Latest Reviews
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I've had two pleasant experiences with Basta. The food was well made and prices were reasonable. The menu had a decent amount of options and the atmos…
Tori
Basta
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Went with 7 of us and everyone enjoyed our appetizers and main courses. We had pizza, fish, steak, pasta, chicken. All wet ample - enough for 2 and ni…
Michele Figueroa
Basta
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Used to be OK, but now the spaghetti was cold and the steak undercooked despite a request for well cooked.…
Loadofcobblers
Basta
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Basta serves Italian and Pizza. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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10 Reviews on “Basta”
Bad. I think this place thinks just because they have a great downtown location that they can do no wrong. Lol and for the students probably not but as I was here visiting my daughter this weekend I dined at quite a few establishments that were just as high priced but actually worth it. However basta is not worth it. Horrible service I mean come on Basta just because its a college town doesn’t mean you need a college wait staff to screw up orders. Listen students let me ask you something if you were sick would you go to a doctor that’s 18 years old? Of course not so why does this business think 18 year olds can even properly wait on other 18 year olds…….. Lol oh I’m sorry I guess they think pretty faces cancel out any errors…… Well if I’m a college girl I would be insulted that Basta thinks it can just employ attractive females and they won’t make awful mistakes……. I’m sorry it’s just our server was actually looking at her texts when’s he was talking to us, I mean come on! The food however was just plain bad. It wasn’t awful like the service$29 for a 12oz ribeye! Wow you are stealing the students money or there parents money.
Fine meal. Basta gave us another really nice evening of good food and service. One of us had one of the specialty pizzas, a peach one, that was really tasty. The pizzas are really good size, enough for two actually. Another person in our party had a spicy sausage pizza that he enjoyed. I had the butternut squash ravioli thatwas really good, had quite a bit to take home. First my husband and I shared a beet salad that was the best dish of the evening, with nice greens, roasted beets, pistachios, Gorgonzola cheese and a delicious vinaigrette dressing.. My daughter had a hanger steak that was done perfectly. The 5 year old had spaghetti with just cheese, but she ate two of the dinner rolls instead of her spaghetti…typical kid. The service was great. Our server, Taylor, paid close attention to our needs but didn’t bug us. Basta is one of the really good Italian restaurants in Iowa City.
Good food & Good atmosphere. If you can get past that you’re eating dinner in what used to be Malone’s and 808, then you’ll enjoy this. It is pretty darned good Italian food. My wife said she prefers it over Giovanni’s. I think it’s good food and a nice atmosphere. They have a great pizza oven if you like the wood fire kind. I say give it a shot!
Dynamic and enjoyable!. After hearing some less than stellar things about Basta, I have heard the tone about the place change recently. With the urging of some foodie friends, I took my parents there for lunch, and it was fantastic. The service was prompt, the food was almost speedy but so amazingly delicious and well presented. I found the atmosphere to be open and inviting, though I could see how it might get a little noisy when full. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful, and above all – cheerful! I would absolutely go to Basta again for lunch, and I’m looking forward to the chance to give it a try for dinner!
Delightful spot for lunch. On such a snowy day I decided to treat myself to another serving of squash ravioli and minestrone (super flavorful) and the signature Amalfi press. This place has not yet disappointed and I don’t plan on it failing me any time soon. MANGIA!24 Nov, 2011Dined here twice and really enjoyed it. So you may call me a snob, and you would be spot on. I stumbled across this place because I wanted something different than oversalted food for my birthday. I have finally discovered my signature drink in the Amalfi Press, I also thought the pasta with pumpkin and mascarpone was to die for. Although the serving was a little small for an entree. I had the Funghi Pizza which was great too – but thought they made the pizza tiny and the crust wider than necessary, basically left me hanging. I went back the next night and the service was even better, the drink was tastier and their salads were great too. I highly recommend this place for anyone wanting a metro flair to their dining experience in IC. Yes it is a touch pricey but I rather pay for quality ingredients than fried junk. BTW this place plays very appropriate music that doesn’t annoy you while dining. The bathrooms are very clean and is a great place to take kids too.
Instantly pleased. A new favorite spot.. We had no intentions of eating at Basta when we parked across the street – and were in fact headed for Z’Mariks – but I’d never heard of Basta so we tried it on for size.The manager acted as host and was really very nice, and our server was great because she was intuitively attentive but not at all intrusive. We had everything we needed and nothing we didn’t.On our lunch date, we ordered two pizzas. I got the Margherita and my friend got the Salsiccia (sausage). The ingredients and size were enough – it isn’t the American’ized version of pizza that has an inch of mozzarella on top but it IS woodfired and homemade (the cheese and sausage made in house).Basically, we had a terrific time at Basta. The food was great. Service was wonderful. I’m using a lot of praising words because it’s worth going.For two people with two non-alcoholic drinks at lunch, it was $30.Overall: I’d give this restaurant an ‘A’
Disappointed. Recently I went there for lunch. I felt the food was over priced and the service was awful. the waitress was slow and pokey and the ended up charging our card the wrong amount (giving herself a 50 percent tip!). I will not be going back.