Centro

The wait staff was very polite had a great waitresses. I got the homemade cavatelli it look like a big potion but it seemed like it was just sauce very little noodles and it was barely cheese. It was not wealth the price

Best food for Italian we have had in Iowa for a long time. Bruschetta, spicy pasta, chicken francese was top notch.

This is consistently one of my top favorite restaurants on all of Des Moines metro! They have excellent service, food, atmosphere, drinks, dinner, dessert, focaccia and brunch!
It’s my go-to when we have out of town company!
The tomato soup has tortellinis in it and the mamas meatball is always so good. The Cavatelli is a great pasta dish that you cannot go wrong with and a huge portion! Highly recommend!

Was in town for 3 days and ended up going back twice. Amazing food and service. Was there for lunch and then grabbed dinner the next night. The onion rings are ridiculous, so good. I had sausage pizza- Top 5 all time favorite.

This is my family's default restaurant. It's reliable and the cost is fairly proportioned to the offering.

Food: Italian-American. All above average in quality, though they have no dish for which they make it better than anywhere else. Get whatever sounds good to you and it will be good. They are in the running for best pizza in town. They serve free fresh-baked bread and olive oil. Small tip: the side salads are large enough to be a meal for most people. My wife doesn't always finish the side Greek salad.

Service: almost always impeccable. One time we had a terrible server (I'll spare you the details) and if that were our first time there we probably wouldn't have gone back, but we've been there countless other times and never had anything to complain about.

Atmosphere: upscale; ultra-vaulted ceilings; modern Italian vibe.

Notes: Get reservations. You often don't need them, but when there is a 45 minute wait you'll be glad you got it. There is a small bar with a few tall tables around it. This is great if you have a small party and there is a long wait to be seated at a normal space.

I love Italian food and this is one of the better options in the Des Moines area, although it is not my favourite. The food is extremely flavourful, the atmosphere is fancy but not overly decadent, the service prompt without feeling smoothering and the prices reasonable if not a just little high. I'm particularly fond of their Gnocchi and think it's the highlight of their menu.

Service is good, ambience is okay, I guess depending on where your seating is located. I enjoyed the outdoor setting. I've dined in here probably 5-8 times now. I love their Salmon with Asparagus. Overall the place is not too bad. I probably won't recommend if your going on your first date? It does not have the romantic vibe. Just saying!

In town for business conference. We had a group of 25 directors of culinary services. Tera Lee was our server and was simply amazing. Came in on her day off to just serve our group, and we were amazed!! Can we steal her??
Food was also outstanding!! Would visit Des Moines again just to come to Centro!!

Just heard about Centro ladt week and thought it was worth the 1.5 hr drive to check it out on Mothers day. It did not disappoint. You open the doors and walk into friendly staff and white tablecloths. The atmosphere was upscale but not pretentious so dont be worried about if you are dressed up enough or not. We had the cheese dip that came with onions, mushrooms and garlic in it with a side of grilled peta bread to start. The meal also came with fresh baked roles that had delicious onion/ garlic baked into it. We made our own large pizza and it is large. Very generous with the toppings. Crust had that good balance of charred texture to hold everything together but soft and airy on the inside. Prices are not out of line for a good night out especially for handmade Italian food.

A three course vegan meal really surprised me so I tried it.
Tasted the focaccia bread with olive oil, both on the table. Olive oil had good taste and low acidity, yummy.
Avocado hummus with grilled pita. Garlicky, can taste the avocado but not the hummus. Very good.
Panzanella salad. Tomatoes, cucumber with seeds removed, onions, basil, a million croutons, and seasoning. Good but way too many croutons. IMO, croutons don't belong in a salad.
Cauliflower risotto was ok. No flavor stood out, overall ok (I love garlic).
Also tried the Vegan Pot de Creme as a desert, dense and very chocolatey.
My wife tried the ribeye with mashed potatoes and asparagus, she said that while the steak wasn't medium rare it was still very tasty. She also tried the marshmallow Sunday, looked good but was hard to get to the different layers because it was served in a glass.
The restaurant was overly air-conditioned, so much that another customer was wearing a napkin for warmth.
Service was excellent, attentive, and very friendly, plus one star and one star for having a complete vegan meal.