Cosi Cucina

Thought the dinner was AWESOME and our server was great. 5 out of 5!
This is a great place to hang or have a business meeting. Very quiet. Homemade EVERYTHING. The bread is served from a basket, but first it comes from their own dough. Absolutely one of the best restaurants in Des Moines!

Long long time ago with pasta sauce…
Well it seemed it’s been that long since I had been here. I had heard a couple different things (like they had closed) since last being here but wanted to come back again.
Brought mom with me as we needed some early dinner before our movie ritual.
3 o’clock on a Tuesday and there is no crowd… literally we were the only two in the place. I actually love that because you know the waiter will have the time for Q&A.
We were seated at a little table near the kitchen. The waiter was very kind and let us know they had no gluten free menu but noodle options and other meals that were indeed gluten free.
He even had a great suggestion off the dinner menu for mom even though we had lunch menus in hand.
At order time I asked his option between two dishes and took his suggestion.
Divine
Delicious
Yea I’m going to have mouth watering flashbacks.
Mom had the Butternut squash Risotto. The asparagus served on top as a garish was huge! Nice, round and thick. She ate what she could and boxed the rest. She let me try it and it was good.
Open. Faced. PORTABELLA!
This was the delectable decision the waiter had helped me pick.
I have been craving portabella more and more lately and this one takes the cake!
Grilled portabella mushroom cap topped with melted gorgonzala cheese caramelized onions, roma tomatoes served open-​faced on house made
Foccacia bread topped with lemon garlic and aioli and spinach.
Oh…my…
This was so juicy. It just melted in my mouth. I made yummy noises through every bite. Good thing we were the only two there. Lol.
I will be dragging my husband back for a nice night out.
We left in high spirits and full tummies. Mom was so bummed she forgot her leftovers I am still bringing about it this morning. She really wanted those and kicking herself for leaving them behind.

We got the special for $ 18 for what we got it was way overpriced they give your bread to fill you up before dinner and you don’t even get a salad with your entrée. Service was good but I doubt it go back.

All I can say is «Bowser», eat your heart out! The won’t be any doggy bags
coming out of this place any time soon.
Ordered potato ravioli…19.00 and looked like it was an hors’ douvres.
6 or 7 small ravioli and a smattering of potatoes and sprinkling of beef tips
in gravy. No vegetable. no salad. It was tasty, but nothing to write home
about.
Glad the bread is good. You will need plenty of it to fill up!
Partner ordered a salad. Nothing special and again not enough to
qualify as a dinner salad.
The olive oil is nowhere near as tasty as they served years ago.
We rarely go out for a sit down dinner, so this was really a disappointment.
We are not big eaters so CC should be ashamed to stiff diners like this.
They will never see us again.

Have not been to Cosi for a few years. It is so not what it used to be. Service was good, but the food down to the cold bread and cheap poor quality olive oil before entrees was disappointing to say the least. Almost no taste to the food, I really think everything must be pre-​made and/​or frozen. Not to mention the filth on the pepper-​mill-​I didn’t even want to use it. I would have asked for a replacement, however our neighbor’s looked similar. I was so looking forward to this dinner-​and so disappointed from the minute we sat down.

My husband and I stopped in for dinner in to celebrate our anniversary. We almost forgot about this place with so many choices in town. It’s a great little restaurant that serves awesome food.
We really liked the big, fluffy pieces of bread they gave us served with olive oil. I could tell it was good quality olive oil, too. My only complaint was that I wish the bread had been warmed up. They weren’t stingy with the bread, though. When our waiter saw we had finished our bread, he gave us more. That’s what I like to see.
I ordered the mushroom lasagna and my husband got the ziti cucina. I liked my lasagna but wished I could taste more of the chardonnay cream sauce. There wasn’t much sauce to be seen. But I did have a ton of mushrooms in my lasagna. Both of us absolutely loved the ziti. The zesty tomato cream sauce is the bomb! I was stealing bites off my husband’s plate because it was so good. I would definitely get that the next time I come back. Both of our noodles were cooked perfectly and the portions were a good size.
There were some other pasta dishes and entrees that sounded yummy, as well as their calzones and pizzas made in their wood-​fired oven that I might have to try on future visits. They also have a big wine list. I’m not a wine drinker, but I was still impressed. The place is cozy and a great place for couples. I’m definitely a fan.

