I went on a Friday for a late lunch. I had no idea if I like vetnames food or not. but there was a buffet, so I opted for that. it was so good. service was good. I was in a hurry, which is probably good, because I could eat and eat that stuff. I will definitely try the buffet out again. it sounds like I was very lucky because the buffet is the last Friday of the month, and there i was. read more

I remember when they 1st opened, I used to take my daughter in all the time. I recently stopped by again, and it's still as wonderful as it was then. If you are in the mall, please stop by and try this gem! The Pho just can't be beat!! read more

Best pho in Des Moines metro area! Service is impeccable. They are what keeps the food court at Merle Hay Mall going. Fresh spring rolls are always on point. read more

The food was very good. The two lady's were really nice. I did enjoy how quiet the area was and that there weren't too many people.

I really like Hu Tieu here.. very good. I enjoyed the soup. They have "tóp mỡ" (fried pork fat skin). Khong thua Hu Tieu o Cali or Texas. Also, very fast service read more

Great local spot for pho, ladies are really nice. very easy going. They got best pho in dsm read more

Vietnam Cafe - My favorite pho in dsm - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Went here on a whim while missing my traditional Vietnamese household food. I was not disappointed, for $20 I got a ton of soup and a sandwich for dinner or tomorrow's breakfast. With respect to my mother, after I tried both, I can say they are leagues above what my mom used to cook. 10/10 food, I'd come here every week if I lived nearby. Props to the cook, and the lady running the counter was incredibly nice. Also there are apparently buffets on Fridays read more

Vietnam Cafe - Bun Bo Hue and a wrapped Bánh Mì sandwich To-Go - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Vietnam Cafe is such a hidden gem and is definitely keeping the whole food court alive. Brenda keeps the prices really affordable for such large serving sizes. Her pho is pretty good too. I'll occasionally make the trek up from West Des Moines to get a $4 banh mi!! It's definitely worth stopping by if you're in the mood for some Viet food. read more

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Great pho ! The broth was great and there was a lot of meat in a large. Great mint and basil and jalapeños. Excellent chili paste. Good egg rolls too. 2 large pho and. Side of 4 egg rolls 33$ read more

Vietnam Cafe - 2 large pho and 4 eggs rolls only took 10 min - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Oh no no no no no. I will be the odd Yelper to say this is definitely NOT good Vietnamese food. I've heard positive reviews from different people and platforms but my experience was not close to what was talked about. If a place that's SO good, REALLY IS good, things should be consistent. My family and I ordered vegan pho, beef pho, fried rice, egg rolls. It was busy when we visited and we waited in line. 15 min wait to order, 20 min wait for food. We spent $60.XX total. Fried rice was not really fried rice. It was brown rice with bits of egg and a couple peas. No flavor or salt! Egg rolls were bland. Absolutely no flavor! My kids ate half each but wouldn't eat the rest because it tasted boring. Beef pho looked promising. But again, my family said it was boring in flavor. The noodles were not fully cooked all the way. Vegan pho was gross to me too. Bland and too strong of cinnamon. Veggies were piled at the bottom of the bowl and had less amount of noodles than veggies. I gave a second chance by packing up our food for home to eat the next day, added some seasonings to the broth. DOUBLE the gross. I've never wasted food and money like that before! The owner was there and served us. She was cold in attitude. But she served us. Overall I HIGHLY DONT recommend this cafe. There are other Vietnamese restaurants that are worth your patronage. read more

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Solid, but not spectacular. Lots of rice if that's your thing. The rice was good...pork chop was cooked well but not a ton of flavor. The vegetable assortment was nice, though the daikon seemed to be stingy. The older lady taking my order was attentive, but wasn't super friendly. Perhaps it was a long day... Egg rolls were served warm, not hot. read more

Vietnam Cafe - Pork chop plate - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

good food!!!!! hard to find viet food here so i was happy to get banh mi. very nice lady working there too! read more

