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    Chuck's Restaurant

    3.6 (103 reviews)
    ModeratePizza, Italian
    Closed 4:30 pm - 9:00 PM

    Chuck's Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    CHUCK'S RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Chuck's Restaurant

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    Charlene S.

    Always so good. Great service. We've been coming here for years. Was my Italian dad's favorite place to eat. One suggestion: Don't skip out on the cheese logs! They're the best!

    Angie M.

    This restaurant is a staple in the Des Moines area. The atmosphere is old and homey, the staff was very friendly. The pasta was delicious! The prices were higher then I expected for the atmosphere. $19-25 roughly. The chicken Alfredo is recommended. The pizza was very thin.

    Cheese logs
    Ami K.

    First time here. We were greeted very promptly and told to sit wherever. Server was super nice and bubbly, I don't believe she ever gave us her name. We started with the cheese logs. They were huge and looked amazing, breading had absolutely no flavor & cheese wasn't melted all the way inside. Super disappointing. Ordered 2 pizzas. I like the super thin crust- good crunch factor! Would I make a special trip to dine here again? No. Would I eat there if I was in the area... yes.

    Kat B.

    Des Moines staple that if you've never been here, don't call yourself a local. This place has been around for a LONG TIME and has a long, well-deserved history and reputation. My husband and I met a friend on a frigid night. We were able to find street parking rather close and ran inside. We opted to be seated on the kitchen side to be away from the door. We started with a half order of thin onion rings. I would have preferred them a tad more cooked, but that's just how I like thin onion rings. My husband had the vegetarian pizza, I had meat lovers and our friend ordered the mozzarella one. Everyone enjoyed our pizzas. The waitress was friendly and prompt with refills and our check. If you haven't been, go to Chuck's and get yourself some pizza!

    Rhonda G.

    After buying a home in Highland Park this summer we were excited to dive into North Side staples. Now multiple visits into Chuck's, I'd say consistency is an ongoing challenge. The wait staff all seem lovely but service is patchy, my favorite Italian American dish, chicken parm, has been wildly different each time, and waits can be long even when largely quite empty. Recently we went on a Saturday night that was met with a largely empty dining room but a very long wait for food. The most consistent 'win' seems to be their pizza, onion rings, and generously priced drinks. We'll go back for pizza and (maybe) sandwiches but skip the pasta and more significant entrees.

    Chuck's mural

    Friendly, prompt service. We tried the lasagna, thin sausage pizza, and onion rings. All delicious. Glad to see the Chuck's tradition carry on in Oak Park.

    In the background, you can see the beer as well as the mushrooms, the huge mozzarella sticks and the brussels sprouts to the forefront

    While visiting Des Moines for the Juneteenth festival, we decided to try this neighborhood staple. We chose appetizers which prove to be enough. We chose the huge fried mozzarella sticks along with the brussels sprouts and very tasty mushrooms. we tried the lemon cello beer or something like that. I'll waitress was pleasant and efficient without Order. The atmosphere was family friendly.

    Onion rings and cheese logs!
    Dee W.

    Newly remodeled and the pizza is still amazing. Crust was amazing thin and crunchy. Lots of toppings. The cheese logs are like 4 normal sized cheese sticks in one. The remodel did not modernize the ambience which I think is good. You don't want to lose all the character of an old school restaurant.

    a sub sandwich and french fries
    Alicia N.

    Reservations for 18, seated at separate tables at 5:30 pm. Asked for water 3 times. Sandwiches ordered were supposedly lost, since we had 3 toddlers had to ask for them To-Go almost 2 hrs later (7:15 pm). Had to wait again and charged full price for everything + 18% gratuity. Then when we get home with the sandwiches the bread was not correct and no marinara like the menu said. Other sandwich has wilted lettuce and soggy fries. No longer hungry & so disappointing!

    Chicken parmesan

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    2 years ago

    Worst experience ever the cavately had more water than soup the cheesy bread was cold and stale and the onion rings were greasey

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    Ask the Community - Chuck's Restaurant

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    Truman's KC Pizza Tavern

    4.0(163 reviews)
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    Everything here is good. We go because the onion rings are homemade and everything is fresh. This…read moreplace serves quality food at a fair price.

