We had a craving for Thai food but it was Sunday and all of our favorite spots were closed so we decided to give Banana Leaf a try. I'd eaten here for lunch one other time and I thought the Red Curry was quite good so I was eager to try some other things here. Sadly, it's all down hill from the curry. We order crab rangoons, larb with chicken level 3 spice, Tom Ka soup level 2, Spicy noodles with pork level 4, and red curry with chicken level 3. None of the dishes were spicy at all. Here's the breakdown: Rangoons 2/5: very basic and the wonton was kind of tough. Dipping sauce is runny and nothing special. Larb 0/5: this was one of the worst things I've eaten. It is just swimming in fish sauce. Don't get me wrong, we make Larb all the time and fish sauce is an important ingredient but no one would want to eat this much fish sauce. Totally disgusting. Tom Ka: 2/5. Very bland. It was missing acid and flavor in general. Just tasted like coconut milk. Spicy Noodles 2/5: not spicy and actually kind of sweet. The sauce is super thin and doesn't stick to the noodles at all. Red Curry 5/5: this is and continues to be an excellent dish. It was not nearly spicy enough but the flavors are excellent and the chicken was tender. Summary: there are far better Thai restaurants in this town but if you have to eat here, get the red curry. read more

The ambiance is cool, but the food is nothing to phone home about. I got the sushi roll lunch special to go and the rolls were not right and were falling apart before I even touched them. I also ordered ahead for a 1245 pick up time and got a text at 12 saying it was ready for pick up. My food sat out that entier time and was room temp when I picked it up. I probably won't be back. read more

I have done carry out here several times and it has been good every time. Usually very hot entrees. I am a 0 on the spice scale at cool basil... here I typically order a 2. read more

Banana Leaf - Asian Fusion Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

This restaurant is hidden in that you don't see it until you are right in front of it. I found it quite by chance. I've been here a couple times. The service is very good. The ambiance is ... whatever! Nothing to sing about. It's a typical Thai restaurant and the food is okay. I would need to sample more dishes to give a very honest 'excellent' review. At this point I'd say it is mediocre. Regardless - the food is served promptly and I would go there again. read more

We ordered a few sushi rolls and some curry for a late dinner, and had a great experience. Both of the rolls we ordered were top notch, and the red curry was nearly perfect. Our server was excellent and the restaraunt itsels was really welcoming. read more

Banana Leaf - Rainbow roll - Asian Fusion Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Horrible experience I ordered pad Thai without peanuts. It was covered with them. I asked to make again they don't have pad Thai noodles-really. Then waitress kept saying I wrote no peanuts. I agreed she did but she didn't get concept that you check the plate before you bring it to the customer. Husband got cashew chicken and he liked it. I got Mongolian beef to replace my pad Thai. It tasted awful. I had my husband try it and he agreed it didn't taste right. Waitress didn't come back and check if it was good. Forgot husbands drink unbuilt end of meal. I actually spit my bite of Mongolian beef into my napkin. Ambiance lacking: Floor covered in food at back of restaurant like the swept all the dropped food from all night in one pile but didn't pick it up and put in garbage. They ran garbage bags right beside our table out to take outside and throw away I didn't have to pay for my meals so at least we have that. I will NEVER eat here again. read more

One of my favorites places to eat! The lunch sushi special is amazingly priced. And, you have to get the crab rangoons...the best I've ever had! Another favorite is their panang curry. Such an extensive menu with lots of choices for everyone. read more

Pad Thai was just ok. A little soupy for me, sushi was great though had spicy tuna and rainbow.

