This place was brought to my attention as a result of a Yelp event and I enjoyed my stop. Full disclosure…I did receive a complimentary dessert and drink as a part of the event.
I am a dessert and sweets lover, so looked forward to trying a Thai Dessert and flavored tea at a new restaurant. The atmosphere is quite basic, in a strip mall in front of Sam’s Club, with concrete floors and minimal tables, chairs and wall decor (see pictures). However, a great new stop for a variety of teas and Thai desserts – if you like lighter versions of desserts, you owe it to yourself to give this place a try.
The food and service were outstanding. I needed some help in understanding the options and completing my order, but the kind lady at the register was very helpful in stepping me through the process. The Mango flavored Jasmine Green Tea (see picture) was delivered almost immediately and tasted great – definite mango flavor and sweet, but not overly sugary.
While the Pang Ping (see picture) took a little longer than I would have expected to prepare, it was delivered to my table while it was warm and delicious. Think of it as a thick piece of Thai sweet bread that is lightly toasted, with your chosen flavors on the outside. I found it to be quite light, yet with just the right amount of sweetness to qualify as a great dessert.
If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.
Had a chance to get back here after a couple of years and again thoroughly enjoyed the food, atmosphere and service. They have a reasonable selection of beers on tap along with an extensive array of liquor (see pictures). Both my friend and I ordered the Pan Seared Salmon (see picture) along with a side of grits (see picture) and both of us would highly recommend it for your visit.
The best part by far though was what we shared after dinner – the Bourbon Bananas Foster (see picture). I shouldn’t have eaten nearly as much as I did, but the creamy, carmelized sauce over the perfectly prepared waffle and bananas just kept calling me back for “1 more bite”. Make sure you save room to enjoy this after your meal – you will truly thank me for the experience!
10/21/2021
We stopped here for dinner last night and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. May was our waiter and was very personable and helpful.
We started off with drinks…both from Matt’s suggestions and loved them both. I had the Leather and Tobacco while my wife had the Jalisco Tea (see pictures). Following that, we each enjoyed Matt’s to 2 recommendations from the menu: Chicken Fried Steak and Shrimp & Grits (see photos).
What a great combination of 5* service and atmosphere with a fantastic menu, while starting slightly under the typical 5* costs. You will definitely want to put this place on your ‘Want to go’ list…especially if you enjoy southern comfort foods.
If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.
Value oriented quick service (order at the counter) format restaurant with tasty sandwiches and desserts tailored to college students and near the Drake campus.
I’m happy to report that the owner reached out to me after the earlier post and offered a replacement dessert on a future visit to show how good the desserts really are – and I can tell you that both the Suspiro A La Limena (see picture) and the Peruvian Chocolate Cake (see picture) were absolutely delicious! The best way I can describe the Suspiro A La Limena is a creamy, cinnamony, citrus pudding topped with whipped cream – thin enough that it was tough to heap on your spoon and get to your mouth, but oh, so tasty!
But I digress when thinking about great desserts. I also ordered a new sandwich while I was there – the Triple Clasico (see picture) and thought that it too was very good. Three layers of fresh, quality bread with layers of avocado and hard boiled egg slices along with diced tomatoes.
I’m satisfied that the faulty cooler compressor was the fault of the earlier dessert issue and it is now fixed. Given the quality and taste of all of the foods and the corrective actions taken by the owner, I’m happy to give Panka my recommendation for great sandwiches and desserts. If you are in the area, give it a try – and tell them The Food and Drink Guy sent you!
10/14/2023
I’ve traveled to Peru on a mission trip, enjoy their food and found the food very good at the ‘sister’ Panka restaurant on Ingersoll – so looked forward to giving this place a try. Last night was the opportunity, as it was my turn to choose a restaurant after Mass.
I admittedly thought twice about actually stopping after our initial drive-by and seeing that it was an order-at-the-counter format with no customers early on a Saturday evening. I was anxious to experience the food though, so we looped back and committed to giving it try.
The counter server was friendly and freely offered her suggestions on what to order. We each started with a Peruvian Pilsen beer (see picture), which we both enjoyed – and at $3.50, along with the sub-$10 sandwiches was the reason for the 5* Value rating.
