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    Pho Shobu

    3.5 (106 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 am - 9:00 AM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Pho Shobu Photos

    Business Info

    PHO SHOBU ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Pho Shobu

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    Chicken pho
    Shopping M.

    Definitely wonderful pho! I love the chicken pho can be ordered with chicken broth, as well. Service is wonderful and attentive. Staff is quick to bring food to tables. Casual dining and family friendly.

    Kim Chi Ramen
    Adam T.

    Hi! I unfortunately did not have the best experience. The service was phenomenal, and the atmosphere was well decorated. I enjoyed the space for its dynamic depiction of Asian cultures and paintings. I liked the design of a bar-like area to make the restaurant stand out architecturally. This would be a nice setting for friends and family. My issue was that the food was not the best in any ethnic category. I ordered the Kim Chi Ramen, and I have a lot to say as someone from California. The egg was fully cooked, when usually it should have a gooey center like in most ramen. The pork is very pale and tastes as it looks. There is nothing significant about this dish that stands out or would make me want to return to this restaurant with confidence. I feel that the issue is that they advertise so many different dishes (pho, pad Thai, sushi, ramen) that it takes away from the dish because they do not specialize in one kind.

    Pho with well done brisket.
    Kelly K.

    Today was my first time at Pho Shobu and my second time having pho. It was so good. Definitely lived up to my expectations! I had the pho with well done brisket. My husband also had pho and my son had the udon noodle soup with chicken. Everyone enjoyed their food. Service was good. Menu looked amazing. I can't wait to go back and try a banh mi sandwich or vermicelli bowl.

    The food was fantastic. My server was super kind and friendly. The environment is very clean overall great experience. I definitely recommend this place. Their pho is fantastic. The sushi is top notch. The stir fry was delicious! 10/10 5stars ;)

    Christina W.

    Pho for everyone! Came here as a last minute dinner spot for the whole family. Last minute at 6:30 on a Wednesday night. There were lots of people dining in. And just a couple spots open. During COVID19 review: Small shop with social distancing measures in place. All employees were masked. Patrons walking in were masked. Tables spaced out but it still seemed closer than 6ft. Patrons unmasked while seated. Ordered the 4 bowls of vegan pho, 1 bowl of shrimp pho, 1 bowl spicy ramen, egg rolls, and crab rangoons. There was something for everyone and all were content. Everything came out nice and hot. Vegan pho was light in flavor. A little on the bland. My little girls like their soups. We added tofu in their bowls. I needed to add seasonings to get better flavor. Spicy ramen kimchi soup, my husband said it tasted ok. Flavor was nice. Rangoons and egg rolls were hot and tasty. Service was friendly and great. Our total was $79.XX after gratuity. We appreciated the Fun Chop chopstick helpers for the kids. I've never seen that for other restaurants. I also appreciated the vegan option for pho. Overall it made for a ok option. We were not in the area but it seemed like the ONLY option for dine in pho during the pandemic.

    Chicken Pad Thai
    Rachel Z.

    This place is one of my favorite places to get Thai food. The level of spice is perfect, the food has so much flavor, and the service and ambience are always great. I love coming here!

    Always a joy to come here and catch up with the Shobu family. Don't hesitate to chat with them, they are some of the kindest and friendliest people you can meet. Ordered our favorites, the calamari, khao-poon, and La's Dragon roll. I love that their khao poon is versatile in which you can season to your own taste. We always ask for sugar and fish sauce on the side, add extra chili oil and it's delish! Ingredients are always clean and so so fresh. We've never had to worry about quality. Other favorites we enjoy getting frequently are the banh mi and oxtail pho. Our waitress was excellent the entire time from start to finish. Stop by for the good food with company or even for a few drinks!

    Hard as a rock pork
    Janine M.

    Nothing. I waited 40 mins for takeout of a noodle dish and gyoza. It wasn't until I have a look to the server to remind I was still waiting. Then she tells me the system is down and orders are taking longer. Goes in the back and I hear her say, "Where's the gyoza?" Comes out, puts it into the register then goes back to the kitchen. Another ten mins and I get my order. Pork is ROCK HARD and the gyoza is BURNED! I will NEVER go back.

    Classic Banh Mi

    Pho is usually on point. Service is great. But today was an extremely disappointing day for them as I ordered a Classic Banh Mi for take out and found raw pork in it. Idk if I'll come back and I'd be careful ordering the Banh Mi's.

    Chicken pad Thai
    Dee W.

    I really enjoyed this and it is my second time here. First time, I had sushi. I have taken two different nieces and they both liked it. Today, we had the vermicelli salad with lobster, app sampler, and chicken pad Thai. I loved the salad and lobster was exceptional. Loved the meaty egg rolls the best from the app platter. My niece orders pad Thai everywhere and enjoyed this as well. I thought it was too sweet.

