The Bordenaro's Pizza & Pasta

Had the Hawaiian with jalapeños extra crispy. Delicious. We also added the hot honey garlic with chicken and a double pepp. All 10 inches. And two of us pounded them all.

Bordenaro’s staff was friendly and helpful. This place is a historic DSM restaurant that keeps providing damn good pizza. I like to take my kids to the zoo just so I have an excuse to go over to the south side and eat Bordenaro’s pizza. A cheese pizza seems so simple and anyone can make one but theirs is perfect, especially with a drizzle of hot honey.

Accidentally walked in 38 minutes before close on Monday night. The late sunset confuses me sometimes. The staff was still super polite and sat us. The menu was straightforward so we ordered immediately. Food came out ~20 minutes later, piping hot--super fresh. They don't make their own pasta, but the sauces are created in-house. And you know the sauce dictates how good a dish will be. The crust on the pizza was perfect! I inhaled my half/half rigatoni and we boxed up the rest of the pizza to go. I didn't want my salad then so the server kept it in the cooler until we were ready to leave. We were able to make it out 5 minutes before they officially closed. Everyone was great. The food was EXACTLY what I wanted. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Highly recommend!

My wife and I thoroughly enjoy Bordenaro's. It's not easy to find an authentic, family-owned Italian restaurant that's open on Mondays, but we are able to have date night sometimes on Mondays, and Bordenaro's is the perfect place for us. Our pizza go-to is a combination of the hot roasted peppers, capicola, and Italian Sausage. It's amazing. We usually split a canoli for dessert, but they have some of the most delicious onion rings in town. I really wish I lived closer to Bordenaro's. By the way, they have a great to-go pizza special on Wednesdays and Thursdays which my family has done since I was a young boy. I thoroughly enjoy this locally owned, family-run business and highly recommend it if you like great food and a great restaurant.

Very good pizza. Just got the hot roasted peppers, which are definitely hot, but balanced out with the cheese and slightly sweet sauce, on a nice thin crust.

Finally stopped by the famous Bordenaro's during the start of the blizzard last night. Gf & I were greeted by friendly server, made recommendations on the Bordy pizza, full order off onion rings to go! While we were waiting we were persuaded in trying the house salad, with homemade Creamy Italian dressing! The salad was amazing! When we got the food home we were amazed at the pizza, homemade crust no wonder this place is voted best pizza in Des Moines! Now their onion rings were amazing, glad we got the large! Definitely be back! Ps best damn leftover pizza I have ever had!

Good food and drinks. Cozy atmosphere for nice dinner and conversation with the family.

I've been coming to Bordenaro's for 15 years and food is wonderful!!! But tell me why when we eat at the restaurant the second (Womens) bathroom stall has been out of order for over 2 years!!! This issue makes me wonder if other things are wrong in the kitchen.

Nicole was great...the food was as well!! Epic fail not getting pictures of everything. Onion rings....yes...chicken sandwich...yes...grinder..heck yes...that Bordos pizza...yes!!! Really good food...dive vibe...but everyone was kind and inviting!

I'm writing this review after getting takeout food both times, keep in mind I have never eaten at the restaurant. (Fresh out of oven) The food here seems like it would be worth the price when you look at ingredients, and inventiveness in their pizzas. Sadly, both times I've eaten here...the pizzas were almost immediately getting cold, and SUPER dry. I only live 3 blocks away so really not much time from restaurant to mouth. Most recently I ordered 2 pizzas, and 2 sides. I ordered them about 4 hours in advance or so. When you order this much food here, it gets PRICEY, mind you. It seemed like they made it at least an hour or more earlier than my pickup time (for their convenience) and set it on the oven to stay warm. That's how dry all the food was. I think we had the Mac and Cheese Pizza, and a regular pepperoni pizza. Nothing in the order was worth the amount we spent. At all. The restaurant's front door is difficult to find, in the back of the restaurant facing an alley/driveway type road. Then you enter through a long dark hallway with no greeting. It took about 3 minutes of me standing at their bar to get any attention. There is a very dark ambiance in the main portion of the place. It felt a little depressing, like I should be in a seedy bar rather than a family establishment. The person that handled my order was nice enough...just took a tad to long to acknowledge me. All in all: I can't recommend this restaurant for takeout, and honestly I wouldn't really want to eat inside either. Especially for the prices they want.

The pizza and service were great. The salad was mostly cheese which wasn't exactly what I was looking for but I guess it's a choice

-food 10/10. Thin crust but not a cracker. Actual crust. Ingredients used in evething was fresh and high quality -service 10/10: had refills fast without asking, house was full and food came out quick anyway , had the check fast and paid all in a timely manner Ambience- THE hole in the wall south side pizza stop. All fast food pizza chains should be embarrassed compared to this with how much the price is at chain stores. Price here was literally the same as other chains but 100x better quality.

