A huge "thank you" to Phoenix and the staff at Bravo for generously furnishing a meal at The Beacon last evening! The pasta, salads, bread and dessert were excellent. The residents and staff are very grateful for an excellent meal and contribution! read more

I am writing a second review, which follows up on my prior review dated 8/1/26. This time we dined at Bravo on a Friday (8/22/26) with reservations booked through the Open Table App for 7:15pm. The wait at the check-in station was only a couple of minutes and the person seating us was not part of the wait staff. As mentioned in my prior review, we experienced apologizes again for the absence of Stella or Michelob beverages. Our waiter was fresh and attentive, he expressed that "most" of his Bravo colleagues were hired within the past 1-8 months. This time we stayed away from pasta & seafood and went for their pizzas (2), which were delivered to the table in a timely matter and actually tasted good. There was no table greeting visit from the operating manager. Heres the downfall, which comes with attached photos. The facilities are crumbling. A section of the outside cement entry is dissolving (this issue falls on the mall/property maintenance), the plastic decorative tree that once sat in the white urn planter was uprooted and sat on a outdoor bench, the interior mosaic tiled entryway shows serious signs of wear, the overhead lighting now has exposed lightbulbs where there once was globe coverings and lastly, as previosly noted, the toothpick dispensor was empty. First impressions are important and those that Bravo exhibits need to change. After surviving the pandemic and two bankruptcys, they need to refocus on presentation, product availability, and customer service or the remaining 19 dining locations will be set for failure. read more

See all

I used to frequent hear a lot, but haven't been home in a while so I ordered it from DoorDash. Their service went downhill because the food came all crappy in Styrofoam containers that look like they were put together last second. The food tasted OK but the Caprese was horrible It wasn't worth the money I paid for it. I don't think I'm coming back here or at least to this location again. Sad. I gave it two stars because I actually ate the food because it was edible enough read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - Spaghetti Bolognese, their special fettuccine, and Tomato Caprese. - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Ordered the chicken parm and it came out on some creamy butter noodles. I said I'm pretty sure its supposed to be marinara. He told me its under the cheese and then tried to gaslight me and say its supposed to be on that style sauce. I was too hungry to care, but it was still pretty good. Just too heavy and creamy for my taste. I've attached a picture of what mine looked like and what the ADVERTISED chicken parm looked like. Very disappointed. Also the side salad looked like something that would be served on an airplane. read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

It's not a good sign when you go to a restaurant, your seated and you he wait staff started out by telling you what they are out of. 1st and foremost, no bread , come on . I can do without the crispy ravioli but no bread. Well that's not all there was also some alcohol, well we don't drink so no harm there . The food was OK but nothing special I hate to say it but this restaurant has down about as far as it can . The service and server Sara Was wonderful , but too little too late. Also the front doors were propped open to let the flies in , or out . Love to swat while eating. read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - The menu of what they should have. - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

This place needs to close; my wife and I waited at the entrance to be seated at 6:30 PM on Wednesday 7-27-2026 for our reservation. The entire restaurant only had people at 4 tables come to find out after the people in front of us went inside to find someone to seat them they came back and mentioned that there was only 1 waitress 1 bartender and 2 cooks working in the entire establishment. We waited over 25 minutes upfront and no-one acknowledged us in any way. The people in front of us left then the people behind us and finally we left because we could not get anyone to seat us. This place has gone downhill very fast and should close their doors as it's crazy that someone would not at least look at the people waiting at the seating station or at least say something to us and the other people. Never again will we eat here and probably doesn't matter because they will be closing soon as the writing is on the wall. read more

