4.2* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4* Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) 05/08/2026 Honestly stopped here while updating Happy Hour information in the area for happyhourdesmoines.com. We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere on previous stops and did again tonight. We had already eaten at another Happy Hour and it was too late now for Happy Hour anyway, so we opted for 'dessert' options. My wife ordered the Espresso Martini (see picture) and I went for the Tiramisu (see picture). The Espresso was very good and while the Tiramisu tasted very good, the presentation wasn't nearly as good as last time (think you'll see what I mean in the picture). We do like this place though and look forward to another stop for dinner some evening. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. read more

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On the final night of our six-week road trip, before heading home to Chicago, we stayed at the Drury Inn in Iowa. Although the hotel offers an evening meal, we decided we wanted something different and ordered takeout from Dolce, conveniently located right across the parking lot. The location could not have been easier. After thousands of miles on the road, the ability to walk across the lot and pick up dinner was definitely appreciated. The restaurant itself looked very inviting. From what I could see while picking up the order, the décor was modern, comfortable, and pleasant. It seemed like a nice place to sit down and enjoy a meal. The bartender who helped me with the pickup was also exceptionally friendly and welcoming, which made a very positive first impression. As for the food, it was unfortunately a bit underwhelming. We ordered polenta with meatballs and a salad. The polenta was okay, and the meatballs were a good size, but overall the dish felt somewhat bland and lacking flavor. Nothing was bad, but nothing really stood out either. The portions were also surprisingly small. The takeout containers were only partially filled, making the meal feel a little light for the price. The salad was probably the biggest disappointment. It felt like very little attention had gone into it: mostly greens with a few toppings and some mozzarella. It wasn't terrible, just uninspired and forgettable. One detail that may seem minor but was actually appreciated was the quality of the takeout packaging and utensils. Everything was packed neatly, and the utensils were sturdy and well chosen, which made eating back at the hotel easier. Overall, Dolce left us with mixed feelings. The people were kind, the location was incredibly convenient, and the restaurant itself appeared attractive and comfortable. Unfortunately, the food simply did not live up to the same standard. It served its purpose on the last night of a long road trip, but it was not a meal we are likely to remember long after the journey itself. Oh, I ended grabbing a bite at the hotel, I was still hungry read more

Anna Dolce Ristorante - Salad - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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I called to order takeout to grab quickly as I was leaving work. The girl was friendly on the phone and it was quick. She let me know how long it would take and that when I arrive to go to the bar and they will help me. When I got there, easy to park in the parking lot. I saw people outside enjoying the patio space. I walked in right as the hostess was helping seat a table so I walked past the stand to the bar area. The bar is super long and one of the bartenders was walking to the other end as I arrived. She proceeded to take her cell phone out and I waited about 2 minutes before I leaned in, had my card out, and stared. She finally acknowledged me and headed over. I let her know I was there to pick up and they had it ready and I was paid up and it was quick. Not a ton of interaction. The other bartender actually finished the transaction. The lobster ravioli was delicious! They were stuffed full and they had chunks of lobster on the top too. I had plenty of sauce. I wish I would've gotten bread or at least knew to order some to go with it. I was hesitate since the ratings on here were just mid - I still wanted to try it. I wouldn't be surprised if I ate in and the service was lackluster because those are the vibes I got. When I left the restaurant, I actually turned to the hostess to say thank you because she didn't say anything to me as I passed by here with my to-go bag. read more

Anna Dolce Ristorante - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Went for dinner at 5pm for three on a Wednesday. Prime rib was not available. Scallop, chicken on fettuccine Alfredo and side veggies were all overcooked. Only two tables (including ours) the entire time we were there yet waiter couldn't keep up with filling our water. Everything was on the salty side. Food was a disappointment. Place is modern and clean with backdrop of framed photos of supermodels looking sexy eating pasta. read more

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We had Brussels sprouts, meatballs, bruschetta, supper salad, & pizza. We also had a Moscow mule and espresso martini. The Brussels sprouts, meatballs, were good! The pizza was good but doughy, the bruschetta was soggy, they needs to toast the bread, the supper salad they used low quality salami and hardly any meat. I thought it was like an antipasto type salad but it was bad dinner salad with shelf stable salami, the espresso martini was so bad and bitter. Tasted like very old coffee couldnt stomach it. read more

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Here's your refi Anna Dolce Ristorante is a West Glen staple for upscale Italian-American dining, craft cocktails, and an unbeatable happy hour. The space is open and airy, with elegant architecture and striking artwork that set the stage for a memorable meal. Start with shareable hits like Fried Cheese, Lobster Arancini, or Zia Anna's Meatballs over polenta. Pizzas shine from the classic Margherita to the rich Pollo Bianco with pancetta and balsamic glaze. Entrées range from the dramatic Table Side Pasta to Cajun Pasta, Gnocchi Bucco, and the hearty Bolognese. A great wine list and full bar round out the experience, complemented by warm, attentive service in a vibrant yet refined atmosphere. read more