For our meals, my wife ordered the Traditional Peruano sandwich (see picture) and I ordered the Chicken Croissant sandwich (see picture). We found both of them to be very good. The pork belly in the Peruano was very tender and flavorful and the toasting on the croissant was perfect, as it held together quite well and tasted good. The chicken salad itself was somewhat bland (not a lot of spice for someone who likes it), but it was a solid choice if you like chicken salad.
The fries were also tasty (though admittedly short if you like dipping) – a good crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. My wife asked for a dipping sauce and they provided a spicy dip cup for each that was very good – and had a nice kick to it. My favorite though was the Corn in a Cup – sweet corn with a creamy, zesty (lime flavor) sauce that we later learned was their homemade mayonnaise. It was delicious and I highly recommend it if you stop by for a meal.
Where things went downhill fast and caused the 2* Food rating came after the meal. If you follow my posts, you know that I love desserts – so I was looking forward to trying the Tres Leches when I saw it on the menu. Unfortunately, when I commented on it, the server told us that all of the dessert options were sold out except the Suspiro A La Limena (see picture). We each took a spoonful and while I was still processing the flavor, my wife immediately commented on it tasting bad. I tried another bite to concentrate more on the flavor and my initial thoughts were ‘diesel fuel’…but another smaller taste led me to adjust the description to an acetone-like smell / taste such as fingernail polish remover.
I told the server at the counter and suggested they taste it as there seemed to be something wrong with it, but didn’t get much of a response. She did ultimately take another sample to the back and taste it though, as she later offered a refund after admitting that there was something wrong with it. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the gift that kept on giving, as both of us kept burping up that terrible taste the rest of the evening and worried about food poisoning. Fortunately, we both feel ok the next morning, but for something that bad I would have expected something more than a refund of the cost of the dessert. Maybe worst of all though was that when we left, there was still one of the desserts left in the display case…they weren’t cleaned out and disposed of immediately. Until I understand what went wrong and what precautions they are taking to not repeat that in the future, the food quality is a concern to me and I can’t recommend eating here. I’ve tried to speak with a manager, but the phone number shown on Google just rings and rings without an answer.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Chicken CroissantTraditional PeruanoTriple ClasicoCorn in a CupSuspiro A La LimenaPeruvian Chocolate CakePeruvian Beer
A classy, modern, French-themed restaurant that you are sure to enjoy for your next special outing!
I have been looking for the opportunity to stop by Django ever since adding their great Happy Hour to my HappyHourDesMoines.com site and finally got the chance. We had friends visiting from Brittany, near the west coast of France and thought this would be a stop that they would enjoy. Callout to Lindsey A. (our server) who was great and had spent some time in France, so chatted with our friends about her experience there. Say ‘Hi’ to Lindsey from The Food and Drink Guy when you get a chance to visit.
There was still an hour left of Happy Hour and we had a smoked pork dinner planned for them at home, so were only able to sample some wine (see picture) along with the cocktail shrimp and oysters (see picture). We opted for the Happy Hour wine, while our French friends chose finer wines from the menu – and all were quite good. The presentation, freshness and taste of the oysters and shrimp were excellent – we look forward to a return trip for dinner!
If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.
My wife and I had stopped here several years ago after moving to the area given its history as the original king tenderloin. This time I had just picked up friends from France at the airport, they were hungry and they wanted to eat something unique to Iowa.
I ordered the Breaded Tenderloin (see picture) and we shared some Onion Rings (see picture). The food and atmosphere were each average with the tenderloin served on a common high volume commercial bakery bun and the building showing its age. The flavor of the tenderloins was good and I liked that it was not greasy. The breading seemed quite dry, almost as if it wasn’t even fried at all…or was re-breaded after frying. There wasn’t much substance to the onion rings as is shown in the picture – they were very thin and had minimal breading.
The food and ambiance reminded me of many of the small town ice cream shops I frequented as a teenager. If you are looking for value and a small-town diner experience, you will enjoy a stop at Smitty’s.
If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.
We were killing time walking down Ingersoll and waiting for our dinner reservation when I saw a sign for Crème. If you follow my posts, you know that I have a strong sweet tooth – so had to stop and check the place out…even though I wasn’t supposed to eat dessert before dinner.
What could possibly be wrong with a stop at a shop advertising both delicious desserts / snacks as well as cocktails! I couldn’t resist eating one of them immediately (even before dinner…), so opted for the Hot Chocolate (spicy) cupcake (see picture). Unfortunately, I was so eager to taste it that it was already unwrapped before I remembered to take a picture. My wife was a little more sensible…opting for the Salted Peanut Butter Honey Chocolate Torte to go. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of it.
