The food outshined the service!…read more Ambiance: 4 stars Food: 5 stars Service: 2 stars Well, I came here with a friend for lunch. He loves the place and said the Gyros are fantastic. So I went with his recommendation. First impressions: The place is small and nicely located in the District at Prairie Trail in Ankeny. They have adequate seating and were only slightly busy when we arrived (I would say it was at half capacity the entire time we were there) We stood at the reception location for a while before we were 'greeted' and finally seated. We sat for quite a while before the guy with the headset to came back to take our orders. This was the weird part - he was fine, but he spoke so quietly we were not sure he was addressing us or talking to someone in his headset. Eventually we got our orders in, and we again waited. Some time later the water showed up, then after another pause the drinks we ordered were delivered, and sometime later the food showed up. He even remembered the dipping sauce which I thought I was going to have to ask for. We ate our entire meals without once being asked how things were, and eventually after the food was all gone, he came back to unceremoniously plop the bill on the table, and after another extended period he came back to process the payment. All-in-all the interaction with this guy was 'just weird'. (It was suggested that he might be the son of the owner...) He was doing his job but there was absolutely not any extra effort put in to make us feel welcome, and the total lack any real interaction was off-putting. The overall appearance of the place was nice and appeared clean, the decor was fresh and classy. However the bar area around the kitchen was very cluttered and looked like it was being used for overflow storage and it was a bit chaotic and had lots of clutter. Please forgive the fact that I forgot to take pictures of the delicious food. I got into conversation with my friend and just forgot! It was a very well made traditional Gyro with generous portions of meat, fresh hummus and a perfect portion of super fresh tzatziki sauce. I ordered fresh jalapeños and they got that right too! The side of fries were delicious as well, seasoned perfectly, crispy and fresh, and the garlic sauce...well did not lack for garlic! Wowza!! Overall I do recommend this place for the food! I will most likely return and I hope that the service will be a little better next time around.

The waiter was the main reason I would never return. He had all the charisma of Rasputin, was surly…read moreand exhibited not a shred of joy. The food was OK. Still, it was nothing that would ever draw me back given the discomfort we three felt from the waiter. Sorry, we were hoping to find a gem. We only found a dour place to eat and drop $45 for three meals.

Food was great! I had Chophouse Ribeye. It was served on a bed of puree sweet potato with a blue…read moreberry sauce circling it all. Very good! Kris had a chicken bacon ranch melt. It had a homemade ranch dressing on their homemade sourdough bread. It was fantastic! In her words. Service was great, very friendly, helpful and cheerful! Ambiance was simple and open. Very nice atmospher

Came here for lunch and was excited to see they make their own homemade sourdough. I ordered the…read moregrilled cheese, one of my moms got the French dip, and my other mom got another sandwich. The sourdough was perfectly crispy, and there was plenty of gooey melted cheese--I even got an awesome cheese pull! The only thing I would change is that I thought my sandwich could have used a little more salt, but that might just be because I'm a salt addict. The fries were perfectly crispy and paired so well with their homemade ranch. I even confirmed with our waitress that it was homemade, and she was super friendly and helpful. We were seated quickly, and since we came around 2:00 p.m. on a Monday, we had the place to ourselves. The restaurant has a casual atmosphere with a bar, and the bathrooms were very clean and nice. The portion sizes were just right--enough to leave me comfortably full without feeling stuffed. Overall, I really enjoyed my meal and would definitely consider coming back!

I went here first back when they were a food truck and this was my first time at their brick and…read moremortar spot. It's an easy, tasty, fast casual spot in a great location and the food is always unique and tasty. I had the bang bang mac and cheese which was spicy and delicious with popcorn chicken and a bang bang drizzle on top. We also shared the pb&j fries which we were curious about and they way over delivered, I did not know that was going to be so good. The servers were great and quick as we were in a bit of a rush so the speed was much appreciated.

Superb initial visit, and wondered why I had not been here since moving to Ankeny this summer. An…read moreoutstanding combination of food quality, good overall vibe, solid pricing, great menu, and options. We ate inside the restaurant, which is a fun venue with cool decorations and theme. Loved the booth setting. Sound was fine. They also have a drive-thru option. My burger was excellent, cooked flawlessly, and the accompanying fries were perfect. A really good overall experience, kind customer service accompanied everything.

