Cafe Su on 5th

This the worst «dining» experience I’ve ever had in my life. I use quotations because I didn’t actually get to dine here. My friend and I were trying this place for the first time for dinner and were planning to stay for karaōke, but we were barely acknowledged when we entered. When we were seated, there was no wait staff to be found. We waited for 15inutrs and no one even brought us water. The couple that entered the same time we did were greeted with a friendly smile and given service right away. Tired of being ignored, we walked out, again without acknowledgement. I tried to call to complain but no one could be reached. I will never go back to that place. The people were rude and other words I choose not to use in a public forum.

I mean, this place was not very good. Two stars for service (our waitress was really sweet), but one for food. We ordered the vegetarian summer rolls, which is advertised as three rolls. It’s actually one roll cut into thirds. It was very difficult to eat, and the filling kept falling out.
We also both ordered the beef phở. No sides given, unless asked for– and when you do get them, there’s a couple slices of jalapeño and two thin slices of lime. The phở broth was way sweeter than I’m used to, and also had black pepper in it which was also a shock. Overall just not very good. Also, the tea was just generic black tea.
I’d come back if I were in the area, maybe to try the dim sum, but it’s pretty pricey for phở, and I would definitely never order the phở again.

So grateful this place is so close to my work! My favorite is the wonton soup. So fresh w crisp vegetables. Also love the angry chicken, Thai basil chicken and orange chicken too. Great local place.

This was my first time at Café Su and to say the least I was not impressed. I came with a large group of people, so I do realize that is stressful. We came at 11:00 and we were there until 12:30. While we were there I did not see any other customers come in. At first, our waiters were very kind making sure we had water all the time. The food looked good and we got our orders in quick. But as I looked at the menu I realized that soup and hot tea were not complimentary with your meal. Every other Chinese restaurant I have been to give you free soup and tea. It then took 45 minutes to get our food and may I remind you were were the only group in there. I got the chicken fried rice. I could tell it had been sitting there for awhile because it was luke warm on the outside edges and wasn’t very hot in the center either. The same went with everyone else who got chicken fried rice in my group. After finishing out meal we were excited to see what our fortune cookie said, only to realize that they were not complimentary with your meal either. I have never been to a Chinese restaurant were you have to pay to get a fortune cookie.
Because we had a big group, of course we planned on leaving a tip. Our meal together cost over $ 500 and everyone payed separately. There was a big deal with them saying that together we only gave $ 7 in tip which was impossible because my friend and I left $ 10 together. We ended up having to pay more in tip money when already the service wasn’t great.
Overall, food was subpar and service was decent. Would not recommend coming here to eat! Go somewhere where you can get tea, soup, and a fortune cookie with out having to pay an additional $ 6.

I like this place a lot and need to remember to eat here more often! Im a huge fan of take out Chinese food but when I go to a nice sit down place this is one of my favorites. I love their crab rangoons they are unusual and a little more difficult to eat but they taste so good! They have really good egg rolls as well and I love the sauces they use. I usually get the sweet and sour chicken and it is always really good and a generous amount that I can never finish. I really want to try their sushi sometime though! I used to eat here all the time when I was younger and I’m so gald they are back in business. The only issue I have with this place is that the food takes forever and the last waitress I had wasn’t very attentive to our table which is weird because there weren’t very many people in the restaurant.

Phở Chicken Chef special, Thai Basil Chicken w/​appetisers Pork Veggie Egg Roll all perfectly prepared and delicious

I must update my review! The last time I got carry out this time I dined in. The servers were awesome. I should have got their names so I could give them the notoriety they deserve. My girlfriends and I decided on a dinner date and as luck would have it, there was a groupon available. I had the cucumber mojito and a Capone (whiskey, prosecco, bitters, and lemon… Seriously, it was made for me). We also tried the Rye and Ginger– that was good and the Singapore Swing. I got the hot coconut chicken this time. It was good but didn’t blow my mind. We ordered four apps– BBQ bun things, crab Rangoon, spring rolls, Kan rolls… Nom Nom Nom. All so good :) Truly, the part of the whole evening that blew my mind was the service. I haven’t been blown away since 7 days ago. They were all good but one guy in particular and I so pissed I didn’t even get his name. Just go! :)

Well, it took 45 minutes for us to get our entrees and there was only one other couple in the restaurant. During that 45 minutes, our waitress never came by to apologize for the wait or explained what was going on. When we did get our food, it was okay. My husband ordered the sesame chicken and I had the chicken pad thai. The noodles were pimping hot on my dish but the chicken was cold. The food was okay. I ended up not eating very much of mine and giving it over my husband. My pad thai was very bland and my husband’s chicken was cold as well in his dish. We were not very impressed and I would not recommend anyone here.

I cant really rate food because we didnt get any. The sign said open, we walked in and the place seemed dark, the lights over the bar weren’t on & no one behind it, no one greeted us, no one took a drink order. No one came, we sat there for 15 minutes & still No one came. There was one other couple dinning & the assured us someone was working. We decided to leave never seeing any staff… what an odd experience.

Let’s start with a positive, the fortune cookie they give you at the end of the meal had chocolate on it.
Now for everything else… We went in on a Saturday night. It wasn’t that busy, just one or two tables. The place was a hot mess. The service was slow, food took way too long to come out, and one of the servers was yelling at the cooks and the customers.
It took 45 minutes to get our appetizers. The hot and sour soup and chicken wings were good. The veggie egg rolls were pretty greasy and falling apart. We also got the bao which was ok.
The entrees also took a long time to come out. Sadly it looked like most of the food had been sitting for awhile. Only one of the dishes was hot. The beef and broccoli was just ok, with a strong ginger flavor. The pad Thai was pretty sweet, not that great. The worst was the Mongolian beef. My wife described it «it tastes like a farm smells». I didn’t think it was quite that bad, but certainly not good.
I really wanted to like this place, but I won’t be back anytime soon.

