Basta Pizzeria Ristorante

Love this place! great food, great people.

Refused to accommodate our group with a 4 week advanced reservation. The manager was very rude. Server was in tears because the manager yelled at her. We left without ordering food because they said we had to be gone within an hour of our reservation.

**update October 2022**
I am saddened to say that with Sara leaving Basta they no longer have the best margaritas in town.
I don't who does but it isn't here anymore.
I will truly miss her drinks.

The atmosphere is so different with Tim and Sara being gone. We felt so welcomed by them and it was more then a client/employee relationship. The food is still great and our server was really nice...it's just different.

**update January 2022**
A couple weeks ago we went in and they asked if we had reservations and we said no. They told us the wait time and we hung out. Not even 5 minutes in, the manager (Tim)bumped us up and got us in. I just love how we are treated here. It's amazing. We just keep coming back and loving it every time!
As my wife says "I love this place!"

We miss Tim! He was such an amazing manager! It was so different with him not being there.

Decent food but not sure if the prices are warranted

One of the few restaurants in Iowa city that balances quality with reasonable pricing. You can get a legit meal for $20-25. Friendly staff and a good atmosphere.

Absolutely delicious! I had the Eggplant Parmigiano, the eggplant was cooked perfectly and the spices made the flavor pop! Excellent salad as well! Would definitely eat there again and I highly recommend it! They have vegetarian and vegan options, as well as a plethora of drink options.

At first I had a hard time getting through to make a reservation, but I'm glad I finally did! The four cheese penne was delicious and the bread very soft. We were in and out in about an hour, though we were never rushed. Excellent wait staff too!

Got a fungi pizza. There's not much to say, but I thought it was good.

I always feel like I don't put enough effort into giving good reviews. We stopped in, completely unplanned, for my husband's birthday, for lunch. Our service was kind and attentive. The calamari was prepared perfectly! We spent the summer on the east coast and were happy to see such great prep. We also recently vacationed in Greece and the olives offered on the appetizer menu were reminiscent of our visit. The staff gave no hesitation to our request to share the crab spaghetti. It was awesome! Perfect, hearty pasta. A lot of crab and just the right amount of spice inthe cream sauce. The corn and asparagus included were on point. Overall ... great. Kudos to your kind staff and great food!

I have been successfully running restaurants for the past 18 years. It is clear as day the management needs a change. I hope corporate steps in and takes care of this.