Basil Prosperi

This place is setup to serve a lot of people during the lunch hour in the sky walk. I had a half sandwich half soup. The soup was great with some real spicy kick to it. The sandwhich had some stale bread to it but tasted okay. Overall a great place to grab a quick bit.

Local. Best lasagna in town. Best Cajun Tuna sandwhich paired with roasted red pepper soup. You can't go wrong with anything on this menu. Everything is to die for but my favs are listed. Have a family get together get the pain of lasagna to bake at home. 100% a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Get the mix sauces and you might just host every holiday party at your house - not kidding this place is that good

This place is great for lunch (they aren't open for dinner) if you are downtown! Yes, sometimes it seems they rush you a little in line when you're ordering but the menu isn't that extensive and everything I've tried (pastas) have been delicious. The workers are very nice and can answer any questions you have about the pastas! The Food:Sausage and Peppers Linguini with red sauce -3.5/5 this is only because I'm picky about my red sauces. My hubby thought it was tasty. He would've gave it more stars. It was definitely good! But I think I'd rather get it with their alfredo instead.Mushroom Pesto Pasta with Alfredo- 5/5 seriously this is my go-to pasta here! The mushrooms make it feel meaty and they do not skimp on the mushrooms. The alfredo is down right delicious and creamy! Each pasta comes with bread which is perfect to dip the sauces with. Honestly, I would order any of their pastas and just have them add alfredo. It's just that tasty to me. I agree about the chicken. Don't add it. But every other meat or veggies topping I've had has been great! Will come back whenever I can! The only negative here is that they aren't open all day!

STOP JUDGING ME!I may or may not have eaten here twice in recent times...but their Friday salmon penne with jalapeño cream sauce is the stuff dreams are made of. A touch light on the cream sauce but that's my greed getting ahold of me because I really just desire to bathe in the sauce. I mean...jalapeños, in-house smoked salmon, cream sauce, tomatoes and penne? Just call Jenny Craig on my booty now. The Greek salad was FABULOUS! The green and kalamata olives add the perfect salty tang to the salad. Lettuce was crisp and fresh, not wilted (which I find so often!) and the dressing was the perfect Greek-ish touch. Red onions were strong (but good) and the feta...hello, it's cheese so of course it was delish! Lasagna wasn't my favorite (not bad just not wow'd by it) but loving the Greek salad w/ chicken added. The beef vegetable soup w/ pasta was bomb! It had just enough heat to want to keep eating more of it; delish!Lasagna with jalapeño cream sauce on top is the stuff pasta dreams are made of!I didn't love the jalapeño cream soup but I really think I was too busy with drinking my jalapeño cream sauce to notice the soup!I know where I'll be on Friday at lunch...every week. Ok, twice a week. Fine, daily; I'm eating here daily. Don't make me admit maybe hourly!

I've been here a few times now. I must admit I wasn't particularly enthused with their sausage & pepper pasta. This last time, though, I had the linguine Alfredo and that dish was a joyful plate full of comfort food. It totally hit the spot! I've also had their Red Pepper Soup a couple of times and it's very good. I'm not a huge fan of their pizza, but as other Yelpers here have stated, this is a solid spot for lunch.

Hidden gem in downtown office building. Large portions. Great pasta. Only negative, if it even is on, too much bread provided with pasta and salad.

Met up with a friend at Basil Prosperi today, which is located within the 801 Grand building in downtown Des Moines. We got there at 11am (when it opens), so there wasn't a wait at all. By the time we left there was a line out the door. I think that its location is convenient for a lot of people that work in downtown. Basil's has pasta dishes, salads, sandwiches, and soups. I decided to get the Sausage and Peppers pasta. It came out very quickly and there was also 3 slices of bread with the dish. My dish was very flavorful and the pasta itself was cooked very well. It wasn't too chewy, so I would say it was al dente. There weren't large pieces of sausage, but rather minced or diced up pieces of sausage throughout the pasta. I didn't mind that, since every bite had a mix of pasta, meat and peppers in it. The meat was seasoned well and the red peppers added an additional flavor to the dish.Overall, I was happy with what I ordered and I would go back and try other dishes. I was creeping on other dishes while eating, and the sandwiches looked appealing, so I may try that next.

Great food for a quick italian place. The menu is easy to read and they're pretty speedy, even when it's super busy. Seating can be a little difficult if you want to stay. But rumor is they are expanding into the space next door for additional seating. Typically, if there is a line, they'll have someone walk the line and take orders, then you'll pay up front. If you're staying in to eat, they'll give you a number to take to your table and they'll bring you your meal. If you're leaving with your food, they'll package it up for you. Also, there is a silverware and water station past the register for those staying in to eat. If you need oil etc for your bread, that is on the far side of the restaurant, by the windows. Most meals come with a few slices of bread (which are perfect for soaking up alfredo sauce!). Highly recommend Basil. I would skip on adding chicken to your alfredo though. I'm not sure if they microwave it or boil it, but the chicken is rubbery and dull in flavor.

Pretty solid spot for lunch. A friend I go with always gets the jalapeño cream chicken and another always the spinach ricotta. Their salads and soups are pretty good but the roasted red pepper soup is a must for me. It can get pretty busy at peak times, but the line usually moves fast and the seating has never been an issue.

One of the best local Italian lunch spots in DSM. The service is always friendly and the food is freshly made. We have also tried their take and bake meals and have loved them!