Let me start out by saying that we didn't plan enough time for dinner. That being said, when we informed our server we were on a time constraint, he made sure we chose entrees that would come out quickly. Now for the issues. When we arrived the place seemed rundown, broken tiles in the entry and not kept up well. There was a strong odor of ammonia as we walked in and the floor was wet. We arrived at 5 PM so I would have assumed the cleaning would be done. After we were sat there was a person who poured cleaning solution from a pitcher onto the floor which was 2 tables from where we were sitting. The lady explained they were trying to get glue off the floor from pulling up carpet. Let's just say that didn't help the ambiance at all. The food was so so, nothing to write home about and they upcharge $7.99 if you want to add a side salad to your meal. When my wife used the restroom there was no toilet paper to be found in any of the stalls and no soap either. In closing, the bright spot was the waiter making sure we had time to get to the concert, but even if we have time, we won't be back. read more

I've been going to Bravo in some capacity for nearly 20 years. My two sons, my father and I were celebrating my oldest son's 21st birthday. Even as a 5 year old he preferred to go to Bravo for his birthday meals, so why not? We arrived early with many tables available. We sat at the bar for the right of passage drink - my son ordered an old fashion which I tasted and was delicious. I ordered a dirty martini and it was delivered to me in a wine glass - yuck! I chuckled about it and asked the bar tender if it was true he had no martini glasses - yep no more. A guy two spots down from me had one but apparently that was the last one in the entire restaurant. This is funny to me, but also not great - the martini needs the appropriate glass - walk over to Costco and get some. We moved to a table for dinner which seemed difficult to process for the hostess as we did not have a reservation. 2/3s of the tables were empty so they were either expecting a massive run of reservations or were short staffed - not sure. Regardless we had a wonderful table, restaurant was clean, but the service was not great - no water refills, no additional bread, etc. Three of us ordered the salmon while my younger son ordered a salad with chicken. The three salmon dishes were excellent - I ate every bite and wiped what I could up with the bread - my plate needed a rinse and would've been ready for service again :). My younger son enjoyed his salad as well, so I could not complain about the food - it was 4 to 5 starts yummy. The rest gives the 3 star marking, but I would try it again - perhaps just an off night for Bravo. read more

Best Food ever experienced in Des Moines Iowa,Seating was Good,My Regards to the Chef

Great service and food at this Bravo location in West Des Moines. Located near the mall, parking is ample near the business. Bathrooms are located on one side of the facility, causing you to walk around compared to going past server stations at the kitchen. The lobster bisque soup was amazing, upgrading to lobster pieces in the soup to create a filling meal. Overall, a great stop and lunch experience here. read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

We love the food here. The place is usually not that busy and the service has been good.

Slow, slow and slow. Food was good and service was acceptable. But overall was slow. It was a Sunday early afternoon, about 30 people in the restaurant, and it took almost 50 minutes just to get our food. read more

Horrible experience. Their cocktails are watered down. Chicken Parmesan was overly salted and tough. Soups overly salted as well. No bread service offered. Had to ask and then didn't arrive until end of meal. No one at the reception desk to greet you and you can tell they are operating on a razor thin staff. Will not go back even if they send coupons in the mail. Facilities need updating. New ownership after their bankruptcy is failing. I must clarify that wait staff was friendly and trying their best. This is obviously a management problem at the store level or above. read more

We didn't have a great experience here last Friday. We tried to call ahead but they have interesting reservation rules because we were not 2 hrs ahead of time. We went ahead and headed that way. We got on the list with an 1:15 wait. At 1:30 we asked about being seated and were seated shortly after. We were served and everything was good but neither of us were blown away by anything that we tried. We understand that there is only so much a place can do and I'm sure they were doing their best. I just didn't experience it this time. I'll update if I have a better experience next time. read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - Chicken parm - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I wanted some quick Italian food but also wanted to avoid olive gardens as they are a hit or miss situation now. We ended up sitting out on the patio and the view was super cute. Our waitress was very nice. I got the fettuccine and my husband got the chicken Marsala. Both were excellent will be back. read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - two plates of food - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I went here for my Father's birthday. I had the server XTina. She is wonderful, warm and explained the dishes to us. The food was delicious. The dessert chocolate molten cake for me, Tiramisu for my Dad. Peach was helpful when I needed something as my server got just a littke bit busy and she was able to jump in and help out with something minor. Those 2 ladies are amazing. You really feel a family atmosphere there. 10 thumbs up!! I'll definitely be a regular customer!! - Aleza Nichelle read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - Veal Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

This restaurant hit the spot. I ordered a spaghetti bolognese and it was really good. Very flavorful and meaty. The amount of pasta was just perfect and the sauce was great. Very tasty and it was a bit spicy but very subtle. It gave it that WOW factor. I asked if the sauce was made in house but the server was not sure. (I hope that it is) The pasta was cook al dente which is very good. There was not a lot of pasta but it was enough to get you full. The sauce was amazingly good and very meaty. I was able to use the bread to scoop the rest of the sauce. My only constructive criticism it is for the servers to learn about the different wines and the flavors. I asked a comparison between Bertani Velanti and the Sartori but he was not well versed because he is not a wine person. They should know the wine menu. Overall, the service was great, the food was tasty, the ambiance was exceptional and it was not loud at all. I'll be back for more. read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Had a great lunch at the bar with my favorite siblings! The bartender (David not my brother) was awesome and made the time fun! read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - David, Helen and Art - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

The food was less than average. We have eaten at other locations and was always consistent. Lasagna was greasy. Salads came out 1 minute before entrees, so we felt rushed. When we asked for bread we were given 2 thinly sliced pieces of ciabatta cut in half. They were literally the size of a cracker. The hostess seated us in a booth in the dining room, but our server was the bartender who also had diners and customers at the bar. He tried his best, was friendly and very apologetic for delays in getting to us . The bar was busy. Dining room only had four tables full at 6pm. When I kindly tried to get the hostess' attention to get the server/bartender's attention for our check, she looked at me, rolled her eyes and walked past the table with a scowl. The rest of the staff seemed competent and friendly with very few tables to serve. Will not be back to this location. Too bad. We usually have a great experience. read more

We were seated right away with a reservation. Otherwise there was a 30 min wait on a Saturday evening. The wait staff was pleasant, attentive and busy. Stopping to check on us, removing plates, filling water glasses. The calamari starter was delightful. Tender, not over cooked served with two dipping sauces that enhanced the flavor. The house salad was an amazing mix of vegetables cheese and dressing. Very flavorful and a nice mix of crunchy and creamy. The classic pasta woosie does not disappoint with the mix of chicken, fresh spinach, in a bed of pasta and a light sauce. The Chicken Caprese was a wonderful dish, full of flavorful ingredients that really surprised the palate. We enjoyed a conversation here as the noise level was minimal. This was a wonderful dining experience. read more

Well it took about 40 minutes for two salads and we were the only ones inside. The salads were SWIMMING in dressing. Service was ehh. We had one guy who was awful and then he ended up leaving and the second bartender that took over was nice and good. Overall probably won't be back read more

What a great experience. We decided to eat in the bar and was served by David the bartender. He made this experience extra special. I had the Pasta Bravo that was delicious. It was rigatoni mushroom and chicken in something similar to a vodka sauce. Shared lasagna and chicken parm with my brothers. We made our own medley by sharing all 3 meals. It was amazing! We also had several beverages. Raspberry mojito, Moscow mule and strawberry liminade. What a fun lunch on a Saturday afternoon eating at the bar. Will be back! read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - Pasta Brazo! - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Bravo Very slow service. Dined outside and the weeds growing between patio and sidewalk to the pond are out of control. Patio needed power washed. Cobwebs and dirt on the outside of the building on patio. Food very average. There are so many better choices in Des Moines. Too bad....restaurant ambiance and views are wonderful. read more

Worst service i've experienced for carry out! Ordered take out for 3 people. Got home and realized i was missing an entree and bread appetizer. Called Bravo and explained, to be told they were just too busy. After 2 trips to Bravo, 2 meals were cold. Last time i will go to Bravo. There's lots of other Italian dining in the area. read more

Service was outstanding. Reception people were on it and confirmed our reservation and got us in asap. Waitress was very attentive and could not have done any better. Food was not so good. First the bread arrived. Two thin slices for two people. Ok, maybe the baker died and we are trying to stretch the bread as long as we can, I get it. I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. A bowl of fettuccine noodles, semi warm with no visible Alfredo sauce. We'll maybe it's cooked into the noodles. The chicken was sliced and placed around the perimeter of the bowl but couldn't have been any dryer if left outside on the sidewalk. Ok, I'm going to eat it anyway and call it an experience. By the time I'm halfway through I have resorted to using my knife to cut the noodles into eatable chunks. All in all I enjoyed the atmosphere and the company but won't be returning there anytime soon. read more

Visited Bravo now that they have reopened. Positives: Our server was helpful and did a great job engaging with our kids. She took my salad off the bill and apologized for the dish without hesitation. Meal: Ceaser Salad had brown lettuce to the point I sent it back. It appeared to be the shredded lettuce you get at any grocery store. Chicken Alfredo had been sitting under the heat lamp so long the noodles became hard and turned dark yellow. The noodles were on top of the sauce so it was very evident. Lobster Bisque was ok. No actual lobster chunks on it. Kids cheese pizza and fries are what you would expect from any average kids meal. In the end we will not be going back. read more

Oh Hell No! Worst food we've ever been served! Pretty obvious why the parking lot was empty, next to Jordon Creek Mall. read more

Came here with my friend Alyx and had an amazing time. We ordered the Mandrarossa Chardonnay - it was sooo good - and then I had the Chicken Parmesan and ate on it for days. (April 2022) read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - Mandrarossa Chardonnay - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Normally, I try to veer away from mall restaurants, but Bravo has gotten some good reviews so here I am. The Lobster Bisque is good and hot. My server is friendly but did not suggest any popular lunch dishes nor did I ask. There must be a straw shortage at some restaurants because I am always asking for a straw. I can taste the lobster in the soup-- yummy! Elmer, my server did bring my straw. My how times have changed. Instead of seeing and all Italian Chef crew dishing up there was an all Latino crew--it shows diversity even with different cuisines which may not be their speciality. The flatbread with spinach, bacon, chicken and spinach looked divine The flatbread was exquisite-popping with flavor.The only negative observed was the middle chef sipping what looked like a drink while preparing the food. The entrees were served up pretty quick and seemed to be waiting to be taken away longer than necessary--perhaps for a large party. Now it is time to sample my main dish--Woozie. Oil with the soft bread was slamming. My noodles to my pasta dish were a little rubbery--perhaps under cooked--but tasty. The cheesecake was heavenly. This was a good choice for lunch--but make sure you have time to sit and wait. read more

See all

The food was good. The service was okay. The ambiance was very nice. This was our first visit- I probably would not return. I asked for more bread but according to the waitress it was in the oven and the oven was not on. The first round of bread was pretty good though. read more

Pretty good service on a Wednesday evening. Food was fast. Pasta was a little undercooked. Chicken Parmesan was a little over done. For just average pasta, it's tough to justify the cost. Restaurant area is clean. We ate outdoors on the patio which was also nice. Restrooms were not as clean as I would expect with a lot of moisture on the floor. read more

Bravo! Italian Kitchen - a plate of pasta and a glass of wine - Italian Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

We sat at the bar and had drinks and apps...and Peach was an outstanding bartender and server. Her knowledge and hospitality were great, but her drinks were most impressive. 5 Stars! read more

Great food, nice atmosphere. It says it's kid friendly but I would say it's not toddler friendly unless they are well behaved. Business casual atmosphere. read more

Place is dated (cob webs in front entrance, worn furniture, etc.). Had wedding soup for appetizer. It had too much olive oil and it was floating on top. A bit pricey for the quality of the food. Service is friendly. read more