This place has the best happy hour deal for Detroit style pizza from my experience. Their single…read moreslice services are pretty big. And they have a good variety on pizza topping choices. From my first impression the place is very nice looking and well organized. They have also have parking lot space next to the building. The only issue on our visit was that the service was slow with a long wait for drinks. I'm not sure if it was just an off day but outside of that, my group still enjoyed their time here and food was delicious.

Go here for happy hour! Pizzas are discounted to $14.99 for a whole pizza or $4.50 for a slice. We…read moregot the "I shot the sheriff" pizza. I normally don't like Detroit style pizza but ITS SO GOOD. Also if you love ranch on your pizza you have to try their ranch (bomb). Also! Drinks are half off during happy hour (3-6pm) so we each got a margarita for $4.25. The staff was friendly, quick, and can accommodate any pizza customization requests. I recommend sitting at the booths, but high top seating looked fun too!

very nice staff. Waited about 10 minutes for the food…read more Portions were great sizes! Spam masubi- would have liked more grill or a glaze on the spam but it was still good! Bbq chicken masubi- super flavorful chicken! House special- pineapple had great flavor and chicken was great quality. Macaroni salad was super unique but very good. Crab Rangoon was super flavorful and had a lot of filling.

I ordered a bunch of food for hosting a book club where the memoir we read was set in Hawaii! It…read morewas my first time trying Alohana, and it did not disappoint! We tried the barbeque chicken, barbeque beef, kahlua pork, and chicken katsu with curry, along with the egg rolls. Honestly, all of it was amazing! The portions were generous! We'll definitely be back and it was so great getting some Hawaiian food to accompany our book club discussion. Highly recommend!

Definitely worth a visit! Their pho is incredible, affordable, and it comes out very quickly! For…read moreanyone who isn't absolutely starving, I'd say a small or medium size would be perfect. Their large bowl is absolutely giant! I highly recommend the #2, which is the raw steak and brisket. It comes with a heaping plate of bean sprouts, jalapeños, limes, and cilantro you can put into the pho, as well as some chili garlic oil and another teriyaki-ish type sauce. Every bit of the meal was absolutely fantastic!

So lucky to have a great local pho spot in Ankeny. Always fresh and delish. Staff is always…read morefriendly.

OMG, this place is in such a nice area! They have a huge menu with so many amazing options to…read morechoose from. I ordered the Pit Master Sandwich with a side of French onion soup (you get to choose a side with the sandwich). The sandwich was really good! The bread was buttery and soft, and the homemade croutons in the soup were clearly made from fresh bread. The French onion soup wasn't for me--it kind of tasted like acid reflux to me, so I gave it to my mom. She actually thought it was pretty good. The sandwich had perfectly balanced barbecue sauce and cheese, although I thought the barbecue sauce overpowered the cheese a bit. Next time, I'd probably order it without the cheese. The brisket was good, but I would've preferred a fattier cut because I think it would have been more flavorful. I also wasn't a fan of the Gouda since it didn't melt very well, but the other cheese on the sandwich was delicious. Overall, the food was incredible, and this place is an absolute MUST if you're in the area! I noticed they have around 78,000 DoorDash orders, and after eating here, I can definitely see why. I'll actually be coming back in a few days before I leave my vacation because there are so many other delicious items on the menu that I can't wait to try! Staff were also nice!

Used the kiosk to order but you can order at the counter. Ask a server for hot drink cups unless…read moreyou have a specialty drink. Water glasses near soda machine. Food came out very quickly and very hot. The dishes can be customized and the breakfast burritos come with a fresh fruit and berry cup. Both the breakfast sandwich and the burrito were very filling and large. The bagel was a little dry but they have a condiments table where butter, syrup, jelly, and peanut butter are in individual single serve containers so you can make your sandwich as you like (I added butter to my bagel sandwich). Has street parking but shares it with other nearby shops. For the winter season there is an outdoor, covered patio pop-up.

