Uptown Food & Beverage Co.

An elite combination of customer service, excellent pizza, and ambiance, Uptown Food and Beverage is so darn good. I loved their Margherita pizza and their Spicy Italian Pizza, such a spectacular thinner-crust type. Our server (Adriana) was great. Love the historic photos all over the venue.

Good food but we sat at the table and waited forever before anyone took our drink orders. It took the owner/manager (assuming) walking by to notice that we were waiting for anyone to ask us our drinks. Then a younger waiter came by to do so. Then the other guy asked us later if we ordered food yet and that was a hot no so he sent the younger guy back over to get our food order. Seemed like the younger guy was brand new and had no clue how to waiter or he was stoned or both. Don't really know. Food was really good. Big portions and good flavors.

Wasn't busy, yet my friend was left with an empty drink, started to leave our table to grab one from the bar when the bartender noticed and asked her what he could grab her. Had the chicken parmesan sandwich, tasted and smelled like it was cooked in old fryer grease. Chicken was dry and not good. The French fries and ranch were delicious though.

First time going to Uptown. We didn’t know they did salad bar for lunch! That’s what we got. They were busy, and made sure fresh pizza was always out for everyone. Super yummy, and great staff!

Such an amazing experience for our baseball team today. 14 adults, 14 kids (11-15 years old all boys). We did call ahead and give them the heads up. Our wait staff nice and cheerful with the boys. Price was competitive. Food AMAZING!

Like the place, service was good the food was average. Meatball Pizza was bland, very little sauce, no meatballs, just small pieces of meat, added onions not sure where they were, most of no flavor. The Hamburger Pizza was ok according to the person that ordered it. The Baked Camarillo was very good.

We enjoyed the chicken nachos appetizer along with the bacon cheeseburger and chicken parmesan sandwich. It was all delicious and the service was excellent. Uptown Food & Beverage Co. offers a comfortable environment with booth seating. Overall, a great experience!

The reason this review is getting two stars is only because the staff is very chill and very nice. We ordered cheese sticks and you couldn't even pick them up because of how undercooked they were, and luckily they worked with us to get those comped. The pasta that my friend got was a pretty small portion for what it was. They also charge a dollar per each sauce and it is not listed that they charge for it.

Since moving to the area mid-summer, we have learned that Uptown Ankeny is a fun spot, and now we have found a restaurant to pull us there even more often! Uptown Food and Beverage was a fabulous stop, combining a tremendously cozy setting (booths/tables), ease of parking, location, and remarkable historic photos lining their walls. This place works well. Luckily, we had a superb server for our maiden voyage, as Adriana rocked! She helped us with menu options and was both kind and knowledgeable. We shared a tasty Caesar salad, and I appreciated that they served the dressing on the side without requesting it. Their thinner-crust pizza is delicious! We selected two, ordering their Margherita (olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, sweet basil, and topped with aroma tomatoes) and their Spicy Italian 16" options. Wowowowowowowowow! Both pizzas were fabulous, maintaining their consistency, and simply delicious. Thanks to fellow Yelper Dan T for his Spicy Italian recommendation. Sure, we brought home a lot of pizza, but this weekend will be better because of it. I learned they have a good lunch buffet (11-130PM), and we arrived during their 5-7 PM weekday Happy Hour but did not explore it. I had heard about their onion rings and saw an order at a nearby table that had me yearning for them on our next visit.

