
Bread and family lead Des Moines chefs on a quest
Chefs George Formaro and Tony Lemmo discover how bread helped shape their families and Des Moines.
Indulgent. Creamy. Melt-in-your-mouth juicy goodness. Done right, eating delicious Italian cuisine is like riding into the sunset of flavor town. And it looks like that town is Clive.
The food website Chowhound has named Clive’s Cosi Cucina as the best Italian restaurant in Iowa. The website picked a top restaurant for each state by analyzing a combination of awards and accolades from different prestigious organizations. It also included diner feedback.
What did Chowhound say about Cosi Cucina?
The listing highlighted reviews saying the restaurant offers “absolutely delicious Italian dishes” that range from familiar favorites to “interesting creations like the honey garlic chicken alfredo pizza.”
The writer made a special note about the restaurant’s top-selling dish, the Ziti Cucina. This penne pasta features Graziano’s Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato cream sauce.
What’s Cosi Cucina?
The Italian restaurant opened in 1993 to a four-and-a-half star review and filled a niche for bellies wanting an option in-between fine dining and casual food. They started off making their own mozzarella. They served unlimited rolls with olive oil – something unusual back in the day.
The restaurant almost closed in 2014 before the original owners’ youngest son took over and overhauled the space and menu. It was sold again in 2017 to Peter Renzo. But Cosi Cucina is still making incredible Italian food all these years later.
Where is Cosi Cucina and what are its hours?
The restaurant is located at 1975 NW 86th St. in Clive. Here are its hours:
Monday: ClosedTuesday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.Thursday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.Friday: 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.Saturday: 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.Sunday: 4-9 p.m.
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.

Dining and Cooking