I have been following Veggie Thumper on IG for some time and was SO EXCITED to see that the bus was…read moreout and about near my favorite ex-stepmother, so I made it a point to pop by the extremely small Waukee Farmer's market just to get my hands on some of this delicious food. Already stuffed from a late lunch, the fiancé and I split the fried chick'n sandwich with mac & cheese (with added hot sauce, of course) and our tastebuds were blown away. Not only was the flavor on point, but so was the texture. Not even exaggerating, idc if you're a meat loving omni, you need to try the food if you ever come across this bus. Definitely hope to find the bus again when I'm in town again next year. Thanks for making the extra trip worth it!

My biggest problem with Veggie Thumper? It isn't closer!…read more In effort support Black & minority-owned businesses, I've be stretching out of normal zone to try new and intriguing places. Veggie Thumper fits that mold splendidly! - It's not within walking distance to my house - I'm not veg/vegan (though, man, they have converted me) - It's...a literal bus. First things first, let's talk food. After telling my mom I was heading her she asked me to grab her something to support the business. I got the buffalo mac and she get the red bean burger. The mac was amazing! It had a wonderful blend of texture and flavor. A kick (which I love) but it's wasn't overbearing. I've never even considered spinach in mac and cheese but loved it! I had one bite of my mom's burger and now am know exactly what I'm getting next time. It was...so good. It's been over 48hrs and I'm still thinking about it. Second, the service. They were so incredibly kind! The were happy, fun to have a little light chat with (even though I had never seen them before in my life). They were, finally, efficient! They were quite quick to get my order out even though I was not the only one out there to support them that day. They had a good amount of customers. I...can not WAIT to go back here! I highly recommend you join me and going there as well! Their food, although veg/vegan, can satisfy any palate. I promise you. ***SIDE NOTE: Make sure to follow their blog and where the bus will be at: https://www.veggiethumper.com/the-bus*** Thanks for existing!

This is a small national chain shop that serves gourmet cinnamon rolls. It is located in a large…read morestrip mall area in Ankeny. There is tons of parking available in the strip mall's parking lot that is in a reasonable walking distance. As I mentioned, these are gourmet cinnamon rolls, and gourmet does not come cheap. The shop is very clean. They have a decent size dining area with tables and chairs. There is also a lounge area with purple couches. You will find a fenced in patio area available to eat you treat at as well. The guy working the shop was friendly enough, but my interaction with him was limited. They have a bunch of signature and rotating/seasonal cinnamon rolls such as Strawberry Fields Roll, Berry Crumble Roll, Tropical Bliss Roll, Caramel Apple Pie Roll, and Campfire S'mores Roll. You can also get a traditional plain cinnamon roll. They also have soft serve, brownies, cookie dough, king cake and ice cream floats. I got a Snicker Salad. It was made while I waited and only took five minutes. I ordered it at night and ate it the following morning. It was still delicious. I really enjoyed it. It was tasty. I highly recommend checking this place out to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Loooooove Cinnaholic and this new location! Visited on a Monday night and they were decently…read morepacked. Got my order in through the app and made an easy pick up. Customer service was extremely awesome for just me doing an online order. Very helpful and sweet. This location was big and very clean and beautiful. Cinnamon roll was hot and tasty. Loved every bite. I think I would prefer to come out here rather than downtown now. Excellent parking spaces and very clean and upscale. I hope this new location does very well and I look forward to coming here many more times to enjoy this wonderful vegan treat in Ankeny!

We had high hopes for this restaurant. It was pretty busy, which is usually a good sign…read more Unfortunately, our experience was not positive. We ordered two appetizers--egg rolls and pot stickers, which were good. The egg drop soup was decent as well, so we were excited to get our entrees--broccoli beef and vegetable lo mein. The dishes LOOKED amazing and fresh, but they smelled like a dirty ashtray. I dont know if the wok was dirty or if something had been burnt, but it tasted terrible. We left both meals on the table after one bite. I'd like to think this was a one-off, but given how bad the food was, we won't be giving Lucky Bamboo another chance.

Best ever food and portion i miss this place so much…read morecooked just right dont go to the one on dmacc campus go bears