I was really disappointed with our experience at Pho 515. Unfortunately, both the food and the service fell well below expectations. Our table ordered the bún bò Huế, brisket pho, shaking beef, and a vermicelli bowl. The food was, at best, below average. The bún bò Huế was especially disappointing--it had an overwhelmingly fishy flavor and was extremely heavy on the shrimp paste, making it difficult to enjoy. The bigger issue, however, was the service. When ordering the bún bò Huế, I specifically requested no pork hock and no pork blood tofu. While eating, I found what appeared to be pork blood tofu. When I brought it to the server's attention, he went back to inspect the bowl and then informed me it was actually ham. I explained that I had requested the pork items be omitted. His response was that I "didn't say no ham." The problem is that ham was never listed as an ingredient on the menu. He even brought the menu over to prove it was listed, only for the menu to confirm that it wasn't. Rather than acknowledging the misunderstanding, he continued to argue that I should have known to ask for no ham. If an ingredient isn't disclosed on the menu, how would a customer know to request it be removed? A much better response would have been to ask whether I also wanted the ham omitted when I requested the other pork ingredients be left out. Mistakes happen, but how they're handled matters. Instead of trying to make it right, the staff became defensive and argumentative. That left a much worse impression than the food itself. I rarely leave negative reviews, but this was an experience I won't be repeating. I would not return. read more

Prices are not worth it anymore !! This is flavored water basically soup which in the original country sells for $1 Greed at its finest !!! C-fresh robbery read more

I like the food. However, they have weird lunch break hours, they close around 2:30 pm to 3pm. Sometimes I want to have late lunch and they are closed. read more

This is still my favorite pho place in the metro! Even when I'm just shopping at C Fresh, I always take a minute to stop by to smell the food! The service isn't always fast but they do get to you and have always been friendly! And the ambiance is always bright and clean. read more

Pho 515 - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Delicious! Hot and quick which was just what I needed on this cold Des Moines night! read more

Pho 515 - P7. Pho Ga & Chicken Pho in Chicken Broth - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Ha well yes we got to try this one for pho And other goodie's See the pix Just over 50 bucks for two with some apps Crab Rangoon and shrimp roles and spring rolls New menu is posted as well Service was good busy prime time just after noon Yea the large pho was enough for two! So 1/2 came home for eve snack! Short hours just open for lunch only Closed on Thursday Cards ok for payment read more

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Located inside C-Fresh Market, it's a great place to get some yummy food before grocery shopping. It's literally what we do every time we shop. The food comes out hot and is fairly quick too! Is it a first date vibe? Probably not since it's inside a grocery store, but it is a good place for brunch! We got the shrimp spring rolls, that are always good! The shrill is tender, the noodles cooked perfectly, and the fresh herbs always makes it better. The hoisin Peanut sauce pairs well with it as well. Our other dish is the Combination Pho and the Shaken Beef. The pho was good, this time was okay, I think a different chef cooked it because the broth was on the sweeter side. So more of a Lao/Thai style instead of Viet. A Viet style is usually on the savory salty side which I grew up with. So it wasn't the best this time for me. But if you like your pho on the sweeter side you'd like it. The noodles were plentiful and cooked perfectly tender. And the meat was thinly sliced to cook in the broth was perfect. The shaken beef super tender, savory, hint of spicy and sweet. Paired with the pickled carrots and daikon was a perfect balance to cut the richness of the dish! Overall the food, service, and ambiance was great. Highly recommend. read more

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As a California Asian girl born and raised, I know my pho. Going to college in Iowa, pho was one of the foods I absolutely missed the most--and Pho 515 is the best I've had in all of Iowa. The broth is darker and more spice-heavy, not spicy but very fragrant. The Vietnamese iced coffees are small but strong and definitely get the caffeine job done with a rich and creamy texture from the condensed milk and strong, concentrated coffee taste. Whenever I'm in Des Moines with friends, I'll always recommend Pho 515 to scratch the Vietnamese food itch. read more

Pho 515 - "Create You Own" Pho - choose 2 meats - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We went to eat at Pho 515 in C Fresh Market on Saturday and was happy that the food was still delicious!! Only thing lacking was The kid's pho. It was meh. The boys just picked at it and ate the meatballs. It definitely wasn't their best broth. And they are just picky and prefer my homemade pho. BUT the kids ate up the Combo fried rice, Egg rolls and Spring Rolls. The Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes filled with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts served with nuoc cham dipping sauce and veggies) was... dare I say it... as good as mine! If not better! Very flavorful and fragrant! Only difference is I load mine up with meats, cause I can! Hopefully stays that way so that whenever Hubby or mom and Dad has a hankering for it, I can just order it from there and say... "Banh Xeo is served!" lol The Pho Ap Chao was deliciously crispy and just as tasty as I remembered it! I didn't have to add anything except chili oil! For anyone who hasn't tried it, basically thinner chow fun/lad na noodles (white rice noodles) that are crispy almost deep-fried like with a stir-fry ladled on top. It's like the Vietnamese version of Lad Na. But it's not a gravy sauce. Basically Mi Xao/Mi Krob but with Crispy rice noodles. read more