We both sampled some of each others and found them both to be delicious. The cupcake had just the right amount of spicy kick to go along with the sweet chocolate and frosting – and the torte was every bit as good as you can imagine.
If you are in the area and looking for a great sweet treat, snack or cocktail (even late in the evening), you will definitely want to give this place a try.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
This place has been on my Want to Go since sampling their catering in a factory near their north Des Moines location. The BBQ is top-notch and in my opinion in the top tier in the Des Moines area. The atmosphere, value and service are all above average and worthy of a stop to try for yourself.
We had a beer at the bar before dinner and ended up staying there to eat our dinner. I really like their snowy/ice rail to set your tap beer on – as it does do a great job of helping to keep your beer colder! A friend and myself shared the BBQ Sampler Platter (see picture) with brisket, burnt ends and chicken – and really enjoyed all 3 of them along with the ribs.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
This place’s Italian Beef was highly recommended by a reviewer on another site and finally got the chance to try it today. This is definitely a neighborhood bar – as several other patrons / regulars asked us how we liked our drinks and dinners. Granted, the area looks a little on the rough side as you pull up but the service and food were both great – all handled by one lady behind the bar.
On the recommendation of another patron, we started out with Bloody Marys with pickle vodka and I highly recommend them – not too salty or thick. For our meals, my wife ordered the Italian Beef (see picture) and I went with the Chicago Dog (see picture). As always, we each shared tastes and found both dishes to be very good. Our neighbors ordered the Italian Beef with Cheese (see picture) and Chili Dog (see picture) – and both of them thought they tasted great, commenting especially about how good the chili was.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Italian Beef with CheeseChicago DogChili DogItalian Beef
Several people have recommended Truman’s for lunch and we finally got a chance to stop by as a part of the Summer Stir in Des Moines. The first thing you see is that it is an old house that has been remodeled into a restaurant. You have to look closer at the sign to see the next item of significance – “KC” in the name of the restaurant. If you are a Kansas City Chiefs fan, you will love this place – especially, I’m told, during football season.
For our meal, we ended up sharing a Korean BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich (see picture) on the suggestion of the bartender as we weren’t that hungry and had eaten some at one of the other stops on the Summer Stir. As the bartender suggested, the Korean BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich was very good – moist, quality bun surrounding juicy flavorful pulled pork. The french fries were undercooked to my taste – barely crispy on the outside and mushy inside, but I kept the food at a 4* due to the sandwich.
If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.
We had not heard of this place and only stopped in because it was one of the stops on the Summer Stir. Other than the crowd caused by the Summer Stir though, we found this place to be quite unique and ended up staying for a bite to eat and a cookie.
We saw a large pan of paella cooking outside on the sidewalk and saw the signs that Friday is their Summer Paella Night. Given how much we like paella, we ordered a serving. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture, but it was served in a cardboard box for carryout and tasted very good. I should point out that other orders in the restaurant were served on nice plates with silverware so the cardboard was unique to the paella and to go.
After seeing the cookies in the display case by the front door, I couldn’t leave without trying at least one of them. I ended up ordering an Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookie (see picture) and shared it with my wife. I’m a sucker for sweets…and when you combine espresso, chocolate and sea salt sprinkled on the top – you can’t go wrong. It is delicious and I highly recommend that you stop by and try one yourself!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
We stopped at the previous business (WISCO) and found that they were remodeling with new owners…so waited for the new restaurant to open and tried it out for Happy Hour (from HappyHourDesMoines.com). The bar area is beautifully lighted (see pictures) and there is a professional painting of numerous GOAT sports figures on one wall. It was just a few days after they officially opened and unfortunately, their tap beer wasn’t working that night – so we made due with mixed drinks instead.
My wife started with a Margarita 1800 (see picture) on our server, Steph’s recommendation – and it was very good. I stuck with the well drinks to take advantage of the Happy Hour specials…and we soon found ourselves ordering food and making a night of it.
We started with Cheese Curds (see picture) which were very good…and the dipping sauce was delicious! I then ordered chicken wings (see pictures) and my wife ordered Cod (see picture) – again on Steph’s suggestion. Both entree orders were delicious – crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and oh, so tasty. I would definitely recommend all of the above items when you stop.
