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Ankeny has plenty of places to grab a bite to eat, whether it is a quick burger at a fast food joint, a formal dine-in dinner, or anything in between. However, there is a unique and refreshing spot located at 1810 SW White Birch Circle in Ankeny called Naughtea. A relatively newer restaurant, they serve boba teas and Korean corn dogs. Korean corn dogs, or K-Dogs for short, are corn dogs that are filled with cheese with a hot dog covered in panko.
After getting a tip from somebody and seeing that the restaurant has 4.4 stars on Google, I was intrigued and decided to head down to try something new and see if Naughtea deserves all of the positive reviews.
In order to give Naughtea a fair and honest review, I will be critiquing and reviewing four aspects of the dining experience: the atmosphere, the cleanliness, the service provided, and the food.
The atmosphere:
There is a clear identity and appeal to the shop when you walk in. The walls are covered with paintings and decorations, a TV on the wall plays K-pop music videos, and the furniture is vibrant and comfortable.
The lighting is really good, as the restaurant is bright with both the subtle artificial light from above and the natural sunlight from the windows. The layout of the restaurant is modern and accessible to all customers. I think the atmosphere caters more to younger people, so older people might not enjoy it as much.
I like the vibe and identity of the shop and think they use their limited space well.
The service:
It does not matter how good the food is or how great the atmosphere is, if the service is poor it can ruin the whole experience. This is not the case for Naughtea. Only one person was working when I walked in, and she greeted me and was patient as I was looking through the menu.
She was knowledgeable about the menu and offered recommendations. After I was finished with my food, she said goodbye and thanked me for stopping in. The most notable part of the service was her attitude towards other people.
She showed the same patience and politeness towards everyone, even though it was a slow lunch. I was really impressed with the service, especially because there was only one staff member.
The cleanliness:
The front of the house, or the lobby, was clean. All of the tables were wiped off and clean, the furniture was pristine, and the floor was swept. The only dirty things were the windows and the door, which had handprints and other stains all over it. The bathroom was relatively clean as well. the toilet and the sink were about as clean as you can get for a public bathroom. The floor was a little bit wet though and had a few things on the ground. There was also a mop in the bathroom, which I thought was a little weird.
Overall, the restaurant is not 100 percent clean, but it is nothing gross or out of the ordinary.
The food:
Before I even ordered my food, I was impressed with their menu. There are a lot of options, with seven different K-Dog flavors and 46 different drink options. To top it off, there are plenty of customization options. There are plenty of toppings to choose from, you can request ice to be removed or added to your drink, you can change the type of cheese in the K-Dogs, the composition of the K-Dogs, and there are vegan options as well.
The employee recommended the Hot Cheeto and the classic K-Dogs, and I ordered a mango jasmine milk tea as well. I ordered everything at 12:20 p.m., and got it at 12:28 p.m.
Anything under 10 minutes is fast in my opinion, especially since there was only one person.
The mango jasmine milk tea was balanced. I could taste the mango, milk, and tea.
None of those things were overpowering and they complemented each other perfectly. It was mixed well, and I really enjoyed it.
Both of the K-Dogs were coated evenly, the hotdogs were warm, and the cheeses in both of the K-Dogs were melted perfectly. The Hot Cheeto K-Dog was not spicy at all surprisingly, and instead provided a more savory taste, especially with the warm mozzarella. The classic K-Dog was covered in sugar and provided a more sweet flavor, which I think paired with the mozzarella cheese perfectly.
All things considered, I enjoyed the food.
Rating:
Naughtea is a great spot to grab a quick bite to eat or a drink, and I think it is a place worth visiting and trying at least once. It is refreshing to see such a unique business here in Ankeny, and with everything considered, I give Naughtea 4.5/5 stars.
