Pagliai's Pizza — Restaurant in Johnston

Last night we went in to our favorite pizza place in the Des Moines area. We spend probably $50 there per month. Unfortunately after our experience yesterday evening that number is going to drop significantly. My parents, brother, and grandma came to town to visit from Illinois and we decided after a long day of driving for them we would go to Pagliai’s for an easy dinner. We had a party of 7 with a baby in a car seat. When we walked in, the sign said to please seat yourself. I asked if we could use the room in the back, because the lights were off and no one was in there. I was told “no, that room is for parties of 20 or more”. So I asked if they had one coming in and again was told “not tonight, but we still can’t open it.” So we attempted to put a chair at the end of a 6 top so we could all sit together. A very rude blonde employee stormed over and told us we cannot do that because it’s a fire hazard. So my wife then asked “well where should we go, so far we have only been told what we can’t do”

The blonde employee again said “well I don’t know you’re welcome to hang out but we cannot have that chair there.” Again, super “helpful”

We ended up just holding the sleeping baby, and squeezed the car seat under the table. 10 minutes later a group of 8-10 came in, looked all over for a table because there were no large ones available. They had to stand at the hostess stand for nearly 40 minutes before getting a table and were visibly frustrated. All could have very simply been avoided had the staff been willing to allow loyal customers to use a room that was unoccupied. I’m afraid we will be taking our business elsewhere if that’s how our family is treated. Hope for future customers they can...

Pagliai's is probably my favorite pizza place in Johnston/Urbandale. Their thin crust is what I've always considered "normal" pizza. It's not crazy thin, but it's not like eating a loaf of bread, either. Their sauce and toppings are great, as well.

In fact, if I were rating Pagliai's on their pizza quality alone, I'd give them an easy five star rating. My only issue with Pagliai's is their delivery. Something's always weird. A side item gets forgotten, or the delivery is substantially late, or the pizza arrives cold.

In my most recent experience, I ordered online. Their "tracking" website is a complete fiction, linked in no way to your actual delivery. It's simply a map, showing your house, and their store, and the estimated delivery time. When that time arrives, the site declares your pizza delivered, regardless of the actual situation.

So, I ordered a pizza, was given a delivery time, and 15 minutes after the delivery time (and after the website told me that the pizza had arrived), I called the store. They told me that the order would be there soon. About ten minutes later, my pizza did, in fact arrive, and it was well made and tasty.

Unfortunately, something heavy had clearly been sitting on top of my pizza, and the result is pictured. Ultimately, it wasn't a big deal, by Domino's, Felix & Oscars, and Taste of Italy all manage to get undamaged pizzas to my house quicker and more reliably.

I love Pagliai's pizza, and I'm glad they're around. I just wish they'd fine tune the...

We arrived at 8:40, wanting to make our first visit to Pagliai's, only to find that they closed at 9 p.m. We walked in and said, since they close in a few minutes, maybe we can get a to-go order. The pizza maker behind the counter said, "If you want to dine in, pick a table. We are happy to serve you!" We selected a table and ordered the House Special, adding black olives.

We both had a tossed salad, which was very tasty and came with a warm breadstick.

Then the guy who told us to come in and sit asked if we wanted some cheese bread on this house. "Um, yes, please!" It was warm and tasty, too.

Now, I am a bit of an iced tea snob. I often turn my nose up when restaurants brew tea but fail to clean their machines properly. Their iced tea smelled and tasted fresh. I even told the chef that when he brought us the cheese bread. He said we break the machine down and clean all the parts every night, not just rinse it out.

The pizza was fresh from the oven and crisp! Just the right amount of toppings on each bite.

We were delighted and will be back! Right off the interstate, easy in and out.

UPDATE: We stopped in again on a busy Friday night at 7:30. We were quickly greeted and seated. The pizza was piping hot, and the iced tea was still crisp and fresh. Thank You for being...