This is my absolutely FAVORITE restaurant in Des Moines. The food is amazing. Service is stellar. And the atmosphere is soooo lovely. It's a do not miss! read more

This may have been the greatest meal I have ever had. Ambiance was incredible. Service was incredible. I had the gnocchi, which was incredible. Every single member of our 9-person party was blown away with how good the meal was. 100% recommend Aposto. Go as often as you can read more

Such a lovely spot for a date night. I used to work here back in high school when it was café di Scala and I had not been back since. Went for an anniversary and was treated with champagne and such a good meal. I got the seafood risotto and everything was phenomenal. The pizza was spot on and everything was delicious! read more

Server was pleasant and made some great recommendations! The Gazpacho appetizer was delicious

I made reservations to celebrate the upcoming arrival of my nieces baby. There were five of us. From the minute we arrived, everything was perfect. We were seated on the patio with plenty of distance between us and neighboring tables. All staff wore masks (indoor and outdoor). Joseph was our waiter. He was kind, attentive and fun. The menu was exceptional. Portions were moderate and filling. We all had different pasta dishes that were amazing!!! The pasta is homemade as are the salad dressings. We shared a very large piece of carrot cake for dessert. Delicious. I'm from out of town. I wanted something intimate, "boutique" style and fun for girls. It's definitely a diamond in the rough and I would highly recommend Aposto!!! Thank you for making our celebration memorable. We will definitely be back. read more

Aposto - Aposto - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Aposto is emblematic of how awesome the Des Moines food scene is. This place is just so strong with its food and service. Truly inventive food, reasonable pricing, great drinks, killer desserts, etc. It's just fantastic. FANTASTIC I SAY! You gotta go here. Quick like. read more

My husband and I went to Aposto for our 13 year anniversary. What caught my eye about this place was the beautiful Victorian home and the elegant pictures of the food on their website. When we arrived, we were greeted with friendly customer service. Inside it was dark but you got that romantic feel when you sat down. It made it more romantic because when we went it was lightly snowing. We started with drinks that were delicious. My husband ordered a salad for starters and I decided to go big and get their mussels. Both were absolutely delicious. You could lick the bowl where the mussels sat in a cream sauce. My husband ordered the risotto for dinner and I had the blue crab gnocchi. Again, both entrees were delicious and flavored beautifully..meaning no need for more salt and pepper! We ended our experience with creme brûlée and torte. I was so full and very satisfied with everything. I'm so glad we found this gem. You can tell that the employees and chefs carry a passion. I highly recommend this place! read more

Aposto - Blue crab gnocchi and risotto - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

What a lovely meal. The first thIng you notice is the cozy intimate feel of the environment. And ever changing menu is to die for. The craft drinks while limited in terms of quantity are over the top from a quality perspective. If you are going to the Hoyt Sherman there is no better spot to grab dinner. read more

I'd give this a place a 3.5 probably. Place is quaint and old but elegant like others have said. Service was mediocre, nice but our main dishes seemed to take awhile to come out after our appetizers and we sat there for a bit before we were asked for dessert. We got the pizza fritta and "Caesar salad" salad was probably the best dish out everything. The pizza fritta was different but okay. We didn't eat the entire pita. The smell of the cheese on is pretty bad imo like it almost makes you not want to eat it lol. My husband got the pork dish and the pork was tender and juicy, the risotto needed spice it was very bland. My cavatelli was good but nothing spectacular I would say, just a normal pasta dish. I was so excited for the almond cake that did not come out tasting like almond at all. The jam on top was sour in flavor and overall disappointing. Glad we tried this place, but probably won't be back. read more

Unmatched atmosphere for a date or group. Excellent versions of classic Italian fare. Aposto is exceptional. read more

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The charm of the place hits you when you drive up. Renovated old house that is beautiful on the outside and inside. Had the charcuterie plate for an appetizer. What a great, tasty selection of cheeses. And polenta. So flavorful. Had pasta for main course. Delicious. Highly recommend. Nice relaxing atmosphere. . read more

First time visiting Apostó. The atmosphere and ambience is really unique and the staff all were very welcoming and engaged. Drinks were delicious. I appreciate restaurants that have seasonal menus that are on the smaller side. Might not be for everyone since there are limited options but as long as they do them well I think it is great. We had the beet salad with goat cheese and it was fantastic. Also tried the polenta cakes and olive tapinade pizza, both worth trying. Split the bone marrow linguine which was probably the only let down of the evening. It was ok but seemed to lack flavor for our taste buds. Overall, highly recommend this place and plan to return read more