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Vietnam Cafe in the Merle Hay Mall food court. You'd have to be hiding under a rock in the Des Moines food scene to have not seen Brenda's recent post (shared hundreds of times), or the news spots it's landed in. Here's a link just in case. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/05/06/coronavirus-food-court-restaurant-chef-vietnam-survivor-iowa-des-moines-america/3080919001/ I lived near Merle Hay Mall years ago, but moved a little more West and started supporting my Clive neighbors. I haven't walked inside of MHM for a few years now. Probably the last time before today was back when JJ's Fish and Chicken was open... I decided it was time for me to go back to my old 'hood again. I called in a takeout order. The time quoted was 15 min. I parked on the bottom level of the parking ramp and went in through the Food Court doors. My order was ready when I arrived. Brenda was helping another customer so I waited my turn at a respectful distance with debit card in hand. She looked up and I'm guessing she smiled... With a mask it's hard to tell and she asked "Dan?" I nodded and approached to register. I've seen Brenda behind her counter many times before. Even ordered Chinese entrees and apps from her... My comfort level with food has changed a lot since then... They are usually busy when the mall is open and I can't ever remember having much of a chance to talk. Today was a little different. A couple minutes of casual conversation and I wished her my best before heading back to my car. A large order of the spicy noodle soup, an order of spring rolls, and two banh mis. $23 and change before tip. I'm kind of big eater. A lot of times I see people comment about taking home leftovers from someplace and think... "Mannn... I order that and clean my plate." The food I got from Vietnam Cafe will easily last me more than two meals... Maybe not quite a complete third, but almost. The broth for the spicy noodle soup came in a large plastic soup container. The other ingredients were in a styrofoam takeout box. Some assembly required just as I expected. I poured about 1/3 of the broth into a bowl, nuked it for a minute or so, and then dropped in everything else (rice noodles, pork, beef, sprouts, jalapenos, etc.) and gave it a stir. A quick taste of the broth and then I dug in. Fantastic. The spring rolls are two to an order. It was nice to see three large shrimp through the translucent wrapper. The shrimp and vegetables had a nice fresh taste and the vegetables had that nice crunch we all like. I'm a spring roll fan and these were about as good as they get. A container of the sauce per roll was just about right. The banh mi... Marinated pork, a firm roll, made with the other typical components. Always a pretty darn good sandwich. I'm a dipper. I'm not sure if that's acceptable or not, but I can't imagine a bowl of pho or soup without a banh mi or bread of some kind. The banh mi completed a picture perfect lunch for me today. Good stuff. With businesses opening back up that doesn't mean our restaurants are out of the woods. At one time I believe the Iowa Restaurant Association said around 1,000 businesses statewide may not make it through this season. I'm not sure if that number has been revised or not. I need to remember to support our local businesses (mom and pop's, local chains, locally owned franchises, etc.) who need it when I can. Even if it means going a little out of my way. And I also need to remember to be patient, to be kind...and to tip well. read more

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Keeping the MHM food court alive! Please support her! Great pho and other Vietnamese noodle and stir fry dishes. Incredible Friday buffet, whether you're a newb to SE Asian or ask for extra tendon, like a pro. read more

I have always loved this place and it is in the mall food court! The pho is great and huge portions. The crab rangoon is unique and is like the inside of a crab rangoon but the outside is like a pillsbury biscuit dough ball fried. I could drink the fish sauce! The spring rolls are just spring rolls. Today, I tried the crepe. Where has this been all my life?! Amazing flavor, fried perfectly with a little char and full of meat and bean sprouts. The outside was still crispy even after a 25 minute drive home. I have ordered this dish all over the country and this is the best! read more

Vietnam Cafe - Crepes- oh my word! Amazing! - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Love their food, service is always friendly. We get their Pho tai, Pho ga, spring rolls, and wonton soup. We haven't ever had a bad experience. Make sure to follow them on Facebook as they posts specials there. read more

Best pho in town friendly staff and you can get a nice catfish sandwich or bbq next door for later!

It's inside Merle hay mall food court. Good pho for the price. Will come back again. Not sure about anything else on the menu.

Wow, what a great experience! I travel to Vietnam 4-5 times a year, I have eaten at the best restaurants in Vietnam. I am kind of an expert on Vietnamese food. The spring rolls were perfectly made and fresh with excellent sauce and flavor. The Pho was hot and extremely flavorful, the ingredient mix was wonderful which created bursts of flavor with every bite, and to make matters even better, the owner of the shop was polite, curteous, and treated me like family. If you like authentic Vietnamese food, this is an excellent choice compared to the other spots in Des Moines. read more

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Absolutely love Vietnam Cafe! It's a hidden gem inside Merle Hay, and their food is delicious. The owner (I'm spacing on her name) is always happy to greet every customer and very accommodating. Their pho is my favorite thing to get, and I love that they have the options to add different spicy sauces and jalapeños. I will definitely continue to come back time and time. read more

