We stopped by Desi Bites late in the evening around 8pm on a Friday night and surprisingly the…read moreplace was busy. The restaurant is located inside a grocery store and set up as a take out counter where you place your order and pay first, then wait for your name to be called to pick up the food. They have a cashier to take the orders and also a kiosk (where I was directed to place my order). There is a designated seating area to eat the food. I would say there was about 8 tables and it looked bright and clean. There were families there with little kids dining in during my visit. I placed my order on the kiosk and stood aside nearby waiting for my name to be called. The cashier was nice and mentioned that it would be a while before my name would be called so I should have a seat. Instead I decided to walk around the grocery store which I enjoyed. I should have looked at the ticket that the kiosk printed because it said my order would be ready in 50 minutes. It did take 50 minutes because there were so many people whose order was ahead of mine. This place is popular! I ordered the butter chicken and the 65 chicken. The butter chicken was delicious. It came with a side of white rice and was nice and sweet and creamy. I was able to order the dish in mild spicy level which I appreciated. They use cashew paste in the dish so if you have a nut allergy, then this dish is not for you. It came in a sealed yellow container that I thought was spill proof. Unfortunately the oil from the dish leaked out onto the bag and onto my jacket. This is something to consider if I decide to pick up my order again or have it delivered. The 65 chicken was good too but the kiosk would not allow me to order it mild so I was forced to order it at a medium spice level. It was too spicy for me. The chicken was at the bottom of the take out container and covered with fried rice. It seemed like a lot of rice and not enough chicken. The rice was very good. It was mixed with cashew nuts so if you have a nut allergy, this dish is not for you. I had never had 65 chicken but knew it was a popular dish. I am not sure I will order this next time despite the large portion it came in. Overall this is a great alternative to other Indian restaurants in the area. It is competitive because some items are cheaper than what you would find in a restaurant (i.e. an order of naan here is $2.50).

Food was delicious. Located inside grocery store, so not a good atmosphere for dining in, but fir…read morefast food or carry out its very good!

I'm not sure what is going on here lately, but what used to bring me to Bawarchi Indian Grill and…read moreBar seems to be fading a little... We stopped in again last Tuesday for the lunch buffet at right about noon. We were greeted and told to take a seat as normal, but that's kind of where things ended. We sat in the booth for a few minutes. Normally a server checks in with you and takes a drink order at least and releases you to the buffet. No sign of anyone returning... We finally got up and headed to the buffet on our own. A lot of the warming trays on the buffet were already mostly empty and hadn't been refreshed. We did our best to fill a first plate (tandoori chicken, chicken biryani, goat curry, etc.) and went back to our booth. When we got back to our seat there was a carafe of water and a basket of naan on the table. That was a good thing. My co-worker was able to flag down the server to get him a Diet Coke. The food was good. What there was of it... After finishing the first plate we headed back up and it was kind of the same story. Quite a few empty warming trays... But at least a couple of the previously empty ones (aloo gobi and chicken 65) had been refilled so we got some variety. While we were up our first plates hadn't been cleared from the table... Maybe they were short staffed...? It only appeared to be the one gentleman working the front acting as host, server, and cashier. Given the lack of attention to guests and keeping the buffet replenished... I'm really hoping this extreme was a one-off, but things have been a little hot and cold the last couple of visits. It's a shame. We really enjoyed this buffet for a couple of years after our first visit. I've pretty much given them a pass until now hoping it would return to normal. Crossing my fingers things will get better again. With competition like Chowrastha not far away... They're too close by (Ashworth and 60th in West Des Moines) to be letting your game slip like this...

One of my favorite Indian restaurants…read more I like going in or ordering to pick up. Love trying different appetizers. The food is always hot & fresh & flavorful. The employees are always friendly & attentive. Definitely recommend the chicken tika masala (among everything else). Even their water is good.

We had a wonderful dinner here! The food was exquisite, the service was great and the ambiance was…read moreclean and cozy. Started with chicken momo, then had chicken korma and kadai chicken, with garlic naan. Everything was absolutely delicious and I would recommend it all! The flavors in each dish were bold in the best way but also very balanced. Medium spice level packed a nice heat, and we'll probably stick with that moving forward even though we tend to like things hot. We will definitely be back!

Quick takeout order…read more If you like spice, they really hit the mark which was great! I ordered the chicken mehkani (butter chicken) and chicken korma. Both were good and spicy! The garlic naan we ordered was the disappointment. It was dry and brittle. Quite hard to eat honestly.

Awesome food! I go here with the same friend so we keep a running list of what we like. LOL!…read moreYesterday we had our staple of Samosa, always good. It comes with a green dipping sauce that is enhances the flavor. For our entrees we had our usual, Chicken Tikka - also always good! Then, at the recommendation of our waiter, we tried the Chicken Korma. Oh my goodness! Our new favorite. Both dishes are served with white rice and we have to Naan (garlic is best) to sop it all up. It's a little pricy for lunch, but definitely worth the splurge. Oh, we ordered both dishes at medium heat which was perfect. Enjoy!!

