“We got there a bit early, and they opened promptly at 5. Our server/hostess seemed to be doing it all even as more and more people started showing up. She did a fantastic job. We started with a order of cheesesticks served with a rich red sauce. Breading was delicious and fried perfectly. I ordered the Chicken Parm, and my wife ordered the Eggplant Parm. Salad and bread came out next, salad was cold and crisp, bread was warm and very good as well. Next comes our main dish, Both were hot and cooked to perfectly. Nothing exceptional, just good basic Italian food. We both have decided to go back and try the pizza, as it looked delicious.“
“After 3 years living in Ankeny we finally tried Nonna’s last night and wow the food is spectacular and the staff above and beyond wonderful! We’ll definitely be more frequent visitors and now regret waiting so long to try them! Thank you so much for the great food wonderful drinks! We’ll see you soon!“
“My brother’s recommended and raved about the Italian Beef sandwich, that is was delicious and that I would only want more after tasting it for the first time. Well, I admit they were right as the sandwich lived up to all of the hype as it was excellent!!“
“We order take out and was perfectly amazing. Best calamari EVER! I had the glazed almond spinach salad and my husband had the spicy seafood linguini. The best ever! They sent bread home with us also - so fresh and delish. We will be back - soon!“
“The food was excellent. One of the best steak deburgo I’ve had. The restaurant is small, so it gets really noisy. There was also no clear communication in where to go to get on the waitlist, you can’t wait at the bar so you have to go to a small waiting room down further in the strip mall. But again no one told us where to go to wait and there was no signage.“
“I originally had a short and sweet review here and just could not leave that. Here is how I really felt instead. In the area almost exactly a year, have taking in all the restaurants and this is my first review. Portofino’s- Seated immediately, great atmosphere. Free/fresh garlic bread, honestly I could have eaten just that and brought 4 more home! Fresh, hot, still steaming to our table food! Chicken and Shrimp Milanese-with so much to bring home easily one more meal. Kids baked zeti with meatballs, easily 2 portions for a younger kid, maybe another half portion came home for my 7 year old. Cannoli-AMAZING. Finally 2 fountain drinks. All for only $40.02 Everything was excellent! Some of the best food we have had! ”The world’s best cannoli and meatballs” from a 7 year old little girl. Personal observations and highlights for me if you made it this far! (I have many family members in the restaurant business even owning high end restaurants in Denver). Although they were assigned specific tables, I have never been to a restaurant where every server acknowledges every table and adresses a need as they walk by. Servers seating new guest, filling drinks of other tables, clearing other tables, the list goes on and on! All working together, I did not see many tasks being completed alone. I didn’t not get a drink from the bar but I noticed the bar tender did not just fill the order and let it sit for the server. He personally took the drinks to the table if he noticed the server was busy(also I assume there may have been servers under 21 honestly). The service I witnessed tonight really showed a family, locally owned business with great leadership. Clearly employees who are well cared for and love their job. Loved that it was packed but I did not hear the table to either side of me very much. My daughter and I had a conversation and played a game while waiting for food just fine. Enjoyed that there were babies to elderly all seated in the same area around the restaurant. Let’s be honest most places seat all the families together away from couples, ect. This did not appear to be the case here. Big groups to a single person all treated with the same excellent service. Definitely family friendly or a place for a nice date night! We will be back A LOT! Pizza is next! That was the plan for tonight but that quickly changed when we looked at the menu. Looking forward to the many years this family restaurant will be feeding my family and many others! A true dining experience!“
“We get takeout from Papa's once a month. It's hard to say "no" to the best pizza ever. The homemade marinara is amazing, but my favorite pizza is the BBQ Chicken Pizza on thin crust. Plus, you've got to get the bread sticks...SO GOOD!“
“Best NY Pizza in the Midwest. I grew up in NY where freedom as a kid meant having $1 and being old enough to walk to the corner pizzaria on your own - or having $2 so you could bribe an older sibling to go with you if you weren't old enough to go alone. Plenty of places call themselves NY pizza, but don't come close. The pizza and pasta at TONY is authentic NY. The garlic knots and zepoles are perfect. It's our first stop whenever we're in Des Moines.“
“We were here on a Friday night with a group of 8. We had a reservation and we were seated immediately. The owner stopped by and said hello before our waiter even got there. The service was great the whole evening, our waiter knew exactly when to come back and when to let us be and just enjoy the dinner.The food was great, it was a 4 course fixed price menu. Everything was delicious and the portions were just right.The brick walls add to the already great atmosphere. The restaurant was great and we will definitely be back in the future!“
