Food quality was great from entrees to crab rangoon and soup. All excellent. Very friendly service…read moreand not crowded at lunch. Busy but not crowded. Great lunch spot!

Shanghai has been a favorite of mine for years. They went through an ownership change here a while…read moreback... It's had an impact but it's still at the top of my list when I'm craving Chinese food. This weekend was my 54th birthday. My daughter is at camp, but I wanted to do something with my son. The place I wanted to try was China Chef however I didn't realize they had closed their dining room area. After driving from Clive to the South side we changed plans in the China Cheft parking lot and headed to Waukee. We were greeted and seated right away as we walked on and were seated at a booth. The place is starting to show it's age. The carpet...it needs replaced. But overall it's clean and if nothing else it's familiar. We were presented with menus and glasses of water. Staff checked on us regularly throughou the meal Since it was between 1100 AM and 200 PM we were eligible for the lunch special options. It's a smaller menu, but comes with an egg roll, crab rangoon, your choice of soup (egg drop or hot and sour), and the entree. My son ordered the orange chicken with egg drop soup with a soda. I ordered the Yu Shiang shrimp with hot and sour soup and stuck with only water. I LOVE Shanghai's crab rangoons. They're definitely more on the sweet side. I ordered another order of those. Love them! The house hot mustard. Be careful! It's easy to overdo and it will clear your sinuses like tear gas. But it's SO good...! The orange chicken was excellent as usual. The Yu Shiang shrimp... It's the first time I've ordered it there. The deep red of the sauce was a little off putting. I'm used to a spicy brown sauce. The sauce on the Yu Shiang shrimp... This is just a visual thing though. The sauce is spicy and it tastes good. But like they say...first you eat with your eyes and then with your mouth. I'd love to see this changed to a more traditional look. It just looks "off" as is. Great service and good food. And enjoyable birthday lunch...and we got to sit eating down in the restaurant. Lol Always a great option in my regular rotation! https://shanghaiwk.com/

So, when I used to live in the NoVA/DC area, all of the best Asian restaurants had the workers who…read morealways looked and sounded annoyed that you were there The food was always legit and worth the attitude haha We encountered that service today at Canton Chinese off of Ashworth Dr in West Des Moines. The food was actually pretty good. The restaurant could use some new chairs and booths, but the service was short and to the point. Definitely a hole-in-the-wall establishment. Food: Korean menu Tangsooyook (Korean Sweet and Sour Pork) 4/5- the dish didn't come out looking that appetizing because it was drenched in sauce but it was actually good and tasted as it should taste. They also have a chicken version of this. Mapo Tofu 3.5/5 - this was Korean-style. It was pretty tasty as well and had a hint of gochujang in it. Chinese menu Lunch Shrimp Lo Mein 3/5- this was okay. I probably wouldn't get it again as it was mostly veggies and hardly any noodles. Flavor wasn't bad at all. Lunch General's Chicken 4/5- this was delicious and chicken was crispy. This tasted more like the generals chicken from the Panda restaurant that used to be at Kaleidoscope. All-in-all, we would definitely try the other dishes, especially from the Korean menu.

The receipt with the substitution of specks of chicken which lacked flavor was not as satisfying as…read morethe original recipe of fried rice & chicken with chunks or shredded chicken. The wait time is too long with service not as customer forward as in the past. Customers rely on consistency for a good return on their money and taste fulfillment being primary at a time when small food businesses are losing customers due to cost and food quality. The inside is well worn with decor especially the floor needing a deep cleaning which makes one spend less time in the environment. As times change businesses must maintain good quality control to retain repeat customers.

This was a great dining experience. The restaurant isn't huge but it has nice decor and plenty of…read moretables. Service was good and server was friendly as well. My husband enjoyed his hot and sour soup as well as his sushi. I enjoyed my corn and egg drop soup as well as my beef bulgogi. My only complaint is that my beef bulgogi was served on lettuce, which I hate. It was easy to pick out, but I wish it wasn't there. Prices were very reasonable for the amount of food provided. Will definitely return if we're in the area.

