Fong's Pizza — Restaurant in Des Moines

We are from out of town but have heard how amazing the Crab Rangoon pizza is, we couldn't wait to try it!! We stopped in around 430-5 on a Sunday. They were not busy between the front booths, back tables and bar area. This is a relatively smaller restaurant and less than half the tables were taken and we saw 3-4 servers so plenty of staff on hand. The atmosphere was cool, very eclectic and I thought fun! Wide range of music choices playing in the restaurant too. I thought it was cool. We ordered the Crab Rangoon pizza, Thai sticks, and Chinese Cheese sticks. We waited over 30 minutes for our appetizers and had to search out our sever and ask him where they were. He brought them out and said "I just got here for the day and I am not sure what is going on with the kitchen". The appetizers were COLD. Not even remotely warm. That being said even cold the Thai sticks were good, our favorite thing we ordered actually! Definitely recommend to anyone going there. The Chinese cheese sticks were ok, they are absolutely packed with cheese, but I would say choose something else, it wasn't overwhelmingly delicious. Our pizza came out shortly after the appetizers (maybe within 5 minutes) which was ALSO COLD. The pizza was not good, it didn't even taste like a crabmeat Rangoon. It could have been due to it being cold but we were very disappointed. We each had one piece and were done. Other observations while there: While we were waiting for our appetizers another couple came in and sat in the booth in front of us. NO ONE came to their table after seating them. Almost 20 minutes went by and the woman had to stand up outside her booth and say will someone please come wait on us. A server happened to be walking by and she said she would help them and find their server. She took their drink order and a while later their server (also ours) walked out with silverware and plates for them.

My sister also asked our server when we sat down about a shirt to purchase, he asked her size, he said he was going to go get it... he never came back with it. We didn't remind him...

The pizza was excellent. I've been hearing about Fong's for a while so we decided to give it a shot. It's definitely different from any other pizza you've had. The crust is not your normal pizza crust. I believe it is made from the same dough used to make the fried wonton crisps you get at some Asian restaurants. It's very good - and crispy. We got two pizzas. A Kung Pau Chicken pizza and a Thai Chicken pizza. Both we fantastic and captured the essence of the dish in the form of a pizza. The only detractor, and it was a significant one, from the experience was the service. We asked a couple of questions about items on the menu but the waitress had never tried those dishes, so she said she had no idea. We ordered an appetizer that never arrived. Fortunately, we were not charged for it either, but it was never even mentioned. Fong's uses small wire racks to hold the pizza pans at the table. Unfortunately, our waitress placed ours too close to the edge of the table. Not realizing how unstable they were, our took a tumble of the table shortly after she dropped the pizza off. It made a loud clattering sound as the pizza rack and pan hit the floor but nobody came to our aid. The pizza actually landed upside-down on the bench seat next to us. Normally, I may have eaten it. But being in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic with your food having just fallen onto a surface of questionable cleanliness, I had to pass. When the waitress eventually arrived (about 10 minutes later) and saw the mess, we explained what had happened. She did not express any remorse and just laughed at the situation. I was happy they were making an effort to be open during the pandemic and I know things are extremely tough on the restaurant industry right now, so I decided not to make a big deal about it and just forgo the other half of my pizza. Hopefully Fong's will be able to address their training shortfall to save future guests from a...

I have been going to Fong's Pizza for many years. I used to work for a couple weeks a year in downtown Des Moines but after I quit my job, I didn't really have a chance to make it. When the Ankeny location opened, I was happy to take the quick detour off the freeway on my way to and from Omaha or Lincoln where I drove often for work. It is great and is much more accessible to park and has much more seating. Everyone there has treated me well, the food and drink are always good and it became a ritual for me to stop a few times a year. Last Sunday, I was on my way home late from Omaha and decided to give the downtown location a shot, as much for nostalgias sake as anything. I am so glad that I did! The space itself is much more intimate than I remember it and the tchotchkes on the shelves and vintage posters are very appealing. The real draw was my bartender, Mikayla! Immediately after sitting down, she was helping me choose a beverage and it was very clear that she knew what was available and how each one tasted. She let me sample a couple different ones until we dialed in the flavor I was looking for. I mentioned that I was going to have to take most of the pizza to go, since I still had a lot of driving to do and she left the lettuce and pico for my delicious taco pizza on the side so it wouldn't get soggy. She had other customers and even some friends in the bar but I always felt that she was attentive and very proactive about my needs. Its clear that she loves her job and knows how to keep her customers happy. The food was delicious and the beers were great! With all apologizes to the lovely Ankeny location, I don't think I can go anywhere else when I come through Des Moines anymore! The OG Fongs is fantastic and I will be back as soon as I can! Hopefully, its not too...