    Truman's Pizza Review (Delivery Experience) We ordered from…read moreTruman's using a delivery service, which always adds a bit of mystery to how the food will arrive. Luckily for us, this time it showed up fresh and hot! This review focuses on Truman's food quality, as experienced through a delivery order. My wife Kim is a pizza fanatic, so we're always trying new spots! She ordered a garlic cheese bread which was fantastic and came delivered with dipping sauce. This could easily serve as a meal on its own! The main event was the Mahome's pizza. It was a bit messy - with random chunks of topping not evenly distributed and obviously just thrown together (this wasn't a delivery issue, but how it was prepared by Truman's). Regardless, as this is a minor complaint, the pizza was delicious. I enjoyed all of the toppings with the exception of the hamburger; it was just unspiced, browned hamburger. I find it odd to put something with no flavor on a pizza. The pizza sauce saved the day as it's amazing and has a ton of flavor. Then there was the crust - it was thin, but not too thin. It had those cool bubbles and somehow managed to be perfectly chewy and crispy at the same time! (Sounds impossible, but it really was). While I'll definitely prefer to go and eat at Truman's in person next time, the delivery itself was surprisingly good considering the distance they had to travel. I hope Kim tipped well! We look forward to visiting the restaurant in person soon!

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    Fong's Pizza

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    This is an amaaaaazzzing spot. They have my two favorite things, pizza and tiki drinks. You will…read morefind a decent-sized private parking lot here and a walk-up pick-up window for people who placed to-go orders online. There is also free street parking available. There is a decent-sized dining area and a very nice outdoor patio as well. It was a nice day during my visit, so I sat on the patio. The staff there was very friendly. Their menu has traditional pizzas such as sausage, pepperoni, and meatzilla. They also have some unique Asian inspired creations like Tai Chicken, Mac and Cheese, General Tso's Chicken, Iowan, Crab Ragoon, and Korean Beef Chicken pizzas. They also have soups and salads, and Chinese food entrees like Beef and Broccoli, Stir-Fry Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, and Chili Garlic Shrimp. And yes, they have some of the best tiki drinks and mocktails around. I ordered a Painkiller and a Waving Cat to go with my Bang Bang Chicken Pizza. It took them about 12 minutes to prepare my pie. It was fresh and hot. It was also so good. I have never had a pizza like that before. It was very flavorful and tasty. It was so good, I even forgot to take a picture of it because I just jumped right in. My drinks came out much sooner, and they were also really, really good. The staff there was very friendly and attentive. My service was first class. I am so glad I found this spot and got to experience it. I highly recommend this place, and I definitely will be back very soon.

    Sweet but they were kinda sluggish with my order I almost felt angry and wanna leave but the aroma…read morekeep me staying

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    Fong's Pizza - Beer on Tap at Fong's Pizza

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    7 Stone Pizzeria - Large buffalo chicken on artisan crust

    7 Stone Pizzeria

    4.0(131 reviews)
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    SERVICE: PLEASE KNOW THAT 7 STONE DOES NOT BAKE PIZZAS IN THE ORDER RECEIVED. We were six people…read more(3 couples) ordering 3 large artisan pizzas and eating there. Two pizzas came within 10 minutes. The third was not received within 20 minutes so I went back to the counter and inquired. It was sitting in a rack and had not even been placed in the oven. I asked why and was given some song and dance about the three were not reported as being together in a group. Silly me, I didn't know I was supposed to report that my order was with the other two. IF YOU EAT IN AT 7 STONE PIZZA BE SURE TO EXPLICITLY TELL THEM IF YOU HAVE A GROUP AND ORDER MORE THAN ONE PIZZA. I had ordered second and the first and third orders were promptly processed and baked. Why mine was set aside on a rack for some reason I do not know. We got our pizza 20 minutes after the other two were received and the other couples were almost done with their pizzas. We will eat the pizza tomorrow at home. In defense of the place, a lady came to our table and apologized. She offered to give us a gift certificate. I said I appreciated the apology and didn't want another pizza at some other time and declined the gift certificate. An apology was enough. FOOD: The pizza was delicious but would have been better hot out of the oven rather than the next day at home. AMBIANCE: Ambiance is OK but be prepared for a heavy dose of smokiness. I love the smell but some in our group did not.