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

I saw a post on this truck and searched their Facebook page. They're a new truck. They just…read moreopened their window around six days ago. I picked my daughter up from her part time job and we headed that way for a late lunch/early dinner. I was greeted right away as I walked up to the truck window. The owners seem great! I ordered the following. The total was around $42 before tip. They take cash, cards, and I think I saw a sign on Apple Pay (but don't quote me on the Apple Pay just in case). 1 - Chicken Hunan 1 - Orange Chicken 1 - Beef Lo Mein 1 - 16 oz. Hot and Sour soup 2 - Chinese egg rolls 1 - Order of deep fried Pot Stickers (6) 6 - Crab rangoon After a short wait our food was ready. Hot and fresh! Gave me a couple minutes to visit with one of the Menards front line managers who was waiting for her lunch too. I'm kind of a talker...or so I've been told. It's a pretty good bang for your buck. The chicken entrees are at the low end at $7 ea. And check out the prices on the crab rangoon, fried chicken wings, and egg rolls at $1 ea! The sauces on the Hunan and Orange chicken were fantastic. Really good! Each are branded as spicy on the menu and they have a little heat. Not overwhelming, but it's there. The crab rangoon are my favorite style and the egg rolls reminded me of The Eggroll Ladies... Lots of meat! There wasn't an item that left us disappointed. For being a new truck these guys have hit the ground running and are doing it right! Check them out! Open Monday - Saturday. Closed Sundays. 1100 AM to 800 PM. With this truck and Tortas La Silla Clive is stepping their game up. Pictures of the food are mine. Taken today. I borrowed the pics of the menu and the truck from their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555977540585&mibextid=LQQJ4d https://www.rokthewoktruck.com/

Stopped by Rok the Wok today. The truck is parked in Menards Parking lot…read more It was nice seeing Hoa and her husband again. My whole family were regulars and Shanghai in Waukee when they owned it. She always recognizing me and asks about my family. The food was just as good as I remembered if not better. I ordered the hot and sour soup, Mongolian beef, crab Rangoon and an egg roll. Everything was hot and fresh and tasted great. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555977540585&mibextid=LQQJ4d https://www.rokthewoktruck.com/

Very nice restaurant, decent selection of tables and booths, very clean and spacious…read more The service was excellent, our server was very friendly, not overly aggressive, fast with serving drinks, appetizers, and entrees, yet she allowed time to enjoy them and casually checked to see how things were and if we had any other needs. They have a small assortment of hot & cold sake. A number of wines, and a decent selection of domestic, imported, and local beers. The appetizers and foods were delicious, a nice selection of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese dishes, the pictures can speak for themselves.

Oh, my! I just stopped in because I was hungry and tired, and wanted phô. They don't have phô. So…read moreI asked if they have anything with rice noodles. They don't. So I ordered ramen. Listen carefully. This ramen is sooooo good. I've never liked ramen, and I couldn't say why. It might be the vegetables? Anyway, this ramen had beef so tender I could bite a piece off. The bok choy just changed my mind about that vegetable. It was tender and flavorful. I'm sitting at home, slurping this up, and wishing I had enough room to eat it all. The broth is making me smile. It's a quiet little place in a strip mall, next to Pancheros. Don't drive by. You'll be sorry. De Rice gets the love, but this place deserves it.

Des Moines has have blessed with so many Southeast Asian immigrants and because of that we have a…read morehuge Asian food seen. Liam Anivat is one of the entrepreneurs and drivers of the Thai cuisine part of the Asian food boom. I remember his Thai food empire at "Thai flavors: on East 14th Street long ago. He is the major owner of "Cool Basil""Banana leaf", and "Thai Flavours" on Ingersoll. The "Cool Basil" location has killed many restaurants but somehow.they are not only surviving but thriving. Cool Basil is a very large restaurant that seems always busy, and it has to do with it's it serves 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 has similar menu items to his other restaurants. On this particular day I had Red Curry chicken. Liam has figured out consistently of his food products at all his restaurants. I've had Red Curry at all his restaurants and it's steady, regular and uniformly good. I always like to support a locally owned business. Liam has developed quite a system and serves a large number of people at all his restaurants. I had my niece 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 on 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 any of his places out. If you have out of town food guests who are Thai foodies they will definitely enjoy it.