    Cliff K.

    I went recently to the restaurant with the first large group that I've been involved with since covid-19. All of us were a little older and have been vaccinated so was kind of fun to get together and I will say there are several people in the group that are restaurant owners and all of them are connoisseurs of Asian food (see the photo). People had Pho, some sushi rolls and some Hawaiian style poke in Bun.... I have to say in terms of a small restaurant they have one of the most extensive menus I've ever seen and certainly one of the most extensive Bun menus I've ever seen. I had a combination that included grilled chicken and you could really tell it was grilled chicken it had grill marks and it also was hot it also included steak which was good the sauce and everything else about the bun was traditional and delicious. My friends who had the foe said that they really enjoyed the soup and noodles. The sushi rolls in the tempura appetizers were a big hit with everyone. It's well worth a trip from anybody in a nearby area and anybody that has to drive a little for a nice evening out. Make sure you check their hours so you don't go too late I think they're a little reduced until they feel like they're getting into the swing of things.

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    5 years ago

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    2 days ago

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    4 months ago

    Food was only so-so and EXPENSIVE! We should have known something was up when the place was nearly empty on a Friday night.

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    9 months ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Food and service is always great! The curry, stir fried ramen, and sushi are at the top of my list.

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    3 years ago

    I got the spicy basil fried rice and the stir fried udon noodles and I was blown away! Highly recommend

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The vegetable pho had hardly any vegetables. It was mostly broth and noodles. Service was fine

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Pho Shobu

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    Thai Flavors - Garlic & Pepper steak

    Thai Flavors

    4.1(205 reviews)
    11.8 mi
    $$

    Stopped in during their lunch service and it was a good time! Our server was super friendly and the…read morefood came out super fast. We came in around the end of their lunch special so it was a little busy. Goes to show they're pretty popular and get a lot of regulars! The ambiance is pretty open and had a lot more room than I expected! I ordered the pad Thai with beef, which is one of their lunch specials. I asked for level 2 spice but I didn't notice anything when I ate it. I did hear it kinda varies depending on the staff so maybe I need to order a higher level. Otherwise the food was pretty good and a great spot for lunch!

    Des Moines has just expanded it's offerings of food so much in the last 30 years…read more I think Liam Anivat is still the major owner of.this restaurant and I remember his food at Thai flavors on East 14th Street long ago... I used to go to that restaurant once a week. That restaurant is the mother ship.. I would rotate between Cafe Fusion and Thai Flavors. Liam has become quite a entrepreneur of Thai restaurants he is the major owner of Cool Basil Banana leaf, and Thai Flavors on Ingersoll. He is really worked hard to have very large restaurants that serve delicious Thai food. It's conveniently located along East 14th in a strip mall with limited parking It can be a busy place so depending on the time of day lunch or dinner you may have to walk a little from your parking spot to the restaurant. The restaurant is clean and.older but the food is still great It is similar menu items to his other restaurants. On this particular day I had red curry chicken, I.have had it at all his restaurants and it's consistently good. I always like to support a locally owned business. Liam has developed quite a system and serving large amount of people at all his restaurants although the East 14th restaurants still has that old mom and pop kind of feel. When he first opened this first restaurant there were not that many Thai restaurants around town. Now he's open many himself and there are other many quality Thai food restaurants around town I think all of his restaurants have some healthier menu including fresh vegetable dishes. I believe they all have vegan dishes as well. Of course the restaurant has pot stickers basil stir fry, pad thai, and other traditional Thai restaurant dishes. There is lots of variety in the menu. It's also about expectations, everyone is under staffed, so I always appreciate the service staff who are working. Having said that the service was fast and efficient . It's also about being realistic about the food. The food was served quick and hot. I would definitely check this place out. If you're in the area it's well worth a visit It was fun to visit an old neighborhood friend

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    4 of the 6 wings.

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    Thai Flavors Ingersoll - beef Bento box

    Thai Flavors Ingersoll

    4.0(63 reviews)
    9.3 mi

    We were just looking for basic Thai food, and were pleasantly surprised to find this gem of a…read moreplace! The atmosphere was a cut above most midwestern Asian restaurants we have visited. The food was fresh and made to order. We started with Chicken Satay, then shared the Pineapple Delight and General Tao Chicken. All of the food was excellent. But, if you are waffling on an appetizer - get the Satay! And, with your last bites, roll up the chicken, sauce and salad into the lettuce - to die for! Seemed like too much sauce when they brought it, but we scraped the bowl clean. The main dishes were more than plenty of food, plus they were flavorful and fresh. Since we shared and have different spice preferences, they brought us a small bit of pepper to up the spice to our liking. I wish that were in a shaker, but that's literally the only thing I would change. Staff was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. To top it off - mints on the way out the door (I don't know why that always makes me happy, but it does.) If we lived in Des Moines, we would frequent them enough that they would know our names.