This place is so hit or miss! Half the time it's pretty good and other times it's not... This time they gave me RAW tofu. My Tom Ka Kai soup was missing an ingredient because the flavor was way off. I'm general I tend to like the sauteed dishes over their curry here which is not typical for me. I gonna give them one more chance... read more

Banana Leaf - Red Curry with RAW tofu... Really?! - Asian Fusion Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Outstanding little place! Great service, prompt with food prep and delivery, and flavors were fantastic! I had the shrimp spring rolls: rolls were large and flavorful. Nothing extremely different until the sauces. The three sauces : sweet and sour, sweet and sour with peanuts, and spicy peanut sauce were all knock outs! Refrain if you have a nut allergy! I had the VIP roll next. It's a rainbow roll but instead of California roll, the base is a spicy tuna roll. The fish is fresh and flavorful! Then I had the pineapple fried rice with a medium heat. Heat wise, the med is probably spicy for locals but somewhere between med and hot would be what I'd get to get some sweat beads pouring out of the forehead. Lastly, my favorite Thai dessert, coconut sticky rice with sliced mangos. Before it arrived I already knew that mangos are not in season. If you are trying it for your first time, make sure the mangos are in season. The rice is excellent and a ripe mango would have melted into it perfectly! read more

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I ordered fried rice, and paid $4 to add shrimp, at Bananna Leaf and picked it up. When I got home and opened the container and there was no shrimp. I called called Bananna Leaf immediately to tell them they forgot the shrimp. The woman's response was, "Bring it back in so I can see it". I asked her why she needed to see it. She said, "Because you could be lying". She has to see the food to confirm that I am not lying before she would credit me the $4." I said so you are saying I am lying? She said, "We can't believe you because customers cheat us". I said that's gonna be another 20 minutes and then the other food I ordered will be cold. She again said, "I will not credit you the $4 you paid for the shrimp unless you bring the food back for me to inspect". I then asked to speak to a manager and she said there's no manager to talk to. I am sixty years old and have never before been called a liar by anyone. It was a very upsetting encounter. It's not even about the four dollars - it is the principle of the thing. read more

Ordered through Doordash. Good serving sizes for the price BUT- unfortunately the food experience was not great. Sweet & sour pork didn't taste good bordering disgusting. Chix Satay was ok. Mongolian beef was meh. Pineapple fried rice was good. I won't order in the future nor will I recommend this place. read more

One of the best restaurants I've ate at. Interior design is amazing. I have never seen a menu with this much food selection with amazing value. Prices are amazing as much as the food tastes. read more

Love this place. I travel to Urbandale for business quite a bit and eat here here at least twice a week when I am in town. Highly recommend read more

Worst Pad Thai. This place used to be great, maybe just an off day. I used to love this restaurant.

An excellent Thai restaurant in the West DSM area! I came for lunch today and it was such a cute inside restaurant! I loved the interior and decor. Lunch has an awesome deal where most dishes are under 10 bucks and come with a veggie soup and an egg roll. The lunch menus is every day which is awesome!! Really balanced flavors! What to try: pad see ew and drunken noodles Water rating: 8/10 yay read more

I'm always so cautious going to new places but this place was great. They have a lunch special that comes with a chicken egg roll and soup and I misheard and thought it was going to be touching my food and then overreacting a bit was like nahhh! Then realized it wouldn't touch anything I was eating and my dad could eat it. The fried spring rolls were awesome! The mock duck with egg plant was awesome! Perfectly on point options for all of us. A very vegan friendly spot and I'm glad we know about this great space -- better late than never. Went with my parents and all four of us enjoyed our food. Yum! read more

Banana Leaf - Asian Fusion Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Nice cosy place with tasty food. We tried fried calamari, Tom ka Kai soup with chicken and for our entree we had chicken panang curry, Drunken noodle with chicken and chicken fried rice. The portions are generous only thing is their 'hot' is what I call level three at cool basil. Been here a couple of times now and consistently good food and service isn't bad either. read more

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So I ordered off of Uber eats with this place cause my girl wanted some Thai. And well, the chicken was raw. And sadly I found that half way through. Thank you so much for the salmonella! And then Uber eats said there was nothing wrong. When I called them first they said there wasn't a manger to talk to, and the girl literally didnt know the difference between marinated and cooked chicken, she thought it was the same. So if you want to die or play Russian roulette this is your place plus the manager was there the whole time I heard her on the phone the 5 time I called. read more

