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    4.6 (11 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    Carmelized onion, avocado, Swiss, lettuce, tomato candied jalapeño-excellent!

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    Angry Goldfish Pub And Eatery - A quality visit

    Angry Goldfish Pub And Eatery

    4.5(247 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    The food was amazing, and enough for several meals. I had the bowl, I know the name is longer than…read morethat, but it was so good. My daughter had the pot roast, and it was so perfectly cooked. The waitress was very sweet and attentive. The atmosphere is laid back and full of great little eye catching details. My daughter mentioned that if she ever moves to Iowa it would be for the pot roast!

    Friday Night At the Angry Gold Fish…read more This is usually a solid place to get a burger, but came up short. We arrived around 7:30 and it was busy. I asked for the corner table which was large and there were two of us. I chose it because it was quiet and it was so loud. The waitress seamed super annoyed. I am deaf in one ear and this was the best place so I could hear and actually enjoy the place. I didn't feel her attitude was justified. If she would have kept pushing the point it was going to get pushed to the manager as I have several disabilities and I don't use them, but I do choose certain places to sit to help manage them. My expectation is for the waitress to be kind and shouldn't matter if it's two people, four people, or six people. Should be glad to have a customer and business. My wife and I got a Knob Creek on the rocks to start off. We also each got the old fashion, one with tots and one with fries. The burgers have really good flavor, but wasn't even hot. The bun was super dry and I wound up leaving the bun and eating the burger. The tots were really good, but also not hot. My wife's was the same. The French fries were good, but not hot. I didn't say anything to the waitress because based on her attitude it was just going to make the night worse and I was out to have a nice evening. I have been here several times and this is my first bad experience here and I hope it's not a sign that the restaurant is going downhill. This is one of my go to spots in Des Moines to get a great burger and it should be fire on a Friday night. Fresh and delicious, not cold and dry, is the new requirement, an angry waitress to complete the Angry Goldfish vibe?

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    Angry Goldfish Pub And Eatery - Angry Goldfish...friendly place.

    Angry Goldfish...friendly place.

    Angry Goldfish Pub And Eatery - The sign for the restaurant

    The sign for the restaurant

    Angry Goldfish Pub And Eatery

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    Baratta's - Baratta's restaurant.

    Baratta's

    3.9(141 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    My wife and I have been making a point to try at least one new-to-us place each month this year…read more April's pick was Baratta's, a Des Moines staple that has been part of the local dining scene for years. We went on a Thursday night and walked into a packed house. Baratta's is one of those sprawling, multi-room venues that feels like it grew one dining room at a time, and there is a lot of charm in that. The menu is equally sprawling, and we started with the Focaccia bread, which was excellent. We split the Ravioli al Forno and still had enough to bring home, which is always a good sign. A couple of things caught us off guard. The room we landed in ran loud enough to make conversation a little work, and the wine list was shorter than we expected for a place this size. Neither was a dealbreaker. Baratta's is the kind of place that has earned its reputation, and we would go back to explore more of the menu. Worth a visit if you have not been.

    A Des Moines classic. Last night took me to revisit Baratta's down on South Union...a South side…read moretradition with history dating back to the 1920s. I think they've been under the current ownership since 1993. Spacious parking and I've always loved the atmosphere at Baratta's... Kind of an old school vibe, but up to date too. From the outside you can still see the evolution that happened over the years. A combination of store and home that evenutally merged together, but it's not as obvious from the inside. We were greeted right away when we walked in and were seated at a high backed booth in the bar area. If I recall the seating in the main restaurant is mostly low top tables and chairs. I didn't catch our server's name, but she was BUSY. It seemed like she working as a host, bartender, and server from what I could see. All rolled into one. And she did a fanstatic job! Drink orders were taken first and food a few minutes later after we'd had time to look over the menu. Most entrees come with bread and a side of either soup or a salad. I love their salads. All their dressing are made in house if I recall correctly. We ordered the Amaggio with chicken, the Manicotti al Formaggio with white sauce, both with side salads (blue cheese and creamy garlic), an unsweetened ice tea, and a soda (Coke products). $56ish before tip. Amaggio: "A house favorite with your choice of chicken, shrimp, or both rolled in a mixture of fresh bread crumbs and then grilled to perfection. Served over linguini with roasted red peppers and mushrooms. Topped with our Amaggio sauce made with olive oil, white wine, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, garlic and basil." Manicotti al Formaggio: "A unique blend of five cheeses including mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, asiago, and ricotta wrapped with fresh pasta and baked with your choice of red, white, or marinara." In full transparency I've never had a bad experience at Baratta's. Food or service... But that being said I can say the same about A LOT of restaurants in the metro! Some that others complain about regularly. I'm been trying to figure that out... 1. Either I'm not picky... 2. Maybe I'm very forgiving. 3. Or maybe I just choose to approach each dining experience with a positive attitude right out of the gate and it's infectious. Maybe a combination of all of the above...? It's just easier to be nice sometimes. It is what it is I guess... The food hit our table after a short wait. Bread and salads first and then the main dishes. Everything was cooked perfectly. The linguini in my Amaggio was still al dente. The chicken was delicious. Perfectly seasoned and not the least bit dry. I'm glad I left my bread to help clean my plate with. Our server checked on us regularly, we never had to ask for a refill...it was just taken care of...and Joe stopped by to check on us a couple of times too. I love seeing owners on site and interacting with their guests. That alone can bring a restaurant to a different level in my eyes. It shows accountablity that can sometimes seem absent these days. As always a great meal and an overall fantastic visit to Baratta's!

    Photos
    Baratta's - Shrimp pasta.

    Shrimp pasta.

    Baratta's - Pasta dinner with a martini.

    Pasta dinner with a martini.

    Baratta's - Chicken dinner.

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    Chicken dinner.

    Centro - this is just for starters!

    Centro

    4.2(677 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    We just celebrated our mom's 60th birthday here! Reservations were easy, they customized the menu…read morewith her name and reason for celebrating, servers were nice and on top of everything and gave her a delicious free dessert! On top of that, the food was good and priced well for the big portions! We will be back!

    Centro is one of the best restaurants in Des Moines. The service is very good, and they bring out…read morenew plates for each round of food, which makes the experience feel thoughtful. You also get complimentary fresh bread and the portions are quite generous! My only feedback on service is that we were asked about dessert while still eating dinner, which felt a bit rushed. The ricotta gnocchi has a lot of flavor and is clearly made with fresh ingredients. I also recommend trying the vegan sausage. We created our own pizza and added it, and the fake meat had a unique flavor with the same emphasis on freshness. The best appetizer is the portobello mushroom fries. The sauces they come with are so delicious and really make the dish. For dessert, we had the pistachio tiramisu. It was very good, but I would not call it a traditional tiramisu. It tasted more like a crème brûlée style lemon mascarpone with pistachios. Still really good, just different than expected. Overall, this is definitely one of the best Italian restaurants around and well worth visiting with a more formal, date night vibe.

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    Centro - No diners

    No diners

    Centro
    Centro

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    Judges - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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