What a great experience dining at Bravo last night! We had reservations and were greeted at the door with a warm welcome. Our waitress was attentive and friendly. The bread and dipping oil did not disappoint...delicious! We ordered the cheese pizza from the brick oven and it is the best in town! Fettuccini and salad were also delicious (generous portions). What a wonderful evening. read more

I I was pretty happy to see the restaurant open again because I really enjoy the atmosphere and their outside patio but boy was it a disappointment last night. They've gone back to their old recipes and it's not nearly as good as it was before. Sauces are too sweet on the pasta,It's like they added sugar to all the tomato based sauce. Still good service and atmosphere read more

We showed up at 10:30 and waited for them to open the door at 11:03. The bread was good with toasted garlic and olive oil. My wife ordered the lasagne which tasted like smashed tomatoes with no seasoning. The meat is a fine ground taco hamburger. Graziano sausage would have given it some flavor. She gave me half of it to eat because it had no flavor. I ordered the shrimp scampi. It was served on a plate with cream over it. Every scampi I have ever had is served in garlic and olive oil by itself or on a bed of pasta. I get it everywhere because it is my favorite. But theirs is different from my favorite. It was more like pasta soup served in runny cream. Plus they have the never starting soup and salad option unless you pay extra. I gave them the $20 off coupon because our total was $51.50. She returned and said the fine print says it must be $50 before tax. She asked if we would like dessert or coffee. So we ordered a $4 coffee to go. We gave the $10 off coupon to the young couple beside us. This was my first time here but we won't be back. I worked in an Italian restaurant at 16 preparing all of the dishes. #BootyBlizzard So at 5:30 am they sent me a free birthday dessert. I checked and it specifically says with ANY purchase get a free dessert. I drove clear over there and showed it to the nincompoop manager. She said it has to be an entree or her computer will not take it. But that's not what the coupon says. It says any purchase so I told her a can of Pepsi. She refused to take it so I'm alerting everyone to avoid this place like the plague. read more

This was an absolutely horrible experience. I ordered the Past Bravo for which the second ingredients was mushrooms. The pasta came without mushrooms. When I got our waiter's (Kirk's) attention he rolled his eyes as if I was a complete inconvenience. He was rude and informed us that they were out of mushrooms but they would give us a dessert. The chicken was over cooked and I ate less than half of my meal partly because it wasn't good and partly because I was disgusted with the service. I would avoid this place like the plague. I very rarely give bad reviews but this place didn't even deserve the one star. Unfortunately they don't allow zeros. read more

Outstandingly bad from the git go. Waited 10 minutes for waitress to get to table. Then waited20 minutes for drinks to arrive. They only had 2 bartenders it looked like. Toasted ravioli took a long time to get their and very mediocre-frozen from a bag. Entre took about 45 minutes to arrive and they brought 4 of them saying they were about out of lobster for the pasta dish and could they substitute extra shrimp? Did I have a choice?? Another 15 minutes for my entree, while everyone at my tables food got cold because they didn't want to eat without me. Did ask waitress at one point how.much longer- which prompted a spat with my daughter because she said it wasn't waitress' fault. Maybe not, but was it mine? At this point, manager should have come over...but obviously they didn't have one on duty tonight. Oh and they had a BAD sewage problem in ladies' bathroom. The restaurant should have been shut down on that issue alone. We were going to order desert but the overall experience and food was so bad we left. Oh and when my food did finally come, it was NOT worth the wait. Oh and someone at our table ordered the fettuccine Alfredo and it was without enough sauce, but had a hard time flagging down the waitress same thing with my daughters spaghetti & meatballs...really no sauce to speak of. She had been there 2 months prior and the same cluster ***k of errors. Not the customers fault it was a holiday and they couldn't handle it. Chinzy on the oil for the bread too. I think I could probably go on, but I won't. What I won't do is ever be back. read more

Got the chicken, spinach and bacon flat bread. It's a big portion. The crust is the perfect texture and it has a lot of flavor. Will be getting again. read more