Panka Peruvian Restaurant — Restaurant in Des Moines

While flipping through instagram today, I came across a post from Panka Peruvian Restaurant letting customers know that their restaurant had fallen on hard times and asking for support. With only a workout class planned, I decided that my Tuesday evening would be better spent at Panka. While I have only been there a few times, I have had only positive experiences and was introduced to Peruvian cuisine through Panka.

I started with a Pisco Sour which was delicious and went down entirely too easily.

For an appetizer, I order the Empanadas de Aji de Gallina. Perfectly fried, the dish came out with six empanadas that I was sure would provide me leftovers for the next day. As I started diving through empanadas, I quickly realized that this was a dish that had no hope for tomorrow, and was to be enjoyed fully in the present. The cheesy, slightly nutty filling with shredded chicken was a more complex variation to the typical beef pastries that I have enjoyed.

Next, I gave the attentive and friendly waiter, Freddy, several choices that I was considering which were quite different from one another. Freddy must have known that I was seeking validation for wanting soup in 94 degree weather, because he suggested the Parihuela. This soup was extraordinary and everything I was craving: creamy, comforting, with a nice spice and full (I mean full) of shrimp, fish, octopus, and muscles.

The experience was a 10/10. If you haven’t been, you are in for a true culinary experience. In addition to the food being outstanding, the staff and owner have always been kind and eager to share Peruvian food with the community. So get there, Des Moines, skip your weeknight workout and go...

Had lunch here with a friend about a week after they opened and really enjoyed ourselves. Lovely atmosphere, warm and welcoming service, and new dishes for Des Moines. My dining companion had the Arroz con Mariscos (fried rice with mixed seafood and Peruvian spices) which came with a hot sauce and leche de tigre (a citrus and fish sauce vinaigrette), and I tried the Ají de Gallina (creamy chicken stew with ají peppers and nuts [walnuts, I think?]). Both were DELICIOUS. I will confess, I swiped some of the hot sauce from my friend, which I found added more acidic brightness than heat to my creamy stew. We also each had a "chicha morada", which was a kind of limeade blended with purple corn and cinnamon. It was not overly tart and very refreshing. They were out of all but the chocolate cake the day I was there, but I very much look forward to trying both of the other dessert offerings soon (one resembled a crème brûlée, and the other a pavlova by their descriptions). BONUS POINTS: After our order was taken, the server came by with a small snack of dried/fried plantains and zippy little dipping sauce, which was a nice touch. Also, both of the owners stopped by to check on us- one after the meal had arrived and the other after we had finished. They were very sweet and seemed genuinely excited for us to be there. The entire time was a great experience; I can't wait to go back! THE ONLY CON: I wish they had a lunch portion and pricing menu. It was a hearty meal and I ended up taking half home with me. I would rather pay a bit less, get a bit less, and be able to frequent this spot much more often. For now, I will probably leave it for dinners and...

I was excited to try this place with my gf as it would be her first time trying Peruvian food. We started with some of the half price appetizers that the waiter advised of. We got the aji de gallina empanadas, yucca frita, papa rellena, and ceviche. The first three were delicious and no complaints. The problem was the ceviche. We noticed that there was a hair in there. Clearly not one of ours. We got the waiter to come and showed him. He goes and pulls it out and says it wasn’t on the food even tho when he pulled it, some food came out. He didn’t try to say sorry or get us a replacement or find any other type of solution. He just left.

We decided to say something and we said we wanted a new one but the waiter did not seem happy and just took it away without saying anything. A few minutes later he brought it out but given the attitude , we had a hard time eating it. I tried a few pieces but left most of it. I can’t comment on the taste of the ceviche since at this point I already had a sour taste. The service was terrible and it’s a shame since it left a sour taste on my gfs first experience with Peruvian food. She said she enjoyed the first three things so I’m guessing the rest of the food is probably delicious but I won’t be finding out.

Also, the chicha morada taste like cranberry juice. It wasn’t bad but just didn’t taste...