A picture perfect salad full of zesty flavors that presented a bright symphony of green apples,…read moregrilled chicken with fresh herbs from Cool Basil on 86 in Clive hits the spot with their bold house vinaigrette. The wait staff-- Ma S. -- made sure each dish was to my liking. All the customers seemed to enjoy their meal that had exotic fresh well balanced flavors that enhanced the peaceful environment surrounded by a plethora of exotic aromas from the kitchen.

YAY!! I finally found a place to get gluten free Chinese/Thai food. We ordered out last night and…read morethis place was fantastic. The portion size was terrific. I have lunch for today and probably another dinner. I ordered the pad Thai and my hubby got the sweet and sour chicken. Both were very good. I can't wait to order again!!

Excellent Chinese food for take out! There are dine in options available, but it strikes me as a…read moregreat go to take out place. The interior is fine, but I'm sure most people pick up their food. The crab Rangoon was so hot and fresh. Definitely recommend it! I enjoyed the chicken with mixed vegetables, too. We don't live in the area, but I'm certain if we did this place would become our Chinese food staple and quickly be incorporated into our dinner rotation.

The option to dine in has returned here at Asian Cuisine! It's actually been back a while now…read more.. I was just very happy to see it when it happened! The plexiglass wall that closed off the open kitchen during Covid has been removed. I've been here a couple of times since dine in reopened, but had still done take out anyway as my girlfriend lived not far away there in Grimes. She recently moved... We missed the food...and seeing Lily and Ken! So we decided to drive over and grab a table. When we walked in we were greeted right away. It had been a minute since we'd last been in. I was happy to see Lily working at the counter and Ken busy in the kitchen along with the rest of their staff! Seating is all low top tables and chairs. Mostly tables for four and two. Now instead of table service (like it was pre-Covid) it's more order and pay at the counter. Take a seat. The food is brought to you on disposable plates with plastic silverware. Drinks are cans or bottles. There are no napkins or condiments at the tables. Condiments like soy sauce and spicy mustard are served in packets. Sweet and sour still comes in a cup. Bus your own table into the trash receptacle when you are done. The food was as good as it ever was! We ordered an order of the crab rangoon. These seemed a little lighter on the filling than I remember them being in the past... They were served hot and fresh out of the fryer! I got the Yu Shang shrimp. Probably my favorite entree here and my go to. It was fantastic as always! I struggled eating it a little with my plastic fork... The tines kept bending on the firmer components of the dish. Heather ordered chicken fried rice and added shrimp (extra spicy). Another awesome dish! And I benefited from some leftovers she brought home... Lol I'll say that overall the food here is still top notch... Lily and Ken are two of my favorite owners in the metro! Couldn't ask for two better hosts... Take out business is still booming! While we dined in the stream of people picking up their orders, or coming in to place take out orders, was constant. But... The overall dine in experience has changed... We adapt to survive and we lost a lot of businesses during Covid... Some businesses that had been open for decades... Asian Cuisine adapted to a take out only model and made it through. Can I blame them for continuing to evolve while bringing the dine in option back? No I can't. In fact I want them to do WHATEVER it takes to keep their doors open...! I can even bring my own silverware... Lol I'm really not that picky and can grab something to eat anywhere. I see closure notices come through my feed almost weekly. Some are kind of a bummer, but they really don't impact me much even when it's a place I go to often. No real personal connection... It's different for me here. I'd probably cry like a little kid who just had one of their childhood beliefs shattered... I'm also not going to lie and say I don't miss things the way they were... I think as a rule a lot of us could say the same about many things today.