Pho 515 - Banh Xeo - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Good prices and decent pho. I felt that the broth lacked some depth and richness and felt that my combination pho bowl was scant on the meats. The restaurant is roomy and can accommodate larger groups. The servers were really busy, but efficient. read more

Pho 515 - Menu - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We're back! Phó for me, please! They've made some excellent dining upgrades without losing the sense of community that I felt here. It was here that I had my first Phó which was suggested to me by me "neighbors, an elderly Chinese couple. This time too, the food was excellent and the service quick and friendly! read more

Pho 515 - John and I back at one of our most favorite restaurants and grocery stores. - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I truly believe Pho 515 is the best Vietnamese restaurant in Des Moines. I live out of town and am only able to dine there about every other month, but I have yet to have anything but a great meal. I alternate between the pho and Vermicelli Noodle Bowls. The pho broth is very fragrant and flavorful, and there are many combinations of ingredients for the vermicelli noodle bowls. I enjoy the combination of grilled pork, shrimp with an eggroll on top. Almost more than one can eat! The restaurant is situated in a corner of the C Fresh Asian Supermarket. The ingredients are always fresh and tasty. The wait staff are always extremely friendly. Plus when you're done eating, you can wander the aisles of the supermarket. read more

The more I come here the more I like it. Chicken wings here are really good. Pho is good. Vietnamese crapes are really good too. Like many Vietnamese restaurants it has the common atmosphere that's not like a fancy restaurant and not fast food but like a mom and pop sit down and eat at home style. I don't know. It's fantastic for lunch and since it's inside C Fresh you can shop too. read more

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The Vietnamese food competition out here is tough but Pho 515 and All Pho You come out on top in my book (although I haven't been to Vietnam Cafe yet). It sits in the corner of the C fresh Asian supermarket so it's convenient to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and do some grocery shopping on your way out after eating. I like that it still feels like a standalone restaurant when you walk in rather than a mall food court. I usually start out with shrimp spring rolls which always hits the spot, although a few times I found the skin/shrimp/noodles a bit dry/stale but when you come so often (every other week-ish) you're bound to find some variation. I see them premake them in the morning which makes sense, it's fair for the price. Their pho ingredients and broth are consistently fresh and aromatic, I can't speak to the authenticity myself but my Viet friends say it's the real deal so I believe them. If you're basic like me and always get the regular pho, give the Banh Canh Cua Rieu (crab & shrimp tapioca udon soup) a try if you're a seafood lover! It's much more viscous and flavorful than the pho broth so it took me a few times to get used to it but now I'm hooked and hardly ever get pho from here anymore even though it's all I used to get. read more

Pho 515 - Banh Canh Cua Rieu (crab & shrimp tapioca udon soup) - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

3 stars because the broth was very dark in color and super salty where I was not able to taste the Anise. I ordered the following: Pho with tendon, rare beef and tripe ($7): It was salty and not enough of the proteins. Nothing to brag about. Chicken Wings ($5.50): this was good, the wings were moist and flavorful and not salty at all. If I was back in Des Moines, I would look for another Vietnamese restaurant. read more

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Stopped in one night after hearing great things from multiple people. They were all so right! Best pho spot in town that I've already been back to. Small comfortable space inside of C Fresh Market. It's been busy both times, but we still got seated pretty quickly. Servers are on top of it. The crab rangoons and beef brisket pho are my faves there. I tried the chicken pho which was also amazing but beef brisket is to die for. They also have the best avocado boba smoothie; I've tried many avocado smoothies in different states and locally. Authentic and delicious! Make it your next pho venture! read more

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We ordered to go on a Tuesday night and from what my husband was saying this place was poppin! Despite being the hot spot on a Tuesday night around 5/5:30 they quickly took the order and the wait wasn't very long. We ordered Pho and the spring rolls. Pho soup had AMAZING flavor, meat was fresh, plenty of noodles and then some, plus a great assortment of toppings that were quality. The Spring rolls were PACKED...huge... so delicious! Some spring rolls I've had mostly have the noodles and not a lot of veggies or meat, not these bad boys!! I couldn't believe what a great value everything was. We were in the area only for a hospital stay with our son, but wouldn't might the trip down to eat here again. read more

