Reviews for Riccelli's Restaurant

01/17/2024 - MenuPix User

04/19/2013 - Des Moines mom
Worst disgusting place ever

06/18/2012 - Victoria
Let me start off by saying, I am a vegetarian. I have been for 8 years. Seeing as this is an Italian restaurant, and I enjoy the other Italian restaurants around Des Moines, I decided to go to Riccelli's with my mom and uncle to celebrate their birthday.
When we walked it... I don't even know how to describe it... It looks like my grandmothers house, if it were unkept for 30 years (sloppy, mismatching paint, old time feel). Seeing as it would be rude to leave as soon as we walked it, we got seated anyway.
The waitress was nice, no complaints there. The other customers were quite loud (actually yelling and whatnot), and that wasn't very enjoyable. Usually, unless I see something on the menu that I'd rather have, I get spaghetti. "Plain spaghetti, no meatballs" as I always tell the waiter. That is what I ordered, then wait 20 minutes, being served a very bad salad (I didn't eat more that a few bites) sometime between those 20 minutes.
When I got the spaghetti, it looked weird. My mother had a side of spaghetti, and it looked nothing like this. I asked the waitress if there is meat in it, which she said yes right away and apologized. She asked if she could get me something else, that they would make special for me that has no meat in it. By that time, I had lost my appetite and refused. She said she will tell the owner about it, and told us to talk to her when we leave, so she can decide if I have to pay for it still (HAHA).
Now, when I left, I figured that the owner will apologize and drop my meal off the bill. This is what happened instead. I explain to her that I am a vegetarian, her first response was "Well, there's no meat in it, it just has a meat base." and after a strange look from me (it has no meat but the base of it is meat? HAHAHA) she exclaims "Well yeah, it has meat in it! It would be dumb to think otherwise, everyone knows the base of all spaghetti sauce has meat in it, what do you expect??" (I really didn't know what I should do at this point, roll on the ground laughing, or give her what for) Instead, I stand there silently, and my mother apologizes to HER. She says she will remove my food from the bill, and I walk out quickly as to make sure I stay polite, and not say something rude to her.
My mother and uncle come outside, and we look at the bill. She did not remove my food from the bill. We were stuck with a $48 bill of food that I didn't eat, and from what my mother told me, was mediocre at best. I have never seen such a rude and disgusting restaurant owner in my life. You do not insult your customers by inferring they're dumb, you do not lie to them to take their money. I have never had a "meat base" in any other plain spaghetti from any restaurant, nor any store spaghetti sauce that is not specifically the meat kind.
In short, don't go there.

10/01/2008 - riccelli27
this is the best restaurant my grandpa owns it and i get the hook up here for free