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.

Lucky Lotus I got…read moreto know Seng and Dala Chen who previously ran Café Fuzion on the east side of Des Moines for 14 years before establishing Lucky Lotus on Ingersoll Avenue. I have many fine memories of cafe fusion. I went there once a week since they were open. The Chens were very innovative in blending different types of Asian cuisine. Seng and Dala helped open up the new restaurant. The siblings took over the major operation of the restaurant , including the theme and the menu and the concept. (Brothers Souriyno Chen (who serves as General Manager and owner) and (Kevin Chen manage the day-to-day operations), offering Southeast Asian dishes inspired by their family heritage. Both restaurants also had numerous family members helping The broader family foundation listed by the restaurant also includes (Donny Chen, and Philip Chen.) Plus numerous other relatives serving and cooking. The young siblings tried to create a clever, modern, and progressive aesthetic with counter service, an upbeat hipster ambiance, and both indoor and outdoor seating. Why maintaining the historical concept of fusion of various asian cuisines Their menu is inspired by the cuisines of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. My favorites are,various currys, pad Thai, drunken noodles, and spring rolls. I absolutely love Crispy Rice Rolls / Nam Khao The crispy rice wraps stand out for their crispy fried coconut rice, fresh lettuce, carrots, vermicelli noodles, and fresh herbs, all wrapped in rice paper. It's generous portions and so fresh! They are served with a flavorful brightside sauce and are large enough to share or enjoy as a light meal. Other things I want to try are the zen noodle salad, and khao poon (coconut curry noodle soup). The restaurant worked hard to create many dietary options: Widely praised on platforms like HappyCow for offering fantastic vegan and vegetarian options, with knowledgeable staff ready to help navigate ingredients.They offer fun unique specialty beverages including Keule lemonade and traditional Thai tea. Other drinks include the mango dragon lemonade with mango boba or the lotus lagoon butterfly pea flower tea with passionfruit lemonade and lychee boba. Seasonal drinks like pumpkin spice Thai tea also appear on the menu. They offer unique desserts like mango sticky rice with butterfly pea flower infused sticky rice and mango guava cheesecake with mango mousse and toasted almonds. It's well worth a visit and "to go" is a good option if you wanna take dinner home. There's lots of different parking options.

We were greeted promptly by a friendly employee who answered our questions and was very…read moreaccommodating of our food sensitivities and allergies. The atmosphere was fun and modern without feeling overdone. I was happy to see that the Thai tea could be made with oat milk. We ordered the Pad Thai with chicken, Lao sausage, Dala dumplings, and Nam Khao with sour pork. The Nam Khao at spice level 3 was milder than expected but still enjoyable. The dumplings had a great texture, and while the filling was bland, the dipping sauce made up for it and was delicious and complemented the dish perfectly. The Lao sausage was sweet and garlicky, but the sticky rice was a little dry. The Pad Thai was just how I like it with fresh vegetables and not overly saucy. Parking is hard to find, and it is on a busy street. So plan accordingly. It took us about 15 minutes to find decent parking that was half a block away. We didn't mind the walking, but we thought there would be a designated parking lot. But there is not unfortunately. Overall, we had a good experience and would recommend this spot if you are looking for Lao and Thai flavors.

I stopped by Rolling Wok this past Saturday night after coming back into town after a trip to…read moreBoone. It's right off of 141 just North of the QT. It wasn't my intent to review this visit to Rolling Wok. But things change... I just know I really like their food, I was hungry, and it was on the way. A perfect storm some would say! I first tried Rolling Wok during the pandemic and their ability to offer pick up via a drive up window on the North side of the building was a great fit for that season. The food and service has always been on point! I sure wish I made it over there more often than I do... Everything comes out of the kitchen hot, fresh, and the depth of flavor is always impressive. The business is in a strip so parking is easy. It's seat yourself. Seating is a small bar and low top tables and chairs. Standard table service for ordering and payment. Love the decor and vibe here. Modern but with a hint of traditional. The menu is front and back and varies from Thai and other regional dishes, including curries, to a few standard Chinese items. We ordered the following: 2x egg rolls 1x Drunken noodles lo mein style with chicken (4-vey hot) 1x Shrimp and beef fried rice (1-mild) 1x soda (Coke products) 1x unsweetened ice tea Abby was serving us last night and she did an amazing job. I'm assuming Abby as that was what the receipt said. Even though she's helped me before I'm not sure we've ever formally introduced ourselves. I need to be better about that... I do know she's the owner's sister. As far as I could tell they were probably a staff of two last night. She was working the front by herself and I'm sure there was at least one person in the kitchen cooking. The food was great as always! The drunken noodles lo mein style is a favorite of mine! A level 4 or 5 really brings the heat... But Abby is the star of the show! So patient and personable...! Couldn't ask for a more amazing host! If you haven't been... Rolling Wok is well worth you making the short trip out to Grimes. https://rollingwokgrimes.com/

FLAVOR! Wow! I was I. The mood for something with noodles in it. But, when I looked over the menu…read morethere were so many things I wanted to try. I asked the server about the papaya salad combo and once she told me it's her family's recipe and the Lao sausage was her fav, I had to have it! My food came out perfectly! Sticky rice was perfectly made, the papaya salad had the exact amount of spice and the sausage was sooo tasty! I'm in town for business, but if I'm back again I would definitely try more of their dishes.

