Great food! The staff is wonderful and helped us by recommending dishes. We ordered the muscle appetizer and a ceviche as well as a couple of different entree's. All were great! Such great use of flavors! read more

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OMG...this place serves one of the best food I have ever had. If you like Sevitche, then you will love their Titaditu. I also love their chicharron..the flavors used in their food are very specific to Peru...and ohh, don't forget to try the quinoa cake -- very delish. read more

Best Peruvian food on the planet. It costs a bit more than a usual lunch but this is far from usual. Great place to take a client or date, fun to watch the cooking with the flames shooting up. I need to slow down so I don't burnout on this place, it should be added to every foodie list in DS Fantastic desert MeRengado de Lucuma, perfect size for two read more

Had super high hopes for this place and was severely disappointed. They seated us at a table and then made get up and leave because they can't keep track of what tables were reserved. That is just super disrespectful and disappointing. Front of house goes a long way and to make us leave after immediately being seated it's unacceptable. read more

Excellent excellent excellent food! Introduced to Panka by some friends the other night and you can see why this place is always busy, the owner is out helping seat people and making sure you are enjoying yourselves, while the cooks are knocking it out of the park with the various soups, rices and noodle dishes. The seafood chowder is excellent and the ceviche appetizer is wonderful. Nice job to the entire crew! read more

Meal was fantastic! Very nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Food was great and will return. Both boyfriend and I had a great time!

Miguel and his crew are great. Friendly and exceptional service. I am from Peru, and I really enjoy the Papa La Huancaina and Pollo a la brasa. Yummy!!! Viva el read more

Mariela & staff were amazingly helpful & the service was outstanding. My lady friend Alexandra & her family enjoyed a superb dining experience. I live in California & was able to make arrangements with Mariela to take care of everything for me. Mariela told me not to worry, and surely enough she made it a special occasion for everyone. I got phone calls, pictures & text messages telling & showing me all of the excitement of the fine cuisine & service they were receiving. I truly appreciate Mariela for making this a moment that will always be cherished. read more

Great service and all the food was amazing! Our table shared each meal and every dish was rockstar!

Best food I've had in Des Moines. We ordered the lomo saltado and aji de galina with a bottle of wine. The food was absolutely fantastic. We also got a ceviche appetizer and hollyyyyy crap it was good. I can't stop thinking about it. The owner is absolutely lovely and I adored the vibe. read more

Wow! What a great place to have dinner. My dining companion and I had the Peruano Ceviche and Lomo Saltado and they were both delicious.

Best seviche ever. The mussels are to die for. Ditto, the coffee. We are going to make this place a Friday tradition for lunch. They were packed today, as they should be. read more

Panka Peruvian Restaurant - Peruvian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Panka has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants in Des Moines. The atmosphere is lively and we love sitting at the bar next to the open kitchen for date night. The food is amazing: I make a point to try something new on the menu each time and I've yet to be disappointed. The flavors are vibrant, authentic and fresh. Panka's owners and staff are always warm and engaging. This place has heart. Highly recommend! read more

Good restaurant! We waited 45min worth the wait for sure! We are in town for the weekend and would def make it a routine stop if we lived here! read more

This place is really great. You start off with the plantain chips and a sort of aioli. It's addicting. The service is better than most. They were busy and it did take a long a while for my friend to get her drink. I ordered the lomo saltado. It was amazing. The spices where great. I wish the chunks of beef were smaller or more tender. Overall great flavor. My friend first ordered the crunchy pork belly which was way over cooked. She did order something else and they gladly replaced it. The dessert was great as well, although difficult to eat. read more

If you haven't tried Panka, you are missing out. Peruvian food is like your typical Midwestern food with a nice kick of "hey, I'm not from here!" Panka delivered on food, drinks and service. It's a quaint, yet modern environment where you feel right at home. Seating is close, but not uncomfortable. We arrived a couple minutes before 5pm opening and the staff was just opening the doors. It only took a few minutes before the place was full. The food came out quickly, and was top notch! I highly recommend a reservation. I can't wait to go here in the summer; everything is light and refreshing and delicious! read more