It's been a minute since I dropped out a review on one of my favorite pizza spots in the metro. Uptown Food and Beverage Co. in Ankeny! Not to be confused with Uptown Garage Brewing (also in Ankeny) or Uptown Bar & Grill in Grimes... I've been ordering and eating pretty much the same thing here since it was Encore Pizza in Johnston. Lol A large Spicy Italian pizza Italian cheese sticks And a fountain drink... Dennis Gibson opened Encore Pizza in Johnston years ago. He started out as an Ankeny Hawk, went on to ISU (he's an ISU hall of famer), was drafted by the Detroit Lions and later played for the San Diego Chargers and led his team to a Super Bowl appearance. And he's a heck of a nice guy... I loved Encore Pizza, but Dennis missed his hometown I guess and wanted to be headquartered in the community he grew up in. Encore Pizza closed and he opened a larger location in Ankeny and rebranded it Uptown Food and Beverage Co. Many of the menu items carried over from Encore to UF&BC and the menu has expanded past what it was. And another carry over is the high backed booths... Which I dearly love! These booths are big enough to seat six people easily... Seating at UF&BC is a bar and bar stools, both low and high top tables and chairs, and the aforementioned high backed booths. There is street parking along Maple and SW 3rd St. and a couple small parking areas within easy walking distance. Because of the parking and adjacent businesses you can be deceived on how busy Uptown Food and Beverage Co. looks. We arrived for lunch a little before noon yesterday. That's late for a Saturday lunch for us... Parking was pretty full, but when we walked in there was only one other couple in the restaurant... More people arrived in the next hour, but it wasn't near as busy as it looked from outside. Don't let a lot of cars be your barometer. Stick your head in or give them a call. They may not be as busy as you think they are. Italian Cheese Sticks... Five sticks breaded in Italian flour, fried golden brown, served with a cup of marinara Obviously hand cut and always served hot and molten! The Spicy Italian is described as red and Alfredo sauces, hot Italian sausage, banana peppers and jalapeños. This is probably my favorite pizza in the entire metro and as close as I get to thin crust. It is a thin crust, but it's not cracker thin. Rarely do I deviate from these two items. When it comes to UF&BC I'm a creature of habit or a one trick pony if you will... But I've never ordered anything off the menu that has disappointed me. The staff here is always top notch. Quick to greet you at the hostess station just to the Right as you walk in the door. Always on top of refills. And they check on you enough to make sure you have what you need, but not too much that they are bothersome. Your order is taken at the table and that's where your bill is presented and taken at the end of your meal. Cash and cards (but not American Express). For you lunch buffet fans there is a pizza and salad buffet Monday through Friday from 1100 AM - 130 PM. You can also order off the menu during the buffet hours if buffets aren't your jam... Truly one of my favorite spots in the metro and will never drop out of my rotation! https://uptownfoodandbeverage.com/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063493183495

We have been here several times and I've been trying different items off the menu - just for y'all! ;-D First, this is the place for lunch - they do a pizza bar that rotates several pizzas throughout lunch. There's never a lack of choices and it also comes with a salad Yeah, I hear ya - I'm not a fan of anything healthy either, but I still eat one! Gotta be good to my body! I make up for it (can't let my body go into shock!) by eating the dessert dough pieces that are rolled in cinnamon-sugar. Whew, my body feels like me again! Another fan favorite is the walleye sandwich. Yummmy! Last thought is that they have the best pizza topping! Sauerkraut! S Service is always quick and friendly! Highly recommend!!

We went in for lunch. The menu in the restaurant was different than the menu on their website. They had a pizza & salad buffet for lunch and we decided to try that. The salad bar was very good. The pizza toppings were good but the crust was tough. They had 6 or 8 pizzas out at a time, so a nice selection. The cinnamon sugar crust bites were very good. The price was very reasonable (cheaper than their sandwiches). There was only one waitress to handle the bar and restaurant. She was good but they needed a second person over the lunch rush. The restaurant was clean.

Uptown is one of our regular stops. Food is delicious and staff is great. Onion rings are sooo amazing. Love it all!

It was a pretty good place, but I made a bad choice. I got the meatball hoagie and an appetizer of Italian cheese sticks. It had decent service with a waitress who had a joyful voice, but she walked away before we could stop talking. It had a lot of T.V.'s with sports games on them and some Christmas lights. Other than that it gives an old timey kind of vibe. Overall I think my experience would be better if I had picked a better thing to eat.

Great place to meetup with friends for a good time, the food trucks are always fun. Nina's tacos is our favorite

Service was so friendly and homey! Quiet enough to talk to one another on a date - barely waited on any food, getting to try & test beers on tap was delightful & the experience was lovely. We 100% will be revisiting as we felt more than welcome & enjoyed being able to try new foods. Bar food for sure & delicious at that. The bar tender was very accommodating to my pickier orders & we felt very taken care of. Pricing was greet also!

The service and the food is excellent!!! The pizza is the best I've tasted. Others I went with said the Cavatelli was also excellent. I will continue to go back every chance I can.

