Great food and drinks. We ordered the burrata, crab spaghetti and prosciutto chicken were all really good.
Salek Walker
Excellent pasta made from scratch, excellent service and they found my credit card when I returned the next day looking for it. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jon S.
The best three cheese ravioli! Good fast service and great downtown Iowa city atmosphere.
Harin L.
Some of my favorite Italian food in the Iowa city area! My favorite things to order here are any other pizzas (esp the mushroom and lobster) and pastas. really great interior, relaxing environment, nice balance between being fancy yet approachable!
Sara G.
Fantastic. We had dinner and it did not disappoint. My son (18 yo) had the spaghetti with meatballs and it was amazing. I split the farro salad with chicken with my friend who had the roasted beet salad. Both salads were fresh and delicious. The prices are affordable, the service was perfect and the happy hour special was a bonus for us! I highly recommend.
Cara P.
The wait staff was great and so were the Bellinis. The pancetta benedetto, breakfast pizza and lobster omelet were great! The French toast left much to be desired. There seemed to be confusion about pricing on our checks. Prices on the menu (and the menu as a whole) and deals posted are not the same and don't appear to be upheld. There was an a la carte menu but you don't know if you don't ask about it. Also didn't receive/wasn't offered a dessert menu though they said dessert is offered during brunch. We plan to be back to try more and are hoping for a better outcome!
Nicki M.
the ambience is the only thing I can rate a positive. Our server and then the manager told us as a party of seven we could not have separate checks even when the menu said otherwise. Three of our party enjoyed their lunch while the rest felt the pastas were below average. One person tried to order a glass of wine and the server brought her a bottle only wine list! She had to ask if single glass wine was available. When we finally got our bills, four of us were charged $5-17 dollars more than the listed lunch price! I will not be back. I felt like I was bullied from start.
Caitlin L.
Basta is always a hit when looking for something a bit more elevated that won't break the bank in Iowa City. I've ordered a handful of things in the menu over, and the sausage orecchiette is hands down the best entree on the menu!! The spaghetti is good and noodles taste homemade but the meatballs were a bit underwhelming; however, you won't find something bad on the menu. They have great drinks from the bar, and a great dessert menu (highly recommend the tiramisu). The staff are always very friendly and helpful when deciding what meal to get. Food tends to always be delivered to your table quickly. Only negative thing I have to say is that it can get loud in here sometimes, but the food is well worth it.
Timothy Holston
The food was amazing. If an Italiann restaurant says spicy meatball or sausage, it should be. Well at Basta it is and it was great.Our service was top notch. Our waitress was attentive without being overly so. She was efficient at removing dishes from our small table.As the restaurant has a small foot print space is a premium. It is cozy without feeling cramp in the right areas. We were sat on the raised section, which for a 250lb 6'2 guy was a little cramp. That is the only reason for the 4 star on atmosphere. If I could give four and a half I would.
Had the fettuccine Alfredo vegetarian style.It took over 20 minutes to get our beverage order inAnother 15 to get them to the tableThe food came quick and was delishWill go again because it is in tje neighborhoodBut service is SLOW
Great atmosphere and food! The focaccia was amazing. Our server Linea was super helpful and attentive! Will definitely be coming back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Pe R.
Food is not really Italian, but is tasty nonetheless. Service is fine. Handy for downtown IC.
Michelle A.
We love the food, service, and setting. Great go-to spot for dinner. Friendly and hospitable. I don't think I will ever find a better eggplant parm. The kids love the pizza.
Joanne Gasperetti
Greeted and given a lovely table out of the way. Server was very kind, polite and efficient. Our pizza was delicious.
Great food and drinks. We ordered the burrata, crab spaghetti and prosciutto chicken were all really good.
Excellent pasta made from scratch, excellent service and they found my credit card when I returned the next day looking for it. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best three cheese ravioli! Good fast service and great downtown Iowa city atmosphere.
Some of my favorite Italian food in the Iowa city area! My favorite things to order here are any other pizzas (esp the mushroom and lobster) and pastas. really great interior, relaxing environment, nice balance between being fancy yet approachable!
Fantastic. We had dinner and it did not disappoint. My son (18 yo) had the spaghetti with meatballs and it was amazing. I split the farro salad with chicken with my friend who had the roasted beet salad. Both salads were fresh and delicious. The prices are affordable, the service was perfect and the happy hour special was a bonus for us! I highly recommend.
The wait staff was great and so were the Bellinis. The pancetta benedetto, breakfast pizza and lobster omelet were great! The French toast left much to be desired. There seemed to be confusion about pricing on our checks. Prices on the menu (and the menu as a whole) and deals posted are not the same and don't appear to be upheld. There was an a la carte menu but you don't know if you don't ask about it. Also didn't receive/wasn't offered a dessert menu though they said dessert is offered during brunch. We plan to be back to try more and are hoping for a better outcome!
the ambience is the only thing I can rate a positive. Our server and then the manager told us as a party of seven we could not have separate checks even when the menu said otherwise. Three of our party enjoyed their lunch while the rest felt the pastas were below average. One person tried to order a glass of wine and the server brought her a bottle only wine list! She had to ask if single glass wine was available. When we finally got our bills, four of us were charged $5-17 dollars more than the listed lunch price! I will not be back. I felt like I was bullied from start.
Basta is always a hit when looking for something a bit more elevated that won't break the bank in Iowa City. I've ordered a handful of things in the menu over, and the sausage orecchiette is hands down the best entree on the menu!! The spaghetti is good and noodles taste homemade but the meatballs were a bit underwhelming; however, you won't find something bad on the menu. They have great drinks from the bar, and a great dessert menu (highly recommend the tiramisu). The staff are always very friendly and helpful when deciding what meal to get. Food tends to always be delivered to your table quickly. Only negative thing I have to say is that it can get loud in here sometimes, but the food is well worth it.
The food was amazing. If an Italiann restaurant says spicy meatball or sausage, it should be. Well at Basta it is and it was great.Our service was top notch. Our waitress was attentive without being overly so. She was efficient at removing dishes from our small table.As the restaurant has a small foot print space is a premium. It is cozy without feeling cramp in the right areas. We were sat on the raised section, which for a 250lb 6'2 guy was a little cramp. That is the only reason for the 4 star on atmosphere. If I could give four and a half I would.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sausage & Orecchiette Pasta, Meatballs
Had the fettuccine Alfredo vegetarian style.It took over 20 minutes to get our beverage order inAnother 15 to get them to the tableThe food came quick and was delishWill go again because it is in tje neighborhoodBut service is SLOW
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
The atmosphere is lovely and the food delish! Great service from the friendly staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Chicken Alfredo Pasta, Stuffed Dates
Great atmosphere and food! The focaccia was amazing. Our server Linea was super helpful and attentive! Will definitely be coming back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Food is not really Italian, but is tasty nonetheless. Service is fine. Handy for downtown IC.
We love the food, service, and setting. Great go-to spot for dinner. Friendly and hospitable. I don't think I will ever find a better eggplant parm. The kids love the pizza.
Greeted and given a lovely table out of the way. Server was very kind, polite and efficient. Our pizza was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari Starter, Beet Salad, Butternut Squash Ravioli