We'd heard of this pizza spot since we arrived to Grinnell, so naturally we had to try it. Immediately greeted as we walked in the door and loved that we could see all the chefs in the kitchen right then and there. It was busy but not so much that we didn't get sat right away. Our server was also busy so someone else took our drink order - and then gave us menus. We ended up ordering the meatballs, a salad, and a classic pie, and walked out also with a cool vintage looking Pagliai's tee! The meatballs were large, came with two, and really flavorful. The sauce was classic tomato but not basic, you could taste the aromatics and that was so good. Basic salad but really delicious runny ranch to go with it, which I loved. I dipped the crust from my pizza in it and it was just so good! For the pie we split it in half - half with meats and the other half with special. The crust was thin and also seasoned nicely and couldn't say enough about how delicious the cheese was. It was so gooey and thick - it made the pizza so incredibly good. Besides our server taking us on due to the prior one being too busy, the vibes inside were chill and casual, music was good and the atmosphere was pleasant. Everyone behind the pizza counter had smiles and acknowledged you. Was a real delight. Everywhere in Grinnell folks rave about Pagliai's and we understand why. We'll definitely have to come back! read more

See all

Busy place on a Saturday night!! We were quickly seated & had a great waitress! We started with a draught & garlic bread. Then we had a large Paglials special. Hot & crispy tasty crust. But rather plain- sausage was just pork it seemed. Next time we'll go back to the house special! But wait! Based on another review, I ordered a piece of champagne cake! It was light and tasty and a great way to end the meal. read more

Pagliai's Pizza - Paliais special. - Pizza Near Me - Grinnell, Iowa

See all

This was my third visit to Pag's and I have loved every experience! Today I wasn't super hungry so I ordered a house salad, two meatballs and a single slice of cheese garlic bread. What a perfect meal! The salad was typical, but what made it special was the house-made blue cheese dressing. Thick and creamy with nice chunks of blue cheese. The meatballs in marinara were amazing! Two huge meatballs seasoned so well drenched in a sauce that had just enough spice and tasted so fresh. I finished off the meal with a champagne cake - perfect ending. Our server was on point - attentive but not hovering. What a great meal! read more

Got some take-out for the hotel on a last-minute trip to Iowa and wasn't sure what to expect, but wow, Pagliai's definitely didn't disappoint! read more

Good Spaghetti and pizza. Have sat in and ordered out. Great staff. loved the cake!!!

Fantastic pizza. Sauce very flavorful. Nice vibe to the place. Visiting town to see the College. Highly recommend this spot! We had to wait 20 min on a Thursday at 6:10pm. read more

Pagliai's is always a local favorite. Some of the best pizza around. Seriously. If you're a hard core pickle lover you'll love their dill pickle wrap pizza. Our go-to is always the Cara but with fresh garlic instead of onion and we do the double crust. It was the tables favorite! The Pesto Pepperoni was really delicious. Herby with the acidic balance of the banana peppers. The House Special is also quite delicious. They offer a variety of draft beer, as well as Pepsi products. Their ranch is superb. Service was very good! They opened at 5pm (Saturday) and we arrived at 5pm. They fill up very very quick. It took around an hour and a half to get all four pizzas, but very much worth the wait. So whether you are traveling or live in the area, give this place and try. read more

See all

First the bad . The 4.50 house salad was terrible. More croutons than salad . Really disappointing. The Good. Absolute best cheeseburger pizza I've ever ate . Unbelievable! Props to the guys behind the counter. Bonus the draw beer was ice cold . Five Stars plus . Thanks ! read more

Pagliai's recently changed their gluten free crust and it is great. My husband was diagnosed with Celiac disease and has been heartbroken that he could no longer enjoy his favorite local pizza as the old crust was not great. The new crust is one of the best he's had and he is one happy guy! Many thanks to Joey and the team for making a great pizza - even if you need GF! read more

Always great pizza for many decades. This is the original thin crust, cut in square pizza. For me it's always sausage (made in house) and Canadian bacon. I grew up with it and it's always so good! read more

We had mixed greens salad with a hot bread stick and a medium house pizza. Salad was fresh, crisp, nice variety of greens, grape tomatoes, and croutons. Home made style ranch dressing. Salad was excellent. Pizza was exceptional, great mix of ingredients, very good. Prompt service, attentive to our experience. We had a great meal and they were very busy. read more

One of THE BEST PIZZAS I've had in my 41 years of life. I made a trip back to Iowa after a 3 year hiatus (thanks pandemic) and one of first places I wanted to go was Pagliai's. Their house special is so good. They actually have legit toppings and don't skimp on them. And I'm a huge fan of the type of pizza that has the cheese on top of the meat and veggies. The crust is crispy...YUMMY. We also tried the Reuben pizza since it was St. Paddy's week. It was pretty good too. Not something I would get all the time. I'm sad that there isn't one in Texas because now I've been craving the Bacon Cheeseburger pizza that looks just as amazing. Of course you can't go there without getting some of that liquid gold ranch. Wish the shelf life was longer because I would have figured out a way to smuggle some back home on my carry-on. It's no secret why they won the best ranch in Iowa...because it literally is. To finish out dinner, my stepdad clued me into a secret which is their champagne cake. Ok, so champagne cake is a weird item to offer at a pizza place, I'm not gonna lie. But holy magical, you definitely should splurge for dessert. Maybe skip a slice of pizza to save room (because the pizza is just as good leftover) and get yo'self some champagne cake! Your belly will thank me. read more

See all

This place is an institution in Grinnell, Iowa! It's been in business since 1957 and owned by the Pagliai family throughout. That in itself is impressive. To top it all off, the mozzarella of the pizza pie, it's really delicious! Traditional family recipes handed down of savory sauces and homemade sausages. I'm honored to continue the tradition by frequenting the place with my Mom and her family. Since I was little in the 1970's to bringing my young son in 2002 to even now in 2018! They have really good garlic bread, bread sticks, and pastas. But we always get the pizza! From the house special (an everything/supreme combo), just cheese, pepperoni, taco pizza, margherita pesto, and even bacon cheeseburger pizza we've had them all and will gladly go back to order them all again. Even though we don't have any remaining family in town anymore I hope to keep up the tradition of eating at Pagliais in Grinnell whenever we can. I'll make a special trip! read more

I love the pizza here. Service is very fast and friendly. The crust on pizza is my favorite!

Your typical pizza and pasta - nothing is great but it is all okay. No issues with service.

We love Pagliai's! The staff is always friendly and efficient. The ambiance reminds me of all pizzerias (very busy) you can watch if you want to. The pizza, sandwiches and salads are delicious. We've never had a bad pizza, sandwich or cheesy bread yet. We highly recommend them also, they have a huge party room for family reunions or rehearsal dinners. read more

Hands down the worst pizza I have ever had!! $50 for 2 , 14 inch frozen pIzza's and rock hard bread sticks,, and the dipping sauce was like a meaty sauce for spaghetti out of a Chef Boyardi can.. The Family Tradition is cool thing. Atmosphere was cool, but Pizza was not cool.. read more

Pagliai's is a local favorite far and wide. The dill pickle pizza is my absolute favorite (when they have it as their special). Their spaghetti with meat sauce is also spectacular. I always get a side salad with their liquid gold ranch. It's good for a family dinner, first date, or after a late night football game. Service is always spectacular. read more

We've had Pag's a few times since we moved to town. I love that they have creative specials and a spirit of adventure. Their facebook is always rockin' some cool post that makes you want what they are offering. I was stoked that they had a reuben pizza for St. Patricks day and that there was still a chance to get it during social distancing, etc. That was a dang good pie. You also can't really wrong with their house special. You'd think that sausage, beef, pepperoni, onion, green pepper, mushroom wouldn't be that big a deal. However, their seasoned meat (from their own kitchen) puts it over the top, I think. The ladies ordered a chicken pizza of some sort, but it was a bit dry in comparison. Not enough to turn us away from this great place, though. They've just added delivery up to the city limits, which is something they say they hadn't done for 19 years. I'm curious if it will continue after the current issues. It went off without a hitch and the driver was very pleasant! read more

I have always heard a lot about Pagliai's Pizza and have wanted to give it a try. I had that opportunity while on the way home passing through Grinnell. They don't have a lot of beer to choose from, they have four on tap and not sure about bottled beer or if that is even an option. They had bud light which is OK for pizza. We got the half taco and half house special. I love taco pizza and this pizza didn't deliver. The crust is a great thin crust kind of a cracker crust, crisp, light, and excellent. The pizza had meat, but no flavor, came with tostitos chips that gave it no flavor and cheddar cheese. Without nacho chips and tomatoes this pizza fell really short. They do add a layer of sour cream. If you want taco I would just get Casey's Pizza. I also tried the Cheese Bread, it was just French Bread with cheese on top nothing special. I also got a salad and tried the ranch dressing. The salad had been on the counter so long it was warm and wilted. The ranch seamed like any other ranch, but the croutons were very good. The House Special is an excellent pizza. With the great crust, a nice sauce, you get sausage, beef, pepperoni, onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. The sausage is made in their kitchen and is a mild sausage that has good flavor. This pizza had a topping overload, but it worked and was excellent. I arrived just before five when they opened and cars were lining up. When the doors opened the place really started to fill up. The pizza, food, and drinks all take a while, this is not a place to come if you are in a hurry. This place just came up as an average place and didn't live up to the hype. read more

Pagliai's Pizza - Half Taco and Half House Special - Pizza Near Me - Grinnell, Iowa

See all

IMO this is the best overall pizza in Iowa. We always leave happy, fat, and sassy ;) Great service, and great quality! read more

Pagliai's is the best pizza! I have not found a better pizza in my travels around Iowa and the US. I recommend one of their fresh salads, cheese bread, and the house pizza. The sausage is so delicious! They only use fresh ingredients. This is a family-friendly restaurant with lots of seating for large groups. Get there early because it is a destination restaurant. Despite their popularity, you will receive friendly service and timely delivery of some delicious food. They serve a lovely pink champagne cake, too. Great for foodies! read more

This is a great Italian restaurant, especially for a small town. From the homemade blue cheese dressing to the homemade meatballs, everything was very tasty. We only stayed in Grinnell for 2 nights and we ate there twice! read more

This is review #100! I don't often dole out a 5-star rating for a restaurant, so when I do you know that it has to be a great place. I'm not sure how many people in Des Moines visit Grinnell, but if you ever do, you need to stop in a Pagliai's Pizza on 5th Street. They have great service and some of the best pizza in Central Iowa. The menu is pretty much like you'd see at many Italian/Pizza restaurants. Breadsticks, pasta, meatballs, sandwiches, salads and of course, pizza. My favorite dish at Pagliai's (that isn't pizza) is their baked cavatelli. Nothing fancy here - cavatelli, meat sauce and mozzarella baked up nicely. It's great! I also love their Italian sub called the "Pag's Hero." It's loaded up with ham, salami, capocolla with provolone on a hoagie bun and special sauce. It's a great lunch meal. The pizza is awesome here! I recommend their thin crust. They are available in three sizes (10, 12 or 14 inches). You can have it custom made to your liking or you can try one of their awesome specialty pies. Their pepperoni pesto pizza with pesto, feta cheese, pepperoni, pepperocini and black olives is one of my favorites. I also love their shrimp alfredo pie with shrimp, bacon, alfredo sauce and a blend of cheeses. You can also get a gluten free crust here. Pagliai's is a great place to get a pizza or italian dish on a cold day in the winter or anytime that Italian craving hits you. Being in Grinnell, it's a bit of a trek from DSM, but hey, make a day out of it. Grinnell is a great small community. I give Pagliai's my highest available 5-star rating. Give them a try! read more

Called after 10 to order a pizza to go. Very friendly on the phone & let me know the pizza would be done in about 15 min! Nice! When I walked in I was pleasantly surprised that they were making & baking the pizzas right up front. I love the feel of a restaurant when you can watch them make your food. Cheeseburger pizza- cooked perfectly- slightly crisp & a little chewy. Good distribution of meat, onions & chunks of dill pickle- we really appreciated the chunkier dill pickle over thin slices. Good pizza read more

Pagliai's Pizza - Cheeseburger pizza - Pizza Near Me - Grinnell, Iowa

My first taste of Pag's pepperoni pizza was in 1967. Back then this was our go-to pizza order for delivery to the dorm. Would it taste the same as my memory? Yes, it did! Thin crust, classic pepperoni, and just enough browning and caramelizing on the cheese. Mmmm. We have eaten pizza all over the U.S. This is still my favorite. In 1967 no one served gluten free pizza but Pagliai's does now. Both the regular and the gluten free pizzas were delicious ( and the left overs were pretty tasty at 3 AM). read more

Found this restaurant will visiting the area. Had the spaghetti and meatballs with a salad. The homemade meat sausage was fantastic. Wait staff was attentive and made sure I was taking care of. I knew I found the right place for dinner by the line at the front door before they opened. Even with a large group of tables set at once there was no delay on food or service. read more

Best pizza around! Love this place! We have been going to the Grinnell location for years and now Des Moines since we moved.

"A-ok." We came to Grinnell for a college visit. Seeing that there weren't very many restaurants (and not very many that looked to be anything exciting) I suggested that we go to the Prairie Canary, but it was closed when we got there. Also closed was the Chuong Garden. So pizza it was. Made our own Hawaiian pizza (Canadian bacon and pineapple since they didn't have ham). It was okay...nothing to cry home about. Crust was good. Not enough sauce. Also a little expensive. Not bad, not overly exciting. Just pretty "a-OK." It was surprisingly busy for a Monday night, so people must enjoy it. read more

Pagliai's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Grinnell, Iowa

This is one of our favorite area pizza joints that is part of our circuit. We come here for the taco. It's different than many others because they put sour cream, regular tortilla chips and pile on the shredded cheese AFTER it's done cooking. I wasn't sure at first but I am sold and it's still yummy reheated. A couple wishes: they were open for lunch, have more of a wine and beer selection. It's a popular place on the weekend, so get there early! read more

Friendly staff, very nice interior, fast service, and delicious food. Also, I am in love with the pizza crust! I also love that you can watch the cooks through the open kitchen! read more

Doesn't look like much when you walk by but it is very cool on the inside. Delicious pizza, spaghetti, and even more here. You will really enjoy it. read more

Whenever I'm in town visiting this is the first place I go! The pizza and ranch are top tier. But the best part is the service especially from the waitress/cashier, Morgan. So friendly and helpful! read more

We had the House Special, without onions. Good sauce and toppings. We did carry out so our crust wasn't as crunchy. Overall, happy travelers. read more

Our family went to restaurant 11-27-22 we arrived at 5 pm. The 20 people were seated and drink order was taken. Of the 20 -12 ordered Noodles . Their order came in about a 1/2 hr. I ordered a large pizza at 5:06 and it never came till 6:18. Others that ordered mediums . They received theirs quickly. Kinda buzz kill when everyone else is eating and you're still waiting for food . The waitress said she was sorry. I had her put it in a box and carried it home. Because everyone else had left. read more

The pizza here is the best I have ever had. The service here is quick, and the staff are very friendly. The atmosphere is great. There are a lot of different pizzas you can get. Would highly recommend! read more

As a local Chicagoan, I have very high expectations for pizza. And when you are paying the prices that you pay at Pagliai's, I really expect the pizza to be out-of-this-world good. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I was in any way impressed with the restaurant. The service and food were very average. We started with the cheesy garlic bread, which was pretty good, but no better than any garlic bread that you could find in the frozen food section of your local grocery store. Then we ordered the shrimp alfredo pizza and the magherita pesto pizza. I was a little annoyed when ordering to realize that their sizes are much smaller than the standard pizzas. Smalls are normally 12", mediums 14", and larges 16". For what they are serving up, their prices aren't very cheap either. All their pizzas are thin crust, so I left feeling very hungry. Still, every time I walk by Pagliai's the place is pretty crowded, so the majority of people must be pretty content with the place. If you want pizza that is only slightly better than Pizza Ranch, I would say you should head to Pagliai's. But if you've had Chicago pizza before, you'll be nothing but disappointed. read more

Pagliai's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Grinnell, Iowa

Like Zeno's in Marshalltown, this dates back to the 50's when the first wave of pizzerias hit middle America, and it hasn't changed much since. I love this place almost as much as Zeno's - similar salty and cheesy taste, old school flat crust, square cut, with perfect sauce. Get the Supreme! They're open late by small town standards, even on Sundays! And they're off and on with delivery over the last 25 years, but currently on. A little bit overpriced, but worth it. The feminist in me doesn't like this, but it's still sorta old school cute that the local high school boys are the cooks and the girls are the waitresses. In 2011! read more

We are from New York and got food from Pagliai's based on a recommendation from the Grinnelle hotel. Going in the staff were very courteous and friendly. The place was clean and the food they were making looked great. We ordered the meatball Sub and it was fantastic. The cheese ravioli had a choice of different sauces. I ordered with Mariana and it was delicious. The girl at the counter helped us make our decision and gave recommendations. The salads are big and they give you the dressing on the side and a breadstick. Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken was great. The food was fresh, big portions I would highly recommend and I would definitely go back. This place is great. Five stars read more

First, the food. Pagliai's is Midwestern Italian. If you like it bland, Pag's is the right place for you. If you like something more interesting, visit the southside of Des Moines, in the Italian neighborhood pizza and pasta joints. I had the cavatelli, which was ok - kind of like a Weight Watchers meal. What got Pag's 2 stars, though, was our (lack of) service. The waitress - who was probably only 15 - served us our entrees first, our salads second, and then, with our plates being cleared, our appetizer last. Inept would have been a compliment. Other places in Grinnell have better service so it's not a case of lack of competent servers being available - apparently Pag's just doesn't know how to train them. I heard her apologizing to her other tables as well, and I heard some unhappy diners. I won't be back. read more