Pazzesco Pasta and Chophouse

And they are closed!!!! Please bring a good italian restaurant to Ames, this place deserves to close. Seriously has noooo idea what real italian food is like. I grew up on the east coast in an Italian neighborhood where the Italian ladies taught me how to make authentic Italian food...my homemade food puts this place to shame!

Ugh this place is just gross! I gave it three tries and all three times it failed! Bread is dried out and disgusting, service is horrid, the food is just disgusting! Ames, you need a good italian restaurant and this is NOT IT!

Nice atmosphere. Terrible food. More water on my plate than sauce. My husbands Eggplant Parmesan was mostly seeds from the bad part of the plant. He didn‘t complain, but our wine glasses were also dirty and the calamari appetizer was grotesque - over cooked and served with a sauce that didn‘t match. Good enough for Boone County, not for Ames.

Went there when it first opened and wasn‘t impressed. However, my wife and I were asked to go again with some friends and we were quite surprised. 2 of us ordered steaks and they were fantastic and cooked correctly (rare was rare and medium was still pink in the middle). The other 2 of us ordered pasta and it was also very god. It was al dente and portioned out well - there enough chicken/shrimp that you didn‘t have to go hunting through a 2 gallon bowl of pasta looking for it. The sauce was light and full off flavor - I usually salt my pasta but I didn‘t have too - not because it was salty enough but because it was flavorful enough.

Give it a try - and then a second one, maybe some nights are better than others.

steak was over cooked, talked to the owner, he seemed indifferent.

I have eaten here twice, both with large groups for business. Each time the food was pretty mediocre. I would go back, because it‘s good wine, good bread, good atmosphere. But overall, I think they could improve their menu and food a lot.

Where are you people used to eating good italian that you think this is good??? Bread was dry dry dry, service was terrible and I can make better chicken parmesan at home. Amongst my party of 10 none of us thought this was even passible yet alone good. Maybe they have good steaks but I am not giving them a second visit to find out. Ames still doesn‘t have any decent italian restaurants. Guess off to Des Moines I go if I want to eat good italian food out.

Bartenders make a great martini!! My wife loves the eggplant parmesan but I usually get the lasagna. Always very good and very consistent.

My new favorite restaurant in Ames for a steak. Calamari as an appetizer and the filet for dinner is all I need.