We stopped in for my birthday tonight and we loved every bite. We started with the mussels (the sauce is incredible) and we shared the gnocchi and lobster fettuccine. Again- fresh, delicious, well-balanced, with sauces that had delicious depth of flavor but wasn't overly showy. We finished with the lavender cake and house ice cream. Not overly sweet- it was just perfect. Excellent service and we will be back! read more

I think this place is absolutely stunning the service was amazing and I really loved our waiter unfortunately my New York steak was not cooked like a request, twice unfortunately, it was very kind of the waiter to take care of that for me. I would like to come back and try something new and updated this review. read more

Wow, this place was amazing. We started out with the charcuterie board, which was the bomb. Love their pickles. Then I had the featered item, wagyu steak. It was so so good! An amazing meal. We heard so much hype about their Italian wedding cake. They dont always have it but they did tonight. My wife is a bake goods connoisseur. We both agreed the cake was the best piece of cake we have ever had. This place is a must visit. Good luck getting a reservation! read more

Aposto - Wagyu Steak - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Absolutely love this place. Service was flawless and the execution of our plates was as close as you can come to perfect. She got the duck confit and I had the tagliatelle. Skin on the duck was crisp and cooked perfectly...nice and moist. My pasta was prepared al dente and the fennel was the star of the dish in my opinion. Sausage was cooked amazingly well. Had the apple dish for dessert. Pic included. It was amazing. Can't rave about this place enough! They always play great music and the lighting is even on point. Des Moines is lucky to have Aposto! Everything is always in place! read more

Aposto - Apple Dessert - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Take your s/o here for the most romantic dinner! Order the pizza frita and the gnocchi for a good time. Excellent service and atmosphere.

The venue is in an older home with some outdoor seating on a wraparound porch. The food was excellent and the service personable, helpful and efficient. Would definitely recommend it. read more

This is one of my favorite places, ambiance is great, dishes are always outstanding BUT they have a new hostess / manager who doesn't match the experience. Not a huge deal but definitely changes a 4 or 5 star to a 3. Irritation with walk-ins (even though patio is first come first serve) and overall feeling of irritation with customers leaves a feeling of less than welcome in this quaint neighborhood bistro. read more

Fancy dinners come in all shapes and sizes. I have been meaning to pen this review for awhile, but couldn't decide on a 4 or a 5 star rating.. I'm going with a very strong 4 here! Aposto is a beautiful eatery located in a victorian mansion in historic Sherman Hill. They have an ever changing seasonal menu, brunch, and pop up dinners! They also have the space to do private events! I went to a pop up dinner that was all Vegan food! Pop-up dinners are there opportunity for their chef to prepare one-of-a-kind, monthly dining experiences for you. The menus focus on rare ingredients or unique events, with themes such as morel mushroom season, a vegan journey through Italy, a visiting wine maker, and beer-inspired dishes and pairings from local breweries. Like I said I went to a vegan one of these! This might not be your ideal dinning experience as you are seated family style with the other people who pre-paid for dinning that evening.. So if you are shy, or are looking for a romantic night out alone this might not fit into your style of dining! Food did come out in 4 courses as was beautifully prepared. From Butternut squash soup, salad with beets, main dish Cassoulet: beans | tomatoes | fried cauliflower | carrots | panko, and then a Lemon Canna panna cotta dessert! I was pretty into the main vegan dish with the beans and fried cauliflower, I would have taken a second bowl of that! The dishes are small, but big on flavor! They had a great wait staff, impressive wine and beer list as well! Now the price point is pretty popping, and you need to buy tickets to these pop up events, so you know going in you are going to have to spend some bucks on this, but I will say it's a very unique dinning experience and if you don't mind sitting with strangers and you wallet is full, you might want to give it a shot! The food is the star here! read more

Love the atmosphere and the food is incredibly amazing and let's not leave out the staff, who is knowledgeable and very friendly. A must place to dine in and enjoy. read more

Went here for a birthday and it was awesome!! Appetizers, entrees, and dessert were all excellent. Ciji was our waitress and she did a great job of explaining things to us and answering all our questions about the menu. Will definitely be going back! read more

Great ambience in an old house in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. Small menu with many great choices. The homemade pasta was delicious. The special of risotto and pork belly was also great. We finished the meal with carrot cake and a chocolate peanut butter cup. Definitely worth finding this special place. read more