This was my second visit to Cosi Cucina and unlike my first time there, I went all out when deciding what to order. My mom and I split a bottle of wine, they had a great selection and we decided on the red blend Conundrum. It was fantastic. We then started with the roasted garlic and toasted ravioli appetizers. Both were amazing and went with the wine perfectly. I wish they had given us more of the pepper tapenade and goat cheese with the roasted garlic appetizer, but it was still delicious. We then split the pine nut salad which was dresses perfectly with a delicious vinaigrette that wasn’t too vinegary (a pet peeve of mine). Finally, we split the ziti cucina which is one of their house specials and it was PERFECT! The sauce had just the right amount of spice and generous amounts of sausage. They garnished it with fresh cheese and I left completely full and satisfied! I will definitely be back, this is a favorite restaurant of mine in the Des Moines area!

Just driving through and found this place. The rigatoni with smoked chicken was outstanding. However, I would not recommend the lobster bisque. Stick to the pasta and you will be happy!

Do not let the outside of the building deter you, Cosi Cucina is delicious! I will return!

I highly recommend coming here if your interested in having an exceptionally good meal. The house Cabernet was very tasty. The small house salad is exactly what you would expect. The Lobster Bisque taste fine but more on the broth side and had no lobster pieces. I ordered the Lobster Far Fella and my sister ordered the Rigatoni with Chicken. We both loved our dinner. The service was nice and friendly. Would definitely come back if ever in the area again.

The head chef’s pasta special was the best Italian I have had in Des Moines to date. We had the ravioli and fried mozzarella for appetizers and they were on point and had proper consistency and flavor to set it all up. The bread and oil & Italian beer where perfect compliments to the meal. The service was really hands on and we were taken care of– just be careful to say «when“before the server piles hand shredded mozzarella all over your plate and lap! Compliments to the chef! We will be back for the Ziti pasta and cheese cake!

We were just driving around West Des Moines and Clive looking for a new place to try, and came accross this gem.
Italian at its greatest! The entrance was in the back which explained why there were no cars parked in front. The back was packed with cars and inside there were about 5 open tables if that.
Truly a great restaurant with awesome food and service. Get the cheescake for sure, but everything looked good on the menu. Also, wood burning stove with pizzas flying out and they must be good as well. We will be back within the month to try more.

We returned to Cosi Cucina as part of the Unilocal Elite event and boy am I glad we attended!
I had heard the restaurant closed but did not know it had re-​opened under the original owners. They have done a wonderful job revamping this place! I was happy to see the huge bushes out front removed, a new sign, and just overall better outside appearance. Of course you still park and enter through the back. Inside they also made some nice décor changes including stained glass, handmade mirrors, etc.
Our experience was wonderful this night. To start, we had some bread. In the past, I did not care for the bread. Not sure what they did but I actually enjoyed it for the first time! Next we enjoyed many different appetizers ranging from seafood (calamari & mango shrimp) to pasta (toasted ravioli) to breads (roasted garlic, wood-​fired pizzas, etc). All of them were delicious with the Roasted Garlic being one of my favorites!
Next they presented an array of entrees for us to partake. I 100% admit that my favorites were not dishes I would have selected myself. My favorite dish was the ‘Potato Ravioli.’ The sauce was rice and creamy, the meat tender, the ravioli delicious… all of it was just wonderful! My second favorite was the Ostrich. It was my first time eating this bird and it was amazing! You can’t go wrong with any of the other dishes we had that night (Ziti Cucina, Classic Italy, Pesto Pasta, Grilled Portabella, etc).
To finish the meal, we had a couple of their yummy desserts. I love their cheesecake! It is soft yet firm and oh so creamy! For the chocolate lover in me, I was eager to try the Marble Chocolate Brownie. Delicious! You cannot go wrong with either of these!
What a great night! Great service and wonderful food!

Had an amazing dinner at Cosi Cuchina! Got invited to dine here for the first them through a Unilocal elite event and it was worth the drive!!! Such a romantic and nice place! Parking is a little odd you come in the back of the building.
Manager and staff were welcoming and friendly !! And super awesome and accommodating for taking care of our group!!!
We were able to try a sampling off of the menu of a little of almost everything.
Appetizers– bacon wrapped shrimp (amazing! Super delicious and cooked perfect with wood fire smokey flavor). Calamai (actually cooked properly!!! Not at all chewy and tender) fried ravioli (super yummy) and home made mozzarella spread!
Pizza– amazing wood fired vegan and meat pizzas with wonderful crispy crust and fresh toppings.
Ostrich– when they have it. It is a must!!! An amazing balsamic glaze! With garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus!
Pasta-​all wonderful. Especially ziti with a little bit of a kick and the potato ravioli!
Desert– amazing cheesecake and delicious brownie with an even more amazing coffee ice cream!
I will definitely be back! I can’t wait to try more things on the menu and I am grateful to the staff for this amazing opportunity!!!