This is definitely a great stop for a drink and/or food – and when you stop by, make sure to say ‘Hi’ to Steph – she is fantastic!
If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.
This place has been on my Want to Go list for a while and finally got to experience it on Father’s Day since we were in the area (and I LOVE ice cream). It is a bit of a surprise as you pull up, as it is in a very residential area – leading you to initially think the map is wrong. The exterior is clearly recognizable as a business though and everything about this place is quite unique if not a little eclectic – from the modern facia to the black cat painting on the sidewall…and then the black cat bike in the patio area.
Sticking with my nature of wanting to try something new, my wife and I ordered the Ice Cream Nuggets (see picture) split between 3 Classic & 3 Killer Bees – and really enjoyed them. As the name implies, they looked like chicken nuggets…but were filled with ice cream and had a corn flake crust. If you’ve ever had fried ice cream at a Mexican restaurant – think of it as that but on a smaller scale with bite-sized finger-food portions. They were very good – and the Fudge dipping sauce was an excellent complement!
If you like ice cream as much as I do, you will definitely want to stop and sample some made from scratch daily unique deliciousness!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
It was Father’s Day…so I got to pick where we went for lunch. If you follow my posts, you know I prefer experiencing new foods and places and this place looked interesting. The outside is nothing special…just a storefront in a strip mall along University – but it is what’s inside that matters.
We started with a round of drinks (see picture) while we reviewed the menus. On our server’s suggestion, I ordered the Pernil Plate (see picture), my wife ordered the Carne Frita (see picture), and our sons ordered the Cubano (see picture) and the Camarones (see picture). All of the food was delivered promptly and I sampled some from each of the plates – finding each of them to be worthy of a recommendation. My only concern was that I found the pork on the Pernil Plate to be a little dry to my liking.
For dessert, I ordered a Pastelillo for us to try and share. Similar to my pork comment above, I found this to be a little dry. While that is possibly the way it is supposed to be made and served, I like a little more moistness in my desserts – so wouldn’t order it again.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Have had on my Want to Go list since Cityview listed it for best local bar food in 2022 and finally had the opportunity after the Craft Beer Festival. While we were a little leery of what it might be like near the airport, we were pleasantly surprised by the exterior (see pictures) as we pulled up…and remained positively impressed with the interior decor (see pictures).
Cityview called out their New York Steak & Peppers sandwich (see picture) and it looked great, so my wife went with that for her choice. For our second entree, I went with the Philly Chicken with Fries (see picture). As we always do, we shared tastes of each of our meals and both of us enjoyed both offerings – finding the food quality definitely worthy of the title of Best Bar Food.
If you are in the area or have a little time waiting on a flight, you won’t be disappointed with a stop at Francies.
If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.
This is my wife’s favorite brewery in town and we’ve been here a number of times, but finally getting around to writing a review. On this trip, it was a stop at the end of the Lemon Trail Ride, as the cold, wind and rain caused us to cut the ride a little short.
We started with an order of Exile Fries (see picture) as we have always enjoyed them on previous visits – and today was no exception, crispy and so flavorful! We also shared a Spinach & Artichoke Dip (see picture) and it to, was delicious and highly recommended!
For our meals, we ordered the Exile Burger w/ Truffle Fries (see picture) and Sweet Chili Shrimp Tacos w/Brussels Sprouts (see picture). As we always do, we shared tastes of each dish and both thought that everything was delicious. They have very good Brussels Sprouts here that we often order as an appetizer, but given the other appetizers today, we enjoyed them as a side instead – definitely try these if you haven’t already.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Several friends had great things to say about HomeGrown, so we took the opportunity to go there this weekend with our son and daughter-in-law. The decor is modern and yet country-like (see pictures) and the restaurant had great lighting with glass on 2 sides.
We started with drinks and an appetizer to share – I ordered the Vietnamese Coffee (see picture) and we shared 2 homemade Pop Tarts (see picture). I really liked the Vietnamese Coffee (how can you go wrong adding sweetened condensed milk to cold press coffee?) and the Pop Tarts were great also.