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We stopped by for drinks after dinner and had such a great experience! Our server was kind, attentive, and super engaging. I don't usually drink alcohol, and I couldn't have the non-alcoholic option listed on the menu--so I asked if they could make me something off-the-cuff. They came back with a gorgeous and delicious custom drink that totally hit the spot! The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, and we really enjoyed the music. Great spot for a casual and enjoyable night out! read more

Anna Dolce Ristorante - Non-alcoholic beverage - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Ambiance: open and large restaurant. The table, bench, and silverware were greasy when we sat. We notified our server, and they cleaned the table and provided us new silverware. Calamari appetizer - large pieces of fried calamari and dipping sauce. I probably wouldn't order again as it was very chewy and large pieces. Burrata appetizer - good with crostinis. I was hoping crostini would be toasted and more than 4 pieces for the amount of cheese we got. We ended up ordering additional crostinis. Scallops meal - cooked perfectly. Crispy potatoes and parm polenta were all right sides. Maybe I'll try other sides. Overall service was good and attentive. read more

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The food was fantastic. The service was far less impressive. We arrived around 5pm so there were very few customers. The waitress brought our food while I was in the restroom and she didn't come back until we'd been finished eating for a while. I drank the rest of my husbands water after I mine was gone. read more

Anna Dolce charges an "ESF" 4% which was explained to me as an " inflation charge" at the end of the bill. There's nothing you can do to have it removed according to the staff. Be prepared for any random charge by this restaurant. I understand inflation costs, but you need to disclose this upfront or on the menu. Any place that tacks on charges after the fact needs to be avoided at all costs. read more

Food was amazing, service was great! Love the patio. Was on the patio last year and the live music was so good. Felt like Frank Sinatra was singing read more

Anna Dolce great service, great drinks, and great food. Everyone should come here. Ask for Alaina!

The manager was fantastic, will be coming back. Great food and vibe will be telling everyone about it.

Their drinks are absolutely AMAZING!! i love to go here for a little girls night and just stop and grab some cute espresso martinis which are phenomenallllll!! seriously go in with the girls or for a date night and get a drink or my favorite a espresso martini read more

The drinks and food are amazing!! Natalie was our server and she was the best!! She was so nice and friendly!

A group of us was in the wine room last night. The best drinks. They had such good espresso martini's. You have to try the made in house limoncello. The parm wheel was also so fun. Not like most restaurants in Des Moines read more

Vodka sauce on my pasta was delicious. The wife's order of chicken marsala was also great. Chicken was ten der with flavor throughout. Marsala sauce had good seasoning with a mushroomy flavor to it that made it quite savory. Her mashed potatoes were also flavorful. Ditto for the carrots, surprisingly. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our meals. read more

I wrote a review on google too then deleted it by mistake. The management team contacted me and offered me a better experience. I would not recommend Anna Dolce at this time. I believe management needs to honestly address the numerous complaints and concerns from there patrons. read more

the drinks were so good and the wait staff was amazing and attentive!!! will be back!!!

We stayed at the hotel next door and chose here for dinner because it was just a walk across the parking lot. It was the best meal we had on our long weekend. We had a leisurely dinner from happy hour appetizers and a great bottle of wine to very flavorful entrees. With only two of us, we could easily have just stopped at the appetizers. They were large servings and made a meal themselves. Our entrees were fantastic. We didn't have any room for dessert, but we saw several served around us and they looked amazing. If the weather agrees, the patio is the place to be. If you're looking for more of an intimate dinner, the dining room would fill the deal! read more

Great restaurant and great food. The pasta was really good and very light. You can tell it was fresh! The sauce was not your normal massive red sauce. It was on the creamy side but it was good, flavorful and with a kick. It had a a light spicy kick but that made it better and created an explosion in your mouth. I ordered a drink that I saw them making and it had a raspberry and chocolate. Enough said! The Tiramisu was good but the cream was on the thicker side and I am use to getting it with a more fluffier filling. You could tell there was not a lot of sugar and it was well balance with the coffee and the cream. The service was great and very attentive. There was a party on the opposite side of the restaurant and that made it very loud but I think that if the party had not been there the noise would be normal. Overall, I give them a 5 star and I'll be back! read more

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Service was fast and friendly. Very accommodating with my order. Great happy hour lots of choices.

