Before leaving Iowa and started my 3 1/2 hour drive south to back Kansas City on the I-35, I stopped off here in Ankeny, IA for my 50 States Pho challenge, where I would attempt to have a bowl of Pho in all the states. Thankful for Yelp, I spotted Pho 85 here in Ankeny for my Pho for the state of Iowa. There was a few choices in Des Moines, but after a couple of hours in Ames having barbecue, I figured I can at least have a small bowl of Pho and can count it towards the total tallies. Still in Central Iowa and that was important for real. With that said, Pho 85 was formerly Pho K&K, but renamed recently. The typical Vietnamese restaurant set up was in play and I was happy that I was having Pho yet again. The restaurant itself was clean in general and the service was typically average of such establishments. Grateful as always to enjoy Pho when you can have it.
Pho 85 is located at 1701 SE Delaware Avenue in Ankeny, IA. Since Pho 85 is part of a small strip mall on South Delaware Avenue, there isn't too much parking, but just come as you are, and you should be okay. My first glance here is that this is a typical Vietnamese restaurant. Only thing is that it's in central Iowa. You don't normally see this kind of stuff, but I am happy that they are here. The restaurant is very clean, but they do have a few televisions to keep everyone occupied. While you may think more than 1 TV is distracting, it's probably better for them to function as a sports bar than that of a Vietnamese restaurant. The ambiance of the restaurant is very quiet and casual. Something I do enjoy while having my Pho here. The prices here are reasonable, serving up Pho for under $10, which is fantastic.
They accept credit cards, which is awesome and always a plus. The service I received here has been good. They pay attention to your needs and gave you a smile, since you are there having fun. They refill your water several times during the course of the meal, which was nice. I ordered the medium Pho #7, the rare steak, brisket, and tripe, along with vegetable egg rolls, but that was put in to-go boxes for later. It took about 10 minutes for the Pho to arrive, with the veggie egg rolls came out first. I held off on eating those rolls and asked for a box when my Pho + veggies arrived. They were so accommodating that it was just a perfect meal here. The Pho itself was delicious, although you could kind of tell that the broth was a wee bit watered down. Still fine though.
The overall experience was nice and pleasant. Definitely a good day when it came to Pho and thank Yelp for helping me find this place while I was on the road in between Kansas City, Des Moines, and Ames without having to make a serious detour. Pho 85 is near I-35 and it's quite nice to have Vietnamese cuisine in rural Ankeny, IA. Great service and priced reasonably. I would definitely recommend having your Pho here in central Iowa.
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