12 Best Italian Restaurants near Iowa City

“Food & service was excellent but the music (80’s) was not what anyone wants to hear- it’s not relaxing especially for an Italian restaurant. Tv’s not needed either (with Big bang theory) for a place like this. It would be 5 star if they can put it all together!“

“Made reservations for my birthday. We had the bruschetta caprese as a starter. It was very fresh, tomatoes had tons of flavor. We ate every last shred of basil off the plate. My husband ordered the lobster which had amazing flavor and didn’t have the standard “seafood” taste I dread. I had the rissono which wasn’t at all greasy, or spicy. Decent portions and quality food. Servers are very well informed. I had two limontini’s which were delicious. Bar can get a bit behind in a rush. We finished with dessert, cheesecake with berries which was fine but not my favorite cheesecake. We will be back and sure to recommend!“

“I wish I found this place earlier in my stay in Iowa city. this place is a great value! will definitely be trying more when in the area.“

“There pepperoni pizza is delicious“

“Traveling Nurse here. I have not had a Gyro this good in a long while. She promised me I would love it and I did. Will be stopping by again when I am in the area. And OMG the fries too. Thanks so much.“

“We met Kyle ahead of an Iowa football game and I tried a small slice of the Bianca pie. AMAZING! Last Friday evening my fiancé and I dined in and had amazing service from Liz. We had the Barre, Italy imported burrata as a starter. We then shared the lasagna and the Bianca with sausage. We finished with the desert Liz suggested, the chocolate mousse. Everything was amazing and we can’t wait to dine with Maggie’s Farm again!“

“My fiancé and I absolutely LOVE Plated Table - so much so that we booked it for our rehearsal dinner this summer. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and the food is consistently incredible.

This past weekend, we (very embarrassingly) forgot about our pre-paid reservation for their Whole Hog Cassoulet. I had been sick and it completely slipped our minds. We felt terrible. Instead of making us feel worse, their team handled it with so much grace and kindness. They reached out to us and went above and beyond by offering to package our meal as a to-go order so we wouldn’t miss out. We're so thankful they did this for us, and it was DELICIOUS. After a few days of not feeling well, having such a thoughtfully prepared, ready-to-eat meal was exactly what I needed.

That level of thoughtfulness and service is rare. It just reaffirmed why we chose Plated Table to be part of such a special weekend in our lives. We’re so grateful for a restaurant that not only serves amazing food, but truly cares about its guests. Highly, highly recommend.“

“Amazing restaurant.Great atmosphere and very attentive employees. We look forward to visiting again!“

“Fantastic food, great service! Quality food! Definitely a hidden gem we are so happy exists!!“

“Hannah was one of the most lovely servers we’ve ever had they deserve the whole world and more we adored Hannah so much and the service was incredible she needs a raise asap get this girl on employee of the month now she was so kind and charismatic and made us want to come back in the near future“

“Huge selection of delicious food. Lovely presentation of our meals. Service was excellent!“

“BEST. PIZZA. EVER.🤤🫶🏻 Great atmosphere & the bar tenders/staff were phenomenal. Very friendly and accommodating. While I was there with friends, a minor “incident” occurred with a very disgruntled customer from out of town. As I witnessed in horror the absolute, negative, childlike behavior of the “out of towner”, I was quite impressed with how well the manager and staff handled the immature adult. Even after she made the poor manager cry. I personally give the restaurant 15/10 stars!! I will most DEFINITELY be back! Along with my family and friends!!“