Despite living in Iowa pretty much all of my life I'm still one to stay in on cold nights…read more.. Indian food sounded good. It's been a while. I used mytown2go to place an order last night so I didn't have to leave my couch. I've never visited Spice Pot before and the reviews I'd read online seemed all over the board. I ordered chicken tikka masala (medium heat), chili cheese naan, and chicken dum biryani (medium heat). My total ran just under $27 before fees and my driver's tip. The fundamental taste of the food was really good. The sauce on the chicken tikka masala was rich and flavorful. The elements in the biryani complimented one another from the chicken, to the rice, onion, the lime, spices, and the mint. Overall I was happy with the food... That being said... I'd call both dishes I received mild...rather than medium. I assumed the biryani would be bone-in... However the pieces of chicken appear to have been taken apart with a cleaver and there were shards of bone that made the dish less than desirable for me... It might be authentic...but it's not for me. The naan... Very good, but once again it lacked the heat I'd expect from something with visible chunks of chili peppers embedded in it. I'd order from Spice Pot again...or stop in for dine-in...but I'd adjust my order a little from this experience. Try some other dishes on the menu... And I'd up my spice level to "hot"... I don't consider myself a chili-head; I like a heat level that is noticeable, but isn't overpowering. About mytown2go... This is the second time I've used them. The app is easy to use. Both times the service has probably left me more impressed than the food I received. I placed my order at 614 pm and it was delivered at around 647 pm (estimated time was one hour...714 pm). My driver was a Pleasant Hill school teacher who delivers as a part-time job. He was personable, polite, and provided excellent service. A really nice guy. He said he hasn't been delivering long. I wish him the best.

It made me feel like I was at home. The food was awesome. I can't wait to go back. Service was a…read morebit unexplanitory but not a problem like me. I did not do the buffet because I don't do them.

India Star has the best Indian food in Des Moines, and they have for years. They are friendly,…read morekind, and very pleasant to talk with. Sometimes it takes awhile for the food to arrive, but it takes time to make anything as delicious as this! Love them.

Amazing Food Ordered…read moreChicken Tikka, hariyali chicken tikka, chicken dum Biryani, chole bhatura (Epic) Food - 10/10 Ambience - Friendly Parking - Dedicated parking lot Great food. Ordered Takeout on way from Omaha to Des Moines Recommend. Will surely try again

Our 8 yr old son wanted momos and asked to try out a different Indian restaurant than our "usual."…read moreI searched the area, checked out menus, and reviews. Chowrastha looked like it would work. It was a Friday evening and when we entered, about half the tables were full. We were guided to a table and given menus and water (glasses and a pitcher) arrived shortly after. My son definitely wanted the chicken momos. We asked for them as mild as they could make them. My husband chose the chicken vindaloo (medium) and I asked for the Korma Masala with chicken. I asked for it mild, especially so our son would be able to have some of mine, but was told it could only come medium or spicy. So I chose medium. We also placed an order of butter naan. My husband and son ordered fountain drinks. The waiter pointed out the fountain machine and told them to help themselves to start and for refills. My son and husband's food came out along with the naan. There was no mention about mine. We started to wonder if mine had been forgotten but then it came. Our son dove into his momos and almost immediately said they were too spicy. The other Indian restaurants we've been to put the sauces on the side. These had the sauce on them. He powered through and ate four. We were proud of him for doing so. My husband and I ate the rest. I enjoyed the flavor but agreed it would be spicy for a kid. The dumpling wrap seemed to be dry in places. Otherwise, I liked them. My husband enjoyed his chicken vindaloo for the most part. He did mention he's had chicken vindaloo at other Indian restaurants and said he didn't recall it being so tangy. My Korma Masala was fine. It was definitely spicier than I'd desired and there was no way my 8 year old would have enjoyed trying it. My nose would not stop running from the spice level. The butter naan was tasty. Service was non-existent once our food arrived. While other tables did get filled and orders taken, we felt completely ignored. We didn't know if the check came to us or if we needed to pay at the counter. No idea where to get to-go containers. We saw people from a large party coming up and ordering at the counter. Since this was our first time here, we had no clue if this was due to being understaffed or just the norm. Definitely not a good service experience. Our son was disappointed and asked to return to our "usual" Indian restaurant in the metro. I can't disagree.

The goat curry tastes good. Service is fast. Atmosphere is nice. Restroom is clean. I have a good…read moreexperience and it is right behind Blue zoo.

Came here only once, so this is based on a single experience. The samosa was pretty average -- it…read moredidn't seem freshly fried, although the flavor itself wasn't bad. I believe we also ordered the butter chicken and kadai paneer. Both dishes were much more watery than they should have been. The butter chicken was a bit unusual in color (more yellow than the traditional orange) and lacked the rich, creamy texture I was expecting. The kadai paneer wasn't bad in terms of flavor, but it also had too much liquid and didn't have the consistency I prefer. The portions are definitely generous, though, so you do get a good amount of food for what you order.