This may be the best gluten free pizza I have had in a long time. The crust is thin and crispy, the sauce is has a sweetness/tang to it. And it was delivered very quickly. Highly recommend!

Best pizza in town! It's a staple in our family. Love the taco and the honey garlic pizzas, and the onion rings are second to none!

Amazing Food! My grandkids and I loved this place! 5 stars well done! Great service, Great environment, I love this place! We will be coming back again soon!

Eehhhh.... I am not sure what all the fuss is about. I found the pizza to be average/lackluster. The place was packed and noisy. It felt claustrophobic to me. Our server was amazing but I will not be running back any time soon.

Pizza and onion rings were both excellent! Great service! We will definitely go again!

Love the ambience the pizza was fantastic, but the onion rings are to die for . Didn't have room for dessert. Definitely will be going back.

I live on the southside and this is the only place I get pizza from. The special with onion rings is one of my favorite meals

Pizza to die for. I always get the Borde special with onion rings. Crust is exactly what I love. I'm an out around the edges guy. I love that crunchy crust edge. The sauce is what sets the pizza apart from others. And they do use excellent ingredients as well.

If you like cardboard pizza with sparse tasteless toppings then this is the place for you.

Very good midwestern pizza. Square cut. I'm a fan of the middle of the pizza more than the edges. Also preferred the pepperoni to the sausage.

Fantastic pizza and service here. I ate with a regular who recommended the place. Will definitely be back.

We only tried the pizza, at the recommendation of an acquaintance. We won't do it twice, nor will we trust any other recommendations from him! This is the place for you if... -- you like pizza toppings served on flavorless matzo cracker crust (although the sauce had a good flavor) -- you like an atmosphere that's rather dark and dingy, and quite noisy -- 'going out for dinner' means eating at your local pub/bar -- you like a dining experience where the servers are challenged to actually find you knives to use to eat your meal (forks only here) -- you like being cold even while indoors -- you prefer to wear your plaid fleece-lined jacket and stocking cap while you eat

I don't know if people in DSM never had a decent pizza or if there are a bunch of astroturfing going on. I ordered a meat lover's pizza and it was lame. The crust was super thin and more like a cracker than a pizza crust. The toppings were buried under some lame cheese. The crust was under cooked. Seriously you need to proof the crust so it rises. Maybe add some yeast. Really was one of the worst pizzas I've had in a long time. How are you even in business?

My gorgeous lady brought me here on a Thursday night for pizza. I had never heard of this place, but it had great reviews. Fellow Yelpers were correct: this place has phenomenal pizza. First they are serving pitchers of beer and have a decent selection on tap. $9 for a pitcher of ice cold bud light. So refreshing it was great start. My fantastic friend said the onion rings were recommended. She ordered a small and they were perfect for two. Light, crispy breading with excellent flavor. A homer to start off the inning! They bring ketchup with the rings and I gave it a try, but felt they were perfect just plain. We ordered the bordys special which is sausage, pepperoni, beef, cappacola, mushrooms, green peppers, and onion. Skipped the olives. The pizza was an amazing orchestra of flavor town. A perfect crispy thin crust with a kiss of sauce and packed with a superb amount of toppings and cheese. What a perfect pie! The place had a steady stream of local customers and if I lived closer I would be also. The waitress was very professional and provided excellent service with the steady flow of customers. I will definitely be back, but I might struggle to try new things on the menu because what we ordered was perfect!!

I'm not from here but I looked at the reviews and had to try it . The pizza was good I will say the meat lovers was about a 8.7 /10 but the hot wings are 10/10. My only regret is I didn't get more.

Paper thin, greasy, and cold. It's a 1/2 step above hot lunch pizza from the 1980s. It took an hour 45 minutes to deliver from less than 5 minutes away. I gave it 2 stars because everyone was very hungry and ate some of it, so it will keep you from starving.

Bordies is a south side GEM. Great pizza and rings. We don't eat there a lot but have never been let down when we do.

plenty of people like this place, but not me staff was nice, just didnt like the pizza or onion rings

Their garlic honey pizza is the absolute best! It's always requested when we have family come from out of town!

Friendly servers and amazing pizza. Love the thin crust pizza and the onion rings are great.

Loved the Pizza and wings, a nice authentic looking tavern pizza place. I'm from Chicago, made me think of home. Very friendly wait staff, made sure I was taken care of. The nice looking server who helped me called me booboo, I have to admit I liked thst.