One of the best meals I've had in a long time. There was a significant wait but it was well worth it. Everyone else around us seemed similarly blown away. I don't think there's a bad dish on the menu. read more

The food was Overpriced with very small portions the ceviche came in a medicine cup, a drink was 11 in a martini glass. I have been to Peru and they serve you a feast. The ceviche was great but it was only a couple of bites, in Peru you get a huge plate of it as a main course so I was very surprised when I got such a small helping. If you want a taste it's good but if your hungry this definitely is an appetizer read more

What can I say! The food was absolutely amazing! It was very hot! The flavors were unbelievable and a twist on something that I've never had before! You must save room for the meringue dessert! The seafood stirfry was very tasty as well as the oriental noodles with seafood! Sit at the table in front of the kitchen as the chef is very friendly and the entire staff has smiles on their faces and are genuinely welcoming to their guests! read more

This was one of our favorite places in Des Moines! We sat at the bar and watched the magic happen. I had the Pineapple Piscojito which was a perfect starter. The owner convinced me to try the Choros a la Chalaca as an appetizer even though I don't like mussels or cold seafood. It was solid and I'm glad I tried it. I got the Arroz Chaufa de Cerdo and that was great too. We got some sort of meringue dessert with custard and a dark chocolate drizzle. I can't remember what it was called but it was great. My favorite though was the plantain chips and house dipping sauce. The sauce was amazing. I would buy it by the bottle if I could. read more

This was my first time eating Peruvian food ever. It was the best meal I've probably ever had. Our waitress was Katie S. She was very helpful and was able to decipher my caveman rants of the menu items. The atmosphere is really unique and its very upbeat. I love this place and I'll definitely be coming back. Hopefully soon. read more

Great service, food and ambiance! Des Moines is lucky to have this new and Peruvian style, family-owned restaurant!

Panka is the best place we have tried in Des Moines! High quality food and perfect sized portions. I highly recommend the Lomo Saltado (stir fried beef with onions and tomatoes, cilantro, and potatoes. The Tallarín Saltado (a Chinese-Peruvian stir fry) was an excellent noodle dish. The dishes were colorful and plated beautifully and they were rich in taste. Irving, the waiter, was also very helpful and provided recommendations on his favorite menu items and made sure to check in that everything was great. Excited to go back. read more

Seems like they are not open any longer on Sundays. Otherwise, we just hit a day they were randomly closed. Just FYI. Even the door says Sunday noon-5. read more

I had the lomo saltado. It was a smaller portion size than I would have expected for the price. It had a lot of soy sauce which I found odd. The actual meat was tender and tasted good but I was expecting a bit more to be honest. read more

It is the closest you will get to having original Peruvian food. The service is great, the food is great and the environment is great; although the restaurant itself is somewhat smaller than you would expect. Even if it is a good restaurant, it is somewhat pricy, so be prepared for a somewhat high bill (lunch cost my wife and I ~US$60, not including the tip). read more

Delightfully authentic, flavorful dishes. Definitely going back for more seafood! Been so long since I visited Peru so this was very special. read more

My wife and I decided we would try to stop in on Valentine's Day without a reservation. It was late, but the staff squeezed us into a spot at the bar. Everything we had was amazing and more importantly all the people around us were saying the same thing. We had the shared mixed seafood plate, it is big and definitely a share plate. The calamari on the plate was some of the best in town. The owners were nice and were great to tell about how it was cooking from the heart and they wanted to do it well. This is place you cannot miss and I am so happy to see it here in Des Moines. I cannot wait to go back. read more