Best & Strongest Iced coffee I've ever had! Pigs feet are amazing too! Don't get me started on the Pho, Omg Don is very kind and welcoming! Remodeled dining area looks great too! read more

Pho 515 - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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It might be the best broth in the city. Ingredients were fresh and large portions. If you want a more our of the typical comfort zone option they have tripe in many if the pho options. read more

What can I say, I have probably had 515 people tell me I needed to try Pho 515. Well after much debate about where to eat for the evening with multiple choices being discussed we decided to make the 515 experience for me a reality! Sure it's a restaurant in a grocery store and sure they don't have booze but I got over those to things pretty darn quick, after biting into the tofu/avocado fresh spring roll with peanut sauce.. The spring rolls were huge and delicious! Some of the best I have ever had! As for the main dish, I had the vegan tofu and veggie pho and oh my gosh, I have never been at a place where a bowl this size of anything came out.. I'm talking large popcorn movie theater style bowl! And the price was only 8.95.. I was losing my on the portion and the price. Oh and did I mention it tasted fantastic.. Absolutely delicious and I finished the bowl, even though I probably should have taken some home.. But hey when it's that good, just keep putting it down right! I bet you never heard this one before but I will PHOsure be back! read more

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Pretty good. Not the best pho broth I've ever had, but I'm from So Cal (the 626) so my standards are high. All said, it was a nice surprise to find a decent Vietnamese spot all the way in Des Moines. Service was solid and the dining area was nice. Overall, I was pleased with my meal and the experience. Also, it's in the same location as an Asian market so you can do some shopping afterwards. read more

This place is awesome.. Its located inside of an asian grocery store. All the food looked good and the prices are great. I ordered the pork spring rolls and a Banh Mi sandwich.. firstly they make all their own bread and it is great.. It was probably the best banh mi Ive ever had. I had the crispy grilled pork sandwich. Others in our group got the pad thai, pho, and salads... everyone loved their food. read more

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Superb every single time!! This restaurant tucked inside C Fresh Market is my absolute go to for Pho! They have so many options and the ability to customize your pho as well! Spicy level is your choice as well so no surprises! The service is great every time and so is the wait staff! This place does have limited seating to a certain degree but it is so worth the wait! Plus since it's inside the store, you can expand your home menu by shopping in the store! It's a win win for me! read more

We had D3, crab cake vermicelli noodle soup, crab Rangoon and a sausage steamed bun. Yes please! Fabulous!!!! D3 soup with the yellow noodles was fantastic but I wish I didn't have to eat around the tendons of the pork. Loved the sesame thing when it was soaked in the broth. Loved the fishball. I didn't like the flavor of the quail egg. So much food and it beat me! Crab cake soup was interesting. I think it had liver in it and another type of seafood or sausage ball. The crab cake didn't fall apart which I expected. They actually had real crab in it and it wasn't small pieces. The broth brought the meal together with a tomato base. Loved this broth. Loved the steam bun with sausage and egg. Crab Rangoon were good but had an odd additional flavor that was a surprise. Not in love but nothing that hot sauce can't fix! read more

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In the shell of a former budget supermarket is this combination of an Asian grocery store and a Vietnamese restaurant. If I was judging this restaurant on food and service alone, it would easily be a five star establishment. The pho broth is loaded with aromatics and spices for a delightfully delicate flavor balance. Portions are more than generous compared to some places in the suburbs--a "regular" sized bowl is $6.95 and is plenty. The "large" at $8.50 would be enough for two normal-sized people to share. The waiter at my last visit was friendly, checked in regularly, and kept drinks refilled. So why the three stars? Cleanliness. The bathrooms don't appear to have been deep cleaned since Albertson's left the Des Moines market c. 2005. Makes you wonder what kind of condition the kitchen is in and if proper hygienic practices are used. If this doesn't bother you, stop in, because the food is very good. read more

A must have when we are in Des Moines. Conveniently located inside an Asian Market, Pho 515 offers many authentic flavorful dishes! My go to is the Bun Bo Hue, which they know out of the park. The combination pho, egg rolls, vermicelli noodles and milk teas are to die for too! Would definitely recommend! read more

Delicious and plenty of it. I got the regular Brisket Pho and the bowl was bigger than my head. Great service too!

