Love their pizza and onion rings! It's a classic Des Moines location and I really like the tomato sauce they use. It has some zest to it and isn't a bland sauce like I've run into in other restaurants. Service can be sketchy when they are busy. One word of caution...get a seat at a table. :) The booths look comfortable, but the cushions and springs are shot in most of them. You'll sink down until the table is almost at your chin. ;) It makes it easy to shove pizza in your face, but it's not the most comfortable seat in the world. read more

Chuck's Restaurant - Chucks all meat pizza. - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Looking for a piece of history in Des Moines? Check out Chuck's ... And have a pizza while you're at it. I heard about Chuck's awhile ago and it's been on my radar to get to eventually. Eventually has arrived. It's dim and cozy with a friendly feel. When they are busy have a drink or two while you wait for your food. The buffalo chicken pizza is my favorite followed by the chicken Alfredo. The sausage pizza is a popular choice, with an order of onion rings. If you're in the mood for a drink, a real drink, try Scottie's Long Island. It's tasty AND packs a punch, just how I like them! Friday evening there is live music in back. The music room is by far my favorite room because of the music- duh, but also the romantic twinkly lights and the old bar tucked back there. Seems like a prime spot for special occasions. read more

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The stuffed mushroom appetizer was off the hook. The pizza was great. My chicken parmesan was awesome. The staff was friendly and prompt. What more could I ask for?? read more

Chuck's Restaurant - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Wow. I was totally surprised. A friend of mine told me that they had really good pizza here. I was pretty skeptical to be honest. I hadn't heard too much about it. But after my first visit, I left wanting more. The joint is old school. The staff is friendly and casual. Hometown feel. No frills. We started with mozz sticks. They were hand breaded and came out with plenty of sauce. 10/10 will order that again. The place smelled heavenly and I anxiously awaited the pie. The mozz was fresh, the sauce properly sweet and tangy, and the crust was super thin with a light chew. I'm probably going back this weekend to fulfill my newfound craving. It's got something unique I couldn't identify. Maybe I'll figure it out next visit. Is it the best pizza ever? No, but it's definitely worth a try. The cool area of town deserves its own attention too. I had never visited this quaint neighborhood of Highland Park and Oak Park. I kind of love it. It's legit old. I'll definitely be going back to visit neighboring stores. We need to support these communities! read more

Best pizza in the world! I've eaten lots of pizza and this by far is the best crust, best sauce, big pepperoni. Heaven read more

Chuck's Restaurant - Pepperoni pizza with Green pepper and pineapple. - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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This place used to be one of those go to places always for us and looked forward to the meal we would have. EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED! I understand employing kids however, I do not understand why you would change the very foundation of what made this a hit for years, THE FOOD. It was awful, The onion rings were greasy and not many. My husband had fettuccine alfredo it was brown. I have never seen brown fettuccine alfredo, usually the sauce is a delicate creamy milk color. The chicken added to this was grilled probably two days ago .. it was hard as a brick bat. My cavatelli was absolutely too spicy to eat. Made with their homemade sausage and two pieces of Mozzarella slices directly out of a package. They didnt' even use shredded mozzarella. The condiments set on the table should have given me a clue. They use Hunt's ketchup. I will never ever go back again. The true Chuck's is dead. Do not spend your good hard earned money here you will be sorely disappointed. read more

I love Chucks! They have amazing pizza, not your cookie cutter franchise type, but real authentic Italian pizza. They have a kind staff, caring and community involved owner and are an important part of the neighborhood. I've been coming to Chucks my whole life, it has nostalgia but also the current team are caretakers of this legacy. If you're hungry and want some really good food stop in or carry out! I like a large everything pizza and then I don't have to decide what I want. I get it all, including a cold beer while I wait to carry out. read more

First and foremost, we used Food Dudes to have Chuck's delivered to us. All my life I've wanted to try this joint! Good thing that time had finally came! Onion rings are the best ever. Seriously, we eat a lot of pizza and onion rings, these are now my favorite! Pizza is very thin crust with a tangy sauce and crispy crust. We had the Everything and a Pepperoni. Fresh ingredients, topped perfectly! I love the toppings under my cheese instead of on top, keeps your pie together. I highly recommend Chuck's and we will definitely order from there again! read more

Great service the drinks were super and the pasta is the same good quality as when I first went there 20 years ago.

