Maggie's Farm Wood-fired Pizza — Restaurant in University Heights

My dad and I decided to try somewhere new for his 70th birthday, and we were both blown away by this place, from start to finish. It was moderately busy for a Wednesday lunch, but we were greeted and taken to our table immediately. The lunch menu was simple but effective: I got the spinach pizza with pine nuts and white sauce, my dad got one of the specials which was a fancy taco pizza. The pizza came fast, which, as one of the staff pointed out, is what happens when you throw pizza in an 800° oven, and was cooked perfectly—the steak on the taco was a highlight for my dad, and on my spinach pizza they didn’t skimp on pine nuts and I could taste each of the three cheeses all at once. The real highlight, though, was our waitress Kenzie (who didn’t know it was my dad’s birthday until we were leaving) took some time to talk with my dad about the restaurant and what she was doing in school, joked with him about her pink hair and how she’d be watching to make sure he used the lime on his taco pizza, and overall absolutely made his day! It’s things like that that can really make a person’s day special, and writing a review to say so feels like the least I could do—besides going back, which we will also...

Tonight was the 2nd time we have eaten here in a year while visiting family. The 1st time everything was so good - Brussel sprouts, bread with oil, Margherita pizza. I was worried whether it was going to live up to my memories the 2nd time, and it did not, it exceeded them. Our waitress was Chloe - she was attentive without hovering, very friendly, and had great suggestions. We ordered bread bites, Brussel sprouts, the large dinner salad for the table, a pesto pizza, sausage pizza, and the lasagna bolognese. Everything was amazing! I was sad we were so full because the blueberry ice cream another table ordered looked amazing! I sincerely wish the owners would open a West Des Moines/Waukee branch - although maybe it is good that they don't 😁 Maggie's food is light, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. The atmosphere is perfect for a nice date night or a casual gathering or family or friends. The staff are all incredibly polite, attentive, and helpful. Until they open a branch in WDM/Waukee - where they would thrive with the type of food they serve and their atmosphere - we will continue to make a point to stop in Iowa City...

Waaaayyy too much garlic on everything, in large (tooth sized) chunks, and very raw. Burrata? Raw garlic. Pizza? Raw garlic. Meatballs? Raw garlic. We ended up picking off two plate piles of raw garlic chunks. The burrata was also very mushy and grainy, more like a spread with an excessive amount of oil. We threw it away. The dough and the sides of bread were delicious, we’d order just the bread to pair with our own meals at home. Margarita pizza was ok, not much mozzarella, the raw garlic overpowered everything and I wouldn’t get it again. My partner had the meatballs and ended up throwing them away - said too much raw garlic, raw onion chunks, weird flavors and generally unenjoyable. Disappointed, especially for the cost. If I could pray anything to the culinary gods, it would be for Maggie’s to mince, cook down properly, and spread with restraint their beloved garlic stockpile. Add more mozz to the margarita for a proper margarita pizza, and dont turn the burrata into a grainy mashed...