King & I Thai Cuisine

Write a review for King & I Thai Cuisine

by ThaiInUSA

I am Thai having been living in US for over 10 years. I have tried Thai foods all over the country, but I have never found any Thai restaurant that I like until this restaurant. I don't care much about atmosphere in the restaurant. All I care is how the foods taste. Many menu items in the restaurant have exact or better taste than what I had in Thailand, such as Waterfall beef salad (Num Tok). I guess it is because the quality of Iowa beef (New York steak cut) and seasoning that not many chef can master. I have just known that the owner have been cooking for all her life. She has been trained by one of the leading cooking schools in Thailand, and she even had restaurants in Thailand and Seattle before she opened this one in Iowa.

Highly recommended dishes include Waterfall beef salad (with sticky rice), Tom Sap (not in the menu), Hoa Mok salmon (featured in Newspaper), Hoa Mok Talay (her own creation), North Eastern sausage, Papaya Salad (Som Tum), Stuffed Chicken wing, and Mango with sweet sticky rice.

Thinking about them just make my mouth watering. I guess I have to go there soon. My 2 cents is going there out of rush hours maybe before 6pm or after 8pm so that they can take care of you better since often time there is only one server for the whole restaurant. Be patient is the key to the good time with good foods that you may not be able to fine elsewhere.


by Billbdsm

I agree with A-Rog's review in that it's surprising the restaurant is not busier. My wife and I went there for dinner on a Friday evening and it was at about 50% capacity.

There are many offerings on the Menu and even a few "American Dishes" if everyone in the party is not in for Thai. Go there for Thai!! It's one of the best. I moved back to this area from Central California recently and "The King and I" is on par with anything Santa Barbara has to offer, and SB has some of highest rated restaurants in the country. I have dined at "The King and I" more than once. The food quality, appearance, and presentation are excellent.

I gave it a 4 star, as others mentioned the wait staff were friendly but a little slow. The food is a 5 star as far as I'm concerned. We were there to enjoy the dinner and the evening so being a little patient for the waiter was no big deal.

I also agree with some of the other reviewers it would be nice to have a little background music. But, you can't please everyone, if they had background music someone would write a review wishing they didn't have it.

Overall a great dining experience at a reasonable price.


by nevesis

Best thai food in Des Moines, in my opinion. They also make a Mongolian Beef for me (it's not on the menu) which is just fantastic.


by nathan

This is a very friendly and good tasting thai restaurant. The service is fast and the food is always prepared quickly. This is especially a nice place to drop in during a weekday lunch even if you're one of the unfortunate that have less than an hour lunch. It is a little small but for some reason there's very little wait time. I've only been during the lunch hour so I don't know about the rest of times there. I've tried over half the menu and it's about as authenic as you can expect around here. I do wish that when I say to make my pad thai spicy they could unleash the fury and give that boy a punch. It's still good though and you can't really beat price and service.


by Rob

This is the best Thai restaurant in town. Their spice scale is something to be aware of. Be careful what you ask for because you will get it. Owner of this restaurant is the one that cooks. I like places where owners are the ones doing the cooking because you can't get a better cook than that. It is just like eating a home prepared meal.

I recommend this restaurant to everyone that likes Thai and wants to try it out.


by Shane

I really don't know what to rate this.
I went for lunch on a weekday. The restaurant is small. The place setting was very upscale and the wait staff was excellent. I have never had Thai food and ordered a traditional dish: Pad Thai. The serving was large and the price was right at about $6.

I am led to believe fish sauce is an aquired taste because I couldn't eat it. So....... Maybe the restaurant deserves a 5 star and I just don't like Thai food, or the food was bad. Given all the previous signs to a great restaurant I will give them the benefit of the doubt and give 4 stars.


by A-Rog

If you like Thai food, EAT HERE! King and I has delicious Thai food. It is flavorful, the portions are big (I suggest sharing an entree unless you like leftovers), and the prices are attractive. The service is excellent---attentive, genuine, and overtly concerned that my wife and I enjoy our experience.

The only reason I don't dole out five stars is the atmosphere. The place is not big, but it was nearly empty when we ate dinner there on a week night. There is no background music, which would have broken the deafening silence and made us feel comfortable having a conversation above a whisper. Why the place was empty confounds me---maybe the word is not out yet or maybe it is a lunchtime spot, but this place is great.

Overall, this is one of my favorite places to eat. I wish we didn't live so far away.


by Jeff

Excellent wait staff with great personalities. The food is very good and they will make it to your liking. I have become a repeat customer!!


by Brian Dodson

I ate at the King and I on a Saturday Night and the place wasn't very busy. The Waitress and water boy were very attentive and polite. The food was very good thai and they had some unique dishes I have not seen at other thai places around town. It seemed to take a long time for the amount of business that was in the resteraunt to get our food, and we seemed towait forever for our check and to go box. Other that the slowness, I thought it was a good place to eat and would eat there again.