For our meals, I ordered the Salsa Verde Pork & Eggs (see picture), my wife ordered the BLTA&E (see picture) and my son ordered the Biscuits & Gravy (see picture). We each tasted each others dishes and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. The pulled pork in the Salsa Verde Pork & Eggs was moist, the eggs were done perfectly as ordered (over-easy) and the potatoes were done just right with some great seasoning. The BLTA&E was tasty and we all commented that the Biscuits in the Biscuits & Gravy were very light and crumbly.
You won’t go wrong with a stop here for Breakfast or Lunch – but I would recommend that you make a reservation, as they are very busy.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Homemade Pop TartsSalsa Verde Pork & EggsBLTA&EBiscuits & GravyVietnamese Coffee
Several friends recommended this place within a few days, so we took the opportunity to stop by with friends from Brazil who also enjoy sushi. We were advised to get reservations as they are very busy and even at noon on a Friday, the earliest we could get a table for 4 was 8:15 – so I highly recommend getting reservations.
We arrived a few minutes early and were immediately seated near the sushi counter (see pictures). A very modern and lively atmosphere along with friendly service. Our server was Deja L. and she was fantastic – excellent recommendations and a friendly demeanor…the kind of person you would want representing your business.
We started with drinks and a shared appetizer – I ordered the Cherry Vanilla Cola (see picture) and we shared the Combo Dynamite App (see picture). The drink was good as expected and the Combo Dynamite App was dyn-o-mite (as the name implies).
For our meals, I ordered the Volcano (see picture) and my wife ordered the Fire Cracker (see picture) – both Chef’s Special Maki and both on the recommendation of Deja. We really liked both of them and would definitely order them again as well as recommend them for you to try. Our friend ordered the Salmon Roll w/cucumber (see picture) and also really enjoyed it.
We were definitely tempted to order dessert, but ended up deciding to pass and stop for another cocktail on the way home instead. We can definitely understand the strong recommendations for this place as we offer the same – fantastic food and service…just make sure to make reservations!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Cherry Vanilla ColaCombo Dynamite AppVolcanoFire CrackerSalmon Roll w/cucumber
This place has been on my Want to Go list since being listed in Cityview as a favorite. My wife and I took the chance to try it out for dinner last night and while nothing stood out that would make it ‘top of the list’ of Thai restaurants in Des Moines, it is clearly a solid option if you enjoy Thai food.
For our dinners, I ordered the Yellow Curry with chicken and brown rice at a 4 out of 6 pepper spice level (see picture) and my wife ordered the Panang Curry with beef at a 4 out of 6 pepper spice level (see picture). Our server shared that these were the #2 and #1 most popular dishes there, respectively and after tasting them we can understand why.
As we always do, we shared tastes of each others dishes and both of us enjoyed both dishes. The 4 pepper spice level seemed good for both of us also, as it was enough to make your nose run a little, but not so hot that it required lots of water while consuming it. I would recommend both of these dishes if you are stopping by to eat.
The atmosphere was modern and clean and the value seemed in line with other Thai options in Des Moines. The only slight hiccup during our visit was my Yellow Curry that I ordered with chicken. For some reason, our server mistakenly delivered calamari instead. It was still very good (didn’t want to waste it and send it back) and our server was kind enough to bring some steamed chicken on the side to add to the curry.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Since finding this place in the Pub Pass last year and hearing a good recommendation on their burgers from our neighbor, I’ve been anxious to give it a try. We had the chance this week while my brother and sister-in-law were visiting, so stopped by to try out their Happy Hour.
While admittedly it doesn’t look like much from the exterior (see pictures), the decor of the interior was unique (see pictures). They have a very good selection of tap beers (see picture) and their most unique drink was their Old Fashioned Slushy (see picture), which I ordered at the suggestion of our server and thoroughly enjoyed.
We already had plans to eat dinner elsewhere, so we just ordered Buffalo Cauliflower (see picture). The initial smell made us think that it was going to be extremely spicy but after tasting it, we found it to be a good balance and quite tasty. I look forward to the opportunity to stop by another time for a burger.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
We have stopped here for food on a couple of occasions and have found it to be an above average pub food location with an interesting historical atmosphere. Today, we stopped by to try out their Happy Hour that we found on www.happyhourdesmoines.com and enjoyed our stop as well as the service and interactions with our server, Brent – who was fantastic! Brent went out of his way to give us great service, including bringing sample tastes of their local brews without even being asked – to encourage them over the Busch Lights that our guests ordered.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
