About us
Mariela Maya,
the owner of Panka
Welcome to something delicious.
Our Chefs take food seriously, not just themselves.
Mariela Maya,
MY STORY
The “American Dream”
I am an immigrant. I was born in Lima, Peru in 1976 and moved to the United States in 2001 in order to achieve what many of you know as the “American Dream.” In times of economic difficulty, I looked for an opportunity of stability that I thought I would immediately find in the United States. However, that dream is romanticized, and it is not all that easy to achieve. Having grown up in a different country surrounded by a unique culture, it is difficult to suddenly immerse yourself in a community that is so unlike the one I had growing up.
Reservations
Book your table for a
memorable experience
We recommend making a reservation ahead of time. Book your table today!
Catering
Let us cater
your next event
Your place or ours. Leave the worrying to us and we’ll leave the celebrating to you. Small size events to big functions; we surely got your back with our quality and efficiency. Call today and let us help you celebrate your next event
Catering
Reviews
review by - Yelp
Hélène G:
I went back many times, but last night may have been the best. I had not ordered chupe de camarones in a long time and the creamy soup was delicious! Also, it was my birthday and they added candles to my dessert, asked if they could sing to me. It was so perfect. The time before that, I had tacu tacu with seafood. And it was super delicious. Love the food, the friendly staff and the decorations /atmosphere. The pisco sour last night was just perfect as well. The music too! Highly recommend this place.
review by - Yelp
Chris B:
My wife and I were driving through Iowa and we stumbled across this gem of a restaurant. Everything we had was fantastic, but highly recommend the Tallarines Verdes. A sumptuous dish of tender beef and herbaceous pesto on perfect el dente spaghetti. I am not in Des Moines often, but will definitely go back when around and highly recommend others to check them out.
review by - Yelp
Zal J:
Phenomenal! Where to begin! Firstly, the ceviche here great. They have a huge menu with a lot of options for ceviche that taste super fresh and tasty. I have been to Peru and tried authentic ceviche and this is comparable if not even better! The aji de Gallina main course is great. Super tasty with a great portion size. The presentation of all our dishes was immaculate making me feel like I was on Master chef, just so aesthetic..
review by - Yelp
Dawn Z:
Everything we tried was fantastic. I had the Parihuela and it was delicious and plentiful. We started with a Tornado de samón. Wonderful. I would absolutely get again. My companions had different specials. One had pollo saltado and a zucchini soup with a fruity drink. She said it was all perfectly seasoned. The other had a dumpling special stuffed with shrimp and cheese. Hers was very tasty but not quite enough for a full meal. We all agreed we would be back for happy hour some day.
review by - Yelp
Daniel P:
Best Peruvian food on the planet. It costs a bit more than a usual lunch but this is far from usual. Great place to take a client or date, fun to watch the cooking with the flames shooting up. I need to slow down so I don't burnout on this place, it should be added to every foodie list in DS. Fantastic desert MeRengado de Lucuma, perfect size for two
Location
2708 Ingersoll Avenue, Suite 200
Des Moines, IA
50312
Hours
Tuesday - Saturday:
8 am - 2 pm (Brunch)
5 pm - 9 pm
Sunday (Brunch)
8 am - 2 pm
Monday - Closed