Nice cute spot, would be good for a date night. I got the spaghetti and meatballs and the meatballs were deece, I prefer them to be on the smoother/melt in your mouth kind of texture and needed a little more seasoning but these were still good. The brocollini was super bland, no salt no pepper just sautéed and served. Even a lemon wedge would of helped this dish, just didn't seem well thought out even if it is just a side dish. Service was good however my server disappeared and didn't let me know they were leaving and i was handed off to someone else. Overall, even though I was just in town for work, id come back and try a different dish. Prices were also reasonable. read more

Anna Dolce Ristorante - Spaghetti and meatballs with brocollini - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Ok food, good service. Won't go back due to 4% made up fee added to final bill that was never disclosed. Credit card? Inflation? Who knows. Avoid any place that has shady billing practices like Anna Dolce. So disappointing. read more

So I'm trying this place a second time for anniversary. The table was a bit unclean but I was able to wipe it off. I ordered a fresh brewed ice tea. It was literally colored water I sent it back. I was so excited about the mussels and they have changed the recipe and the sauce was runny with a bad aftertaste and the waitress was a bit rude. Music very loud and hard to talk to each other but it was good music. My husband thought that the prime rib sandwich was good but way too much bread and barely any prime rib. I recommend they go back to being the restaurant they were at the new opening and get waitstaff that cares read more

Anna Dolce was one of our "go to restaurants" since they opened. We recently visited on a Saturday night. We were surprised that there was no one in the restaurant and when we went into the bar to eat (which we normally do), there was one table of 6 that was finishing up and paying their bill. We sat at a high top and were there approximately 15 to 20 minutes waiting for the waiter or bartender to come over and ask us what we'd like to drink. Eventually, the waiter was free to wait on us (I am unsure why the person behind the bar could not come and ask us, but he didn't even give us a wave or acknowledgement. Finally, the waiter came and took our order for drinks and we didn't let him go without ordering food. Overall, the food was just okay ... we had the orichetti, spaghetti and meatball and vodka pasta. It wasn't remotely as great as it usually is when we're there. I am thinking that we will not return anytime soon. I am also wondering why they had noone in the restaurant and only us in the bar after the party before us finished as soon as we came in. We are really disappointed as we have always enjoyed the restaurant and food and the staff. Sadly, it is not the same restaurant anymore. read more

Quaint cute Italian restaurant in a great West Des Moines location with excellent service ... I would say the food was good and may have to give it another chance. We arrived and I had wanted pizza as I have heard it was good but unfortunately their pizza oven was not working. For starters we had the special stuffed mushrooms. They were good but I expected more. For our meals I ordered the Lobster Ravioli and then also the Pork Marsala. Both good, but not anything extraordinary. I like the place but I wasn't super impressed I opted to give them a 4 for ambiance, location and service . But I would probably rate the food separately and give it a 3.5 read more

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What a great new restaurant in the West Glen area of West Des Moines. From the outside to the inside, the decor is beautiful with an obvious upscale Italian vibe. We made reservations ahead of time which I will always recommend if available, but being a new restaurant, I don't think the wait is too long just yet. But I imagine in the future, once discovered more, the wait time may increase if you go without a reservation. We also went on a Monday night. The restaurant did not appear to be busy at 7pm when we went. Our waiter was very pleasant and offered plate suggestions. He emphasized the desire to give us a dining experience which may have been why we waited so long between courses. He didn't seem to let us order all our plates as once. We order appetizers, got out appetizers, waited a bit, ordered drinks, got our drinks, waited a bit more, then finally ordered dinner. However, once ordered, all of our dishes came out quickly and warm. We ordered Calamari Fries and the Meatballs for appetizers - they were served warm, well seasoned and very tasteful. The Calamari Fries are a MUST! Seriously! And the Meatballs were the perfect texture, but they did have a bit of spice to them. I ordered the Salmon and unfortunately it was too spicy for me to even eat, but the Risotto it came with was really good. I just picked at the other plates our group ordered - Chicken Alfredo and Chicken Parm. Both noodle dishes and most prepared and served warm. The dishes and dining experience are definitely more upscale and catered more towards adults. There is indoor and outdoor seating (booths, tables and bar seating). I would say this restaurant is off to a good start but from reading other reviewers posts, I think there is room for improvement. read more

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Visited Anna Dolce on Mills Civic today for the first time. Bartender was new but excellent. Ordered a pizza and a bottle of domestic beer. Two other tables with customers. Pizza was the thick kind with a good taste and the beer was cold and fresh. The domestic beer was $6 for a good profit as they pay less than $1 a bottle; however, a 4% inflation factor is added onto the total check. Get this, cash the same price. Well inflation is running 2.3% but I won't be back to Anna Dolce because this 4% is just a profit gimmick. What is the 4% for? Raise the prices if you have to but don't just add another 4% to the check. read more