The Thai food was fresh, lots of chicken in my noodle dish. My son ordered Lo Mein with steak.read more

Ariyan is on the former Oh Sushi location in the Beaverdale area…read more Oh Sushi had an all you can eat (ayce) sushi option that I used to get about once every couple of months. After they bought the business and before rebranding to Ariyan they did away with the all you can eat sushi option. Understandable, but it's one of the things that made Oh Sushi as popular as it was. Though the variety of options was less that Izumi or other buffets who offer ayce sushi in the metro... The quality of the sushi at Oh Sushi was above and beyond. This elimination really disappointed me at the time as well as others. That being said I knew that eventually I would get to Ariyan. My daughter and I stopped in this past Saturday for lunch. Parking is available in two nearby lots and on the street. Seating is all low top tables and chairs with a bench along the South wall. The decor is the same for the most part. Tasteful and modern yet traditional. The host station is now in the Southwest corner v. the Southeast corner (closest to the door). I'm not sure why they made that change... It seems a little awkward for the host station to be that far away from the door. It also eliminated one of my favorite tables to sit at... The menu is extensive with a wide selection of sushi and rolls. They also have some typical Chinese and Thai options available. I was happy to see two of my favorite rolls still on the menu. We ordered: 1x Anger Management roll 1x Black Panther roll 1x Orange chicken (spice level 3 with white rice) 1x Miso soup (came free with our order...one of the specials) 2x Waters Service was good. The young lady serving us was attentive and seemed nice. The specials were a little hard to follow... At the time we were there they were running 15% off of select items and a free side. I'm still not sure what we ordered to get the free side... Lol I tried a piece of my daughter's orange chicken. I liked it. The sauce had good flavor. The breading was starting to fall off and I think she would have preferred it a little more crispy. The heat level for a 3 was appropriate. The base flavors of my two rolls were the same as they used to be. Same components and sauces, but there was a weird grit to both rolls. It was hard for me to pin down what exactly it was. I'm still not sure if it was just a different rice or something else... Despite the difference in texture they were both good. But not the same... I shouldn't have expected them to be. While I was overall happy with my experience at Ariyan I'm not sure it's enough to make me drive over to Beaverdale anymore. I can get similar menu options at any of the Wasabis, Cool Basil, or Mandarin closer to where I live in the metro. I realize this review is somewhat jaded since I'm comparing it to the former business model... A place I held close to my heart. I almost wish Ariyan had changed it up 100% and not tried to carry over pieces of the Oh Sushi menu and experience, but not all of it. I would still encourage you to try Ariyan out! Especially if you are close to the Beaverdale area...! It might end up being your favorite new spot for sushi and Asian cuisine! https://www.facebook.com/ariyandsm/

I think this is a Great hidden gem on the south side of Des Moines. They have good food and vegi…read moreoptions which is limited in Des Moines fast food Chinese places. The bad: no restroom, can drinks only (check dates on them) The good: food, Chinese, fast, alright pricing, nice family restaurant, order and eat

they don't even deserve one star absolutely disgusting and the owner was rude as hell. i will not…read morebe going back I didn't even ask for my money back until the end of all of it, just asked for the food to be replaced and she said no I can not serve this to anyone and can't give u new food. gross. and I will be warning people about this place. Meat wasn't cooked all the way egg rolls were not egg rolls they were spring rolls. Lomien noodles wa not even lo mien. any good restaurant owner would definitely go above and beyond to fix the meal at least but she didn't and argued with me about it absolutely unprofessional at its finest DO NOT COME HERE!!!! Trash!!

Best Chinese food in DSM by a mile. Always hot and fresh, fried items are always crispy and…read moreeverything is seasoned very well, even the appetizer fillings. Also 100% accommodating to requests for allergies or adjustments. Service both dine in and takeout is also on time, fast, and food is fresh either way. The restaurant is very clean, relaxed atmosphere and the wait staff is incredibly friendly. Great spot for a casual night out with or without kids.

A new Asian Fusion Restaurant has opened on 128th and University in Clive called Wok N Grill with…read morephenomenal Udon. Of course there are other offerings that are just as tasty, but the noodles are soft, fluffy and seasoned to that umami flavor that you may enjoy. The friendly staffer seats you promptly to an area with new mod furnishings suitable for any casual gathering. The food, super clean restrooms and front parking is a plus for a small casual busy strip mall corner restaurant. The menu has many options with moderate pricing. The chicken dishes were cheaper than the beef options if you are budget conscious. Yet, whatever you order, in my opinion, is made fresh with pleasing your taste buds as their order of the day.

This is one restaurant in a little food court of local restaurants. The space is nice and open with…read moreplenty of different seating options. There are about 7 different restaurant options with a wide range including teriyaki, chicken sandwiches, Mediterranean, burgers, pho, etc. I chose teriyaki bros. I got the "lunch special" which was the chicken teriyaki, veggies, fried rice, and a fountain drink for $12.99. The chicken and veggies are cooked fresh for each order and they give you a very sizable portion for the price. The workers were all very friendly and you can order and get your food very quickly. This is a great little food court for people who want good food at fair prices, or groups that are craving different types of food.

Teriyaki Boys is a great lunchtime spot. They are very consistent and provide large portions which…read moremakes it a good cake. The vegetables are very fresh. This is carryout counter service so there is limited space for customer service, but those taking the orders are typically affable.

I enjoy this place as I live near it and the food is always good! The workers are very nice and…read morewelcoming, chill place to stop by and grab something to eat.

5 stars the food was amazing all of it just kept saying More! I loved how the music was Cristin…read more And the service was amazing I would definitely recommend going there!!