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    Cool Basil

    4.0 (427 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Sushi Bars, Chinese
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order Cool Basil Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    COOL BASIL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Cool Basil

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    Luk Chin Tod and First Date
    Grace F.

    The appetizer sampler and the chicken satay were phenomenal, every appetizer was delicious. We also enjoyed the chicken fried rice and the luk chin tod. Unfortunately the first date (sushi roll) was a flop, it had too much rice and not enough of anything else, the sauce and flavor was also very bland. I ordered the chicken rad na again and it was still average, will probably skip it next time. Service was excellent, Jenny was on top of everything and made sure we were taken care of. This is my second time here and I would highly recommend.

    Crispy chicken special
    Janella L.

    My husband and I love the seafood fresh rolls from cool basil. They're so refreshing and the seafood just kicks it up a notch with their three sauces My top three dishes to get here are the bbq pork fried rice, larb, and I actually enjoyed their crispy chicken special. I want to try their pork belly next. The curries are not that special to me. They're not bad they just don't stand out if that makes sense. The steak flat noodles is good if there was more sauce to bring the umami. I will say their fried rice is just so smoky I love it. The pad kra pao is also very good.

    Yummy cookie after you pay. - A hand is holding a clear plastic wrapper containing a Thai snack called Thong Tham, placed on a dark, speckled countertop surface. The wrapper has red and gold text, and the snack inside appears to be a rolled or layered treat. The countertop has a textured appearance with small, shiny, reflective flecks.
    Cortney Y.

    My husband and I went after lunch time.l craving pad Thai. There was no one waiting in front of us. But it took a few mins until someone realized we were there even though many employees walked past us. The bathrooms were smelly and dirty, no toilet paper. The server was all business and not conversational when we asked her what her fav app was. We ordered water and it was yucky sewer smelling and tasting. The food came out fast and hot, it was ok. The veggies were undercooked. Had to flag down the server for refills and silverware. Overall glad we can say we tried it but wouldn't go back.

    The image shows the exterior of Cool Basil Asian Cuisine & Sushi Bar at night. The restaurant's sign is illuminated, displaying the name and description. The building has a brick facade with large windows revealing the interior lighting. The parking lot in front is mostly empty, with a small landscaped area and curb in the foreground.
    Cliff K.

    Des Moines has just expanded so much and it's offerings of food..we are blessed with so many Southeast Asian immigrants. I think Liam Anivat is still the major owner and I remember his food at Thai flavors on East 14th Street long ago. This is the location that killed many restaurants but.somehow.they are not only surviving but thriving. Liam has become quite a entrepreneur of Thai restaurants he is the major owner of Cool Basil Banana leaf, and Thai Flavors on Ingersoll. He is really worked hard to have very large restaurants that serve delicious Thai food. It has great parking, great food and excellent staff. It can be a busy place so depending on the time of day lunch or dinner you may have to wait but they.move.poeple through quickly. The restaurant is clean and.modern the food is still great It is similar menu items to his other restaurants. On this particular day I had red curry chicken, I.have had it at all his restaurants and it's consistently good. I always like to support a locally owned business. Liam has developed quite a system and serving large amount of people at all his restaurants. I.had my neice and husband from out of town and they both enjoyed it. I think all of his restaurants have some healthier menu including fresh vegetable dishes. I believe they all have vegan dishes as well. Of course the restaurant has pot stickers basil stir fry, pad thai, and other traditional Thai restaurant dishes. There is lots of variety in the menu. It's also about expectations, everyone is under staffed, so I always appreciate the service staff who are working. Having said that the service was fast and efficient . It's also about being realistic about the food. The food was served quick and hot. I would definitely check this place out. If you're in the area it's well worth a visit.

    Massaman Curry - A ceramic bowl contains Massaman Curry with chunks of beef, large potato pieces, and a rich, orange-colored sauce. The dish is placed on a dark wooden table with utensils, glasses of water, and other dishes visible in the background, indicating a restaurant setting.
    Mark O.

    Went here with a couple of my referee partners and some of their friends/family. Service was impeccable and our large group was checked in on regularly. I ordered the Massaman curry with chicken at a 3 star level. This was described in the menu as "hot" but seemed very mild. I also detected very little of the deep-fried shallot and roasted peanut as described in the menu. I was pretty disappointed in my entree. The Tom Yum soup I had at a 3-star level was quite good, adding to my confusion in heat levels.

    Crunchy Pad Thai
    Jenni H.

    What a delightful spot! Cool Basil boasts Thai, Chinese AND Japanese fare. There is something for everyone-- with a good many gluten-free and vegetarian options, as well. We popped in on a Sunday afternoon and were seated right away. The space is large with a ton of seating options-- you could definitely have a big group dine here, no problem. (They do NOT take reservations though, so plan accordingly.) The egg drop soup, sushi and crab rangoons were fan favorites. The day I came the special was the a crunchy pad thai-- I'd go with the traditional one, next time. (Word to the wise, be cognizant on the spice level! They do offer some very spicy options.) HOLY KIDS MENU. So, so many options -- all for about $8. Honey Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, Chicken Satay, Wings, Nuggets, Egg Noodles, Pad Thai and Fried Rice-- along with a drink and fruit. Wowza. My kids left full and happy. Pro Tip: Don't miss out on their lunch specials (M-F, 11-2:30PM). You can basically get a beef, chicken, pork, tofu or veggie dish for $10-12. What a steal! Overall, Cool Basil is a Clive must-have. Pop in any day of the week!

    Tarot Bubble Tea

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    1 year ago

    Nice place. Food seemed fresh, flavorful and generous portions. Service was prompt and friendly.

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    7 months ago

    Love the food. Love the ppl. The restaurant is beautiful and well kept. The employees are friendly as can be.

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    11 months ago

    Food tastes great. Price is good as well. Very friendly staff. The restaurant is maintained well. Very clean.

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    1 year ago

    Love everything I've ever had there!!!!! Fried wontons amazing fried rice chicken and beef is definitely recommend asap

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    1 year ago

    Ordered masman curry takeout with an added order of egg. came with no egg. Food is great otherwise.

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    Ask the Community - Cool Basil

    Are they open for dine in yet?

    Yes. And they do a fantastic job with physical distancing and face coverings.

    Is their alcohol drink menu online anywhere?

    I doubt it. I have checked their website online as well as Facebook too. There is beer on tap and many other drinks.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Izumi Sushi And Hibachi All You Can Eat - Yummy, dragon and caterpillar!

    Izumi Sushi And Hibachi All You Can Eat

    (92 reviews)

    I came here with a friend and her 5 year old daughter. The staff was very friendly and…read moreaccommodating by making sure all of us had everything we needed to enjoy our meal, and even made sure our 5 year old was okay by chatting with her and putting her water in a kiddie cup. This restaurant offers an all you can eat buffet but also has a regular menu. We opted to order from their regular menu. I ordered the salmon lunch and it was very tender and delicious. Normally I have food left over from a meal but during this visit I ate everything on my plate because it was so good. I would definitely come back here for another meal!

    Izumi is a great addition to the metro - the all you can eat for $30 is a great price point for…read moresushi and also offering hibachi makes it easy to please - this is my second time there both for birthday parties! I called to make this reservation and it was super easy! Having a party of 8 was a bit hectic for ordering as they have you order off of one paper which makes it easy for them but for passing a huge sushi boat around the table for everyone to get their rolls it's a bit rough! Food was delicious. They told us which rolls were which. We did have a minor shrimp allergy at the table and when told prior to ordering they appeared to understand but there was some shrimp rolls on the same boat as the rolls without shrimp. The ambiance was great and they even let us light our own cake for the birthday. Overall super happy!

    Ninja Sushi Ramen - Sushi & sashimi combo (requested for the spicy tuna roll to be a hand roll)

    Ninja Sushi Ramen

    (64 reviews)

    $$

    4.8* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $38 02/21/2026 Another great stop at Ninja Sushi Ramen...and again on our way home from Mass on Saturday night. This time we started with a Mango Margarita and Super Dirty Geisha - both highly recommended! For our dinner, we started with a Beef Negimaki (see picture) appetizer and really enjoyed it! The sauce was so good that I found myself literally trying to spoon up all of the extra before they took the plate back! For our dinner, my wife ordered the Cha Shu Ramen (see picture) and I ordered the Yellowtail Jalapeno Roll (see picture), as I wasn't that hungry. As is our standard practice, we shared our orders and both enjoyed both of the selections - so would definitely recommend them for anyone visiting. Lastly, the Taro Milk Tea looked awfully good, so I tried it - and believe me, it tasted as good as it looks! 11/01/2023 Another great stop for dinner after Mass with friends. Stayed light tonight with the Spicy Tuna Roll, but splurged for a dessert and tried the Mango Japanese Mochi (see picture).