We went into this place thinking that it was going to be awesome based on the pictures posted on Yelp...and to be honest, the food did appear very appetizing. We will start with the good....the waitress was excellent and performed her job with skill. We had the roasted cauliflower appetizer which was good but could have use a little oomph in flavor, the sauces that accompanied it were relatively bland but not unappealing. The amalfi salads were fresh and dressed well, again the flavor just was not there. While I appreciated the crunchy prosciutto...there was zero vinegar flavor to the vinaigrette, mostly just oily. We also ordered the costa nostra and margarita pizza, Parmesan polenta and an order of spaghetti and meatballs. Polenta: it was just ok...sadly it was the best of the entree part if the meal. Pizza: undoubtedly...this is the worst pizza that I have ever had ( including frozen pizzas). The crust was pale white and grainy, the base was laid uneven in thickness and gooey (not in a good way like most true Neapolitan pizza), there was no give in the crust...the best comparison that I can make is bisquick. The was no crunch...more-so like it had been petrified before going into the oven. The sauce was simple crushed tomatoes but had not been seasoned even with a bit of salt. The toppings on the costa nostra were flavorful but nothing could save the pizza from that awful crust. If you want really good pizza...just go down the street to a certain NY style joint for a Taste of what pizza should be like. Pasta: the spaghetti tasted overwhelmingly like minestrone soup (not in a good way), it was overpowered with either fennel or bay leaves...one or two bites was all I could put down. The meatball was dense and overwhelmed with probably fennel. Not good at all. The place has a great looking mixed drink menu. I would suggest that if you go there, you should drink a lot and if you eat...drink a lot more so you can forget the taste of the food. Or just stick with the appetizers. The other weird thing about this place was that we called ahead for seating shortly after they opened at 3pm. We were told that the inside dining room was sold out but we could sit out on the patio and eat. We arrived around 4pm and left around 5pm...the entire inside dining area was virtually empty. I'm guessing that they wanted people outside to give the illusion that they were busy. IDK. Latin king, Barrattas and even Centro are infinitely better choices than this place. After our $100 bill (with tip), we took my daughter to a consolation dinner at ChikfilA read more

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The wine selection was good as was the tiramisu. The vodka pasta was great! Sausage was very well done. The charcuterie board was a little slim with crackers and meats, but they had olives and cauliflower which was good. We sat outside and it was lovely. The service was great! Our server was very on top of it. read more

Anna Dolce Ristorante - Penne vodka pasta - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Hostess seemed confused about where to seat us in an almost empty restaurant, left and came back 3 times. Waitress was nice and helpful but didn't know information on some of the menu items though figured it out Food was average, for an Iowa shopping center I am sure it's an A+, but I am not visiting to come back to this place. Nice decor and lighting, horrible music selection for an Italian restaurant Recommend applying for "Resturante Rescue" tv show. read more

We went there for a company outing. We had a party of 13. The service was fantastic! Drinks were out quickly. Staff jumped in to help our server. The food was delicious from appetizers to entrees to dessert. Highly recommend. read more

Pork chop-carrots are sweet, but not overly sweet. The potatoes are cooked and whipped to perfection, medium well cooked pork chop. Can't go wrong with this dish. Definitely a must try!! read more

Anna Dolce Ristorante - carrots are sweet, but not overly sweet. The potatoes are cooked to perfection,med well cooked pork chop. Can't go wrong with this dish. - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Nice place for Italian when you're at Jordan creek. Good food (I had the chicken parm and it was delicious). Not to bad on price and was seated right away. read more

First the good, the food was incredible. Everything we ordered was delicious. Our waitress was attentive, kind and helpful. Neutral: we had assumed it was a fancier place when it was actually quite casual. This is nothing for and against them. Just didn't meet the expectation we had. Negative: the hostess couldn't have been less interested in being there or being helpful. She appeared confused whenever we had to engage with her and spent almost the entire hour we were there scrolling her cell phone. Since we were seated right next to the hostess stand, her attitude and negative energy brought the whole experience down. The menu was incredible and we will give it one more shot to try other things, but we are hoping that hostess isn't there next time. read more

People that rate this place less than 5 stars get unemployment and order food online. People that rate this place less than 5 stars buy their pasta and sauce at a discount grocery store. Anyone that has rated this place less that 5 stars has probably never been outside of the state, or out of country. Best Italian Food in West Des Moines...Des Moines...Polk...Iowa. read more

We have been here 3times now I love the artwork in this place a lot!!! Amazing service all three times honestly the reason we love it. Some very good interesting food options. read more

Ordered take out. When I picked up there were no utensils in the bag, only the entree. Sorry I tipped! Ordered chicken parm and it was terrible. read more

Decided to venture out with the family tonight and try a new place for us. Wife and had both had the filet's and teen had the spaghetti and meatballs. I would say all the food was good, but what was the best thing was the service. Madison was our server tonight and she was amazing. She took amazing care of us, and with how many tables she had it was impressive. We definitely will be back. read more

Anna Dolce Ristorante - Filet, Broccolini, and finger potatoes. - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa