Driftless Pizza Co — Restaurant in Dubuque

Update:

I spoke with Mike, the general manager, and I have to say—he’s a great guy who genuinely cares about the guest experience. I wasn’t an upset customer, just offering honest feedback, and I really appreciate that Driftless took it seriously. As Mike mentioned in his response, my review helped them identify an issue in the kitchen, and they’ve already taken steps to correct it.

That kind of responsiveness and accountability goes a long way. It’s clear they’re committed to delivering a great experience, and they definitely won this foodie's loyalty. Looking forward to coming back!

Four Stars!

Original:

This was my second visit to Driftless Pizza, and I had high hopes based on the quality of the appetizers last time. This round, I tried the pepperoni pizza, the Figgy White, the Burrata, and the Italian sandwich.

The Burrata was once again outstanding—creamy, fresh, and plated beautifully. The Figgy White had a nice balance of flavor and was overall decent. The pepperoni pizza really surprised me—in the best way. It might actually be the best pepperoni pizza I’ve had in Dubuque: crisp crust, solid sauce, and just the right amount of char and cheese.

Unfortunately, the Italian sandwich was a major letdown. It was essentially a small bologna sandwich with a splash of Italian dressing. It was supposed to have prosciutto, but there was only a single, paper-thin slice that was barely noticeable. The mortadella was minimal two slices, and the overall meat content just didn’t deliver. Worst of all, the roll it came on was underwhelming—dry and uninspired obviously pre-baked and out of the fridge. I could still see where the salt soaked into the crust.

This is especially disappointing considering the same kitchen bakes incredible fresh bread for the Burrata. If that Italian sandwich had come out on that same fresh, oven-warm bread, it would’ve been 100% better and might’ve saved the dish.

All in all, Driftless Pizza still shows flashes of greatness in the kitchen, but the inconsistency between items is holding it back. Three...

We had a wonderful night and an Amazing waitress who added much positive to our evening with her fun personality,amazing people skills! We were very indecisive as we had never eaten there before she was extremely patient with us and helped us with our decisions on what to have. We had very fast service. She made sure to come back and check on us several times and was always quick with what we needed. Thank you Ava! The only part of our night we did not like is the fact that we the company makes their staff pool their tips. We asked if we could give her a gift and her manager or who ever she checked with said either way it’s considered a tip. Upsets me because we wanted to give her a generous tip for how amazing she was and there was no way around it without her having to share it. When we go out we want to tip the person who waited on us so I believe tipped pooling should absolutely be out the window. The wait staff that personally takes care of you can make or break the night so those amazing ones out there should not have to split tips. Just my opinion. We would definitely love to go back and have Ava as a waitress again but the tipped pooling definitely aggravates us so we will just have to see. Might seem silly to others our way of thinking but to...

Phenomenal. They accommodated our last minute large group reservation change (from 3 to 12!). We weren’t an easy group either - 5 kiddos + 7 hangry adults. 3 Apps + 4 Large Pizzas fed all of us plus a little leftovers.

Food: appetizers were all piping hot and delicious. Bruschetta, mozzarella sticks and buratta. I asked for a serrated knife to slice up the large loaf of bread the burrata is served with but they didn’t have one- so I had to tear it all up for the entire group. Not a huge deal but it would have been better to slice it.

Pizza- the cheese and toppings were all top quality. Detroit style crust was the crowd favorite. It was a crispy but airy thick crust. Hot honey and White Fig ( or similar names) were the crowd favorites. The kiddos enjoyed cheese and Quattro.

Not sure what happened with the New York thin crust. It was hot- but soggy. The flavors were on point, but ours weren’t crispy- almost still doughy in the center. It was still good, but compared to the Detroit style - it was a miss for us.

Drinks: Driftless lager on tap and non- alc options were all big hits.

Tip- we hit up duckpin bowling at Backpocket before our reservation. Ella was also was a GREAT server and so helpful. Fun memories made for all. We...