Centro: User Reviews

my fiance got food poisoning at this overpriced pizza parlor! documented by Mercy Hospital! this place has yet to pay the er visit! and the pizza is lousey! definitely stay away from the seafood!! they didn't even know that unopened shellfish when cooked is BAD!
des moines has much much better places than this one....

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My wife and I had dinner at Centro 2 weeks ago. Since the prices were high on
everything on the menu and they try to be artsy by putting their entrees on top
of the mashed potatoes I ordered a large pizza. The menu stated there would be
tomato sauce on the pizza.....there was no sauce. Very bland pizza since there was
no sauce. We will never return.

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This is the restaurant where I take special guests. Everything is so delicious, especially seasonal items, and the prices are very reasonable. Only flaw - the servers could be a little more attentive.

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I was so very disappointed. We went for a light supper and it did arrive to us very fast. I ordered the Smokey Chicken Panini. I was so excited to get the food but then was hit in the face with grease. First mistake of theres was the description of Panni. Am I correct to assume that a panini is a pressed sandwich with grill marks. If so the their discription is totally off. It was more like a greasy grilled cheese with 2 thinly and I mean thinly slices of chicken. It would make you think that they were going to make 4 more sandwiches from 1 chicken breast. I also had enogh bread with out chicken to make 4 more sandwiches. I choose french fries as my side and that was a big mistake. They were so brown they almost tasted burnt. They wait satff was very attentive to make sure we had our glasses refilled, Diet Pepsi and water but not once did they ask how our meal was. As we left and walked by what looked like to be management and then past the hostess table no one said thank you, how was your meal or hope you come back soon. Which we will not.

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Does Centro remind anyone else of an upscale Macaroni Grill? I hope I'm not alone here but that is the exact feeling I get when I go there. And all these people who give it five stars?! Are they all employees of this restaurant? Seriously.

I have no problem with the service at Centro - which seems to be the number 1 complaint on most reviews - all I ask for in a server is to do their job. Period. Most of the time, this does occur. So I'm happy with the service.

The thing about the place that gets me is the actual food and drink. In regards to food, order a pizza, or a sandwich. Never had a bad experience with either of those. And both are quite good. Anything other than that and you are taking a risk.

The least satisfying part about Centro, the alcohol. Now, we all know alcohol is the fastest and easiest way for a restaurant to make its money. But they take it to the extreme. The actual alcohol content of a mixed drink is almost insulting. And a "glass" of wine thre is the smallest pour I've seen in the metro. So order a bottle of beer.

I do recommend Centro. Have a pizza and a couple of beers. Make new friends. (If you've never been there, a good portion of the seating is bench-style, so you really can get close and personal with the other patrons, and it does get loud in there). Essentially, Centro is Des Moines' fancy downtown diner. Enjoy.

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My wife and I are considered to the "foodies" among our group of friends and we pride ourselves on finding great food in DM. Centro is ceretainly one of those places. I need to point out that I am NOT a seafood person but nonetheless I can enjoy the scallops here at Centro due to their perfect tenderness and texture. If I can enjoy them, then so can you.

Otherwise the food is remarkable and well thought out. The service has always been very professional and efficient and we always enjoy our time there. Yes, it is expensive (no surprise there) but its SO worth it and we've been there 4 times now and each time has revealed a surprise in the service or food which makes EACH time memorable.

Check this out! It is worth your time and money!

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I gave it another try on march 3, 2010 for a friends bday. There were five of us. Food was solid; but the service wasn't up to par. Server dropped off some of our drinks and then disappeared for 20 minutes before we could get the remainder of our drink order in and food. Once the food arrived she dropped it off and then disappeared again. Unfortunately none of us had dressings on our salad so we sat there until she finally came back! But outside of that the food was good. I've always enjoyed the food there. But, If a restaurant is going to charge the high prices like they are a specialty restaurant then they should follow suit with great service of a specialty restaurant!

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I have eaten at Centro at least a dozen times a year for the last 3+ years. The food is solid (yes I have had my share of not the best today meal; but that's everywhere folks), not every time is perfect. But the thing that is consistent I feel could use some help is the service. I have had decent servers that are friendly and then the not so friendly. The overall feel from them is that they aren't excited to be there and I am sometimes an inconvenience. As well as the serving portions for their increased prices is really high. I can go to Django or Splash for some of their same types of entrees at anywhere between $2-7 cheaper! $16.99 for gnocchi?! $22-25 for fish?! If they can work on the service then to me its worth going to more frequently instead of making it my fifth or sixth choice on my list of "where to eat tonight!" (they have the ability).

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First of all centro is one of my favorite restaurants in town! And after eating there dozens of times I had my first problem and it was with the pasta, my sister even said how can the pasta be bad at a Italian restaurant? It was floating in water and had No flavor and the rgatoni was unrecognizable and all broke apart.

As usual everything else was FAB... The scallops were huge and succulent, Centro salad and pizza was great as always as was the rest of the food!

Service was very Good and our server compt our deserts.

George Gets IT !!! I wish more restaurateurs Did !!! Also had a fabulous experience at Django a few wees ago.

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You dont hear so many good things about this place for nothing. Centro is my go-to place when I want a nice dinner for a decent price. Its an especially great place to entertain out of town guests or family. I love that its locally owned an Italian food-something that Des Moines does great, therefore it seems like the perfect restaurant to represent the city.

Unfortunately, Ive had a few bad experiences with the pizza-which I still actually love. A few times we got a pizza with soggy crust. I havent had anything like that in a while and was told that it was a problem with the oven temperature. Also, they have a great wine list!

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