    Vibe is good - new, busy, and clubby. The service is quick and attentive. The food is generally…read morefine but the sushi menu could be better - too many tempura and fruity options for people who prefer fish-forward dishes. We got a modest amount of food and iit still cost $40/person after tip. For value, I'd much rather go to Izumi.

    Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar - Firecracker roll (Right). Unicorn roll (Left).  Shrimp tempura roll (Middle).

    Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar

    (142 reviews)

    $$

    We went on a Thursday at lunch time. great service. S and I ordered the Mongolian beef spicy with a…read morehouse salad. mom got pot stickers and tempura shrimp. the meals came with an eggroll, miso soup or a house salad. I wasn't sold on either one, but a salad sounded good. the dressing was so good!! it's a sweet dressing. the salad had a cherry tomato and some cucumber slices. the potstickers and shrimp were very good as well. the Mongolian beef was even better the next day for lunch. we'll be back for sure.

    Our daddy daughter afternoon started at Mandarin! Like her dad she has picked up a taste for…read moresushi... Well...at least sushi rolls. We haven't gotten her further down the rabbit hole just yet. Lol Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar is located in a small strip pretty much across 128th from the Walgreens there on University. Parking is mainly in a small lot in front of the restaurant with additional parking nearby. Seating is a combination of tables and chairs and booths. As always we were greeted right away when we walked in and seated immediately. Our drink orders were taken a minute or two later and we were given time to look over the menu. I've never had a bad experience here! The food and service is ALWAYS on point! We ordered the following: 1x Firecracker roll (Right) - Cream cheese, kani, jalapeno, cilantro on the inside. Tempura battered and fried. Spicy mayo, crunchies, unagi sauce and spicy tuna on the outside. 1x Unicorn roll (Left) - Tempura shrimp and avocado on the inside. Spicy tuna, soy paper, raspberry and a house sauce on the outside 1x Shrimp tempura roll (middle) The sushi rolls hit the table after a short wait. We both loved the Firecracker roll! The Unicorn roll was very good too. I don't think I've ever had a raspberry sauce on a sushi roll before... Nice! I was strangely impressed by the shrimp tempura roll... While this is a basic standard roll at most places the shrimp was more heavily breaded... The crunch factor on this one was fantastic! It's that contrasting texture thing I guess... If you're not into sushi the other menu items here are great too! The menu is extensive and covers a lot of items we normally associate with Chinese food along with Korean dishes as well. If you haven't been here it's worth the stop! If you just haven't been here in a minute... It's time to go back! Pro-tip. I have two soups I consider kryptonite to a cold. One is Brenda's Spicy Noodle soup at the Vietnam Cafe in Merle Hay Mall... The other is here! Their Hot & Sour soup with shrimp. Add rice, a side of kimchi and extra chiles. You can thank me later! https://www.orderonlinehub.com/mandaringrillsushibar_q8fzy3 https://www.facebook.com/MandarinGrillandSushiBar

    Wasabi Urbandale - Crouching Dragon

    Wasabi Urbandale

    (11 reviews)

    It was really weird going in here as I was a big fan of the original Irina's that used to occupy…read morethis space... And a big fan of Wasabi Chi...which Wasabi Urbandale effectively replaced. Staff was friendly as is usual with most of the Wasabi locations. I feel like a recognized a couple people from Wasabi Chi. We were greeted right away as we walked in. I went with a friend and my daughter, We ordered a few rolls, drinks, and dumplings. Everything was good as far as the food and the service, but I felt out of place as I found myself reminiscing about the businesses Wasabi Urbandale has taken the place of... The many meals I'd had at the horseshoe bar in Irina's...which is now gone. The special moments shared with friends at Wasabi Chi in my past. I got the feeling of being in any other Wasabi here. It's almost a cookie cutter of Ankeny, Johnston, Waukee... Not that there is anything wrong with that. Wasabi offers consistently good food and service at all it's locations. I just found myself missing an emotional connection that I wanted to feel this time.

    I give 5-sushi rolls to Wasabi-Chi (you like what I did there?!) I order from this restaurant at…read moreleast once a week, and it is consistently delicious every time. I also dine-in occasionally and I love their cocktails and neon lights... especially during happy hour! Although the restaurant is never busy, this is not an indicator of the quality of food or drinks served. I think it's just in a bad location. More people should try this hidden gem of a place. The sushi is top-grade and it's a perfect place for a date night! (... with the most beautiful sunsets.)

    Cool Basil - thai - Updated May 2026

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