Centro RestaurantGreat vibes, service, & food!I ate specials: arugula salad with fresh mozzarella, shaved fennel, & pink onion vinaigrette and a pizza with fontina, ramps (I had to ask), bacon. Both were excellent combinations! My husband ate a specialty--Mama's meatballs--and Greek salad (a favorite of his). All were wonderful, seasoned and dressed just right (Greek salads are often drowned in dressing). But the best of all was the dessert! An almond cake with chocolate anglaise, mascarpone gelato, and fresh raspberries. One of our best desserts ever--and that's saying something!
Our server was thoroughly professional, knowledgeable, and just friendly enough. He did not introduce himself (thank you).5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMLove the food and energyCentro's is one of our favorite restaurants. We always have experiences good service and food. It is not a quiet restaurant, so for "intimate" dinners look elsewhere. For excellent food and energetic conversation this is the place. Service is good and friendly.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMYum!Very tasty food. Salads: wonderful, Pizza; wonderful; Morel Mushroom Tortoleni special tasty but very small portion for the price.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat wine listHad a thoroughly wonderful time with the great wine list, wonderful staff as well as the food. I appreciate restaurants that have a wine list that has a few original wines rather than the same humdrum list that is at every coffee shop in the state. A fun place to eat and drink!5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous!We met friends at Centro for brunch and the entire experience was a delight! And, the steak and eggs was delicious and cooked to perfection!5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMI enjoyed dining at Centro.I enjoyed dining at Centro. I had the fried brusselsprouts leaves with Parmesan cheese, which I thought was very good. Their New York Strip Steak was also very good, and cooked to perfection. I also liked their Gorgonzola Vinaigrette salad. I would definitely come back again.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfect Date NightThe service was great and the food even better. Dining with my long-distance boyfriend we wanted to make sure our one date night a month was special, so we chose Centro. Always treated like royalty by the staff and the food never takes too long or ever gets cold. The wine and bread is a great start and the stuffed chicken and steak were perfect meals. We always love our experience at Centro.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing food at an amazing price!I have been to Centro twice now, once for lunch and once for brunch. Their food is incredible! It is 5 star food, beautifully plated, with the price of a simple diner. The atmosphere is nice enough, the staff were pleasant and helpful. I would recommend Centro to anyone for just about any occasion!5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMOn Locust for a reason...People "swarm" to get the fantastic food and service. It's always the best.5/1/2013 12:00:00 AMBloody Mary Bar is tops andBloody Mary Bar is tops and not be be missed on the weekends.
Love the patio and food is always spot on.
Hope to make this a Sunday AM routine - on the patio of course4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMBest dinner in Des MoinesGreat menu. Very friendly service from wait staff Kim. Party of eight so we take a lot of attention! Good wines and very good cuisine.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat restaurant! The foodGreat restaurant! The food was excellent, and the service was even better! I will recommend Centro to family and friends!4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMMy wife and I went to CentroMy wife and I went to Centro for our wedding anniversary. The food was well prepared and the service was excellent. The noise level was a little high for us, we felt like we had to yell across the table. Overall a nice experience, but I don't think I'd go back for a special occasion.4/22/2013 12:00:00 AMEclectic menu for family gatheringWe recently enjoyed Sunday brunch at Centro with the family. We were happy to see the menu included not only special Sunday brunch items, but also the usual extensive lunch menu. Centro has a kid's menu, which includes a kid's drink with each order; but we were not informed by our waiter. Otherwise the service was attentive, including rapid soda refills. Unfortunately our water glasses were never refilled during the meal. Everyone enjoyed their dishes that ranged from veggie burger to egg dishes to soup to salad. Everything was attractively presented and Centro will remain an easy choice for future family gathering.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent service. ExcellentExcellent service. Excellent food. Excellent drink. Very romantic. Loved it!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMThank you George!We (Nationwide) use Centro, D'Jango, South Union and Zombie Burger(when possible) for several business occasions. The guests from out of state commonly say that they love the food and the Italian food is like what they grew up with. This is the place they want to go during their stay in Des Moines.
Gateway Market is my personal favorite, not only to pick up a delicious meal, but to also to have access to some of the best quality grocery foods/wines available at a reasonable price.
George has taken his small family business to an Epic level. Thank you George for all of your success, I enjoy seeing you on food shows!4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat service and deliciousGreat service and delicious food! My first time dining there and it was wonderful!! Will definitely attend again!3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMOur fourth or fifth excellentOur fourth or fifth excellent experience. Makes a meal a celebration. The server was wonderful after I convinced him we needed to take our time and have a relaxed dinner. Antipasti perfect, with olives and fresh mozzarella in a fluted cup made of grated Romano, with prosciutto on the side. Spinach salad with sweet bacon dressing. My zuppa di peace was full of shrimp, scallops, mussels, and mahi mahi, but the broth was a bit too sweet for my taste. Steak salad first rate, as was salmon and chicken breast, and accompanying vegetables superb. We finished it off with a shared flan, espresso, port, and decaf latte respectively, all top notch. And the martinis and mojitos were generous and made it a party. After dinner we viewed nearby art park.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMAfter reading the reviewsAfter reading the reviews before making my reservation, I was excited to taste Centro's food. The food was excellent, service staff was very polite and made me feel at home. Great drink selection and they give you plenty of food. Try the cheesecake! Best I've ever had. Overall, best food I've had in Iowa.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMI have never been disappointedI have never been disappointed coming here. And the appetizers are ridiculously huge portions for a great price. Love Centro!3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMBrunch on Sunday is GREATI was SO unbelievably happy to find a spot for brunch that is not only open on Sundays (THANK YOU!!), but is also quite worthy of a visit for breakfast food. The crab cake benedict and italian omelet were both wonderful. Hearty servings, good coffee, and attentive service. Thank you, Centro. We'll be back!3/17/2013 12:00:00 AMConsistently good.I've been going to Centro since they opened, I've never once had any disappointment there. Consistently good food, good service and good time.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a birthday celebrationWe had a birthday celebration there, it was all we expected.Nice job Centro and George Formaro!3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMClose to lower ManhattanBeing from Des Moines I had been to George Formaro's Centro dozens of time. My friend from NY hadn't so our visit was extremely pleasing for us being she is used to the dining choices in Manhattan. I would recommend Centro to EVERYONE. Why pay for food at Applebee when you can have Centro for a couple bucks more and have freshly prepared, locally produced products?3/13/2013 12:00:00 AM