Service was excellent. Wife and I decided to try it out today. We usually hit hi vee for their…read moreasian grille... not today though,today felt different. Wife ordered the general tso entrée amd I had the sesame chicken entrée. Portion sizes were great. Presentation was inviting and on point we couldn't wait to dig in. Flavor was amazing both.. entrée s...Crispy where it needs to be and tender on. The inside. Every bite was an experience.. as far as ambiance.. its a simple set up. Black tables black chairs.. reo speed wagon "taking it on the run" on the house stereo. Very welcoming..we had the place to ourselves. Great experience.

First time take out. Food tasted good. The portion size was small for a dinner meal so I found it…read morecostly. Tiny spring rolls! I prefer Hy-Vee Chi. Larger portion size and very tasty. About the same prices. Plus they are friendlier.

[Quick, pre-review heads-up: their paper menu (as of 8/08/24) says that they are closed on…read moreTuesdays.] Tried out China Garden today and got the cashew chicken lunch special, which included two scoops of what I think was their fried rice alongside the actual entree. It was a little light on the cashews, but considering how expensive it is to go out to eat these days, a smattering of those pricey nuts is acceptable when the meal is kept under 8 bucks. Additionally, l also ordered the egg rolls for an appetizer, of which it says there are two per order, but I got three. Maybe because they weren't actually egg rolls, but spring rolls. And maybe it was because they weren't full-sized spring rolls, but rather mini versions of spring rolls. That was okay, because they were still light, crispy, and flaky and came with two generous cups of that sweet, orange dipping sauce (duck sauce? sweet and sour? I don't know precisely). Now, what follows next...I don't want it to come off as bashing, because that's not my intent. This place is great for what it does: cranks out cheap, delicious Chinese food, and I'll be back in the future, no doubt. However, if you're looking for ambiance, exotic or otherwise, keep shopping. Other than the almost-bare walls, it's got 6 small tables in the dining space, with room for double that, although there doesn't seem to be a need since there were only two diners when I came in at 12:45. However, they DO have the big aquarium that seems to come standard with a lot of Chinese food places, stocked with plenty of lively fish. And it doesn't even need it, really; I came for cheap, good, and fast, and they delivered on all points. One final thing is that they sell drinks by the individual can. Not really a point against; a lot of places do that. But lemme tell you about what sets them ABOVE other places. It's a couple small things, but it shows they're thinking ahead; thinking about their customers' experience. I got my food to go, and when my order came out (barely 5 minutes later) everything was neatly packed up in a plastic bag. When I finally got to my eating location, opened up that bag and discovered a cutlery set, napkin, soy sauce packet, and fortune cookie all contained within it's own bag. I wanted to go back and kiss that nice lady on the mouth for her efficiency. It's beautiful; I don't have to hunt under anything or go back to get something they forgot--everything you need (unless you're a sodium-aholic and need that second packet of soy sauce) is right there. McDonald's sure as *&%$ isn't doing that for you, as I can attest to from earlier this week. You'd be lucky if they fold your bag closed so your fries stay hot! But China Garden's guest satisfaction isn't done there, my friend. Placed thoughtfully under my styrofoam container was a piece of corrugate--lightweight, yet STURDY--that made sure my entree's container wasn't bent or crushed as I carried it in that plastic bag! It's a small thing, yes, but the considerate FORETHOUGHT in this small addition is greatly appreciated, and I'm sure there are others out there who have had leaks and spills from similar take-out experiences.

This is one of my favorite restaurants. Every bite is like "yum yum yum yum" like I literally say…read moreit out loud because I can't contain myself. It's always fast and reasonably priced. So happy to support a local business. PS we loooove their bulgogi fries!

Recently ordered some takeout and is the food getting worse? It's like a totally different chef and…read moresloppy work. There's no love in making it anymore. Buns are overcooked, noodle dish is overly drenched. That's sad, i hope they clean it up. Only ordering here in the future when desperate because it's close to me.