We brought my dad here when he was in town. We split the fish sandwich and it was more than enough food for the two of us and great! My husband had the Uptown salad with their house creamy garlic Parmesan dressing and he loved it. Their Italian cheese sticks are the the best in town!!

Terrible food this pizza taste like pizza that you get in elementary school cafeteria lunches I would never go here again. Absolutely disgusting

Great service, food and atmosphere! They pinch hit for us on a quickly thrown together large group after a soccer tournament. The party room worked well for our group of 40 and the staff dealt well with our chaos of 18 kids. Pizza was amazing! Margaritas tasty and smooth. Bacon cheese burger and crispy chicken salad were god as well.

Best pizza in Ankeny! Owner is always talking to everyone. Great place to hang out! Highly recommend.

Solid pizza, solid service, crowded Friday night venue, if that's what you're into. Nothing flashy or fabulous, but enough to come back to.

Great food. Great service. The owner really cares about the food he serves Parking is a challenge but doable Love the walleye dinner The pizza and onion rings are killer too They have done a great job with the ambiance

Stopped by on July 3rd for us and another party that walked up to the restaurant to find a sign on the door that said are closed July 3-5th. I'm all for taking time off but neither the website nor their Facebook page mentioned the closure during non-holiday, regularly scheduled to be open weekdays. The same was found once last year when attempted to dine during a regularly scheduled to be open non-holiday. I find a post to FB from a public business for their customers is commonplace elsewhere.

It was another amazing meal at Uptown Food and Beverage!!! Dennis Gibson and his crew are awesome. we had the best onion rings ever. Perfectly cooked and delicious. I had the walleye dinner. it was one of the best cooked filets I have ever eaten. We also had pizza with was amazing as always. this place never disappoints!!!

I have been there twice while in town on business and dined alone. I liked that you could order1/2 pizza which was more than enough food to fill me up . The pizza was really good and loaded with toppings. The owner on sire and busy taking care of his customers

Went for lunch and got the bacon cheeseburger pizza. The crust is really thin and crispy like a cracker the toppings were plentiful and tasty and I love that it actually had little pieces of pickled throughout the pizza. The large was more than enough for my BF and I to each come away. Lenti for leftovers. They offer a full menu and buffet for lunch, but we came in for this particular pizza and it was not on the buffet. The buffet consist of a few pizza options and a salad bar. While we didn't try any, but I drink menu had a few interesting selections from mules, to my TV news, and signature cocktails. It would be cool to come and try them during their happy hour.

Ate here for lunch with friends on a Friday. Everyone had the pizza buffet. Overall it was a good experience. Far better than it used to be under the previous owners years ago. The service is 5 of 5, cant ask for a friendlier staff or better service. The place was clean, inviting and had lots of charm. The food was 3 of 5. The pizza was so-so, mainly because the crust was average and the toppings were pretty basic. I really liked the salad bar though. There are plenty of beers and televisions to pick from. The Uptown is an ideal buddy hangout. It's unpretentious, warm, inviting and reasonably priced. A nice change from the new parts of Ankeny. I am anxious to eat here in the evening to order off the main menue

This is easily the best thin crust pizza I've had in the Ankeny area. It is a true cracker crust. We've done carry out to take home to Urbandale a few times and it's always super quick right at 5:00. I love their lunch buffet. They will make some cool custom options available upon request without extra charge. Their management and waitstaff are always very pleasant. I've frequented both locations (prior location in Johnston and now Ankeny). There is a definite improvement in the store itself.

Good food, great staff, comfortable atmosphere! One of our new favorites in ankeny! Love the whole uptown area.