“We were here with a large group of family. Since we had made a reservation, they had our table set up and waiting for us. The waitress was very busy with our large group in addition to the other tables around us but still managed to be very attentive. Our food was delivered quickly and was delicious. You can tell that it is all made in house. The owner came around and talked to all of us to make sure we were happy with the service and the food. We could see why it is such a popular restaurant.“
“Such a lovely spot for a date night. I used to work here back in high school when it was café di Scala and I had not been back since. Went for an anniversary and was treated with champagne and such a good meal. I got the seafood risotto and everything was phenomenal. The pizza was spot on and everything was delicious!“
“Basil Prosperi… my FAVORITE restaurant for lunch. The food is fantastic. I introduced the restaurant to my teenager, and it’s become the go to restaurant after her 90-day blood draws, and dr appointments. Today our appointment ran long and I dropped her at the curb at 1:47 pm. Y’all fixed her “crack Alfredo” and made her day. The Fettuccini Alfredo and Ricotta and Spinach were divine! Thank you for the treat after the unpleasantness!“
“My husband and I have been coming here for 7 years and it remains one of our absolute favorite spots. Great food with large portions. Very tasty desserts (if you're not feeling a big meal, its worth swinging by for just a dessert). Good staff. Cozy atmosphere. A Des Moines must!“
“The lobby was clean and the guy who took our order was super friendly.He looked like he was busting his butt running the front and the lobby.The food was awesome and the mozzarella balls are probably a new weakness for me.Kid-friendliness: I loved their coloring table to have kids color and decorate the lobby. Very cute idea and it kept my daughter busy while she wasn't eating.“
“I have been wanting to try Sonny's Bistro for a while now and we finally went. The service and food was absolutely great and I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a great place to eat with a nice Italian atmosphere. Our party of 6 loved every meal that was served especially the pizza.“
“This restaurant is located on the 1st level of the Kruse building downtown. It is very stark and modern. The staff are Uber nice and extremely helpful. The serving size is plentiful. The menu is small and has just a few different options. The place has concrete floors and with tables and chairs.You order at the counter and they bring you your food. As I said the staff is extremely attentive.“
“I call this place one of the jewels of the Southside for a reason - the breakfast burritos are excellent, as are the breakfast sandwiches! I love getting locally sourced goods, including honey, pizza sauce and love drop cookies and the people are absolute gems themselves.“
“Michael was amazing! Best dining experience I’ve ever received, you are truly treated like royalty here and the food was top notch. The lasagna melts in your mouth and the fried ravioli was to die for. Everything we ordered was fast delicious and a good price, and to top it all off I proposed to my fiancé and she said yes!!! Michel was the best and I will definitely request him each and every time I dine here in the future. whatever your paying him, ITS NOT ENOUGH!“
“Miss Fazolis, the one in Waterloo closed years ago and no one has tried to bring one back. The food was just as good as I remember it. The chicken Alfredo was delicious, just needs a bit more chicken ?.There was at times a smell, like a sewer smell, other than that it was 4 star good, no smell, 5 stars.“
“This is my new favorite hidden gem. The food was absolutely amazing and came out quickly. Our server Santiago was attentive, extremely friendly, and just really great overall. The margaritas are unique and delicious. If I wasn't so full I would come back again tonight!“
“I was very impressed!!! I really enjoyed the privacy curtains. The food was very good cooked perfectly! the service was perfect as well very polite and checked in frequently to be sure everything was good and we had everything we needed. I will be back and recommend to all my friends! If I had 1 complaint I guess I'd say the prices but in reality you get what you pay for all around here. It's worth it to me! I do not recommend this as a restaurant for kids. ☆☆☆☆☆“
“It was my fiancé’s birthday and she wanted a good Italian restaurant, and I knew just the place to take her.Her mother loved the lasagna, she loved her chicken parm, and I loved my chicken carbonara. Everything had awesome flavor and good portion sizes as we all had leftovers to take home.Julie provided us excellent and friendly service! We will definitely be back for the excellent food and Julie’s excellent service.“
“Great noodles! Lots of great options for anyone, and they have fast table service to make sure you're well taken care of. Also right next to (my favorite) Caribou Coffee location! Convenient to just grab coffee and noodles and relax for a bit. Highly recommend!“
“We had an appetizer & pizza. Everything was awesome! We stepped outside our comfort zone & tried the pepperoni with pesto pizza. It was really tasty. Service was excellent & atmosphere was calm, but busy. Thanks for a great date night!!Parking: Plenty of spaces available with wide spots. No potholes or curbs to avoid.“