Bistro Baffi Italian Restaurant & Bar

We went here for our anniversary dinner. Although the server was kind, the atmosphere feels a bit off. The drink was average nothing exciting to write about, the server came back to top off my drink bc it was presented in a smaller martini glass and he couldn't fit it all in the first run around - which is fine. The calamari came with fries, weird, but fries were very good! Crisp and light, just how I like my fries to be. The breading on the calamari was too excessive. I wasn't feeling it and so was my husband. My seafood spaghetti was good but nothing to wow about. My husband got the steak wrapped prosciutto, he said it was not bad but also wasn't steakhouse quality. To wrap this up, we probably won't be back. But it's nice to support your local small businesses at least once, don't you think?

Cute atmosphere! Food was delicious, Everything we got from the appetizers, the main course, drinks and desserts didn't disappoint. It's a small place, We made reservations,,wasn't sure if there could be a wait so better safe than sorry! The service was fairly slow but friendly. We arrived at 6:30pm and didn't leave till close to 9pm. Lots of long breaks in between orders.. it Appetizers and drink order 1st ..Appetizers came out within 15 mins but our drinks didn't come out till 30 mins later...it was that time frame for the whole dinner, didn't come back to take our main course order for another 20 mins or more,,,but Overall the food made up for it all, it was absolutely delicious!

Went there for a birthday dinner and was so happy we did. The dinners were excellent. We tried the lobster ravioli, marsala chicken, chicken parm and a penne with sausage. Started with the bruschetta and it was one of the best I have had and I really like the pink pasta sauce. All the portions were generous and the service was very good.

My first time here, and this seems like a solid addition to the Normandy Park/Des Moines food scene.It's smaller inside than I'd have expected from the outside, but that can be a good thing. No huge dining room with noisy parties competing with each other.As I often do when dining alone, I ate at the bar and the bartender was very accommodating. I told him what I was looking for in a red, and he suggested a Chianti, which turned out to be a bit lighter than I wanted, but pleasant nonetheless.My Pizza Margharita was good, with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil on a medium crust. A request for some red peppers was answered quickly, as was the suggestion for a second glass of wine. This time, my bartender recommeded the Upside Down Merlot. (Remember the line from "Sideways"? "If anyone orders a merlot, I'M LEAVING!") This was quite nice. Full, with just a hint of fruit at the beginning.It was only my first time, but my impression is that they offer good, solid Italian food at pretty reasonable prices. There's an outside patio when weather permits, and it's a local place. Well worth trying if you like Italian.

I had an incredible dining experience at this restaurant! The scallop pasta was absolutely delicious, and the pizza for my appetizer was the best I've ever had. The service was amazing, making it a must-try. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

In the mood for Italian food? Well let me tell you, we stumbled upon this family-owned restaurant and we loved it!! We enjoyed a delicious meal with a fantastic atmosphere, and exceptional service from friendly & attentive staff. My dish was the Scallop Martel , but don't forget to also try their delicious Lasagna!! Our son also had the spaghetti and meatballs, he loved it. If you have room, indulge in the tiramisu for a perfect end to your meal.

I kept looking around to see if Gordon Ramsey was going to pop by because we were secretly on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares...The only reason I gave this a two start rating was the fact that our waitress was really nice. Which I wanted to point out since the service was terrible, she unfortunately had the entire place she was taking care of and was also seating customers. At one point, someone came out and helped her but only briefly.SO, where to begin with this review.I really like the bread that they brought out at the start, but unfortunately the oil they gave with it was rancid. When we asked for another dish of oil and told her why, we just never saw the oil again so maybe it was all rancid?Myself and one of my dining companions ordered the soup of the day, which was a cream of broccoli with lobster. Yes, it sounded weird but I thought why not, which was soon answered. The soup was cold, super watery, and just kind of meh. A bit more pureeing and it might have been good?We ordered the stuffed mushrooms, they were fine and everyone agreed.The main dishes were ok. I had the Bistecca Romana, which wasn't really wrapped in prosciutto and was floating in a bowl of water, which they called chianti wine reduction that was NOT reduced... with some mushrooms that were under cooked. Other items that were ordered; Lasagna Napoli (meh), Pappadelle Tartufate (it was fine and probably the best of the four), and the worst was the Scallops Martell as the "Fresh" sea scallops tasted all but fresh, in fact they tasted old.And to the worst part, the desert course. The table ordered the tiramisu and the walnut cake. The only good part was the walnut cake was original and not something you see. Unfortunately both the tiramisu and the cake were just not good, we didn't even finish. The walnut cake tasted like you were eating sawdust. The tiramisu looked like it fell apart and they just piled it on the plate.It's important to note, none of the yelp photos really aligned with the menu and certainly the few that did didn't look anywhere near what we received. Perhaps they had a chef/owner change and no one has bothered to replace the photos?OH, and if you want a laugh, look at the wine list. They have a $12,000 bottle. And no, I didn't accidentally hit the zero too many times.Needless to say, go somewhere else. Olive garden maybe?

2 stars because this place could be more organized, and the food could be better.My son ordered the margarita pizza, myself the pappardelle, and my friend the meatballs with pasta.My pappardelle came out first, my friend's spaghetti game out about 4 minutes after, and my sons (age 9) pizza came out 15 minutes after. Thats not acceptable. You forgot to enter the order, I get it. But at least comp it or acknowledge your mistake.Im still irritated. My son didn't want to eat his pizza, and we all felt bad staring at our food to wait to bless it while we waited for the most simple food order - pizza.Not sure if we will be back. I'm embarrassed that I took my out of town visitor here.

2024, this place has evolved and although I have not ate everything on the menu, what I had tonight was WONDERFUL! I ordered from the new menu: Spaghetti with Pesto + meatball (came with 4 big meatballs) The Pesto was extraordinary! The meatballs were juicy! Not really Italian BUT who cares? The meatballs were a blend of beef and pork and tasty and juicy! I look at this place as a fusion Italian/mexican/indian place now...never mind that they have Pollo all parmigiana on the menu. It's NOT Traditional Italian...it's grilled. If you can forget this place has an Italian name (from the old owners) and just appreciate the food for what it is (fusion) then you will enjoy! The bar is pretty kewl if small, but all windows, and they have Taco's for lunch outside in the summer! (Not open inside for lunch) this is my new GO TO Spot! The lady waitress is so nice too! I'm from the neighborhood and maybe I'll see y'all there!

our server was fast, efficient, and friendly. The food was very good and served by the owner of the restaurant which gives this place a family feel. With a Groupon, the dinner was a very good value, and I would go there again.The atmosphere was lively and multiple tables were occupied at 5 PM. My hope is that they will bring back a brunch for Saturday and Sunday.