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Phoned in an order from the road aware that they were closing in 45 minutes. They said no problem, order would be ready in 30. Yes Thom Ka will be in my belly soon!!! I give my order for 4 people over the phone, the hostess repeats it back to me perfectly, and thought we would get delicious Thai food soon! Alas not the case... we show up and there is no food for us hungry travelers. They didn't put our order in, or forgot, who knows. "Can I take your order again?" Um, no. read more

Pad See ew was absolutely amazing first time I tried here but came back for more and it wasn't the same. Still it's quality for Thai restaurant. Pumpkin curry and yellow curry have also been fantastic. read more

We wanted Cool Basil but they were closed on Sunday. SO, we ordered our usual here. The Tom Kai Ka was decent but the Pad Se Ew (sp?) was cloyingly sweet. My companion didn't seem to be eating his Pad Thai so I asked why not? He said it was very sweet. It almost seemed like they poured honey on top. Probably not the case but i prefer savory rather then too sweet. Work on those sauces. read more

I'm here with my husband on a business trip and we were looking for a place for a group of us to eat at. I saw Banana Leaf had 4.3 stars on google review so I suggested we try it out. The ambiance is so awesome with greenery and brick! I love plants already so getting to have that feel surrounding me definitely elevated my mood. I couldn't decide between getting sushi or Pad Thai so I ended up going for both. Both were excellent. The sushi I chose was a California roll with popcorn shrimp on top. Soooo good. My husband got the almond chicken which he also loved as well! We are here for 3 more days, there may be another visit before we leave! read more

Yum! I had chicken cashew and my son had Alaskan sushi roll. Fresh and enjoyable! Friendly wait staff! I will be back read more

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My favorite meal at Banana Leaf is Japanese Bagel. I don't like very many sushi's but Banana Leaf does it right. The service has always been premier. I have gone here with my Mom and she doesn't like Asian food. But she gets Almond Chicken which is just Chicken with vegetables. She loves it and always wants to go here. The interior is spectacular and makes it feel very big even though it isn't. Banana Leaf is a beautiful place to eat and you also get a delicious meal! read more

Excellent service and authentic, tasty food! Lunch was great. We came a bit after 2 and we're seated immediately. The atmosphere is hip and comfortable - there are tables made of dark stained wood, high ceilings, and green ivy wall accents. We ordered drunken noodles and orange peel chicken. An appetizer of a veggie spring roll and (the best) egg drop soup Was brought out to each of us. The food showed up promptly and the portions were generous (enough for leftovers from both of us). Very affordable! This is a great spot for date night or to try something new. read more

Banana Leaf - Drunken noodles - Asian Fusion Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I recently ate here with a group of coworkers for lunch. We were seated quickly and our service was very prompt and polite. We all loved the interior of the restaurant, as it felt like you were sitting outside on a patio with beautiful greenery and lighting. I ordered the Pad thai with chicken, with mild spice. The serving size was perfect and the dish had good flavor and was cooked well. I didn't taste any spice, but that ended up being fine. I'm looking forward to trying more dishes here in the future! read more

I am a big fan of Cool Basil and Thai flavors so was excited to see that this restaurant is from that same family. It has Sleek decor and is intimate yet spacious so it doesn't feel crowded. It wasn't very full when I went on a Tuesday evening around 6:30 p.m. they were supposed to be three of us but one was running late, but they seated us anyway and took our drink order right away. We said we wanted to wait on our third guest and so we visited for a while but when it was clear our third guest was running late, we had to flag down someone to find our server so we could put in an order of appetizers. We got the steamed dumplings and they were pretty average. A little bland but the dipping sauce made a big difference. I got the Tom ka kai soup with chicken which I have gotten at the other two restaurants and really enjoy. Their virgin was okay but it seem to be missing something. I added a little salt and that helped, but something just tasted off. It was still edible and I finished the whole Bowl. My friends liked the items that they ordered. Overall, it was very comfortable to visiting their other locations. I would return if I were in that area and looking for something to eat. read more