Great pizza. Mamas sauce is great. Menu is just the right size. Brandon is a great bartender. We go 4/5 a month

A great family owned and run business. The service is always top notch. You can tell each one of the employees actually cares about your experience. Glad to have this restaurant nearby. The interior is comfortable, inviting, and clean, featuring interesting things on the walls such as a photographic history of the past businesses who occupied the historic building. The cocktail menu includes many unique choices, especially containing sweet fruity ingredients the ladies tend to enjoy. As they have a full bar you can ask for other cocktails if you'd like something not so sweet. I would like to see a couple more interesting craft beer choices on the menu but I'm a beer snob and this is a personal preference. We have not had the pizza yet but it's on our list as it seems to be very popular. They have a lunch buffet or you can order a whole pie. Their Caesar dressing is really good. I'm sort of a critic and it's second place on my very long list. All the food comes out piping hot because this is a tightly run family business where everyone has a common goal of taking care of the customer. I had the chicken parm sandwich and it was fine but I think making one of my favorite dishes into a sandwich is just not for me. You can't give it enough sauce to make an impact without making the bread soggy so it's often very mild in taste. It's not their fault it's just the constraints of this menu item. The baked chicken parmesan pasta dish is very very good. My favorite in Ankeny. The baked cavatelli is top notch and you have to order this if you are even remotely into pasta. The onion rings are of the thick-cut variety and are heavily breaded. It's a preference thing but we prefer the tiny shoestring onion rings with thin breading. This is a fantastic restaurant and the exact kind of business I prefer to support. I look forward to building a rotation of my favorite items to order here.

This is the greatest place. Brandon the bartender is fantastic! Great drink menu. The owner is always there and involved. Great atmosphere and delicious food, no matter what you order. Great family atmosphere. 5 stars all the way!

Came back for dinner. Unlike most places in Ankeny, Uptown is open late. They also have many tables that will seat 5 or 6 which is fairly unusually. We split a pizza and an order of wings. Pizza was good, thin crust like many of the Ankeny pizza places. Our party of five was happy with everything.

We have been there several times for lunch. Their salad/pizza buffet is very good. I've seen the burgers they serve and they look good as well. Very attentive nice staff. One of my favorite places to eat in Ankeny.

Uptown Food & Beverage is a family favorite for dining in and carryout pizza. They have an excellent pizza lunch buffet. We love that the owner is there working most times we have been there. This has been a great place for our family trying to live a normal life over the last year. Highly recommended!

Great food. Good Service. We will be back. Pizza and the beer are the best. Would recommend.

We stopped in fromTexas on our way to La Crosse and the food here was amazing. You need to try the cheese sticks. They are the best we have ever had.

Ankeny has so many great pizza places already but now we have another one. Uptown Food's pizza may be my favorite because of their crust. It is so think and crispy with just a light salty taste. The different specialty pizzas like the Cheeseburger or Taco pizza are truly well thought out and prepared. The best part...these are even better the next day. Heat it up in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then put it in a toaster oven on a light or medium toast setting. You end up with a really crispy crust. We typically order 2 large pizzas and have leftovers that last a couple more meals. So good. Also love the fast and friendly service. They know how to treat their customers even though they are always packed whenever I've stopped in. Can't wait to return again very soon.

Uptown Food and Beverage is a nice clean place, though I am not sure I will go back. I can only speak as to the pizza we had on the buffet in my two star rating. I am not sure what others have found to love about their pizza, but we found the cheese to be greasy and the tomato sauce appeared to be lacking in taste and quantity (virtually non-existent). The toppings on all of the pizzas we tried were also very scarce. I can honestly state that most store bought frozen pizzas appeal in taste to us more than the pizzas at Uptown Food and Beverage. We did hear very high remarks from another couple about the burgers and pasta dishes from there, though we didn't experience them ourselves. If you make the trip to try the restaurant, you may want to try something besides their lack luster pi. It was disappointing to say the least.

Great little place! Started with the nachos, which were loaded with yummy. First time we finished the chips and had toppings left over! Not at all soggy. Burgers were honestly best I've ever had, and I'm pretty picky. Thick burger, perfectly cooked, bun toasted, but soft and no soggy bottom. Can't wait to come back!

Love the pizza, great tasting classic thin crust and sauce. The daily lunch buffet is always good with 4 or 5 different pizza's to choose from and salad bar. Their ranch dressing is also great. Owner is always there making sure everything is running smooth.

Went to uptown Food and beverage. We were sat right away, drink order taken, overall everything good. Food and service wonderful. Happy hour during the week 1/2 off apps. Server and owner checked on us. Very helpful. Nice laid back place to come to.

