Zavy Kitchen — Restaurant in Des Moines

Hubby & I tried out Zavy Kitchen for lunch today and loved everything we tried. Place was clean, bright and open. It’s in the East Village, parking is metered but we used the app, so it was easy to add time if needed. Service by Amanda and her staff were exceptional. Their service alone made us want to return. Very accommodating.

Honestly, this place is 5/5 but I’m only giving 4/5 because of price versus portions but it’s still worth it to me for delicious, authentic Vietnamese foods. But I understand, their location warrants a higher price tag, so worth it for us.

Banh Xeo: 4/5 Vietnamese Crispy, Sizzling crepe with bean sprouts, Pork and Shrimp. The Nuoc Cham fish sauce that accompanied it was delicious as well. Lots of veggies to wrap the crepe in and dip into fish sauce. I just wish I had two instead one one crepe delivered 😂 Would definitely get again!

Broken Rice: 4/5 Everything was flavored and made well from the Pork, Pork Skin, Meat Pie, Egg and Rice. Dipped the pork into the Nuoc Cham fish sauce and it made for an even better bite. Just wish it was portioned bigger for the price but would get again.

Xiu Mai with bread: Vietnamese Meatball in a delicious, savory broth that you dip the bread into. 🧑‍🍳 💋

Savory Sticky Rice: 3/5 good, but it’s something I could make easily so the price wasn’t worth it. But it was definitely good.

Honey Sriracha Wings: 4/5 Hubby said it was tasty, savory and he would love to try the other sauce as well. He would get again.

Ube Cream Coffee Boba: 5/5 I loved everything about this. The Vietnamese Coffee topped with the Ube Cream was so good that I wish I had tried the other flavors as well!

We can’t wait to go back and try everything else! Please show them some love because I hope they...

Finally got the chance to check this place out! We came in around 7:30 tonight (Friday) and waited by the door for a second before we were seated. They put us on the west side of the restaurant which allowed us to watch the ice skaters at the Brenton rink. I love the big, open space and all of the architectural intricacies inside. Absolutely beautiful no matter which restaurant has been here. I especially love the addition of the conical hats hanging from the ceiling which tells you you're about to enjoy some Vietnamese food. You can access the full menu via QR code.

We started out with the popcorn chicken which was lightly breaded. I normally like to dip stuff like this in sauce but it surprisingly didn't need any. It was perfectly seasoned and cut into juicy, little bite-sized pieces. My partner got the Sizzling Beef and is absolutely obsessed! It comes with a sunny-side up egg which melds all of the flavors together flawlessly. Be sure to use the crispy baguette to sop up the gravy! I ordered the fried catfish which came with a side of white rice. The fish was cooked perfectly--crispy on the outside, and delicately moist inside. The meat came off the bones so smoothly. It was a taste of nostalgia for me, for sure. This was a staple for us growing up. I honestly had such a feeling of euphoria eating this food tonight. The ambience was perfect, the server was attentive but not overbearing, the food was absolutely spectacular! There are so many classic dishes that you won't find at most other Vietnamese restaurants in the area like bánh cuốn or bánh xèo. So glad we decided to do our weekly date night here, tonight. Definitely check it out if you haven't already! Also, if you love hot tea, try the...

Great seeing a new Vietnamese restaurant in town. Restaurant is nicely decorated and has a nice ambience.

The food is good but nothing exceptional. The service can be greatly improved. Came in on a Sunday and it wasn’t busy, waiter didn’t check in on us, everyone got their food except one person. If the waiter checked in after they gave us the food they would have noticed this. We were halfway through eating and waved him down and he said that the order didn’t go through the system 🤦🏻‍♀️ could have been avoided if they were more attentive. We had to keep waving him down. Would be understandable if they’re busy, but they weren’t. Hopefully they improve the service. Especially when gratuity is automatically added to the bill and the prices are a bit more expensive than other Vietnamese restaurants in town.

The boba drinks are great!!!! Would definitely come back just for the drinks. Every one liked what they ordered.

Nice that there is a parking garage around the corner and street parking.

Additional suggestion: please have printed menus. I understand QR codes are the new way to pull up a menu but this doesn’t make it friendly and accessible for older folks who don’t know to use...