One of my foodie friends turned me on to this little gem. It's a market nestled in the corner of a…read morestrip mall where Mama Lacona's used to be years ago. If you're not familiar with the area look for Pally's Bar and Grille (formerly Mickey's). My Spanish isn't very good, but they were sure nice to me. One of the gentlemen, whose English was probably better than mine, stepped up to help me out with my order. The market, meat counter, and bakery offers some really neat items and is worth browsing while you are there. The hot food is a recently new addition. They're still working on their menu. Most of the meat items (gorditas etc.) are available on Fridays and Saturdays... I ordered two cheese pupusas. $2 ea. The wait was about 20 min as they were prepared fresh. He let me know I could always call ahead and place an order if I wanted to and made sure to give me their number. I can do a 20 min wait standing on my head... But I appreciated him letting me know and giving me the info. The pupusas were fresh. I only live a couple blocks away and they still burnt my hand after paying, driving home, unpacking (also bought mazapan de la rosa, a mango Jarrito, 500 ml Coke in a glass bottle, and a couple hot sauces) and starting to eat. They were served with a pickled coleslaw style mix of vegetables and house made hot sauce. The pupusas tasted awesome. The cheese pull was excellent. I loved the combination of the pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and pupusas. Pretty close to a perfect bite. I almost forgot this carnivore was eating vegetarian today. Like I said they're still working out the hot foods so be patient and be kind. They have refrigerated desserts in a cooler by the baked goods. I had my eye on a crema fresca that appeared to be made with strawberries. And I completely forgot to grab it... I might be taking a short "break" here in a little bit. All aspects of the cheese pupusas were simply wonderful. Bang for the buck... $2 ea. Does it get any better than that? Friendly service. Definitely worth checking out.

You're in for a treat at Lara's Bakery. The combination of Hispanic bakery and grocery store has a…read morehuge variety of breads, pastries, and cookies, nicely displayed. The staff is super friendly. I would definitely recommend Lara's if you're looking for authentic Mexican food staples and treats.

Service was great and treats were delicious! Prices were very reasonable. Bummed we didn't find…read morethis place sooner before our out of state move.

Really yum got a champagne cake for my anniversary with just whipped topping and it was real good…read moreguys you should get if you can

Very accommodating! Love their Gluten Free bread and buns, wouldn't buy anyone else's Gluten free…read morebread!

Finally, I found it. I have been trying to find Rotella's Honey Wheat Nugget bread for years…read more HyVee used to carry it all the time but then it was gone. Was told the company stopped making it. So glad My wife found it again. This Honey Nugget makes the best toast you have ever had. Try it, it is amazing. Thank you Rotella

A friend told us about Istanbul Grill so we decided to go for date night. It was a fantastic…read morechoice. We were greeted immediately upon walking in and seated comfortably in their booth. We have never tried Turkish food before but ordered the ezme, zucchini pancake, and lentil soup for appetizers. They all tasted really good. We were given oil and herbs with pita bread as a complimentary appetizer as well. The pita with ezme reminded me of bruschetta. For entrees we ordered the Adana Kebab and the Turkish dumplings. I think my waitress confused the Adana Kebab and Chicken Shish Kebab because my order did not taste like ground chicken. I also saw the picture on their website of what the Adana kebab should look like and did not receive that. Instead I received the Chicken Shish Kebab but was pleasantly surprised by it. The chicken was white meat (which I don't normally eat) but it was SOOO AMAZINGLY tender. I think I would order it again because it tasted so good! The salad that came with it was good. They cook the food on charcoal grill. I'm okay with it but my boyfriend isn't which is why he ordered the dumpling dish. The dumplings were very small and didn't have much meat. We likely will skip that the next time we visit. They sell baked goods here as well and have many variations of baklava. They were all very good too.

I really like how spacious and fancy this place is inside, and I appreciate that it's one of the…read morefew halal Turkish restaurants in Iowa. I have pretty high standards when it comes to Turkish food though lol--I've had some of the best Turkish food in NY and in different cities throughout Turkey, so I definitely have a lot to compare it to. With that in mind, this place has been a bit hit or miss. There have been times when the food wasn't as fresh, was overly salted, and was overall pretty mid. But I've also had meals here where everything was really fresh, well-made, and genuinely good. I do really like the variety on their menu, especially because it goes beyond just BBQ and grilled meats. They have a good selection of other Turkish dishes, which I appreciate and makes me more likely to come back and try different things. Overall, I think it's a nice option to have in Iowa, and when they're on their game, the food is definitely worth trying.

Yes please! I don't know who put this place together but !…read more The staff 10/10 and I come every year and this is a must visit but this time they really WOWed me...one of the employees was having a birthday and the celebrated it right on the farm table with joy and love! It wasn't rehearsed it was a moment and it really put this place at a new level for me (also I realized it was "the crumb" Spanish not French ‍, ai had a laugh at myself) Food is sublime and the coffee is and well I don't have enough pockets for the sweets . See you next year

Do not be fooled by the exterior. It looks like a plain strip mall location, but on the other side…read moreof the door, you're in Paris. I've been here a few times and I really should have written a review quicker, but I can't figure out how to get the review to post 10 stars instead of five. This is easily the best bakery I've been in outside of my time in Paris. The people working there are fast, efficient and friendly...the ambience feels like something out of a Parisian boulangerie or patisserie. With that said the bakery items are absolutely fantastic. I had the rhubarb puff pastry and it was the perfect combination of crunchy,sweet, and tart. I've also had the bacon, egg and cheese, croissant...which, by the way is enormous...and while the egg cheese and bacon are perfectly well done, the croissant is the absolute star of the show. All of their croissants and puff pastries are warm, flaky, and buttery. I also purchased the French macarons for after my lunch that day and to be honest they didn't made it until 9:30am. Who can wait that long? They were crunchy, filled with delicious fillings, and had creative flavors. I can't possibly imagine going to a different bakery in Des Moines.