Quaint little restaurant in a beautiful Victorian Mansion. Our server, Caitlin, was attentive, yet allowed us to have a romantic and intimate dinner without excessive intrusion. We started with the polenta. We generally prefer to start with a salad, but opted for the polenta. It was amazing. Perfect texture, and the flavors melded very nicely together. Portion size was spot on. Enough to satiate our appetite while we waited for our main course, but not too much to ruin dinner. Next was the main course. I indulged in the pork cheek, while my fiancee had the cavatelli. The pork cheek was very decadent. It was paired very nicely with chickpeas, which helped to balance the richness of the pork cheek. The cavatelli was delicious, but seemed more like a gnocchi. This is more due to the fact that the pasta is homemade, and as such, not the thinner commercial pasta we are accustomed too. Unfortunatley we did not have room for dessert. Everything was amazing, and we plan to come back! Simply amazing! read more

I went into this dining experience expecting something great, and some aspects of our meal were indeed very enjoyable. The parts of it that ruined the meal, however, really ruined it. We shared soup and the charcuterie to start, and both were pretty good. The soup more so. Our desserts were notably good, although the wait for them was longer than what I would have expected for a piece of cake and some ice cream. Our main course took a very very long time to arrive. We waited and waited while everyone around us received their food. Our whole experience took 2 hours, and we were the second people to arrive. Then, when we got our food, one of our meals was practically inedible. I tried really hard to like it, and thought it might have just not been my thing, but after trying the parts individually there was a clear issue. The pasta was absolutely coated in pepper. It was the only thing I could taste on it. It was very disheartening. It also felt as though we were being tentatively avoided by the waitstaff. They seemed kind enough when they were helping us, but we did get the feeling we were getting lesser service because we were more casually dressed than others in the establishment. I would like to hope this isn't the case, but wanted to include this because we both felt it. All in all, I was saddened by my dining experience here. Perhaps someday I will give it another go, but this experience was certainly discouraging. read more

My first time to Aposto. Visited my 94 year old Mom flying into DSM for the weekend. Put in my reservation that I wanted a corner table. Called to confirm my reservation and was told "of course we have a corner table and please pull up on the driveway on the side of the restaurant and we'll be waiting for you." Yeah, right. Sure enough, we pull up in the driveway and out comes a young woman to help my Mom out of the car and leads us up the ramp into the restaurant, right to the corner table. Had the Osso Bucco (good) and the wedding cake (outstanding). Great ambiance and my Mom can't wait for me to take her again. Fantastic Service! read more

It's amazing. The environment was a dining experience like being in a residential part of town and the waiter was so lovely. Please love yourself and get the Osso Buco because it was the best thing I've ever eaten. My family usually doesn't finish our meals but this time all of did and we practically licked the plates clean. read more

My earlier post was made in hurt and haste. My husband was hurting but after 4 Advil and the food we were served st Aposto tonight ... it was just what the doc ordered!!! Sorry for my misplaced anger. Watching a lived one in pain does horrid things. I hope we will be welcomed back. Thanks for a fabulous dinner! read more

We've been here a couple of times now, and I don't know why we put it off for so long! Ambience, service, food, drinks...it's all been memorable each time! My favorite dish has repeatedly been whatever pasta they are serving. The clearly homemade noodles are craving inducing. I would recommend reservations, but each time we've visited it appeared walk-ins would be easily accommodated. Parking is on the street, but we've never had to walk more than a block. read more

Thanks to Tony Lemmo and Amy for a wonderful 75th Birthday celebration for my sister Kay! The food was outstanding and my favorite was the zucchini cakes, the pasta,the meatballs, the chicken and his Italian Wedding cake. I guess the whole 4 course meal!! Everyone had a great time and the setting was perfect! The best part of this party (no clean up for the hostess)! read more

Thursday night out with friends.... chose to try Aposto for the first time since new opening. Great bar reception prior to dinner with excellent cocktails. Brought two old bottles in for dinner and talented staff decanted and served the wine in a very refined and professional manner. Ciji mentored the group through the menu to an exceptional culinary experience. Her knowledge and passion on the selections and preparation methods is rare! This experience has put Aposto on our top spot list... already looking forward to the next experience! Hopefully on the porch read more

I took my wife and little girl in there this evening and the service was great. The duck confit is fantastic. The gnocchi very good and the carbonara needs work. However the scallops on top the carbonara were great! The charcuterie tray was excellent. All in all it was a good trip and I would recommend try it next time you're in town. read more

Food was very good...a little pricey compared to other comparable options in Des Moines. Just a heads up, the "current menu" on their website isn't actually current. Ate there 2 weeks ago, mentioned to the server that the on-line menu was out of date. She seemed a little put off that I let her know about the menu, but she stated she'll let management know and still not changed. read more

