Bar La Tosca
400 Main St, Ames, IA, 50010
Bar La Tosca Menu
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Soup and Salad
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Pasta
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Pizza
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Grilled Items
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Small Plates
Healthy Meal suggestions for Bar La Tosca
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Soup and Salad
-
Pasta
-
Pizza
-
Grilled Items
-
Small Plates
Visit below restaurant in Ames for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Ames for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
400 Main St
Ames, IA, 50010 - Phone (515) 232-8484
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 11
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Christine G.
My friend and I went to Tosca on a Tuesday evening, so we were seated right away. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed. The background music was quiet and not distracting. We ordered an old-fashioned ($7) and a margarita($6) for beverages. My Margarita was tasty and strong. We got three different small plates: a chickpea and ratatouille on flat bread, ricotta crepes, and fried gnocchi with a creamy Parmesan sauce. The gnocchi was amazing! Flat bread, very good! The crepes were average, I guess. Our total bill was $40. The staff was friendly and accommodating. We were very impressed overall and would come back and try one of their pasta dishes!
(4)Jim M.
My wife and I are originally from central Iowa but have lived in Seattle for years. Whenever we come back for a visit, we look for good local (non-chain) restaurants. So we were delighted to find Bar La Tosca. Our party of three arrived on a rainy Friday night without reservations and were seated right away (there was a tornado warning in effect, which might explain our good luck). We each started with a green salad with a delicious raspberry vinagrette. The most interesting ingredient in the salad was thin slices of pressed ricotta cheese, a first for us. Next we shared a big dish of lightly breaded deep-fried calamari. It was served with an aioli sauce with a good balance of garlic and heat. Then we ordered three different pasta dishes (penne with chunks of pork shoulder, fettucini with chicken, rigatoni with a pork ragu). Each dish was very flavorful and each had the pasta perfectly cooked (al dente). The restaurant does not place salt and pepper shakers on the tables, and fresh ground pepper was not on offer. In our experience this means that the chef is telling you that additional seasoning is not needed. In Iowa, we find that most prepared food is overly salted, and we watch many people routinely salt their food before tasting it, so no salt and pepper on the table is a bold statement from the chef. One person in our party still lives in Iowa and found that for her the dish needed just a touch of salt, which was gladly supplied by the waitress. We each had two glasses of Italian wines (white and red) and were impressed with the small but carefully chosen wine list and the reasonable prices. Alas, we had no room for dessert. The service was impeccable and the pace of the courses was just right. We travel almost every year to Europe, including Italy, and It is a real pleasure to find authentic, creative, and reasonably priced Italian food like this on Main Street in Ames, Iowa. We will certainly return to La Tosca every time we're back in Iowa.
(5)Colleen N.
I need to correct myself on my review of Tosca. I was completely off on my presumptions. I've gone back for dinner with friends and it was a completely different experience! Fried Calamari is delicious and the salmon toast is so good.! It has become a great local restaurant! *writing this re review on a cell phone has keeping this short and me unable to delete my past review.*
(5)Jennifer A.
Go right now and get yourself a slice of their Lemon olive oil cake with mascarpone cheese filling. It's topped with caramelized pecan and makes me say "Yes. Yes. Yes!" It's one of the best dessert I've eaten and it reminds me of growing up in my Italian grandmother's home. Bar la Tosca is a visual jewel. It's posh little restaurant in a swanky art nouveau meets mid century modern space. Lush and rich colors and textures dotted with retro decor and Parisian style penny hex tile floor. It's gorgeous. Food is inspired and delicious. It's creative and inventive but with Mediterranean influences. I wish there were more non-shellfish options so my allergic husband and I could eat there more regularly. Service is great: friendly, helpful, knowledgeable. Well done.
(5)Bergen B.
After returning from a trip to Spain I had a hankering for tapas like none other. Eating toasted bread and cheese just wasn't cutting it anymore, so I went online and tried to find a place near Ames serving tapas or something similar. That's when I discovered Bar La Tosca. Before this I'd never heard of the place, nor seen it all the times I'd been on Maine Street. But I gathered my fellow Spanish adventurers and we headed right there to order every single "small plate" they offered. Every single one was delicious. I don't think I could pick a favorite if I'd tried. It was the closest thing to tapas I've had since being to Spain. Even if you haven't been to Spain to experience tapas in their homeland, you can get an authentic experience at Bar La Tosca. If you have a large group, grab a bunch of small plates and pass them around!