    My boss and I went out to lunch today. He'd picked 7 Stone with a friend of his and his friend's…read morekids. I was just along for the ride... Lol I took at look at their menu online and it's not a big menu... Build your own 7-Stone crust (thick) and artisan crust (thin) along with six different specialty pizzas. Big into appetizers? Don't plan on it here. They have cheesebread and side salads. They offer a couple different items for lunch specials (Wednesday - Friday 11am to 2pm)...toasted hoagies and a half pizza combo. It's order and pay at the counter. Pepsi self serve fountain drinks. Plates, utensils, napkins, and pizza spatulas are beside the fountain drink station. Parmesan and red pepper are on the tables. Seat yourself. The seating is a combination of booths and low top tables and chairs. There's a small counter with seating as well. The business itself is in a strip so there is lots of parking available. There was one gal behind the counter taking orders as well as cooking and serving pizzas. Two younger ladies came in a bit later, but it was hard to tell if they were actual staff or daughters there to hang out with their mom (or maybe both). Staff was friendly enough. Our party ordered: 1x large House7 on 7-Stone crust 1x large buffalo chicken on artisan crust 2x small pepperoni pizzas on artisan crust 1x large cheesebread 1x side salad 7x fountain drinks It was a short wait for everything to get cooked and served. The thicker 7 Stone crust takes about 20 min. The artisan...probably half that. The 7 Stone crust vaguely reminds me of when Pizza Hut still cooked in cast iron. The toasted crust with cheese burnt like little vertical stalagmite (that's the cave formations that form from the floor up)... That was something neat to see. I haven't had a crust like that in a long time. The artisan crust is thinner of course, but perfect for folding. You like a little char? This gives you that in some bubbling aound the edges, but the bottom of the pizza crust is not burnt. I really enjoyed the buffalo chicken pizza! I'm not sure what it was but for me there was something off about the red sauce... It wasn't "bad" but just tasted off. At first I thought it might be a residual taste from the black olives from the House7, but the red sauce on the pepperoni pizzas had the same taste. Maybe it was the plum tomatos they use v. roma or another more traditional variety? Bang for the buck... To me it seemed a little pricey. $22 for a small cheese pizza on 7-Stone. $20 for a small cheese on artisan. $33 for a large specialty on 7-Stone. $31 for a large speciality pizza on artisan. But that might just be me... The company was buying for the two of us today so... The cost is sort of irrelevant outside of mentioning the noted pricing in general. When the company is buying I really don't care. But I'm kind of glad they were paying for it... Lol But no one walked away hungry that's for sure...! And the leftovers I took home will get eaten as long as it warms up anywhere near the same (follow up edit: it did). This is a tough one for me... It's kind of like Gusto. I had a ton of friends who loved the place. I just never cared for it. And there was no particular reason... Is this some place I would return to? Maybe if invited again... But while it's not exactly my favorite... You might love it! Definitely worth checking out! https://www.7stonepizzeria.com/

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    Interior

    7 Stone Pizzeria - Large mushroom pizza half sausage half pepperoni. The red sauce is tasty.

    Large mushroom pizza half sausage half pepperoni. The red sauce is tasty.

    7 Stone Pizzeria

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    Centro - this is just for starters!

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    4.2(677 reviews)
    2.9 mi
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    We just celebrated our mom's 60th birthday here! Reservations were easy, they customized the menu…read morewith her name and reason for celebrating, servers were nice and on top of everything and gave her a delicious free dessert! On top of that, the food was good and priced well for the big portions! We will be back!

    Centro is one of the best restaurants in Des Moines. The service is very good, and they bring out…read morenew plates for each round of food, which makes the experience feel thoughtful. You also get complimentary fresh bread and the portions are quite generous! My only feedback on service is that we were asked about dessert while still eating dinner, which felt a bit rushed. The ricotta gnocchi has a lot of flavor and is clearly made with fresh ingredients. I also recommend trying the vegan sausage. We created our own pizza and added it, and the fake meat had a unique flavor with the same emphasis on freshness. The best appetizer is the portobello mushroom fries. The sauces they come with are so delicious and really make the dish. For dessert, we had the pistachio tiramisu. It was very good, but I would not call it a traditional tiramisu. It tasted more like a crème brûlée style lemon mascarpone with pistachios. Still really good, just different than expected. Overall, this is definitely one of the best Italian restaurants around and well worth visiting with a more formal, date night vibe.

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    Centro - No diners

    No diners

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    Chuck's Restaurant - pizza - Updated May 2026

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