We were looking to shake up our pizza selection and after checking with Yelp we settled on Bordenaro's. The parking isn't great as there's a little lot behind the building where you must park. The inside calls back to 1980s diners. The tables and chairs are all from a bygone era, but are in good shape. The wall is covered with photos special to them from over the years. We had ordered to go and it was ready at the stated time. The onion rings were wonderfully seasoned. Some places just assume they're perfect plain, but Bordenaro's has gone the extra mile. The pizzas were both fantastic. I enjoyed the BBQ chicken the most as the sauce was a great sweet/savory blend of spices. The cheese was also well seasoned and flavorful. Next time we may dine in, but whether we order out or dine in this will be a great place to top our local pizza selections.

We arrived just after noon on a Friday. It was busy but not packed. We were greeted immediately and told to sit anywhere. We chose a cozy booth near the bar. We have a pizza card that gives us a free large pizza at ten places in the metro. If you love pizza it's a huge bargain. We haven't been disappointed yet. Especially not today! The server was excellent. She smiled every time we saw her. She got our drink orders. I was pleased to see they had Sprite Zero as a fountain choice. First we got the double dipped onion rings. Onion rings were crispy and hot and the onion didn't pull out of the breading. Very tasty! Our pizza arrived hot and delicious. We got the sausage. Great flavor on the sausage, good mozzarella and cracker crisp crust. Perfect amounts of sauce, sausage & cheese. The atmosphere was laid back and clean. When the server came for our check she said, let me get your change. This is how it should be. . It's a pet peeve when they ask if I need change. We said we're all good to go. Our total was just over $7 for the onion rings and one soda. The pizza is normally priced at $14. Pretty average for a 16 inch pizza. Overall everything was excellent. I can't think of a thing I'd change.

A great Italian Pizza eatery always hot fresh food the pizzas are extremely good with lots of toppings and well-made lots of cold beer always busy and a great place to meet your friends

Ordered delivery on a Monday night. We ordered two pizza and a side salad. You can see by the photos the very sib par salad for $5! It was iceberg and it was old. A couple of croutons and a ton of cheese. Not really the point of a salad, but it definitely wasn't worth the cost. The pizza was ok. Mediocre at best. My 4 year old complained the plain, 10" cheese pizza that was $10 was also spicy. Also ordered a pizza with mushrooms (looked canned not fresh), pepperoni and sausage--also had a little kick to the spice level. Either way, I would not recommend this place. Seems quality isn't really a focus and the pricing....

We ordered for a large group based on Yelp reviews. 10 pizza on a Saturday night came in less than an hour. Pizza was hot and fresh. Everyone is the group enjoyed it.

Don't bother, living on past reputation. Current ownership is smug and condescending. Food is mediocre at best. Try Scornavacos instead

You cannot go wrong with Brody's. Crispy onion rings, delicious pizza, with real thin pizza crust. Great real Italian food. The rigatoni is fantastically. Always go back.

Bordenaro's decided to help all the white people before they helped my girlfriend and I. The staff and customers there kept staring and making us feel uncomfortable. They were not welcoming, and the vibe was off and racist. Would not recommend supporting this business because they only care about the white people that go there.

I had been wanting to try this place for a long time. After reading all the great reviews, as south side pizza virgins, my husband and I thought this was a great place to start. We were enticed by claims of its zesty sauce and cracker crust. So we had very high expectations. Most of them were met, but we didn't think the sauce was as spicy as reported by others. I thought it could be a little spicier and that there could be a little more of it on the pizza. With all the toppings on our pizza (we ordered the Bordenaro's Special), I honestly couldn't taste the sauce very much. My husband did love the cracker crust, though. He's been searching all over town for a thin cracker crust and now at long last, he's found his holy grail. I loved the old-school booths and decor. I could tell it has been around for a long time. According to the menus, it has been a Des Moines institution for 40 years. The place was packed when we arrived and it was easy to see that it's a neighborhood favorite. I thought their prices were extremely reasonable. They were a lot less than most other pizza places I've been to. You've gotta love that. I would come back again, but not until I've tried some other south side pizza places. The pizza was very good, but not the best I've ever had. The ingredients were good, but they used canned mushrooms instead of fresh. The cracker crust is ok but it's not my favorite. Thick crust is more my thing. They have a lot more than pizza here, too. They also have pasta and sandwiches. I think next time I might try some of their sandwiches. I guess they're also well known for their onion rings, so I'll probably try those, too. Bordenaro's is well worth the trip if you like thin crust pizza.

