Chuck's - Des Moines

Back in “the day” Pizza restaurants created their magic for all to view, at the front of the restaurant, showcased with a big window on the sidewalk. Chuck’s is that kind of place. We stopped in to celebrate my Birthday, Des Moines areas has a ton of great restaurants from which to choose, pretty much every type/kind of food dining experience is available, although some of those which have been around a long time are to be avoided by all who have the desire to appreciate the experience of actually being able to savor the mouthful of food before they swallow. We started with an order of Bruschetta, the tomatoes were perfectly ripe and the balsamic was a perfect supporting member of the plate. Being a Tuesday, with our order being more than $25, we qualified for the Tuesday night free half order of onion rings, which was another example of a great plate. Thin sliced, with a very thin “breading”, this appetizer was enjoyed, well balanced taste profile, simply a great treat! We ordered a thin crust large pizza, topped with Canadian bacon, pineapple, and black olives. What arrived was very much enjoyed! The outer edge of the pizza was “cracker” crisp, but not such that it compromised my preferred New York style of eating a slice of pizza, which is folded down the middle from crust to point! The flavors of the crust and toppings were nicely balanced, none overpowering another. All in all, Chuck’s is a gem to check out the next time you are Jonesing for “pizza”. (based on my experience I believe that the rest of the items on their menu meet the same standards of just the right balance of tastes and textures). Also, it should be noted that all of the Staff were a plus, properly pleasant, honest smiles, a sort of “Cheers”, the TV show, kind of attitude and interaction.

Great tasting Italian fare and plenty of it! We ordered lasagna and received a piece big enough for three people. Service was fast and friendly. The place was a little loud but it looked like customers were enjoying themselves. Would definitely go back.Food: 5/5

We have eaten at Chucks for years. We like the old style Italian vibe. We are usually going on a Saturday night to hear live music and enjoy a tasty thin crust pizza.We have gone twice in the last 3 weeks and I feel totally underwhelmed by the pizza. Something has changed. Both pizzas were over cooked. Last night's pizza crust was more on the charred side. The cheese was very brown and quite frankly there were not many ingredients below the burnt cheese. The servers are really good. I am surprised that they thought we might want to eat the pizza. We saw other diners eating other Italian food that looked tasty.We will order something else next time and keep an eye on the pizzas being served.We stopped at a taco truck on the way home for some supplemental food.Again we love Chucks!

They have some awesome pizza and pastas. They are a caring company who does a lot for the community.It's usually a quiet establishment.

We have eaten here before and truly enjoyed the meal, this time not so much this time.First of all, the parking situation really sucks.Beyond the parking, the atmosphere is enjoyable.My wife ordered the special which was Chicken Alfredo Lasagna and I had the Cavatelli with a meatball. The Cavatelli came out extremely hot (good) and was covered in cheese (good) but that is where it ended. It was made with ziti noodles and was really watery. The sauce was like a can of diced tomatoes with an overpowering amount of Italian seasoning. The Chicken Lasagna was lacking noodles and had a lot of cheese both on top and in the dish. It was really rich and difficult to eat.We always enjoyed this place but the last few visits left us asking for better.