I visited this place 7/31/23. The staff was friendly and attentive! We got the combo pho which was ok. The bahn mi sandwiches were good. They do automatically tip 15% if you go in with a group even if you pay separately. My biggest disappointment was the chicken pad thai. The chicken looked awful. It looked like they just took some chicken breast from a rotisserie chicken and hand ripped it and threw it in the dish. Probably one of the worse pad thai dish I had since I usually get pad thai. Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of the dish to share. read more

The pho tastes like cinnamon water, literally no seasoning just water and sugar. Disgusting, also the tendons aren't cleaned properly at all, just hair all over. read more

If anyone's confused, this little cafe is located inside the C Fresh market! It just opened up again this past week after some renovations and I had been dying to try it for so long. I ordered the Korean beef short ribs (Kalbi) carry out which came with rice, salad, and kimchi on the side. It was AMAZINGGGGGGG. The ribs were garlicky yet sweet, cooked in a soy sauce based glaze. They had bone in which made the meat so tender and juicy. The dish was around $18, but that's typical for Kalbi. Please try it! This place is also known for their Pho, although I'm not a huge pho fan so I didn't try it but I've heard great things. The cafe looks super nice now too after all the renovations! Very modern and clean. It's not at all what I would have expected from a tiny cafe located in a grocery store. I will be going back again, and next time, I'll be dining in! read more

Pho 515 - Korean short rib - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We always make this a stop every time we're in Des Moines! A pretty no-frills place, It's located inside of C-Fresh so it's also an easy stop when you need to pick up some groceries or snacks as well. The menu is pretty large with all your standard Vietnamese fare as well as some things I haven't seen at a lot of restaurants. The pho is good, but if you want to branch out and explore other Vietnamese food there are a lot of options! I have had a few things from here including the pho, bun rieu, and banh xeo. My favorite is probably their bun rieu, but the pho dac biet is good as well as definitely worth the money. Everything I have tried has been super tasty, fresh, and great portions for the price. Service has always been prompt and I've always left full and satisfied! I'll definitely be back! read more

Pho 515 - bun rieu and crab rangoons - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The service is getting better. They seat you with water right away. The restaurant could use more cleanliness as time goes by it will get dirtier. The staff is trying to accommodate the busy times and nice as always/ read more

Pho 515 - Pho and bun bo hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Great food, good customer service. The wait time is never long. The food comes out quickly and precise.

I had just flown into Des Moines about four months ago and wanted to get some supplies for hot pot and was also absolutely famished. And what do you know - a place to get both done in one go! I'm a HUGE fan of pho (I'm kinda a pho connoisseur, lol) and always have a craving for pho. We got the combination pho, beef brisket pho, and the spring rolls. Overall everything was fine. It definitely isn't the best pho I've ever had but not absolutely disgusting either. We thought that the broth was too sweet and didn't have enough of the meaty flavor. The large portion was decently sized (I couldn't finish it) and the price is a steal! I think it's in a convenient location but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. read more

Pho 515 - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Very fresh and flavorful. Large portions. Friendly staff. Outside light/windows.

I tried the bo kho today. I would advise against getting this dish here. It's very starchy/thick and the meat and tendons needs to be cooked longer. But, as mentioned before, they have a ton of other delicious dishes to try. read more

Pho 515 - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Service is usually pretty good here. Can get busy at times, but the servers are quick. Order at the table and pay at the counter. What we usually get: Pho - you cannot go wrong with this dish here. Usually our go to dish when we come. Decent amount of meats and noodles and your usual vegs. Fried rice combo - shrimp, bbq pork,chicken and eggs. Lots of vegs and cilantro. Our son loves this dish. It comes with small broth bowl too. Pork chop dish - it is not the best around town, but comes with pork chop, shredded pork skin, fried egg, steamed pork/egg, tomato, cucumber and lettuce. Dipping sauce and broth bowl comes on the side. Dynamite shrimp roll - cream cheese with shrimp. Served with dynamite sauce (mayo and hot sauce). Pho fried noodles - they pan fry wide rice noodles and put a stir fry on top. Mixture of broccoli, carrots, and meats. Cafe sua da - cant go wrong with iced coffee! Other dishes that are okay imo: Bun bue hue, crispy pork with rice, egg rolls, and crab rangoons. read more

4.5 I liked it. You have to walk into the supermarket to get to this pho shop. A friend that lived in Iowa (local) said this was the spot for pho. He said that it's the best pho in town. I thought the broth was very flavorful, and I liked that you can create your own pho by picking the meats you'd like in your bowl because that's what I did. They can get pretty busy because it's not that big of a shop, but we got in and got a table right away. The iced coffee- I guess they drip it in the back because it came out in a coffee cup already. read more

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Never tried Pho before it was amazing. Would recommend to those that want to try something new.

My very favorite place in Des Moines! The food is better than ever every single time and so is the service. The servers are the nicest I've ever had. I recommend the chicken wings, pho, duck soup, and spring rolls! The Thai tea is amazing as well! Good prices for good food, you won't be disappointed! read more