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Le's Chinese Bar-B-Que

4.7 (80 reviews)
InexpensiveChinese
Open • 10:30 am - 8:00 pm
Updated 1 month ago

Le's Chinese Bar-B-Que Photos

LE'S CHINESE BAR-B-QUE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Le's Chinese Bar-B-Que

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Door, menu window, ordering window
Christina W.

Super tasty authentic Chinese bbq!!! Been coming here for years and still satisfies our Chinese bbq cravings. Ordered 2 orders of bbq duck. COVID19 review: great ordering service right at their window. It is the second window on the side of the building where the door is. Or call ahead and place your order. It's not a traditional sliding riding window. It's a window that doesn't look like it opens. I put in my order and under 10 min I received my food. Today was roasted a little longer than normal. The duck was a little more softer and mushy. Flavor still good. I was able to make it home in 20 min and still enjoy a good lunch.

Chef
Twee W.

What a fun place to get some real duck! Hung cooked and chopped right in front of you. This isn't your typical bbq we are talking about asian style. They have dining tables so don't fret from trying it out for lunch! They have duck feet as well for those interested in a delectable cuisine!

Duck
JoJo N.

My sister and I drove into Des Moines from Omaha for a day trip, and I'm not joking when I say that this was one of the things I looked forward to most. We had the duck here recommended to us from multiple people, so we just had to give it a try. We ordered a whole BBQ duck, and I am in love. The duck is so flavorful and everything I could ever want. We haven't even finished the duck yet, and I'm already sad thinking about not having it anymore. If you're in the area, you NEED to buy some. You will not regret it!

Roast Pork - Best in Town
Vivian T.

I don't know how or why I have yet to review this place! I have been coming here since way back when they were still owned by the original owners!! This place is THE place to come get our family's Roast Duck, Roast Pork, Char Siu or WHOLE ROASTED PIG for a special occasion! I am so appreciative that we have an establishment like this here in Des Moines. We lack in so many good restaurants when it comes to asian restaurants, but we are very lucky to have this place here. I usually just go in and order the BBQ meats chopped up and take it home to the family to eat but you can order and eat in the restaurant as well. We come here frequently and the new owners have done the old owners right by still making the food so so so good! They have also elaborated on their menu and added on a wonderful fried rice and Roast Duck Noodle Soup option. Even their General's Chicken is good! Who knew? Haha I also like to get their Banh Mi. I love that they use their own BBQ meats for the sandwich. The Food: Roast Duck 5/5 I prefer the round duck over the flat duck. To me, it's juicier. Make sure you ask for extra sauce! Always get the sauce with it. Never leave without the sauce lol Roast Pork 5/5 Crispy pork skin with delicious white pork meat connected to it. Seriously, just order the duck and this pork. Winning combo. Get extra sauce for this as well!! Char Siu 4/5 My husband loves it here. I think it tastes great as well! Why only 4? Because I've had better elsewhere. Not better elsewhere in Des Moines. Just elsewhere lol But they do make it delicious here BBQ Chicken 4/5 It's got great flavoring and the kids love it since they don't like duck and the Roast Pork can be a little dense for little babies to bite into! These are definitely the must gets when I am here! I always, always order a mixture of these. Always seems like we order at least a minimum of one duck, one pound of roast pork, 1-2 BBQ Chicken pieces and one pound of Char Siu. You really can't go wrong here! Try them all!! Honorable Mentions: House fried rice 4/5 My husband would give it a 5/5! We like how they use their own meats for the fried rice combo and the flavors are delicious. Great wok flavors as well General Tsao's 3.5/5 Definitely one of the better ones in town! Best to eat in restaurant but still worth ordering to go! I'm a General's snob, but I thought this was pretty good! Still can't find the best in town yet. Missing my authentic one back in Washington DC! Roast Duck Noodle Soup 4/5 Delicious broth with egg noodles and their delicious roast duck! Try it! You won't regret it! If you're having a big party, you can order a whole roasted pig here. They need a deposit and time in advance to make it, but it is just as delicious as their other dishes! The family that owns this place really work their butts off to make such amazing food. I hope they stay around forever!

BBQ pork and roast Pork and a beef with broccoli plate!! Salvation!
James N.

I was driving my mothers car from the Bay Area to Minnesota and i was desperate for "close to authentic" Chinese food. After eating fast food for the past two days, I found my salvation in this little hole in the wall Chinese BBQ place in Des Moines. Although the lady behind the chopping board speaks Mandarin and not Cantonese, the food is great for out of town people like me that is used to the stuff back in the bay. The roast pork ( the pig ) is really crispy and not too crazy with salt which gives it a great flavor. My beef with broccoli was a little salty, which is given for being in the middle of America. The BBQ pork was good too, so I am giving this place 5 stars. Des Moines to the rescue!

Order at the counter.
Michael W.

I have wanted to stop in here for a very long time. I have been driving through the area a lot lately and hit this place up for lunch on the way home. I walked in and hit a wall of wondrous meat and Asian spice smells... mouth watering. Ordered the BBQ crispy pork with the Pho. It was a HUGE portion and I conquered it. The meat was so good. The fat and the crispiness was just perfect. The broth was rich but not too heavy, noodles were excellent and it was served with very fresh greens. I ordered a quick to-go portion of the BBQ to bring home and snacked on it like candy all week. I cannot wait to come back.

Duck with rice

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30 days ago

Roasted duck tastes really good - even the meat is soaked with flavor. The best bbq roasted duck in Des Moines that I found.

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

The duck is INCREDIBLE!!! Authentic asian cuisine and fast service! Nice and cozy location

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

The crispy pork was very good. Everything was fresh and a very good place to have lunch!

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6 years ago

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8 years ago

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2 years ago

the most authentic chinese bbq pork, chicken, or duck in des moines... absolutely delicious

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9 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

Always great Asian bbq...the whole pig was awesome and worth the price, great lunches love the red pork

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4 years ago

The best BBQ duck/Vit Quay I've had so far! Been to many places and no place compares like Le's.

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8 years ago

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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.

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.

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Open kitchen.  Dine in seating.  Post Covid.
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It was really weird going in here as I was a big fan of the original Irina's that used to occupy…read morethis space... And a big fan of Wasabi Chi...which Wasabi Urbandale effectively replaced. Staff was friendly as is usual with most of the Wasabi locations. I feel like a recognized a couple people from Wasabi Chi. We were greeted right away as we walked in. I went with a friend and my daughter, We ordered a few rolls, drinks, and dumplings. Everything was good as far as the food and the service, but I felt out of place as I found myself reminiscing about the businesses Wasabi Urbandale has taken the place of... The many meals I'd had at the horseshoe bar in Irina's...which is now gone. The special moments shared with friends at Wasabi Chi in my past. I got the feeling of being in any other Wasabi here. It's almost a cookie cutter of Ankeny, Johnston, Waukee... Not that there is anything wrong with that. Wasabi offers consistently good food and service at all it's locations. I just found myself missing an emotional connection that I wanted to feel this time.

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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.

Always love our food from here! We order every month or so, and on this visit we had one of our…read moredaughters at the house, so we had a 3-entree order. For us, that means 6-7 meals in total as each item is good for at least 2 meals (for us). I always get the Mongolian Beef - it's generally pretty mild, but I ask them to spice it up a bit. The beef is tender, the veggies plentiful and tasty, and the suace is good. My wife got the Shrimp with vegetables, which was a good-sized mound of veggies and shrimp and also very good. Our daughter got the Chicken Pad Thai - a huge mound of the various ingredients ready to be stirred together and eaten. She was pretty sure she had 3 helpings. They get very busy, but we can usually pick up or order in 10-20 minutes. It is fun to watch them cook while you're waiting. We've always had good service - on the phone, picking up, or dining in. Plenty of options to satisfy everyone. Casual, cafe-style inside. It's our go-go, so highly recommended!

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Le's Chinese Bar-B-Que - chinese - Updated June 2026

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