This place is setup to serve a lot of people during the lunch hour in the sky walk. I had a half sandwich half soup. The soup was great with some real spicy kick to it. The sandwhich had some stale bread to it but tasted okay. Overall a great place to grab a quick bit. read more

Basil Prosperi - Roast beef sandwich - Italian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Local. Best lasagna in town. Best Cajun Tuna sandwhich paired with roasted red pepper soup. You can't go wrong with anything on this menu. Everything is to die for but my favs are listed. Have a family get together get the pain of lasagna to bake at home. 100% a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Get the mix sauces and you might just host every holiday party at your house - not kidding this place is that good read more

This place is great for lunch (they aren't open for dinner) if you are downtown! Yes, sometimes it seems they rush you a little in line when you're ordering but the menu isn't that extensive and everything I've tried (pastas) have been delicious. The workers are very nice and can answer any questions you have about the pastas! The Food: Sausage and Peppers Linguini with red sauce -3.5/5 this is only because I'm picky about my red sauces. My hubby thought it was tasty. He would've gave it more stars. It was definitely good! But I think I'd rather get it with their alfredo instead. Mushroom Pesto Pasta with Alfredo- 5/5 seriously this is my go-to pasta here! The mushrooms make it feel meaty and they do not skimp on the mushrooms. The alfredo is down right delicious and creamy! Each pasta comes with bread which is perfect to dip the sauces with. Honestly, I would order any of their pastas and just have them add alfredo. It's just that tasty to me. I agree about the chicken. Don't add it. But every other meat or veggies topping I've had has been great! Will come back whenever I can! The only negative here is that they aren't open all day! read more

Basil Prosperi - Mushroom Pesto pasta (I had them add alfredo) delicious!! - Italian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

STOP JUDGING ME! I may or may not have eaten here twice in recent times...but their Friday salmon penne with jalapeño cream sauce is the stuff dreams are made of. A touch light on the cream sauce but that's my greed getting ahold of me because I really just desire to bathe in the sauce. I mean...jalapeños, in-house smoked salmon, cream sauce, tomatoes and penne? Just call Jenny Craig on my booty now. The Greek salad was FABULOUS! The green and kalamata olives add the perfect salty tang to the salad. Lettuce was crisp and fresh, not wilted (which I find so often!) and the dressing was the perfect Greek-ish touch. Red onions were strong (but good) and the feta...hello, it's cheese so of course it was delish! Lasagna wasn't my favorite (not bad just not wow'd by it) but loving the Greek salad w/ chicken added. The beef vegetable soup w/ pasta was bomb! It had just enough heat to want to keep eating more of it; delish! Lasagna with jalapeño cream sauce on top is the stuff pasta dreams are made of! I didn't love the jalapeño cream soup but I really think I was too busy with drinking my jalapeño cream sauce to notice the soup! I know where I'll be on Friday at lunch...every week. Ok, twice a week. Fine, daily; I'm eating here daily. Don't make me admit maybe hourly! read more

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One of the best local Italian lunch spots in DSM. The service is always friendly and the food is freshly made. We have also tried their take and bake meals and have loved them! read more

I've been here a few times now. I must admit I wasn't particularly enthused with their sausage & pepper pasta. This last time, though, I had the linguine Alfredo and that dish was a joyful plate full of comfort food. It totally hit the spot! I've also had their Red Pepper Soup a couple of times and it's very good. I'm not a huge fan of their pizza, but as other Yelpers here have stated, this is a solid spot for lunch. read more

Basil Prosperi - Red Pepper Soup - Italian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Hidden gem in downtown office building. Large portions. Great pasta. Only negative, if it even is on, too much bread provided with pasta and salad. read more

Met up with a friend at Basil Prosperi today, which is located within the 801 Grand building in downtown Des Moines. We got there at 11am (when it opens), so there wasn't a wait at all. By the time we left there was a line out the door. I think that its location is convenient for a lot of people that work in downtown. Basil's has pasta dishes, salads, sandwiches, and soups. I decided to get the Sausage and Peppers pasta. It came out very quickly and there was also 3 slices of bread with the dish. My dish was very flavorful and the pasta itself was cooked very well. It wasn't too chewy, so I would say it was al dente. There weren't large pieces of sausage, but rather minced or diced up pieces of sausage throughout the pasta. I didn't mind that, since every bite had a mix of pasta, meat and peppers in it. The meat was seasoned well and the red peppers added an additional flavor to the dish. Overall, I was happy with what I ordered and I would go back and try other dishes. I was creeping on other dishes while eating, and the sandwiches looked appealing, so I may try that next. read more