Banana Leaf - Cardboard straw! I wish more restaurants would use them instead of plastic. - Asian Fusion Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Pretty interior, friendly helpful staff. Fresh food, made to order, great for gluten-free or other dietary needs. Food is tasty. A nice treat for us, having been on the road for 2 weeks, and eating where we can along the way. We had veggie spring rolls, ginger salad, pad Thai, and a yellow curry noodle dish with extra veggies. Everything tasted great. The menu has many different options. The staff is wearing masks. The place is very clean. We enjoyed the experience. read more

Hands down one of my favorite Asian restaurants to go to I feel like I'm here three Saturdays out of the month. My go to meal is Sweet Basil with shrimp sticky rice and I love their Sushi specials, I never leave eating everything always taking food to go and that's fine with me. If they were closer to the Southside I would be there daily for sure! read more

Got takeout here for the first time. Ordered Pad Thai, crab ragoons, and spicy salmon sushi. I wish we would have got a 3 spice level because 2 was weak. Also the beef was gross and rubbery looking without flavor. Crab ragoons were great. Sushi was horrible. Never getting sushi here again. There was a fatty piece of salmon in it that made it totally unappetizing because I couldn't chew it. Won't be returning. read more

I ordered using one of the delivery apps. Everything arrived on time and was still hot. The spring egg rolls were really good and had a crispy exterior. The pad thai was good as well but I like a little heat and requested a medium spice level, unfortunately there was no spice to the dish. I would still order from them again because everything was so fresh and did taste good. read more

Banana Leaf - Spring Rolls - Asian Fusion Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Okay food customer service alright but don't know to much of how their food is cooked or prepare I asked lots of questions because I have a lots of food allergies but once I ate some I felt really bad I was really light headed and like something was stuck in my throat the I asked for a bag immediately start throwing up. Employee asked can I get the check like this she was cool. Then asked would I take it in the bathroom to finish throwing up WTF. Never again.... I'm good on this place wouldn't recommend going to. read more

Loved this place a couple years ago & then tried some others. Back today & sorry we took so long. Wonderful food, waitress was very attentive, waiting time minimal and very clean. I'm not sure we will venture away again whenever we are near. read more

Great variety of options to choose from. I've only had food to go a few times, but everything so far has been really good and reasonably priced. read more

Green Curry Chicken was great! The Pad Thai with chicken was gross. When I asked for them to credit it, the waitress was hesitant and said she would give me 1/2 off because I ate 1/2. But I only had a few bites. She suggested I put hot sauce on it to distract the taste. It had a weird sweet taste at the end. Eel roll was good. read more

For a small business, this place isn't so bad. However, I enjoy authentic Thai dishes cooked to perfection and it's true cultural taste. I probably wouldn't bring guests with me to dine in here if I want them to experience a good Thai restaurant in town, but for a last minute decision on where to dine in on a busy evening... I wouldn't mind returning to try other items in the menu. read more

So good! Huge portions for the price (lunch combo) and really tasty!! Great vegetarian/vegan options! There something for everyone here. Would recommend. read more

Absolutely delicious! I tried the avocado green curry and omg it was the bomb!! If you like curry this is a must try! You won't find curry with avocado in it anywhere else. Also the staff was great and the service was fast! We had 3 in our party and all of our meals were at our table easily before 10 minutes! read more

Banana Leaf - Asian Fusion Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

My wife and I ate at the 5515 Mills Civic Pkwy unit. The server - Christina - appeared to be the only server on duty at the time, rushed, but did an excellent job at every table we could observe. I am particularly sensitive to customer service issues, having been a full-service restaurant manager in the past. Christina was professional, informative, warm, positive, and hustled. She suggestively sold, checked back without being obtrusive, kept the drinks filled, pre-bussed, and timed delivering the check well. On the cook's side, the food was delivered hot, cooked properly, with good presentation. We keep going back to this location because every time everything goes right. On this occasion, however, Christina could have provided marginalized service, which could have been overlooked due to staffing. We didn't need to overlook anything because everything went so well. This employee has potential. Thank you. We will continue going out of our way to come to this restaurant. read more