Starting for the service as soon as we came to the restaurant they didn't have a server available and the cook said that wouldn't be able to cook for all of us. We decided to stay and be patient. We are Peruvian native and food was a disappointment. Peruvian Spaghetti was salty and used ingredients that weren't Peruvian. My daughter loves green spaghetti and she couldn't finish it because the flavor was off. The server didn't know about menu. I sincerely blame the owner because of you going to open a Peruvian restaurant you have to study and learn the Peruvian. Flavors that are exquisite. You as a owner need to train your employees to learn about the menu and give to the customer a great experience. We drove 4 hours to taste a Peruvian restaurant and ended up with an indigestion. Server also told us that they didn't have any plate that contains aji amarillo which Is the main ingredient for 80% of Peruvian plates. read more

My husband and i had lunch here today and loved it! It's rare to find a lunch venue that pays so much attention to the details of food flavor and the beautiful plate! Hector our waiter was knowledgeable and very attentive! I would definitely recommend Panka for anyone who's a foodie and wants a great experience! read more

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The food was good. It was very expensive for what you got. The drinks were small glasses, not worth what they charged. They charge you for using a credit card. We were charged 3% of our total bill. Which surprises me since you are encouraged to use a card and not cash. We won't go back. read more

Delicious. Panka has added a flair of excellence to Des Moines dining. You will start planning your return visit before the attentive staff clears your table. Do not be concerned if you are unfamiliar with Peruvian cuisine. The expert Panka team has put together a menu that will make you feel at home. The appetizers, main courses, and desserts compliment each other perfectly. The staff will welcome you as if you are an an old friend. By the time you are done, you will feel like you are. read more

Everything we tried was fantastic. I had the Parihuela and it was delicious and plentiful. We started with a Tornado de samón. Wonderful. I would absolutely get again. My companions had different specials. One had pollo saltado and a zucchini soup with a fruity drink. She said it was all perfectly seasoned. The other had a dumpling special stuffed with shrimp and cheese. Hers was very tasty but not quite enough for a full meal. We all agreed we would be back for happy hour some day. read more

March 28,2019. First visit. Can't wait to go back! The flavors of the food were delicious and unlike any we've found in Des Moines restaurants. Decor is modern and comfortable Servers were great and helpful. Arrived at 11:15 and by the time we left, there was only one table available for seating. read more

Great food and overall experience. Try it! Sit at the bar for a closer purview and a visual presentation of the many tasty menu options.

We made reservations for dinner here and were surprised to find it wasn't that busy on the night we were there. The dining area is relatively small and low key, but the food and drinks were all on point. We had the empanadas and so hoping this becomes a regular menu item. The ceviche was also delicious. Will definitely be going back! Last thought is I hope they start using online reservations through yelp to make date night planning that much easier read more

Worth the wait! Actually we purposely arrived early - before the crowds - to be sure to get a table! Our server, Irving was fabulous! Very attentive and just a nice guy! The owner, Mariela came over to our table to speak with us. She didn't just ask about the food but actually engaged in conversation! Lovely lady. On top of that the food was wonderful. Ceviche! Ceviche! Ceviche! So good! Oh my gosh... and a must... their drink Pisco drink! Yum. It's a must! You'll enjoy! read more

Food is great but to furthermore the service was outstanding our server was Irving went far and beyond to have a pleasant time. There should be more Irving's. Great experience read more

Our new favorite restaurant! My husband and I used to live in San Francisco and had a favorite Peruvian restaurant there. We decided to try this place out to see if it was nearly as good, and it exceeded our expectations! The help was fantastic--we sat at the bar and had so much fun getting to know the owner. She had us try a juice (we don't drink) for free to see if we liked it--she was adorable. She recommended the cremoso ceviche, and it was incredible. The corn and sweet potatoes were such a delicious addition! We could have eaten five more bowls. We obviously had to get the lomo saltado, and we also loved the aji de gallina I think it's called? The Peruvian chicken and rice creole. Everything was excellent, even the complementary plantain chips and spicy cream dip. We can't wait to come back with friends! read more

We walked in and immediately the owner met us at the door and made sure we did not wait long. She was so excited about her restaurant and passionate about the cuisine. We had a server but she kept on checking on us and made our experience really nice. The ceviche is really good. Great location. read more