The first time we tried to go to Café Su it was closed, mind you it was 3 in the afternoon so we were excited to finally get in the doors. We went around 6:15 on a Friday night and were seated right way.
The place is bigger then you think from the outside, tons of open space, tables, big bar, with some crazy décor. Our waitress even though she said they were understaffed did a fantastic job, making sure our waters were full and I had a beer on the table at all times! The wine and beer selection was great!
Now to the food! We did some veggie spring rolls to start, they give you 3 of them which is perfect for 2 people, 1 for you, 1 for me, and 1 for us to share! Thats the perfect model when out on a date! It gives you the opportunity to let the other person have the bigger half of the spring roll!
Now we rolling on to maid dishes.
I got the Yellow Curry with tofu! It was fantastic, big potatoes and good size pieces of tofu, really nice flavor as well! It was not as spicy as I would have maybe ordered other places but it was great!
Ashley ordered some sort of spicy Veggie and tofu dish that I got to try as well, the sauce was really great!
Both dishes came with steamed rice, but for a buck more you can get brown rice if you desire!
Again the staff was great, the bathroom was clean, and I had a wonderful dining experience!
1 App, 2 meals, 2 beers for 41 bucks not to shabby!
Well done Café Su!

Great little place in valley junction! Crab Rangoon potstickers, and hot & sour soup were all good. Mongolian beef was so tender and had just the right balance of onions to beef! They bring chocolate dipped fortune cookies which are the best way to end a great meal at Café Su! Will definitely be back!

Went there with friends last Tuesday for dinner. Although the staff was friendly, the service was slow and it was difficult to get their attention. We moved tables because of salsa dance night and again had to wait and ask for some silverware. We waited over 45 minutes for our meals and 2 people in our party waited an addition 5 minutes for theirs. There were only about 3 other parties of 2 or 3 in the whole place.
While the food was tasty, I felt ill the next day with gastrointestinal issues. The bathroom was dingy and dirty and no paper towels in the dispenser. I entered and left through the back kitchen door. (Parking lot in rear).The kitchen was cluttered and disorganized which led me to ask myself if it was clean or if it would pass health inspection. I went to the previous Café Su and was always satisfied. Since reopening I have been there about 5 times and have always felt they need to make some positive changes to regain their reputation. I am not a frequent reviewer on these sites but felt compelled to report my disappointment. I won’t be back.

I was a little skeptical after the mixed reviews but tried it anyways! I’m glad we did! We got crab rangoons and potstickers as an appetizer and then the caterpillar roll and seared beef roll both were some of the best sushi we’ve had in Des Moines. Wine and beer selection was great and our service was excellent! Glad we took the chance!

I’ve gone twice now and both were bad experiences.
The second was during an event on Valley Junction, do you’d think they would be paired for a moderate amount of business. The restaurant was not even halfway full and all we could hear was the waitress complaining about everyone, how they weren’t expecting the crowds, etc. It took over an hour for our appetizers to arrive while another table came halfway in and orders and received their main dish before we got our apps.
Food is ok. My Orange chicken the first time was ok, not the best but but the worst and no where near worth the cost. The second time I went I ordered Mongolian beef. It smelled and tasted like a farm. Inedible.
They make the food look pretty but not very tasty. Sorry.

We loved everything about Café Su last night. The food, service,
and music were enjoyed by my party of three. We especially liked
the Orange Chicken. The Mongolian Beef was also delicious.
The cook brought out the food when it was ready so it was hot.
We’ll be back.

Delicious! My friend & I had the special of the day, Phở, and it was delicious. And we ordered the veggie curry turnover and it was amazing. The portions were generous and the service was good. I will definitely be back! They need to add a few vegetarian dishes. They did omit the meat from my Phở but it would have been nice to have a vegetarian protein option (was surprised that tofu is not on the menu as it is typically at other similar restaurants). Great food, service & location.

The food was excellent but the service was terrible. The staff tried but there was just not enough of them. It took forever to get our food and there were only 5 other tables in the place. It’s like they were making the orders one at a time. They sent our food out with the bus boy who didn’t even know which dish was which. Good luck if you go there.

I can’t believe there are no negative reviews posted on this restaurant. We have been here twice in the last 6 months and both times food was mediocre at best And the service was atrocious. The first time we didn’t make it past the drink order because it took 20 min and we still did not have drinks. The table next to us told us to get out while we still could because they had been waiting 25 min for their check. Tonight I am sitting here and we have waited 20 min for our check and have asked for it twice from two separate servers both not our server because we haven’t seen him for some time. The staff seem like this is the last place they want to be and we have witnessed two separate arguments between servers regarding having to take new tables. The flow and processes of the front of house seem to be very inefficient and the service staff are just trying to survive the night. Management is non existent and seems to be to blame for the low moral. Won’t be back.

Very friendly service from Mae (sorry if that’s misspelled), who was kind to work with us about gluten-​free options. Food was good, flavors were on the subtler side. Not spectacular, but a pleasant experience. Recommend the spicy coconut chicken and the sesame chicken. 3.5 stars.