    One of my favorite entrees is Chicken Fried Rice so I tried the new "Kimchi Fried Rice" with…read morechicken which was not as fresh and fried as I was used to from other Thai Restaurants,. The dish had more of a different Asian infusion which gave it a different more steamed than fried taste. The Chicken Egg Rolls were good and the service was acceptable. The low musical tones did not signal an exuberant mood that made you want to stay and enjoy the window view. Parking is an issue with limited street parking though there were spaces in the back of the building. The prices are moderate and the inside dining is spacious which would suit all types of casual diners.

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    Thai Flavors Ingersoll
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    Outside facade

    Nut POB Restaurant - Crab Rangoon

    Nut POB Restaurant

    3.8(91 reviews)
    12.4 mi
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    I think remembering smelling incense or a lot of buddha statues. The waiting time was slightly long…read morefor food. The food was really good nonetheless. It was not as luxurious especially with the seating. It resonated an open space where everyone can hear everyones conversation openly. If you don't bring someone who talks, expect to easedrop unnaturally into someones else. I remember everyones there had their phones so it was unusually quiet. But thankful for the food. The music was loud from time to time on one section. Careful sititng near the windows full of sunlight.

    Nut Pob Restaurant Inc will forever have a special place in my heart. The ONE restaurant from DSM…read morethat I craved for when I was pregnant living in Hawaii and Vegas. The ONE restaurant that even though it doesn't have the best service sometimes, we would ALWAYS come back. Time after time, all because the food is that darn good. The service is great now but they may not always pick up the phone line. ‍ we put up with it They serve Lao/Thai food and it's always on point. I always, always get the: Angry Fried Catfish- 10/10. They are the ones who originated this "angry" style dish here and I don't care what anyone says, no one makes it better. They can make it good, just not better. Angry Beef/Chicken/Pork Stir-Fry- 10/10. This dish has the same name as the fish, but a totally different sauce. I recommend getting both the Catfish and a meat stir-fry dish. Sometimes it may be more pissed off and sometimes it may be just sort of angry at you. Chicken wings- 10/10. Lightly marinated with a delicious flavor and deep-fried. Simple yet good Crab Rangoons- 10/10. Sweet style and I love it. Combo Fried Rice- 10/10. Great flavors Combo Pad Se Ew- 20/10. Legit my fave Pad Se Ew in the metro. (It's not pictured here because I got a different noodle dish for my son) These are the other dishes I will sometimes get but are always good too: Beef Laap- One of the national dishes of Laos. Beef Salad Papaya Salad- Lao-style here Nuur Nam Tok- Marinated Steak with a great dipping sauce Panang Beef- one of my fave Panang in the metro, next to Lucky Lotus Oyster Beef- delicious and perfect for the littles when they come to eat with us Combo Lad Na- delicious noodle dish with gravy over (this is the noodle dish pictured that our son ordered today) Seriously, everything is great here. Hope you get to try it out next time you're on the Southside of DSM.

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    De Rice - Papaya Salad

    De Rice

    4.2(88 reviews)
    6.2 mi

    4.4/5! Got food…read moreto-go - so I can't comment on the restaurant vibe itself - and ordered at 8:30. We were grateful the staff took our order considering they close at 9! We went inside to get our food but you can do a curbside pick up option, which is nice. The food travels well and tasted great! You can also choose your spice level for each dish. I enjoy spice and got a spice level four. I didn't think it was too spicy. If you don't like spice, still consider spice level 2. The only complaint was the amount of noodles in the curry noodle. I felt it was more vegetables, less chicken and noodles. Otherwise, it's a great place to order takeout!

    Hello First things…read morefirst! They have ine YUGE menu! Sushi, Rolls, Vietnamese food. I had the Drunken Noodles-recommended in the menu. It was very good. Chicken and noodles with peppers, onions in their drunken flavors. Chicken was tender and noodles done right. I do like things with a little spice. Not over flavoring the food though. I ordered a medium and it had no spice! I had to remember I am in IA and yiu have to make things midwest non spicy probably so you dont have many people complaining. So my point is. If it is not spicy enough ask for some chili oil! Yum yum. The dumplings were very good. They aervice was very friendly! Go give them a try. I am sure locally owned. Just hop in that large menu and start swimming!! I forgot one thing. They seem to have Gluten Free options.

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    Godzilla.

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