We hadn’t been to Cosi Cucina in several years, but we heard the original owners had reclaimed their jewel, so we gave it a try. And I’m glad we did.
Sis, my BW and I went in without a reservation but were seated almost immediately, even though the room was crowded. Obviously, others had heard the good news also and had returned to this popular spot. Our waitress, Molly, was prompt and attentive, but a bit forgetful. I suspect she was new to the job. Her good humor and good service made up for that lapse, so no harm done.
The room was fairly loud, especially since we sat next to a table of twelve or fourteen people who were having a jolly time. Even so we had no difficulty conversing, and in fact their enjoyment was contagious.
The food was as great as it used to be. We started with Toasted Ravioli, which came with a tomato-​Alfredo sauce that was delicious. For our entrees, Sis had Gorgonzola Pasta, the BW ordered Vegetable Festiva Pasta with added chicken, and I went for Spicy Seafood Pasta. For once, we did not share samples of our food; we wanted each morsel for ourselves. Mine was done to perfection — tender sea scallops and shrimp in a sauce that was just spicy enough to bite without damage. Sis and BW raved about their dishes as well. Sis and I cleaned our plates (Mom would have been proud of us) but BW saved a little of hers for Sunday brunch. We finished with excellent coffee and crème brulee. Next time I might skip the appetizer and sample the tiramisu. And there will be many next times!
Oops, I almost forgot. Try the Cucumber Cocktail before dinner. Sounds a bit weird, but it is delicious.

We were passing through and wanted something more substantial than many other options around the Sheraton West Des Moines. A restaurant that was unpretentious, but offered quality product at an every day price.
I researched Unilocal and found helpful reviews (always!) that suggested this was our place.
IT WAS!
Attentive but non-​intrusive service, in a unpretentious restaurant. We found the selections offered to be thoughtful and well priced.
We were coming off of a wedding-​weekend, on our way home, and wanted entrees that were not heavy or overly done. This proved to be our place!!!
All the pasta is made on-​premises and is FRESH! Wine selection is ample without being pretentious and over-​priced.
My wife ordered simply: Linguine (house made) with a light Alfredo sauce. I had their linguine dish that featured a red sauce with locally made Italian sausage.
Both were exceptional and very well priced. Wine was equally well priced and added to the pleasurable experience.
This is now a regular on our Des Moines circuit. And I recommend it highly if you aren’t into pretentious, ‘high-​roller’ scenes.

Stopped by here during restaurant week last week. It was a great value, two glasses of wine, a starter a pasta entrée and dessert for $ 25.
The bread (sorry for my ADD moment) is amazing, it is warm and fluffy and just delicious. would rather it be served with salted butter than olive oil but it was still yummy. The potato pasta and the lasagna were good, very good. Much better than your standard olive garden. The cheesecake was good as usual but the brownie wasn’t much better than a duncan hines home baked one.
All in all decent value for decent food. Would return again, hope they stay in business.

Came here for restaurant week with friends and left impressed.
I gave a list of places to my friends for restaurant week and they choose this place because meal came with wine, nice touch Cosi.
Our waitress was polite and attentive.
I started with soup, minestrone and it was creamy snd delicious.
My entrée was the Grilled Portobello with spinach, peppers and asparagus with balsamic glaze.
It was well prepared and delicious.
The dessert was the winner, warm chewy brownie and coffee ice cream!
I would recommend this place to friends and family, I had a wonderful experience here!

I love Cosi! It’s our go to restaurant when we are able to get a sitter. The service is always fantastic. We do usually call ahead and make reservations. We love to start out with the garlic appetizer, which is spectacular! I love the pesto pasta with chicken, the mozzarella salad, the pizza is fabulous! My husband loves the chicken calzone and the ziti cucina. The staff never steers us wrong when recommending drinks and dessert. I will keep coming back!

Glad to find out that their food quality is starting to make a comeback. We used to dine here years back, but the food quality started to decline and we didn’t find it to be worth our time or money and sadly hadn’t dined here in at least 4 years. After the recent re-​opening, with the original owners (per local news articles) AND a Groupon, we decided to give them another chance. We certainly were glad we did. My husband got his favorite dish and I tried the fish special of the evening. Neither of us were disappointed and we are both happy that they have made their well deserved comeback. We prefer local restaurants over chain restaurants any day.
On top of that, the service was marvelous. She was helpful when selecting a bottle of wine and allowing us to to sample a couple to help make that decision.
If you haven’t been there in awhile, I suggest you also give it a second chance. Hopefully you will have the same positive turn around experience as we had as well as help a local family restaurant keep their doors open.
We will definitely be back again. Keep up the good work!