I went to the Harvest Dinner and it was incredible. The chef is talented and put a lot of thought into each course. Great ambiance, wonderful company, and delicious food. Don't miss out on these dinners! Perfect for a date night or with friends! read more

Amazing food. The service is spot on every time , the servers work together so you are always well tended to. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. A perfect date night . read more

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This is my favorite venue in town to eat. I do miss when it was the Chat (this location continues to change), but a visit here has never disappointed. Sit on the deck if it's a nice day. This is a great date spot. read more

Aposto was a slightly frustrating experience. We came here specifically because of all the reviewers talking about the four-course meal, the Italian wedding cake, and so on. The courses as a sort of tasting menu option is only for the "pop-ups". Undeterred, we started with a bowl of the carrot bisque. The highlight of the night, the flavors of lavender and honey came through beautifully, spicy notes mingling with the flowery, almost perfume-y notes of the lavender. The flavors were unexpected, and the crème fraiche added a delicious creaminess that was truly delectable. For our main, I ordered the tagliatelle and my girlfriend the mushroom risotto. The tagliatelle was...fine. The pasta was perfectly cooked. The chicken, while cooked fine, was difficult to navigate, it was on-bone and it was a bit of a fight to get it off. The mushrooms, velouté, and vegetables were unremarkable, perhaps a touch overseasoned, but that's a personal preference. There was no playfulness or joy expressed in the dish, it felt "fancy", I suppose - for lack of a better term - but fancy in the way that your grandmother thinks food is fancy. Fancy for old people. Some fresh herbs or an additional textural element would have helped. There was too much food here for a three-course meal, a mistake unfortunately pervasive in American restaurants. The mushroom risotto was equally fine. One of the kinds of mushrooms (though I do not know which) had a tough, woody, yet slimy texture that was difficult to chew. (I say this as a mushroom lover.) The other mushrooms were delicious, perfectly cooked, and flavorful. Both dishes could have benefitted from some kind of fresh herb or light sauce to brighten the plate, and - again - both were too much in terms of portion size - we were unable to finish and still leave room for dessert. The hazelnuts added a nice element. For dessert, I chose the walnut cake and she the ice cream. The ice cream was delicious, with small slices of light sponge (almost Angel Food cake?) cake throughout, and the hibiscus flavor was delightful. My cake was similarly delicious - not too sweet, with a good ratio of icing and a delightful lemon zest that really shone. Both desserts were well-executed with good portion sizes, and tasty. Overall, I got the impression that this is somewhere my dad, with his utter lack of culinary experience outside of the central United States, would consider "fancy". When it comes to fine dining, I want to be surprised or at least intrigued by new flavors and techniques. Food in this context is not only to nourish the body but delight the senses. Aposto nourished but fell short of an experience that left me wanting to come back. Our main course portions were technically well-executed, but too large, overseasoned, and featured - for the most part - basic flavors. The starting soup and desserts shone, and I wish that same care had been shown on the main courses. The presence of the screaming child at the table next to ours did not enhance the experience, though this is not the fault of the restaurant. read more

Had a reservation for 8 pm, got there a little early since it was pouring and we assumed (correctly) that parking may be an issue. Once we secured a spot on the street and got inside, they seated us right away. Our server Emily was superb. Clearly well trained and knew the menu inside and out. Menu is small, but everything on it sounded fantastic. We started with the Pollenta Cakes, very good. The sauce was clearly fresh and homemade, lots of vegetables. We then ordered the Osso Buco and the Cavatelli. The Osso Buco may be the best meal I've ever had. The lamb was so tender and served over risotto. Cavatelli was also delicious, the noodles are made in house so I'd assume all dishes served with pasta would be equally as good. Their desserts weren't really that appealing, but the food more than made up for that. We live way out of town, but when we get back to Des Moines we will surely be eating here. The only thing to be aware of is this was someone's home, there is no parking lot. Street parking can be a crap shoot, some sketchy homes in the area too, stay alert. read more

Aposto - Cavatelli - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Great atmosphere, friendly staff, wonderful wine selection, and amazing food. Everything is simply wonderful!

I really enjoyed this place a lot. I LOVE the setting in the large old house they've turned into a restaurant. Food was very good, decent wine list. We were there for our anniversary and they provided us two little complimentary glasses of champagne, which was very thoughtful. I look forward to going back! Definitely one of the best spots in Des Moines for a great dinner with a wonderful ambience. read more