Vietnam Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I woke up with a head cold, rolled over and declared that for lunch I would be eating pho (with a healthy dose of nasal clearing sriracha). Lucky for me, Vietnam Cafe was within one mile of the house. To walk or not to walk? I must have missed this in the other reviews but Vietnam Cafe is somewhat oddly located in the food court of the mall. We called in the order and 15 minutes later it was ready. I opted for my usual - chicken pho (sold in three sizes here) and soft veggie spring rolls (emphasis on "soft" and "veggie" - key factors in the success of the rolls). Unfortunately the veggie part was lost and we ended up with shrimp (I'm allergic - womp womp). -Prices are average and the pho landed a solid 7 on my phoscale. As for the spring rolls, I'll have to tell you next time... -I recommend ordering as carry out - the food court is semi-awkward - maybe the fact that it was a Sunday afternoon played a role in the vibe. read more

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I can't believe this place is in a food court in the mall! I've had the Pho a couple of times and it hits the spot. The broth was delish with perfectly sliced beef, spring rolls were fresh, and peanut hoisin sauce was tasty (not made with peanut butter, which was great because I don't like peanut butter!). The prices are reasonable and what's most amazing about this place, is that it isn't too far for west-siders. I usually have to travel a bit to get good Viet food like Pho 888, C Fresh, or TNT. Sorry I didn't take pics . . . I was too hungry and excited as I was craving Pho for days! Next time! read more

Vietnam Cafe - Last Fri of the month buffet for $10.95 from 11am-8pm! Lots of items! Today I had Pho, Banh Mi, Banh cuon, spring roll, egg roll, and more! - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

One of my favorites. We live 90 miles away, but whenever we are in the area we stop in. Pho is great, and so are bahn mi's. Love the # 5 , and my kids love the cheese puffs. At first setting it you think it is your normal addition to a food court, but it is so much better. Not sure if they are still doing monthly buffet, but we would make the trip for it. read more

Vietnam Cafe - Pho and spicy noodle soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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The Vietnamese Cafe has a long positive history and will not disappoint if you have an interest in authentic Asian food. It is in a mall court but that does not mean it's not good. I love the entire concept of what is happening with this food court with some better small family-owned businesses having restaurants there. this eclectic mix has been good there's some good independent barbecue independent Vietnamese independent Mediterranean independent Italian and really the only chain is a Maid Right. You have really accessible parking right next to Kohl's and if you take a little later lunch you'll have no problem parking going in and either sitting in a safe distance at your own table or getting something to go. My friends and I usually go to lunch after 1:00 and each sit at their own table and wear masks and go for a little walk when we're done eating. The ceilings are very high on the air circulation is good so there is risk but it seems to be minimized. The staff and all the restaurants wear masks gloves in the mall has people sanitizing the tables in between each use and putting a table poster indicating that the table has been sanitized. The lady, who runs the place is very polite and accommodating and goes out of her way to make sure everything is clean, fresh, and flavorful. I had the Pork and Shrimp Noodle Soup (hu tieu), and it was outstanding it was a clear flavorful broth that just was so good. The noodles were not overdone and a medium was more than enough for me for lunch. They have some Sriracha there if you want to spice it up a little. it's a well-kept secret and a nice gem in Des Moines to get some multiple to-go orders from different businesses and satisfy everybody's taste cravings or to sit with social distance and have choices. read more

Once you get over your surprise of finding great Vietnamese food in a mall food court, you'll become a regular like me. My husband and I have been coming here for years. Brenda Tran, the owner, makes the best pho in town guaranteed. I really love the broth which is different than other places. When asked why her broth is different, Brenda says it's a secret. She also puts fried shallots on top of the pho that make it so tasty and really sets it apart from everyone else's. She does put the toppings like the bean sprouts and basil in the bowl for you, so don't expect them to come out to you on a separate plate. She does offer hot pepper pastes, sliced chili peppers and lime wedges on the side, though, along with hoisin and Sriracha sauces. The medium beef combo pho is my favorite thing to order, but the noodle bowls and bahn mi sandwiches are also really good. Brenda also offers some Chinese-style dishes. On the last Friday of every month, there's an all-you-can-eat buffet of many of her menu items. It's a really great deal if you're curious about trying a variety of things on her menu. I love knowing that I can come here for a great bowl of pho whenever I want. The prices are reasonable and the food is consistently good. In fact, Brenda's food is so good, I think her food space is singlehandedly keeping the Merle Hay Mall food court open. Every time we go there, it seems like hers is the only one busy. A lot of the other ones have come and gone and hers has stayed and gotten bigger. The service is great. This is definitely one of Des Moines' hidden gems. read more

After having the most amazing car buying experience with Joe at Kia of Des Moines (seriously so awesome it's making it into my food review!), I hopped over to Vietnam Cafe in Merle Hay Mall. It's been years since I have stepped foot inside this mall. The food court was a ghost town, and it made me feel really sad, as I have childhood memories of this mall. #offthesadtrain Limited menu, I like it. Basic pho's and a few other iconic dishes, I ordered a Bun Bo Hue and the older lady asked me if I wanted it "Asian style". Trying not to burst out laughing, I said "yes". She asked me if I knew that included all the pork blood and parts in my Bun Bo Hue and I told her I was well aware. Then she said "what, you Vietnamese or something" and now I love this woman. Also, no I'm not Vietnamese I found it comical, and I told her I also wanted it very spicy. Delivered as promised, the first sip of soup knocked me on my rear and I spent the next 30 seconds coughing. Not only was the soup made to perfection and extra spicy, I thought it was a good idea to add in extra jalapeños so I'm sure that didn't help matters. But they have fresh jalapeños and limes available up front when I picked up my soup, I couldn't resist. It was delicious, I honestly can't wait to go back. Spring rolls were a disappointment but I really wasn't expecting much there. I asked for fish sauce instead of the usual sauce that comes with spring rolls, the fish sauce had great flavor but unfortunately I wasn't able to eat much of it as I only took one bite of spring roll and left the rest. Pleasantly surprised with the flavor of their Bun Bo Hue and am sad to see them located in a desolate mall food court. In fact, I think I'm going to go back to this area and try several different restaurants I eyeballed on the way. I do not spend enough time around here. read more

Vietnam Cafe - Bun Bo Hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I was leery of eating here as it's in a mall, but I'm glad I didn't let that deter me! And at the last Friday of the month they have a buffet! Whaaa?! I had the pho and bahn mi and it was pretty yummy. Good prices on various foods, and great service. I'll definitely swing by again! read more

Vietnam Cafe - Clockwise from top: lo mein, fried rice, and tofu pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Given its proximity to other Vietnamese restaurants, this place is very very good. My review is for the Bun Bo Hue. I ordered the large size and it is very big. They give you tons of noodles, meat, soup, and vegetables. If you aren't a fan of a certain vegetable you should ask them or let them know, it is different in that they put it all in already instead of on the side. The broth of the soup is very flavorful. The spiciness is evident as they use a good amount. The meats are good, and goes well with the broth. I asked for extra pork blood in mine as personal preference. Squeeze in limes, too for extra flavor. Overall, a really good restaurant. I am surprised it is in the mall. If I am in the area I would definitely come again. I was only here for two days and ate here twice. read more

Vietnam Cafe - Bun Bo Hue large - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Don't walk... RUN to Vietnam Cafe located in Merle Hay Mall! This is our lunch treat before hotting the movies at Flix Brewhouse! I had the Best Pho. My date had Bourbon Chicken! Delightful! read more

Probably one of my favorites in Iowa. I usually get the Pho and iced coffee. The Banh Mi is also good as well. I have been to one of the end of the month buffet. It is very worth it. Plus it lets you try all the other items on the menu. I would go back again. Food - 4 would give a five but not all of my favorite Vietnamese dishes are on the menu Service - 4 always friendly Cleanliness - 4 clean Overall - 4 read more

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Very dissatisfied!!! What i order and what i got was so different. It smell burning and put stuff that I didn't order them to. Will never order it again!!! read more

Vietnam Cafe - I order spicy noodles soup which is number #3 on the menu. Very dissatisfied!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Who would of thought you can find authentic Vietnamese inside a mall of a small Midwestern city. I walked into Vietnam Cafe, approaching the mall food court with very low expectation when passing through Des Moines. I ordered their Bun Bo Hue (Vietnamese Spicy Noodle Soup) and Pho Tai Bo Vien (Pho with beef flanks and meat balls), I was in shocked. The bowls smell amazing and the bun bo hue was on point. Their pho does have a bit of banh canh characteristic to it, so their pho is not 100% authentic and I didn't care. It was good and I will be back. Cheers. read more

Vietnam Cafe - Bun Bo Hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Food court surprise, this is a real nice place for Pho. I agree with the others reviewers here that you don't usually find a place like this in mall food courts but they are one of the best that I have had and how awesome is it that we can get pho in a mall? They have great rich broth and several choices for style of pho as well. While it may be in a mall, they do not skip on anything here that you would get from any other pho restaurant. Very delicious pho!! Had an egg roll with sweet and sour sauce, which was yummy as well. Gotta get a nice side with my bowl of pho, just how I roll. If you love pho this is a must try, they also have a few other Vietnamese dishes if you want to try them. This will be one of my new spots in town!!!! read more

