Centro

"Before 2002, downtown Des Moines was fairly barren after office workers clocked out around 5 p.m. Then chef George Formaro took a risk with Centro, an Italian restaurant open for lunch and dinner. The gamble paid off, and 22 years later, a buzzing community of boutiques, music venues, restaurants, coffee shops, and apartments have joined the area. Centro is still fantastic, whether you split a pizza (half-price on Mondays), devour a grilled pork chop with Chianti demi-glace, or attempt to conquer the Kill-Bill Pork Tenderloin, a sandwich stuffed with crispy pork tenderloin, ham, bacon, cheese, and a sunny side up egg." - Karla Walsh

"When it opened in 2002, Centro was the crown jewel of downtown, and pretty much the only game in town. Seventeen years later, it’s still packed every night, serving mostly Italian dishes with a couple of safety items thrown in, like the cheeseburger and Greek salad, a common practice with menus around the city (another restaurant charmingly refers to them as “global comfort eats”). Its coal-fired oven puts out excellent pizzas, like George’s Favorite (named after chef-partner George Formaro), which features Italian sausage produced by Graziano Brothers, a local Italian grocery. The New Yorker, topped with meatballs, mushrooms, and roasted red peppers, is also a best-seller." - Gary He