Basil Prosperi - Sausage and Peppers pasta - Italian Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Great food for a quick italian place. The menu is easy to read and they're pretty speedy, even when it's super busy. Seating can be a little difficult if you want to stay. But rumor is they are expanding into the space next door for additional seating. Typically, if there is a line, they'll have someone walk the line and take orders, then you'll pay up front. If you're staying in to eat, they'll give you a number to take to your table and they'll bring you your meal. If you're leaving with your food, they'll package it up for you. Also, there is a silverware and water station past the register for those staying in to eat. If you need oil etc for your bread, that is on the far side of the restaurant, by the windows. Most meals come with a few slices of bread (which are perfect for soaking up alfredo sauce!). Highly recommend Basil. I would skip on adding chicken to your alfredo though. I'm not sure if they microwave it or boil it, but the chicken is rubbery and dull in flavor. read more

Pretty solid spot for lunch. A friend I go with always gets the jalapeño cream chicken and another always the spinach ricotta. Their salads and soups are pretty good but the roasted red pepper soup is a must for me. It can get pretty busy at peak times, but the line usually moves fast and the seating has never been an issue. read more

This is truly a hidden gem of Des Moines. I discovered it while working in the skywalks and try to get back even though it's not a very convenient spot. I get the shrimp and greens. Something about the combination of flavors of their soft bread, salty dish and sweet Diet Coke always hits the spot. If you have friends who work at Principal, insist that you eat here. read more

In the last year, things have really changed here - expanding into pizza and now doing breakfast, as well as baking their own bread in-house. I am not sure any of these developments are for the better... I used to pop in for lunch once a week and loved the old sandwich bread they used before, but now the sandwiches are not anywhere near as good. I don't see any obvious changes with the pasta dishes, but of course the side of bread has been downgraded. I haven't had a lunch there in probably a month as nothing appeals to me anymore, or at least not as much as some of the other nearby options. Pizza - well, it was nice of them to let us sample the slices while they were ramping up, and I do think their pizza tastes good. The problem is the pricing is too high unless you can get 3 people together to order a full pie. $4-5 slices, depending on topping, are really not intriguing to me. If they priced them lower, like 2-for-$5, I'd probably opt for their pizza more often. Breakfast - after neighbor Dooley's went out of bounds, Basil's attempted to pick up the breakfast business... and I don't think it is working. They lack simple items, which were also cheap and quick, and instead force you into something more elaborate and expensive. Maybe I'm the only one that sees the negative changes going on... the lines for lunch are still out the door, so I don't think they're losing business, but then again they also don't have a single competitor in their building at this time. read more

Basils is an excellent restaurant and there is only one reason I did not give them 5 stars. They have personnel issues on the pizza service side. There's one guy who is always rude whether they are busy or not. When I told him he didn't have to be rude, instead of apologizing he said, "I wasn't rude." The pizza side is always slow even when they're not busy. You need to staff one additional person on that side and replace the rude guy and you'd get 5 stars across the board. read more

Always love their food ... Huge portions, I can rarely finish what I get but always good. They're open until 2 on the weekdays so that's nice as I can hold off and avoid the massive line that always accumulated during the lunch hour. A bit pricey but pretty worth it. read more

Lucky for me, I chose Basil for lunch today! I ordered the Jalapeno Cream with Garlic Tomato pasta special topped with Chicken. This dish packed just enough heat to make it super flavorful. This family owned restaurant is a must for those looking for an affordable, quick, and delicious meal. The line out the door was evidence of how much others enjoy this gem as well. Make sure you check this spot out! read more

Love the spinach and ricotta I get this every time when I'm in the area working it's worth the wait you might have. Next time I'll try the pizza I heard it's Amazing !! read more

This is an unreliable, unprofessional company. My sister and her groom have been meeting with this company to arrange a catering service for their wedding for a year. The couple offered to pay upfront and to pay a deposit, but the employee said that was unnecessary and continued business and set a date. At the next meeting, the couple were told the date was booked for a family member of an employee, but were guaranteed the company would provide other employees for service. However, their arrangement was cancelled by this company three weeks before the wedding. Do not bring your business to this restaurant. read more

This is a lunch spot located in the skywalk. Let me save you a wasted trip. Don't come for breakfast or dinner because they won't be open. If you come for lunch come early if you don't want to wait in line. I prefer to come at 11am. If you come at 12pm you may be standing in a line outside the doorway. This is a quick service Italian joint, essentially fast food Italian. Your food isn't so much made to order but by keeping a tight menu they are able to offer everything hot and fresh enough. This is evidenced by ordering Chicken in your pasta and noticing it's somewhat dry as it was precooked prior to the lunch rush. We are trading off speed for quality here. With that said the food quality is still good and consistent. The prices aren't terrible but I feel are a little high. I'm sure they reflect on the convenient location to office workers, the fact that their location prevents them from getting dinner business, and the rent costs of their suite. Service doesn't come with a smile but they are not unpleasant either. There is a feeling that you are being rushed along through the counter like a line of never ending cattle. They definitely have the process down but it's not a welcoming one. read more

Went here for lunch with my mom the other day. I was very impressed! I got the tomato basil soup and it was amazing! I have never had something like that before. I also got the roast beef half sand which and it was very tasty. The soup and half sand which filled me up for a very reasonable price! Service was great and good came out quick. Would definitely recommend for a food lunch date. read more