Address: | 3322 Indianola Ave, Des Moines, IA 50315, USA |
Phone: | +1 515-246-8055 |
Site: | nutpob.com |
Rating: | 4.1 |
Working: | Closed 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM |
A
A Private User
Outside: The exterior of the restaurant was very unassuming and plain as it is in a strip mall. There was an ornate wooden room divider in the window. They have free parking. Inside: The seating and tables were standard and the art and cultural items appear very similar to those in many other Asian restaurants. Menu: The menus each have a nice external touch of a swatch of cultural woven cloth. The selection included many items from both Thailand and Laos along with a few general Chinese food items such as Crab Rangoon. The prices seemed to be quite reasonable with an average cost below $10. Staff: Our waitress met us at the door and accompanied us through our cultural meal. When asked she made recommendations that turned out great. She came back often to check out our meal, our drinks and our overall satisfaction. When we were done and just talking she quickly removed any empty plates. Food: Everything appeared cooked fresh and arrived piping hot. From the appetizers to the main dishes, everything was great. We started with some Crab Rangoon which came out hot and served with the delicious sweet chili sauce that I love from Thailand. One big brand is "Mae Ploy" and it is like a sweet and sour sauce filled with dried pepper flakes and seeds which lends to a sweet and hot flavor mix that goes great with the Rangoon. The main dishes included Pad Thai, Oyster Beef and Angry Combination. The Pad Thai had a wonderful smokey flavor that was a great mix with the chicken and vegetables. The Oyster Beef was a bit like Mongolian Beef found at some Chinese places, but with a fresh, slightly sweeter flavor. Everyone loved this dish! The Angry Combination was a mix of beef, chicken and shrimp that along with the vegetables was doused in a wonderful hot sauce based on Thai chilis. On the first bite it was notably hot. After awhile the heat turned most to tears and the flavor seemed to wash out a bit in the heat. It seemed like this dish was better in small quantities or shared as it became too much of a good thing and the tongue only processed the chili over time. Drinks: Several people in our group ventured out and tried the Thai tea which came with milk or cream in it. Those who loved it enjoyed the flavor. Those who didnt like it found it to be either too "woody" or "tasting of sweet dirt." Overall: Everyone was very pleased with the food and service we experienced in the Nut Pob. From the sweet to the heat, the flavors were both known and new and a bit of Thailand became part of our world experience. Personally Id say to avoid the tea unless youre sure you already like it, enjoy the "Angry" items in moderation, have the Crab Rangoon and ignore the basic outside and come in for a great time with friends, dining in the friendly service and great food of Thailand.
A
A Private User
Lets face it - your food can be great, but if your service is poor, your entire offering suffers. And saying that the service is poor at Nut Pob is at best a gross understatement. You will be consistently ignored until you go away. Even when theyre not busy. Especially when theyre not busy. My friends drove from Omaha for a get-together. They wanted to eat at Nut Pob, and they would not be deterred. Even though we had to wait 30 minutes before the server would look at us. Even though we got the wrong drinks and items we ordered were missing. Even though we had to get our own water refills. Even though we watched 8 (yes, I said EIGHT) other parties leave, totally disgusted because they too were ignored. Obviously, they didnt have the fortitude, the sheer grit needed to endure this dining experience! But why? Why were we so masochistic, you ask? Its all about the penang! Only the chicken penang left me feeling empty and hollow afterward. I (and my friends) are long-time patrons of Nut Pob. We remember their humble beginnings. We relished our cherished restaurants simple roots. Their succulent pad Thai, their robust pho. Now ashes in our collective mouth. OK, so it was mediocre, not terrible. BUT - I could no longer ignore the terrible service, of even simple human courtesy. At the end of the meal, one of my friends asked to speak to the owner. The server scurried off, looking worried. As it turns out, there was no need for her to worry. The owner simply refused to leave the kitchen and speak with us. Great job, Nut Pob! You finally drove me away. Like a crazy ex-girlfriend, I may remember the good times, but I WILL NOT dip into that again.
A
A Private User
We have dine and order carry out from here in the last 10 years. Lately the services have been very bad. The last time we were there was Nov. 8th. Other people whom came in before us got their orders. Although the waitress came and refill our glasses she never bother to pick up the nicely stack of dishes we put on the side for her to pick up. On top of this they double charged my credit card! I called but no answer and left a message about the charges. I am very surprised that the Owner/Management have not bother to call back and get the issue resolve herself. This is a bad image of your restaurant that show you do not care about your customers. I called my credit card company and will let them handle the issue. As of today, Dec 13, 2011 they have not credit me back my money. Although their food is good I will most likely go and support another Thai restaurant that I like. If the owner would care enough to resolve this issue I would support the restaurant since we always eat and order carry out from them. Will not be going back there again.
BR
Brett Carter
There have been 10 plus times that I have called in a to go order and they have literally just forgot to make it. Sometimes these orders even contain multiple meals. The lady at the counter laughed as she told us that they forgot to make the food. Its such a shame that their food can be that good with that poor of service. Ive eaten here probably 20+ times and only one was at the physical location. The wait staff was so terrible that Ill never return and literally only order to go, which still seems to be a challenge. Ive never written a review about the poor to go service but I had had enough tonight, after my to go order was once again forgotten. I called at 6:20pm the lady said 15 minutes and Im currently waiting to get my food as I write this review at 7:01pm. What a shame.
MA
Matthew G
Good things come to those that wait. Same goes for good food. It is not fast food, and thats a good thing. Use that time to enjoy their spring rolls or crab rangoon. The food is hot, portions are plentiful and the atmosphere is great. This is one of Des Moines gems. My personal favorite is the chicken pad thai but frankly everything I have tried has been top notch. This is one of my favorite restaurants to showcase to out of town visitors. In my opinion their flavors and menu would be right at home in a pricier east village setting. Instead its right in the heart of the southside.
SA
Savanna Tuon
Food is actually really good. But I give it 2 stars because the service is horrible. They really need to have more than one waitress during lunch. We waited at least 10 minutes for a table when there was 6 available but not cleaned. She said she would clean one off and goes and helps other customers. An older couple walks in and just goes and sits at a table. Theres no signs to wait to be seated. Theres no system.