I don't know about Gemma down there but this cake was the BEST cake I've had in a long time. I came…read morein while my sister was ordering her wedding cake. There were lots of flavors and the owner had perfect mini cake portions (as well as regular sizes). I tried the mocha and the carrot cake and they were both delicious! So light and fresh with decadent flavor. It left me feeling satisfied but not heavy. It was not overly sweet which I enjoyed. The texture of the frosting was almost like whipped cream, yet it was still buttery and flavorful. Plus, he did such an amazing job making my sisters wedding cake vision come to life! Will come again!

Guy was rude... I understand it was a busy time but no. Went somewhere else. Crème, give them your…read morebusiness!

Stopped in to check this out after having a great lunch at the neighbor Noodle Zoo…read more Was a little disappointed that they don't have anything that is gluten free. The cupcakes are crazy fancy and look super rich. I did try a cake ball and it was okay. I am not sure if i am ready to upgrade to the whole cupcake yet. The staff was very kind.

Cupcake...yum. This place has a decent selection of cupcakes ready to choose from. About 16…read moreoptions. Plus another 20+ cake pops options. And about dozen pretzel stick options. This is the first cupcake place I've been to that has that many options for cupcakes, cake pops, and pretzel sticks. We bought a few of each type. Loved them all. Kids loved the pretzel sticks a lot. Definitely will come back in the future.

As a native Texan, I was shocked when I learned that Kolaches weren't a breakfast staple all across…read morethe country. Once you taste them at Coaches, you'll understand my absolute confusion. They are damn delicious and a perfect way to start your day, especially a Saturday. When I walked in, I was thrilled by their assortment. They had bacon and egg, steak and egg, ham and cheese, the traditional sausage and cheese, the list goes on and on. They even had boudin, a southern delicacy of rice, Cajun spices, pork and Cajun sausage (it is phenomenal). The boudin Kolache was so good I can't even tell y'all. I also tried the bacon and egg and it was delish. My final salute to Coaches is this. There's a very famous place in Texas called the Czech Stop that has Kolaches people drive hours for. I am saying in no uncertain terms that Coaches Kolaches are better than the Czech Stops. I will go as far to say that when Texas family and friends are in town, I will bring them to Coaches just to get a taste and I know they will be impressed. Coaches has brought the flavor of home here for me and has given the rest of Iowa a taste of what Texas can do. Get in there, y'all!

I and 4 friends went not realizing it was mostly take out. The staff was great and helped us bring…read morechairs over. It was great and amazing cinnamon rolls and Kolaches

Stop 2 of our daddy daughter afternoon. Dessert and coffee!…read more Tucked away in Valley West Mall is European Taste. This shop has been on my list for a while, but every time I seem to get to VWM is on Mondays. The only day European Taste is closed. That's my luck... Lol It's a small space with three two person tables if you choose to dine-in. Which we did... It's order and pay at the counter. The majority of the food items are handed to you upon ordering and they bring the drinks to your table when they are done being prepared. The menu board is easy to navigate and the desserts are showcased right up front in a glass refrigerated case. Straws, spoons, lids, etc. are at a station to your Left as you face the front counter. The owner (Alina) helped us today and you couldn't ask for better customer service! Very personable. I really enjoyed our conversation! She let me know most items are prepared fresh and a few of the specialty items come in through other local sources and/or a distributor. We ordered the following: 2x Tiramisu cake 1x Chocolate macaron 1x Double latte with vanilla syrup with oat milk (hot) 1x Blended chai; iced with vanilla syrup Everything was fantastic and I know I'm going to be back! My daughter is a Starbucks girl and she said the chai was sooo much better here... At almost half the price! Besides the tiramisu cake they offer a tiramisu cupcake... If you zoom in on the picture of the tiramisu cupcake you will note the included extra shot of espresso poised in the tube to be released into the pastry... I have to try that! Not a lot of businesses are thriving in Valley West Mall and I wish I'd made it here sooner. VWM doesn't have the food court of locally owned businesses that Merle Hay Mall has... Yet. But this place is worth the stop! It's literally a couple of storefronts inside the entrance by Blaze Pizza on the second level. Plenty of parking and easy to get to! Convenient to grab and go! If you haven't checked them out yet... Swing in and say hello! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559973381958 https://order.online/store/31914193?pickup=true...

We walked into European taste and were greeted immediately. The ambiance was relaxing with a cozy…read moreatmosphere, but unfortunately the seating is limited. Since it is located in the mall, you are able to sit elsewhere. We decided to try the Honey Cake, Lungo, and Iced Caramel Latte. The Honey Cake was deliciously elegant and not too sweet. This was my first time trying a Lungo and it was fabulous! You can get a single or double and it was overall somewhat small, but I loved the richness and creaminess of this espresso. My significant other enjoyed the iced caramel latte and drank it quicker than most places we have been! Overall, this is a solid place for European treats and great coffee!