food & wine fest. If you’re looking for a fun day out check it out at next years festival!

As a longtime westie, I think I’ve tried nearly every Vietnamese place in Footscray. I hadn’t been to Dong Que until a few weeks ago, when our Vietnamese friend hosted a group lunch there. She assured us that it was the most authentic Viet restaurant in the hood, and that the food reminded us of her mother’s homemade cooking.
We were part of a group of seven which allowed us to sample many of the dishes on offer. They were all superb: Well presented, fresh, and full of flavour. The attention to detail was quite noticeable. At other nearby joints its common to get a messy pile of herbs, some bruised or bug eaten. At Dong Que the thai basil and mint were all glistening and green, with nary a hole in site. The herbs come served in a perfectly round scoop of iceberg lettuce. Standout dishes included the perfectly balanced rare beef salad, sugarcane prawn sticks, and the tender steamed rice paper with mushroom and pork. THe revelation for me was the lightly fried calamari. I’ve been known to have a «thing» about squid and I rarely enjoy it. But this? This squid was the most epic squid ever, from the perfect batter to the fresher than fresh meat inside. I am a squiddy convert thanks to Dong Que!
The service here is prompt, the place is clean (though maybe give the toilets a pass), and they serve 333 beer, a pretty good and cheap Vietnamese lager.
You’ve tried the rest, now try the best…
PS: randomly closed on Thursdays!