We really want to love this place after the remodel & investment to uplift it. The food was awful. Inedible fried chicken & I had to ask what else was on the plate because I had no idea it was hash browns, it looked like an old pancake. We asked how the baked potatoes were & the waiter said "hit or miss depends on who's cooking" we sent back awful chicken dinner & shared a sandwich. Maybe they should just stick to booze & pizza. Yuk. read more

I had not been to Chuck's for years. The last time I was there the old owner was still alive. The menu is large however the food is marginal and the wait staff are overworked. The restaurant also needs a good cleaning as does some of the staff. I was truly looking forward to my pizza but it was tasteless. I even paid extra to add Oregano and Basil but it did not make it flavorful. Yes, I said you had to pay extra for spices... that was a new one for me...instead of putting the fresh basil on top of the pizza the put it under the Cheese which ruined the flavor. I am very sad... it makes my heart hurt when old established restaurants are going downhill! read more

I ordered the steak deburgo. It was horrible. It was pounded to about 1/4 to 1/2". I ordered medium, it was well done. Could not taste any garlic at all and the texture was unpleasant. I did not eat it. Onion rings and bread were good. I have eaten many servings of steak deburgo at many restaurants in my life. Do not order it at Chuck's. Just ..... don't. Server was friendly and attentive - thus the 2 stars. read more

Chuck's Restaurant - Steak Deburgo floating in separated gummy gravy and oil. - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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My parents had their first date here and has always been a family favorite. Chucks has been a part of Des Moines history since the beginning. I use to eat here frequently when I lived on the eastside of DeMo. I was never disappointed and why I always returned. I even got the kids addicted, that makes three generation of our family eating here over the last 50 plus years. From the Pizza to the Italian baked chicken everything was delicious. A few years ago I moved to the out skits of DeMo about the same time the Bisignano family turned the keys over to the Anderson family. I hadn't been back until the other night, what a mistake on my part!! I mean huge mistake. Anderson has taken everything I remember about Chucks to a new level. She has kept the heritage and the food in the highest standard. Keeping the the dinning rooms almost the same. The interior seemed a little brighter and the stick letters spelling out CHUCKS was a nice touch. She has reduced the menu making it much easier to make decisions, but keeping all of the things that you love. One disappointment, the fried artichokes were removed from the menu. We ordered the everything pizza and added green olives. Amazing!! It was just the wife and I and we ate the whole large 18 inch pizza. We were full and still eating. I really missed the onion rings, but glad I didn't order them on this visit, next time with a smaller pizza, they are some of DeMo's best. I wont make the mistake I've made the last couple of years. I will be returning soon and often!! I might even buy a baseball cap on my next visit, you know to represent. read more

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From the outside, this place has all the makings of a classic Italian restaurant experience; old area of town, restaurant established in 1956, cool entry to the bar. So much potential.... Unfortunately, this old establishment just doesn't rise above "average". I had the lasagne with meat sauce, my daughter had the same dish prepared with spinach and my wife had the spinach ravioli. Out of the three dishes, the ravioli wins! The cheese used in that dish was pretty tasty and the ravioli itself tasted like fresh pasta. The lasagne (either one) was just ok. I think the sauce needed a little something; hard to tell what exactly, but it was uninspiring for sure. The house salads were typical of nearly every other pizzeria you've been to; nothing special. The service was attentive and friendly and parking on the side of the street was easy to find. read more

The food is very good and the service is great. The parking situation is horrible. A back lot is reserved exclusively for other businesses. A small lot across the street has minimal parking and is difficult to negotiate when leaving. Parking on the side streets fill up fast. If they could do something about that, it would be perfect. read more

Chuck's Restaurant - Stuffed Zucchini - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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The restaurant has changed since Linda's passing. The s as lad dressing is still but that's a out all. Now there are fancy salads with several lettuces where dressing and veggies slide off of. The pizza was a big disappointment. The sauce missed some flavor and the crust was different, kind of bready. read more

Took 10 people to Chucks to celebrate my son's 23 birthday. We had reservations. After waiting for an hour and a half for our pizza we asked 4 different people to check on our food. All four totally blew us off. Finally I went to the kitchen and asked about the pizza. One person finally said they had one oven that broke. They then said that we could leave and we didn't have to pay for our water and Onion rings. Gee thanks! You totally ruined the birthday celebration!! So We took the party down the road to El Rodeo's. We had prompt, friendly service. Chuck's gave us the worst service I have experienced. Could n't tell you about the pizza as it never arrived to our table!! We will never go back. read more

After the recent blizzard, cabin fever got the best of us and Chuck's was the only place open. A big thumbs up for the effort during a raging snow storm! Definately an old school, family owned place in need of a remodel...then again, the current decor is part of the overall experience. More of a neighborhood pizza place, Chucks also serves chicken, steak, pasta and sandwiches. Tonight, we had salad, pizza and a beer. The salad is brought to you (what a concept) and was fresh and crisp. The bread and home made breadsticks were perfect. Our mushroom pizza was piping hot and tasty. No complaints on a cold winter night. Service was excellent. It's not a fancy place, it's a bit run down...but if you want to go to a Des Moines, family dining institution, Chucks is it. read more

Chuck's Restaurant gets my vote for perfect pizza. When a restaurant has been in business for 63 years, you know they are doing something right! My idea of a perfect pizza is a very thin, homemade crust, a sauce with a lot of flavor, fresh toppings, and cooked until the slice stands up when you hold it. We went to Chuck's two weeks ago and again last night. We had the same server both times, Imelda. She was great! Pleasant, prompt and a beautiful smile. The onion rings are thin and crispy. Most importantly, they are not greasy! (Photos show both a half and a full order.) We had meatball and green olive pizza both times because after the first time, I craved it. The flavorful meatballs are homemade, the sauce is an original recipe and homemade deliciousness. The crust is also homemade and cooked to perfection. As you can see from the menu, their prices are more than reasonable. And bonus, they serve my favorite beer: Peroni! We used to go to Chuck's years ago and haven't been for quite some time. As I explained to the waitress last night, we won't make that mistake again! We live a ways from Chuck's but it is worth the drive! Large place with several rooms, pizza maker in the front window, great service and delicious pizza....exactly what a wonderful pizza place should be in my opinion!! read more

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Since the change in ownership, I would definitely say that the quality of their pizza has grown. It is amazing thin crust pizza with just the right amount of delicious red pizza sauce. Hot wings and onion rings are good too! Everything else is pretty much just blah. Seems to me a lot of it is overpriced. And last time I was in the restaurant it smelled like the pet store next door. read more

I grew up going to Chucks occassionally, and have been a fan for a long time. But the last few times I've been there have been disappointing. Not sure if it's the change in ownership, or maybe it's that I've grown up and know what real authentic Italian food tastes like. If you go here, stick with onion rings and pizza- both are very good. The pasta dishes seem to be overloaded with a tasteless sauce, and my chicken parm tasted as though several shortcuts were made (including the cheap looking shredded three-cheese blend it was topped with). Very unimpressed, especially considering the price. A few other things: -Our waitress was new, so I tried to give her a break, but she was really bad. She charged my friend for an entire bottle of wine when only one glass was ordered, and seemed very uncomfortable throughout the meal. -The booths are very old and pretty uncomfortable. -The Highland Park location isn't great. I usually end up having to park in the dimly lit lot across the street, and don't feel entirely safe walking across by myself. Between the sub par food and not feeling safe entering/leaving there at night, I think it's time to part ways with my beloved chucks. After all, there are lots of places with good onion rings and pizza. read more

cheese sticks= best in town onion rings= top 2 in town maybe tops pizza= top 2 or 3 throwback atmosphere= tops in town I don't know about the rest of the menu but if you are looking for these items idk of a place better and I'm pretty stingy with my stars read more

Chuck's Restaurant - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I assume this is a long standing, family run, staple of the area, and in that sense, I love it. We were passing through town and needed to get out of the car, so we stopped for a quick pizza. Glad we did. Thin Crust pizza, loaded with toppings (we had the everything, or something like that... veg and meat). I had two pieces and was full (again, it was loaded with toppings!). I can only imagine the pasta dishes are filling and authentic as well. Great find while passing through! read more

What can you say! I havent been here since new management, but if its anything like before i would recommend that you stop and fill your tum tums. I especially loved the pizza, always had the perfect amount of meat and sauce to it. Plus its not too expensive. Well worth the money!! read more

Chuck's Restaurant - A great eatery!! - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We hadn't been to Chuck's for several years but a friend ate there recently and raved about the pizza("don't eat anything else there") and our good friend Scott Davis and his band were performing live in" the secret handshake room" past the bar- so we went on Saturday night. At 6:30 I was surprised that there were so few diners in the place. Maybe 4 tables were full. Went to the back room and got a table. Ordered drinks and onion rings while we chatted with the band. I had wine- hard to mess that up. Hubby asked for a Manhattan and apparently the bartender wasn't familiar with that drink. He didn't care for it at all. The onion rings were Very good- thin and crisp and not greasy at all. We ordered pizza and it was Excellent! Thin cracker-like crust( my fave) and the toppings and cheese were generous. The homemade sausage was very tasty and the veggies were fresh. The atmosphere here is very dated and minimally clean. The back room where the band plays had a strong smell of " damp"( mold?) and could really use a dehumidifier. I know Chucks has been in business for a long time but if they want to stay there for years to come they should address the cleanliness and perhaps update the menu a bit. Everything felt a little dirty( menus, salt shakers, carpet, the restroom) But don't change the pizza ! read more

Pizza and Pasta what more can you ask for! they also make their pizza in house and you can see a lady making it, its so cute! everything was great, from the employee, to the atmosphere to the location! i can't wait to come back when im in town read more

Absolutely love their pizza.music and the atmosphere is fairly nice due to the workers.for me its my favorite pizza.their salads and onion rings are great too.haven't had other menu items for a long time but will post when I do.chucks has had consisten great pizza for as long as I can remember going there 35 years at least. read more

Great pizza. Friendly staff. Relaxed atmosphere. Chuck's is one of the best places in Des Moines. read more

Chuck's Restaurant - Great pie. Had a little bit of flop. But overall pretty dang good. Place is tops for Des Moines locals. - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This is probably my favorite restaurants in Des Moines. It's kind of cool knowing my parents, who are 76, went on dates here in the 50s. Their onion rings are the best in the continental US (and let me tell you I've been everywhere). And the pizza is to die for. The best thing crust pizza. On Fridays and Saturdays they have entertainment. I got married last night and guess where we had the service and reception? That's right. In one of Chuck's banquet rooms. Our waitress was Michelle and she took care of us and our 30 plus guests like family. Literally everyone was impressed. Especially those who had never been there before. Anyway, I don't think I've ever done a Yelp review before, so I'm glad this gets to be my first, for Chuck's is very deserving of 10+ stars if it were an option read more

Our second trip to Chuck's was try the pizza because the other food was disappointing. Well, the pizza was disappointing, too. Thin flimsy crust, sauce had a strong tomato flavor but not much else, and toppings were bland. I've had better frozen pizzas. :( I still love their garlic cheese bread. Cheesy and buttery. read more

Ive had better spaghetti in grade school cafeterias. The sauce tasted like puréed tomatoes straight out of a can. The meatball was good though! read more

I wouldn't even give one star. The onion rings were good but after an extremely long wait for food it arrived with burnt toast, soggy fries, cold asparagus, and cold chicken livers. Sent it back and received the same plate warmed up but fries were soggy and the toast was even more burnt. Then the bar witch came over and cussed at me because I was not happy with the cold, burnt food. Ruined my evening and my appetite. Wouldn't recommend this place at all. read more

Old school thin crust pizza done very well. Good for large groups, the staff was friendly, the pizza delicious. They make their own Italian sausage. You can't go wrong here. read more

AMAZING PIZZA!!! The workers are really nice a little bit too dim inside for my liking absolutely loved the onion rings got to meet the owner she was super nice! Overall great Italian restaurant in Des Moines. read more

Chuck's Restaurant - Chucks! - Pizza Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Excellent experience with friends tonight at Chuck's. Service was absolutely fantastic. I ordered a sirloin and asparagus. The beef was cooked to order, juicy and tender. My husband ordered the grinder sandwich (huge portion) and ate every bite. Others had a large sausage pizza and advised it was superb. A great night with loved ones in a cozy and comfortable setting. read more

Just was at Chuck's for a large group function. The staff, both servers and kitchen staff, did an outstanding job keeping orders straight, running tabs correctly, getting drinks and food out quickly, and providing excellent service and maintaining a positive and friendly disposition. Food was really good. They have a wide variety of options. We always have their pizza. It was very good. We had a specialty pizza- great crust and tasty toppings. Hats off to the restaurant team for the great evening! read more

I use to work here and the food is fantastic. Please, if your in the area, give Chucks a try. My mouth is watering thinking about the pizza, meatball sandwich, jumbo shrimp, etc. I haven't been here in awhile...10 years...but when I'm around I'm heading straight there to stroll through memory lane. read more

After a long day of moving, my boyfriend and I were looking for someplace relaxing to grab supper. We soon decided on Chuck's because we had never been, but had heard good things and knew they had music on weekend nights. When we arrived, we received a friendly greeting from the bartender and who I'm guessing might have been the owner. They asked us if we wanted to dine with music or no music and we said we definitely wanted the music. When we got to where the band was playing, it seemed like we may have been out of luck because every table looked full...but back in the corner there was one table left. It was our lucky night. Our server was friendly and the ambiance was lovely in the "place probably hasn't been updated since it first opened" kind of way. It was just what we were looking for. I had the cavatelli bake, which was tasty and my boyfriend had a charboiled chicken dish that he thoroughly enjoyed. The bread that came with our meal was just so-so, but we didn't really care because we were just enjoying the music. The musicians were charming and played many classics. They also took requests so everyone had a chance to hear their favorite song. Chuck's is a place where you can expect good food and service and feel like you're transported back in time. read more

It's been a while since I've been here, and we likely won't be back. Used to love this place, and maybe they are just known for their pizza? We both ordered sandwiches, and it's safe to say the "chef" is not a foodie. Fries were grease soaked and limp, ciabatta bun was soggy on the bottom, dressings were super runny/watery (we ordered ranch and Bleu cheese for the chicken wings), tenderloin was really over-fried, almost burnt. The server was very nice and accommodating, and helped with suggestions, but only checked on us maybe once, even though it was dead in the restaurant (we arrived about 8pm and they close at 9). On the bright side: The cheese sticks are hand-breaded and oh-so-delicious, and the chicken wings were also delicious. Would have been better with a thick, creamy dressing for dipping. read more

My fiance and I took our baby girl for supper @ chuck's. We weren't for sure if we were supposed to wait for someone or just seat ourselves so we asked the bartender and as we assumed you DO seat yourself.... The table could have been cleaner but the atmosphere was nice... Ordered the garlic cheese bread which was "ok"but then got the chicken gratticola and it was phenomenal... My four star rating isn't a 5 only because I wasn't sitting at the bar.. GREAT PLACE!!! read more