Visited this spot since I had a gift card. The atmosphere was nice and the food was just as nice. Had a extra large pizza that was more than enough for two others and myself. If I am down this way again I would have no hesitation of stopping by again

The pizza is a standard Midwestern party cut pizza. The crust was on the crunchy side, but not as crunchy or as dry like a cracker. I suspect some form of fat in the way of shortening, butter, or oil. I saw a few deck ovens going hot and heavy in back with restaurant, take-out, and delivery orders. Overall the taste of the crust was good, but more like a biscuity texture than a cracker. I had asked for Italian sausage but the flavor was not quite what I was expecting. I suspect they use pork sausage lightly seasoned to pass as Italian sausage or they simply make their sausage without fennel. The mushrooms looked like the canned variety. The sauce was good but after a few bites, both my wife and I detected some added heat. It tasted to me like some form of pepper. I noticed on the menu they offer a milder sauce, which I would like to try if I ever make it back. Overall, the flavors mixed together well and I generally liked this pizza quite a bit. As for our daughter, well, she had her own ideas as to the flavor and what would make it taste better. The house salads were unremarkable - the bagged variety. Their cheesey garlic bread was very good - plenty of cheese and greasey flavor. Overall, I am going to give Bordenaro's in Des Moines 3 out of 5. I would say it is probably worth a stop if you are in the Des Moines area.

A friend that has lived on the southside of Des Moines was raving about how good Bordenaro's pizza is. This was our first time to order pizza from here. Wow, what a wonderful surprise! This is our new go to pizza place! YUM!

Love love love the half and half pasta with meatballs! Delivery is awesome! You don't have to use a delivery service they deliver it themselves! Onion rings a bit different but still good.

I liked the pizza. The sausage is kinda spicy for kids, but it's the best grazianos. Onion rings have great seasoning on them. Thin slices of pizza. The sauce is really tasty.

I can't believe I'm just finding this place! I've been missing out! We ordered a pitcher of beer to start. I was surprised to see they had pitchers; those are hard to come by anymore. I heard they were known for their onion rings so I ordered a small. There were quite a few even in a small and my husband and I finished them all! They are thinly sliced and lightly breaded. They were very crispy and had a great flavor! We got the Bordy's Special. Sausage, pepperoni, capicolla, green pepper, onion, mushrooms, and black olives. We left the olives off. I knew their pizza was thin crust but this was unlike any thin crust I have had. It was truly thin and almost cracker like! So crispy! It had the perfect amount of toppings and I loved that the sausage was crumbled and not in big pieces like some places. I can't wait to come back; only wish I lived closer!

I really wanted to love their pizza. The pics were a bit deceiving. The pizza was ok, certainly not my favorite, and probably not in my top 20. The crust was super thin, like tortilla thin. The toppings were ok, but still not the best I've had. I did get their onion rings as a side because they looked amazing, and they totally were. Maybe their other food is better, like the sandwiches and stuff. It's hard to mess up a sandwich, but I've seen it done before. I'll try something other than the pizza next time.

This place is a South Side icon. The Bordenaro's Special is the best pizza in Des Moines and paired with an order of the onion rings will make you think you have died and gone to heaven. The servers are fantastic and the kitchen gets apps and pizzas out quickly without sacrificing quality.

I can't say anything bad for me. Love the crust have been going there for forty years+ when it was a take out only.

Great beer prices! The pizza is very thin crust, so if you are a big eater, order larger than you might usually. Very friendly staff. Great for a group!

We went here on a whim looking for late in the evening food available. It was so good! Wished we could have eaten more. Def be back!

This place is the home of the legendary thin crust pizza. If you are looking for the best pizza ever, I would go to this place. The side salads are also very good, the dressing is not too heavy, and not too light. The macaroni and cheese are so cheesy I can barely resist eating the entire stock of mac and cheese. When I finish a plate of chicken tenders I am stuck asking for two more and then that two turns into four, then that four into eight, then I black out

These guys never disappoint. I placed an order for delivery and realized I ordered the wrong pizza. I called back 10 min later and they made me the pizza i was supposed to order and that was the one that hot delivered.

This place is probably one of the top 3 pizza joints in Des Moines. There pizza has a spicy sauce with a crispy crust and plenty on cheese. The decor is not fancy that is how you know the food is going to be good in my book. It has lots of photos of people on the walls and they have both booths and tables but it is not a huge place. They not only have pizza they also have a decent selection on sandwiches, salads and appetizers. I think it is always worth the drive clear across town to dine here as it never dies me wrong! Prices are very reasonable too!

Great pizza reasonably priced. Their double battered onion rings are so good. Great place to grab lunch the days they are open for lunch.