City: Des Moines, IA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (515) 284-5632

Address: 1511 High St.

Description: This low-key, unassuming Western Gateway restaurant is a nice, cheap spot to order up a big bowl of pho, or Vietnamese beef noodle soup. The steaming bowl arrives at your table with a full plate of bean sprouts, herbs, and lime wedges, which you then strew liberally in the spicy broth. Beyond pho, the menu runs for several pages and close to 100 dishes, including such Vietnamese specialties as fried squid stuffed with ground pork or deep-fried sea bass or catfish with ginger and tomato sauce. For the less adventurous, noodle dishes with beef, pork, chicken, or shrimp are a good choice. Coffee is served “French style” with condensed milk, and there are some interesting Vietnamese drinks, like Pickled Lemon Ice Drink or Club Soda with Condensed Milk and Egg Yolk on Ice” (hmmm . . . ). Closed Monday.