Service was great and treats were delicious! Prices were very reasonable. Bummed we didn't find…read morethis place sooner before our out of state move.

Really yum got a champagne cake for my anniversary with just whipped topping and it was real good…read moreguys you should get if you can

This place is incredible. Easily one of the best desserts I've had. I tried the pistachio dipped in…read morehazelnut and then covered with sweetened condensed milk. It was amazing! The service was quick and they were happy to provide suggestions. I want to come back and try every single flavor!

After swimming on a beautiful day, we wanted some ice cream. I had heard of this place and thought…read morewe were close to it. Sure enough, only a couple miles away. We arrived after 3:30pm and were the only customers. The workers were friendly, explaining the process to us and answering any questions. My kids quickly gravitated to which paletas they wanted. My daughter wanted a Reese's paleta with Nutella drizzle and crushed Oreos on top. My son selected the Fruity Pebbles paleta with chocolate drizzle and sprinkles. It took me a bit longer to decide on my paleta. I decided the strawberry cheesecake is what I'd get. I had it dipped in white chocolate and topped with Graham cracker crumbs. These were all so delicious!! Each one of the paletas had such amazing flavor. They truly didn't even need to extra dips, drizzles, or toppings. Also worth noting is it's a beautiful space inside. Lighted sign, butterfly murals, and gorgeous colors. We truly cannot wait to come back!

One of my foodie friends turned me on to this little gem. It's a market nestled in the corner of a…read morestrip mall where Mama Lacona's used to be years ago. If you're not familiar with the area look for Pally's Bar and Grille (formerly Mickey's). My Spanish isn't very good, but they were sure nice to me. One of the gentlemen, whose English was probably better than mine, stepped up to help me out with my order. The market, meat counter, and bakery offers some really neat items and is worth browsing while you are there. The hot food is a recently new addition. They're still working on their menu. Most of the meat items (gorditas etc.) are available on Fridays and Saturdays... I ordered two cheese pupusas. $2 ea. The wait was about 20 min as they were prepared fresh. He let me know I could always call ahead and place an order if I wanted to and made sure to give me their number. I can do a 20 min wait standing on my head... But I appreciated him letting me know and giving me the info. The pupusas were fresh. I only live a couple blocks away and they still burnt my hand after paying, driving home, unpacking (also bought mazapan de la rosa, a mango Jarrito, 500 ml Coke in a glass bottle, and a couple hot sauces) and starting to eat. They were served with a pickled coleslaw style mix of vegetables and house made hot sauce. The pupusas tasted awesome. The cheese pull was excellent. I loved the combination of the pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and pupusas. Pretty close to a perfect bite. I almost forgot this carnivore was eating vegetarian today. Like I said they're still working out the hot foods so be patient and be kind. They have refrigerated desserts in a cooler by the baked goods. I had my eye on a crema fresca that appeared to be made with strawberries. And I completely forgot to grab it... I might be taking a short "break" here in a little bit. All aspects of the cheese pupusas were simply wonderful. Bang for the buck... $2 ea. Does it get any better than that? Friendly service. Definitely worth checking out.

You're in for a treat at Lara's Bakery. The combination of Hispanic bakery and grocery store has a…read morehuge variety of breads, pastries, and cookies, nicely displayed. The staff is super friendly. I would definitely recommend Lara's if you're looking for authentic Mexican food staples and treats.

Stop 2 of our daddy daughter afternoon. Dessert and coffee!…read more Tucked away in Valley West Mall is European Taste. This shop has been on my list for a while, but every time I seem to get to VWM is on Mondays. The only day European Taste is closed. That's my luck... Lol It's a small space with three two person tables if you choose to dine-in. Which we did... It's order and pay at the counter. The majority of the food items are handed to you upon ordering and they bring the drinks to your table when they are done being prepared. The menu board is easy to navigate and the desserts are showcased right up front in a glass refrigerated case. Straws, spoons, lids, etc. are at a station to your Left as you face the front counter. The owner (Alina) helped us today and you couldn't ask for better customer service! Very personable. I really enjoyed our conversation! She let me know most items are prepared fresh and a few of the specialty items come in through other local sources and/or a distributor. We ordered the following: 2x Tiramisu cake 1x Chocolate macaron 1x Double latte with vanilla syrup with oat milk (hot) 1x Blended chai; iced with vanilla syrup Everything was fantastic and I know I'm going to be back! My daughter is a Starbucks girl and she said the chai was sooo much better here... At almost half the price! Besides the tiramisu cake they offer a tiramisu cupcake... If you zoom in on the picture of the tiramisu cupcake you will note the included extra shot of espresso poised in the tube to be released into the pastry... I have to try that! Not a lot of businesses are thriving in Valley West Mall and I wish I'd made it here sooner. VWM doesn't have the food court of locally owned businesses that Merle Hay Mall has... Yet. But this place is worth the stop! It's literally a couple of storefronts inside the entrance by Blaze Pizza on the second level. Plenty of parking and easy to get to! Convenient to grab and go! If you haven't checked them out yet... Swing in and say hello! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559973381958 https://order.online/store/31914193?pickup=true...

We walked into European taste and were greeted immediately. The ambiance was relaxing with a cozy…read moreatmosphere, but unfortunately the seating is limited. Since it is located in the mall, you are able to sit elsewhere. We decided to try the Honey Cake, Lungo, and Iced Caramel Latte. The Honey Cake was deliciously elegant and not too sweet. This was my first time trying a Lungo and it was fabulous! You can get a single or double and it was overall somewhat small, but I loved the richness and creaminess of this espresso. My significant other enjoyed the iced caramel latte and drank it quicker than most places we have been! Overall, this is a solid place for European treats and great coffee!

Hurts Donuts West Des Moines Remember it's not about food…read moreonly, It's also about expectations, everyone is under staffed, so I always appreciate the service staff who are working. It's in a strip mall area so parking was plentiful but I could tell that it would fill up fast as it seemed to be one busy place. This is such a great business open 24/7 and has so many choices from really delicious regular style donuts donuts to Dairy free to most importantly gluten free. It's really hard to find things for kids who have a gluten intolerance or may have lots of allergies and this shop really hits a home run in offering choices. It's just so nice to get some choices for kids that have those food intolerances, so they can feel more part of a group and not be excluded. Everything tasted fresh and delicious. There are lots of classic and exotic flavors. I enjoyed the maple bacon bar , which was a yeast donut , dipped in maple glazed , topped with loads of bacon. My only suggestion, as in all good bakeries, is to come early. I am so happy to support this locally owned franchise business. They really go out of their way to give choices to all people who need choices meaning Dairy Free and gluten free as well as wonderful regular style donuts with lots of exotic icings and flavors. You could spend a good year going through all their choices , including cinnamon rolls as big as your head. It's a fun place with great ambiance for dad's families, and anyone who likes donuts.

Kid 1: Ever had a Hurts Donut? Kid 2: No, but I want to try…read moreone. Kid 1 punches Kid 2 in arm. Kid 2: Hurts don't it? This silly kid's joke from the 80s was no doubt the germ of an idea that built this franchise. It hints at nostalgia - a different era where kids didn't have phones and tablets in their faces around the clock and used their brains to think up stupid jokes that spread like word of mouth memes. And although the decor was cute and kitschy, it didn't really give 80s dad jokes vibes like I thought it would. There were some old movie posters but the overall theme was unclear. The donut selection is incredible though and the bakery case glorious to look at, making it hard to choose. I chose a classic pink sprinkle donut and it was great. A bit on the dry side but it was later in the afternoon so maybe not the freshest, or maybe their donuts are a bit dry as a rule. Service was fast and efficient and there's plenty of parking. Check it out for a break from the ordinary gas station donuts popular in the area.

The atmosphere as you enter is super friendly with a smell of vanilla and cakes that transports you…read moreto your happy place -- home where there may be tasty cakes in the oven. The server was full of trivia information about popular cakes and monthly specialties. The prices are moderate for the area $$. The lemon Bundt Cake was my cake of choice with red velvet coming in second. The only element that gives me a moment of pause each time is the small parking lot with limited close parking spaces on the corner of a very busy small in and out area where cars zoom too fast as you may be exiting out or parking in front of the hidden gem.

While I must admit their cakes are delicious, I found two issue robbed me of the joy I was…read moreanticipating. 1. The young lady at the counter was devoid of friendly customer service. She seemed annoyed to be there. 2. What kind of eatery offers carry-out without utensils? I was dressed up and did not want to get cake crumbs and frosting on my clothing. Because I couldn't get a knife and fork, my cake sat in a hot car until I could get home later in the day. The frosting melted and the container was a mess.

I have to state early, I am usually NOT a donut fan. This changed today. YUM. It was for an late…read moreFather's Day & bday celebration bash & we decided to pop in for my dad & get some donuts from a location that many friends had been raving about. They didn't hype it up enough, the shop was incredibly fun - the interior is that of a post card. Everywhere is something fun to look at & explore. The menu is wonderfully large & we had so many options & choices to pick from. The prices are great, the types of donuts are amazing & the service was super fast & efficient! We loved everything. And the donuts? Whoa. Delicious, we got 2 dozen & tried 6 flavors - they barely made it home & the entire family is fans now. I have heard amazing things about their coffee & that's my next adventure here!!!

I was a half hour early to work so I stopped in to get some treats for the break room. Ordered 24…read moremini assorted donuts to go. 20 minute later the only worker was still preparing orders for people waiting before I got there. Told her to give my order to another customer, hope they enjoyed them! I paid $20 to be late to work with nothing to show for it.

A group of 8 of us met to catch up. We all got a bowl of one of their products. Nice variety and…read morereasonable prices. The Low-fat strawberry yogurt was great. Those who got other options enjoyed them too. My wife got the sorbet and said it was good...the only other times she gets this it's at a very nice local place that Ames their own. This was not as good as that, but was solid! Staff was friendly. Clean inside.

So sad to write a bad review about a place I do enjoy the product from, but the staff completely…read moreruined my experience. 3/10 of the flavors were empty. 3 girls worked behind the counter chatting with friends while nearly all of the toppings were empty. Two registers were open but one of the girls was chatting with friends instead of checking people out, leading to a backup of nearly 10 people in a line. Again, I love Menchies when the product is stocked. Hard to enjoy an experience when none of the options are even stocked and staff seems to care more about social hour.

My Windsor Heights Ocha location has been seeing a little less traffic lately... My guess is it's…read morebecause the choices for boba are increasing on the West side and in the metro in general. This will always by my go to spot! My daughter and I both prefer it to any of the others... New or old. Absolutely love Aom and Nick (the owners) and the staff is always great here! The Hokkaido with less ice, 50% sugar, and with coffee jelly is my standard order. It's so good I can't see that ever changing...and I sure hope I never have to change it up. Aom and Nick also own Eat Thai up on 22nd and an Ocha location in Ankeny! Check out their expanded dessert menu too!

It tasted like waffles with toppings, which are good, but it was mid and super over-priced…read more Wouldn't recommend

Groovy Grilled Cheese is a small place with only one small outside table plus chairs inside to wait…read morefor your order so takeout is a better option. Open daily at 11 am and operated by the owner who greeted us with a smile and apologized for the wait (a family had just arrived before us). We ordered the Lil Cheezy for our grandson; at $4 was reasonably priced. Hubby and I both ordered The Sunshine with Colby Jack, avocado, and tomato. Very cheesy but the avocado spread was lost in the cheese; IMO needed more but the sandwich was very generous in size and filling. There is a cooler with bottle and canned drinks but since we took our sandwiches home to eat, we didn't get drinks. Great choice for our cheese loving Grandson!

Friend and I are trying to stop at new to us places throughout the area. I had seen this as I drove…read moreby. It was the name that caught my eye. We stopped in and just loved the service and the enthusiasm! It is a place for mostly for pick ups, but there is a table and we were able to dine in. There is a great selection of different grilled cheese sandwich sandwiches, and of course tomato soup to go with. Had to go back and purchase a T-shirt for my 13-year-old granddaughter who is vegetarian. It was a hit and she wore it to school the next day.