This is my favorite place for Vietnamese noodle soup! Although this place may not look impressive, the noodle soup is absolutely amazing! Great value too. I usually order a medium #2 (pork and shrimp noodle soup, hu tieu). #2 Pork and Shrimp Noodle Soup (hu tieu) This is my favorite Vietnamese noodle soup here! It contains rice noodles, pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, and cabbage. The broth is very savory and garlicky, and a little sweet. It definitely satisfies my desire for umami. The broth is so amazing that I sometimes don't want to eat or drink things after to preserve the delicious savory taste in my mouth. The noodles are usually cooked well, although they occasionally stick together sometimes. The pork is amazingly tender, and not dry at all. The shrimp is cut so each shrimp is split in half and tastes great. The bean sprouts and cabbage are great additions and add more texture to form this unforgettable noodle soup. The size medium is usually perfect for me, and I usually don't eat much. My friend, who is Vietnamese and has eaten this in Vietnam, said it tastes exactly what she eats in Vietnam. #1 Pho This noodle soup is also great, but I prefer the #2. However, this place has some of the best pho I have eaten. In my opinion, the pho here is better than Pho 888's, which was my previous favorite place for Vietnamese noodle soup before I tried this place. The broth here tastes better to me, while Pho 888's tastes too salty sometimes. #5 Vermicelli Noodle Bowl This tasted okay here, but I prefer Pho 888's. The meat didn't taste as savory, and seemed a bit dry compared to Pho 888's. Mango bubble tea The bubble tea here is the smoothie kind. The mango bubble tea I was a bit too sweet for my taste. Overall, it was okay, but I would probably order a different flavor next time. Vietnamese Iced Coffee This was okay, but tasted too sweet for my taste. I prefer Pho 888's. read more

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I've heard many great things about this place which is located in the Merle Hay Mall food court, I finally found some time to go try it out! The menu looked pretty standard for Vietnamese food, I can't remember the last time I've seen Vietnamese cuisine offered at a food court in a mall. I ordered an order of the cream cheese puffs and a beef combo pho, pretty standard items. The cream cheese puffs were very good, now, don't mistake these for crab rangoons/cream cheese wontons, they are different. They were like an airy puff with cream cheese inside, kinda like a non-sweet Chinese donut filled with cream cheese. The pho was also very good and a decent sized portion as well. Basically, the pho tasted like restaurant quality pho, which is not difficult. Honestly, in my opinion pho is ranked from good to excellent, this is ranked good. I have only been to a couple of places in my life that had subpar pho, so you will not be disappointed with the pho here. If I was wanting to eat some pho after a tiring shopping session at the mall, then I would definitely come here! read more

Vietnam Cafe - Cream cheese puff! Came with 4, very good! - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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So when you think of mall food, you think of blah fast food. This little gem is soooooo yummy! I hardly ever go to Merle Hay Mall anymore, but sometimes when I'm craving bun bo hue I will make a special stop for it! If you like Vietnamese cuisine, this place is a definite must try! The owner is super friendly and the service is quick! I love coming here to eat Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup) and their Pho is yummy too! This time around I had the bun bo hue of course, spring rolls and iced Vietnamese coffee. The noodle soup was on point!! The flavor of the soup had a nice depth to it and it comes in three different sizes depending on hungry you are. Spring rolls are filled with noodles, veggies and shrimp and comes with dipping sauce! Her iced Vietnamese coffee called Cafe Su Da was sooooo good! Normally when I go to other restaurants I have to dilute it with more water to make it less sweet but I didn't have to do anything to it at all. She also has buffets on Friday's that you can come enjoy! If you are craving some authentic Vietnamese food, this is a definite must try. Don't be deterred by the fact that it's in a mall! read more

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I knew this place existed but i didnt know how amazing it was until i saw pictures of their food! We all went on friday to try the buffet. Its a dream come true. Pho, duck, ban cuon, springrolls etc etc. Its a southeast asian buffet! My favorites were basically all there!!!! U also can go up for more - which i was surprised because its not the usual setup (being n a mall food court.) I will def be back! I was so excited to eat i forgot to take pictures! read more

Vietnam Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The buffet line is very slow and it's hard to get refills on drinks. They close early so don't go after 7:30pm.

Amazing food!! and the buffet last Friday of the month is the best buffet I've ever had. read more

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Being a military man, I have a broad taste and this hits the spot. You can't believe all the taste until you taste it yourself! Unimaginable in the midwest! 5 Stars out of 5 Stars!! 10 out of 10... read more

Vietnam Cafe - So delicious! Pho pho pho me away!!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa