We took my recently widowed sister for what would have have been her 52nd anniversary. The staff…read morewas wonderful and checked on us several times. The portion sizes are generous with plenty to take home. The owner brought out a sample of their best selling pasta us to try and gave my sister a cheesecake. The cheesecake was the best I've ever tasted bar none. Highly recommend making a reservation or going when the open, they were packed.

Holy smokes this place is the best! The staff (shout out to Reagan!) was super polite, educated,…read moreand helpful and the owner, Peter, was so gracious. But the food was the highlight of the night! Philly Cheesesteak pasta??? Outstanding! Salad was great! And the cheesecake...! Wow. 100 stars!

It wasn't good and it wasn't bad. Just Meh! The pizza was flavorless. I tried the pepperoni and…read moreNonna's Specialty pizza slices. Nothing remarkable The menu is big. Probably too big to do anything well. Service is was below par. I walked in said hi. This is my first time. What do you recommend. He just pointed at the pre-made pies. I made my selections paid and sat down. They brought over my slices after reheating them in the oven on too small paper plates. No follow-up. Only 1 other table with customers.

Took a friend to Nonna's Pizza & Pasta for their 49th birthday... I hadn't really researched it…read moreother than knowing people said they did pizza by the slice and by looking at their menu online before we headed that way. Parking is great. It's in the same building as Filet Steakhouse. Down on the Southeast corner... It's not exactly what I expected. Don't expect the atmosphere of Baratta's, Latin King, or Cosi Cucina. The front dining area is more informal. Don't take that wrong though... I'm not taking anything away from it. The place has a great vibe to it and I felt comfortable. I loved the NYC themed decor and the look of the place. There is at least one more dining area called the Manhattan room. I'm not sure if this is a private room or what it exactly takes to get in there... It sure looked pretty classy through the doorway though! The process is more or less order at the front counter. Pay when you order. Seat yourself. Self serve drinks (Coke products). Silverware and napkins can be picked up by the drink station. While you order at the counter the food is brought to your table when it is ready. Seating is all low top tables and chairs along with a few stools at the bar. I noticed a few people picking up menus, going to a seat and browsing the menu and then going up to order. This is probably what I would do next time if I was ordering anything but the pizza by the slice. The service we had was really good. From the gentlemen at the front counter and register...along with the staff who were working the floor dropping off food and bussing tables. The menu is quite extensive! Everyone can find something. Appetizers, soup, salads, pizza by the slice, round pies, square pies, thin and crispy, gluten free... Calzones, hot and cold sandwiches, pasta dishes, chicken and shrimp entrees, salmon, desserts, and kids meals. While I do like pizza... And they have a HUGE selection of pies in all kinds of combinations...by the slice or baked fresh... We both tried pasta dishes. 1x Shrimp Parmigiana 1x Stuffed Shells sub alfredo 2x House salads (creamy parm and blue cheese) 2x Fountain drinks Complimentary bread with our entrees The wait for our food was short. Our salads came out first. Everything was fresh and tasted good. One thing... Some of the pieces of lettuce could have been chopped a smaller. Made it a little harder to manage than it should have been... Easy fix though... Make sure you grab a knife. I'm not sure if that's normal or if it was a one off. Not a big deal. The pasta dishes hit the table along with the complimentary bread... If you go here just for pizza by the slice... You're really missing out! Their pasta dishes would easily rival any of the places I listed above when I mentioned atmosphere. The portions are large. I had to do something that I don't normally do. I took some home for the next day. I'm usually the guy who gets irritated because someone writes... "I can easily make three meals out of what I was served...!" When I order the same thing where they are...and I clean my plate. Lol All in all a great meal and I think we spent in the mid-$60 range before tip. Definitely going to back to check out some of the other items on the menu... And the pizza! https://nonnaspizzapastas.com/

Came out to the West Des Moines location on University for dinner and was glad we made reservations…read moreahead of time, as the front lobby gets packed quickly. To kick things off, they brought out the complimentary bread basket and signature dipping oil. The oil blend is always a great start to the meal and ours was freshly stocked. For an appetizer, we tried the Calamari Fritti. The presentation was beautiful--lightly golden and piled nicely--definitely a strong start visually and texture-wise. For the main event, I ordered the Fettuccini with Lobster. The execution on the kitchen's part was a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, the pasta itself was cooked perfectly al dente, holding its structure exactly how you want a thick noodle to. On the other hand, the sauce fell a bit flat for me--it just felt a little mid-tier and lacked that rich, memorable flavor pop you look for in a luxury pasta dish. The atmosphere walks a nice line between a casual weeknight spot and a slightly more upscale evening out. It's got a warm, energetic vibe that works well for a date night or a family get-together without feeling overly stuffy or pretentious. I would go 4 1/2 star if I could but it leans more towards 5.

Thank you, Jeff and staff, for providing a wonderful meal for the residents and staff of The…read moreBeacon. It was delicious! Our team enjoyed the time around the table with the staff and residents. Your generosity is very much appreciated! Bob

The restaurant is lovely and the service was spot on. The food is delicious and plentiful. The…read moreprice and quantity for lunch was outstanding. I had the pasta sampler, and my two lunch mates we're equally happy with their choices. I highly recommend.

We walked in to Portofino's on a Friday night and it was busy! They have a very strange parking lot…read morewith limited space, but I believe you can go around the corner for more. We waited only 15 minutes, and enjoyed looking around the restaurant seeing ambient lighting and fireplaces throughout. They even have a private event room. We were very impressed by the overall service. Our waitress Faith was kind and attentive, suggesting menu items, and allowing us to change our minds while ordering. The bread brought to the table was warm and delicious and the pasta dishes were all very flavorful and unique with huge portions. We were very impressed with the price points as well. Our only (small) complaint was the chicken was a bit tough. We would absolutely come back here.

4.8* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 5*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $16 06/21/2026 Quick stop tonight to check out their latest Happy Hour for HappyHourDesMoines.com - since they offer an all-day Sunday Happy Hour. I was the most impressed with both the quantity and quality of the House-Made Chips (see picture)...and while the Chicken Strips have shrunk to 2 from 3 due to shrinkflation, I loved the crunchy coating and they were very juicy (see picture). Both were a great value at $5/each.

Excellent wait staff!…read more Brussel sprouts had a delicious soy glaze. The burger special on Tuesdays will be hard to beat in terms of value. It was a solid burger, fries, and a draft beer all for $15

Hands down one of the BEST sandwiches I've ever had! I've had the pleasure of eating at A Taste of…read moreItaly three times now, and they've been packed every single time, which tells you something! The Gandolfini is one of my favorites. The bread is incredibly fresh, the meats and cheese are delicious, and they definitely don't skimp. Everything just tastes fresh and made with care. And don't skip the pasta salad...it's delicious too! Beyond the food, I love the genuine Italian hospitality. You feel welcomed when you walk in, and that kind of experience does not go unnoticed. A Taste of Italy is one of those places I look forward to every time I'm back in Iowa. If you haven't been, GO. You won't be disappointed!

Love it! Lemoncello cake is amazing!! Prompt, friendly!…read moreHow much more will you read?

A small but very tasty Italian restaurant! We had to wait a few minutes for a booth--there are…read moreonly 10 of them! We started with mozzarella sticks and the best tasting red sauce! Our salads came shortly and they are simple iceberg ones with a couple of cucumbers and a cherry tomato. The house Italian dressing is excellent! A warm basket of breadsticks accompanied our pasta. The guys had spaghetti and meatballs, Friend had lasagna, and I had baked cavatelli. Friend and I took some of ours home because the serving was so large! We all loved the red sauce & our dishes. It appears there are only two workers there. The waitress is also in charge of the front desk and there was just one Cook in the kitchen. She was very pleasant and very entertaining! We'll be back because we want to sample more things! The pizza sounds delicious ! You go for the great food - - it's just a pretty simple interior.

I've driven by here on a near-daily basis on my commute. I've been to the taqueria next door…read moreseveral times--thought I would finally give Marino's a try. The lady who answered the phone was very polite. She quoted me a time of 30-35 minutes for the food. I thought that was quite awhile, but decided to proceed with the order anyhow. When I walked in, the restaurant was nearly empty. One room off to the side was dark; it looks like this was a party room in a former life. I saw a solo diner in the main dining room. It was eerily quiet in there. An older lady (whom I believe also answered the phone) was very polite and seemed like she appreciated the business. I wish I could speak more highly of the food. The portions were all very generous, but most all seemed to be lacking in flavor. The breadsticks appear to have been brushed on top with some kind of butter, but no garlic flavor was present and the bottoms had gone untouched. Just bland. The salads I saw online appeared to have had croutons on them but mine did not. The dressing itself had good flavor--likely homemade. The salad was a basic side salad otherwise. The cavatelli was off in several different ways. The pasta appeared to be actual cavatelli, but lacked the firmness I'm used to. The sauce all seemed to have been on one side of the dish. The sausage was Italian sausage. Will probably try again at some point--other reviews seem to indicate better experiences.

Italian in the midwest for me is usually incredibly underwhelming. But this place is an outlier…read more Tumea & Sons aren't afraid of seasoning or garlic, the food was portioned for normal sized humans and tasted amazing. Usually I don't see Italian places offer angel hair so was happy they offered that for some of their dishes. Desserts they offered a variety of nice options such as tiramisu, lemon cake, peach dessert and more. Nice mom and pop restaurant. Speedy service too.

In town for the Junior Olympics and needed to carbo load. The place was packed on a Wednesday at 6…read morePM, but the service was still fast and friendly. The meatballs were easily some of the best I've ever had. The wedding meatball soup also hit the spot, and the Diablo pasta with shrimp and steak was delicious with a big kick of spice. I'm talking clear your sinuses SPICY. The manicotti and the bread were just okay. And the chicken tenders weirdly looked like calamari lol. The tap water had a really strange taste to it. Overall though, good portions and reasonably priced. Get the meatballs!

On the final night of our six-week road trip, before heading home to Chicago, we stayed at the…read moreDrury 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

4.2* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more 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.

The service was fine the server was attentive. At lunch, they have a buffet.\nThere was a lot of…read moredifferent choices.We'll say italian. The food itself was meh. Meat dish was overcooked. It reminded me of going to a buffet in the seventies. Having said that, I'll have to give it up another chance.Going at night , but I wouldn't go to the buffet again.

Opa! Italian & Greek How I wanted you to be the best dinner night, but you came up short…read more We needed a place to grab dinner and they didn't have a wait on Saturday night. We were running a tight schedule which is our fault. I ordered the Creamy Steak de Burgo with Rosemary Potatoes. I ordered it medium and chose the beef tenderloin. Well it didn't come out medium or rare, but raw. I mean raw. The server agreed and took it back. It took a while to come back and by that time we needed to go to catch the show. We also barely made it to the show. I had to take it to go. The server didn't say anything to the manager or apologize or anything. Again I know I was in a tight schedule, but it is your responsibility to ensure the food is correct and cooked to order. I am not giving up on Opa! because the food is solid, The service could be better. The beef tenderloin was very good with the creamy garlic, wine, & basil sauce. Tossed and topped with mushrooms. The rosemary potatoes were fire, especially with the creamy sauce from the tenderloin. I would ask for more sauce next time. I did the upgrade and it's definitely worth it. They need to work on getting the rare, medium, medium well, and that's not good correct. What I got back was a very well done tenderloin. This is a solid meal and I will be back to give it a shot. We never said we were in a hurry or anything. Just want it cooked correctly. The salad and bread were good. I would get the salad dressing on the side. My gorgeous wife got the lasagna and I got a bite. It was amazing as well. She loved it and would get it again. We hadn't planned on going to Opa! but we did and I absolutely love the atmosphere and feel this is a solid place, just wasn't a great experience. I was so damned hungry through the entire show at the Civic Center and may have been hangry.