Uptown is absolutely fantastic!! This is such a gem in the uptown Ankeny area. We came in for their happy hour and got dinner. Came with my parents and hubby for a fun night out. Got appetizers we ordered the Homemade chips with Parmesan garlic sauce. These are some of the best homemade chips I have had!! Not greasy and super crunchy. The Parmesan sauce you almost could eat with a spoon.(it's super good to dip pizza in too). The Mozzarella sticks are good! Not at all greasy and the marinara is really good too! The Honey bbq wings are good! Perfectly done! I got Margarita pizza and it's so delicious!! Large slices of tomato on a thin crispy crust! My hubby and dad got the Half chipotle pizza half hot pizza, they loved it! Happy hour is from 4-6 and there are a ton of amazing specials! Staff is super friendly and goes above and beyond to make sure you have a fantastic experience! As an added bonus the restaurant is really nicely decorated with antique fire extinguishers and bicycles. Not overdone and really nice looking!! Would be great for a date or to meet up with friends!

Pizza was amazing! It came out in a timely manner. For a Friday night they got us a table quickly and wait staff was very friendly and helpful! Would definitely come here to eat again!

Servers were extremely rude and the cook burnt my chicken. Was super hopeful as my friends and I love trying new places.

My only reservation for rating is that people will see this and want to go there. And the selfishness in me wants to keep this little place all to myself. Out of respect for the owner, I'm sending this rating. We loved Encore 2 yrs ago, thankfully we found that the owner reopened as Uptown. Best pizza, chicken, and menu in DSM. Service was awesome. Atmosphere was very nice, clean. Great place for sports, beer, pizza. We will return frequently! Nice job.

love the pizza, love the apps but the margherita pizza, uhhh lets say it was not what i expected and no one in my party liked it

Went here for lunch. We were seated right away by the bartender and then waited for waitress. 10 minutes pasted and no wait staff. About to leave when wait staff came. Ordered beer and soda and sandwiches. Soda came out quickly but beer took some time. When food came , asked for another beer, never got it. Had to ask for the check. Then never came back to get credit card. When's up front by station and then waited there. Finally found enough cash and went back to wait area by kitchen, they were on phone left there. Food was average and wait staff was slow. We were not from Ankeny and it took us 40 mins to get to the restaurant. Went here based on reviews, and will never come back.

I will admit I've only had their lunch pizza buffet but it has to be one of the best, if not THE best, of its kind in town. Great options - great salad dressings for the salad bar (included in the buffet). Solid draft beer selections as well. Great staff, good sized area for seating. However you will want to get their early on the weekends if you don't want to wait long for a table. Another indication that this place is a great choice - everyone in town tries to get in there for dinner!

This restaurant is a little hidden gem in old town Ankeny. My boyfriend and I went for lunch and had a wonderful experience. The service was excellent. We ordered our food and drinks at the bar. The gentleman behind the bar was very friendly and made the best Bloody Marys we have ever had. If you like Bloody Marys he makes his own mix and it's amazing. The pizza was excellent as well. We will definitely be going back.

This is our favorite place to eat. The food is fabulous the pizza is tremendous. But the best thing about this place is Brandon the bartender and Dennis the owner. Brandon is overly accommodating when it comes to making drinks. And is always watching out for guests to try to make more room for everyone at the bar.

First time there with friends tonight and overall the food was pretty decent. The chicken Parmesan sandwich was by far the best food at the table. The onion rings appear homemade and aren't a bunch of breading which is nice. The pizza was also pretty good but a bit on the pricey side. Their crust is thin and crispy which helps. Our pizza came out with a topping we requested not to have but ate anyways to avoid a wait. The mixed drinks seemed to have very little alcohol in them even when ordering a short. The waitress...well she was a 1 star experience and extremely rude. Did not enjoy our experience with her at all.

Pretty average food. Venue was nice but burger and Philly cheesesteak were nothing special

The pizza was pretty bland, crust was not great. The homemade chips were hot and excellent, as was the garlic cheese bread. Service was great. I'll be back, might not get pizza.

The staff here are not wearing masks or glove! Not a safe place at all! Owner said they decided not to wear them. Guess they are more worried about their looks than their customers

This is the pizza formerly at Encore in Johnston! Nice menu and they'll do carry out to Firetrucker up the block. Not a secret anymore, so there's a wait sometimes but worth it.