(4)Izzy T.
This place reminds me of some of the classy bars in Iowa City. There aren't any other places like this in Ames. We've been here twice already since discovering it about a month ago--once for brunch and once for dinner. Both times, the cocktails were on point. The food was also pretty good as well. This was the first time I've had pork belly...and it won't be the last. They also have a unique spin on biscuits and gravy for brunch--tasty! We had pasta when we came for dinner. Nothing spectacular, but I'll keep coming back for the atmosphere and cocktails.
(4)Andy B.
Firing on all cylinders. Pork belly, calamari, bucatini, beef, and dessert were all delicious. Cocktails and service were excellent.
(5)Chas. D.
We chose to go to Bar la Tosca this evening for a birthday occasion meal. We had never been here before and thought we would try something different. We were greeted the moment we entered the restaurant and seated immediately. We were in a cozy booth, which, for the three of us seemed a bit small but worked out to be fine. The waitress was quick to take drink orders and arrived with cold beverages shortly after. The menu might be considered slight as there aren't a lot of choices. However, the choices that are available cross a wide range of flavor from seafood to chicken to pork and beef. We each ordered something different. The Chicken Fettuccini was fantastic as was the Rigatoni with both beef and pork had a very unique flavor that was excellent. The Bucatini had a great guanciale (Italian bacon) and creamy tomato sauce with a little bit of heat from the chilis. We received a few pieces of bread after our pasta had been served. Almost seemed like an afterthought but we were glad we had something to soak up the pasta sauces. The quantity of our meals was good. Allowed enough room for dessert.;-) We finished our meal with a couple desserts. One Chocolate Cayenne Cake and one Cherry Turnover with rum sauce. Both were exceptional. We will return for more authentic Italian food.
(5)Maeraj S.
Great cocktails, decent ambiance, consistently good food. Ames really needed a place like this--it fills a niche!
(4)Adian S.
This place is amazing. While my boyfriend and I were visiting his mother in Ames from Des Moines, we happened to stop by this fantastic little place-- and it was FANTASTIC. Him and I shared the chicken breast, which was phenomenal. The spinach on the side was mouth watering-ly delicious. The chicken was juicy and tender. I couldn't have asked for a better meal. For dessert we decided to all split the blueberry tart. The cream on the side was so warm and the vanilla taste just melted my mouth, especially after I rolled a few blueberry in it. The tart was hard to cut through without feeling like you were going to break the plate, but it tasted wonderful. Our waitress was great! We never had to ask for a thing, especially water. She was on top of it! Totally helpful and really sweet.
(4)Valentina S.
La Tosca has a very pleasant layout, it's definitely the right place to hang out with friends. Our drinks were very tasty, just maybe a little weak. The appetizer, a flat bread with hummus and fried onion was yummy. The gnocchi is so so. Maybe more vegetarian options would be a good addition to the menu.
(4)B P.
We were so disappointed, since we heard this place was bringing a chef from out of town and everything. Bar man had no idea of how to make a sazerac (tons of ice on a drink that is supposed to be chilled), gnocchi was hard/chewy (even I can do better than that!), roasted pork looked (and tasted) like hospital food, the other past dish we ordered was ok (but just ok). Dessert was good, but that was it. Really, really disappointed.
(2)George R.
I have never written a YELP review before but felt compelled after eating at La Tosca. My wife, son, and I had the tremendous pleasure of stumbling upon this new Italian restaurant in the old historic downtown in Ames. It was SO good we ate their on 2 successive nights. First, the staff including the host, bartender, and waitresses were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and well trained More importantly the food was most definitely the star of the show. The flatbread was "Middle East meets Italy"with hummus and Ratatouille with goat cheese--yummy. The Canederle appetizer is too hard to explain - just get it -you will be moaning and sopping up the leftover broth. Beet salad was excellent as well. Pastas were outstanding especially Bacatini Amatrciana with guaincale. Salmon was some of thebest we've ever eaten and the shellfish stew in Fennel broth was PERFECT! No room for deserts but can verify the bartender knows how to make a Perfect Manhattan and great Old Fashion!! Go taste the food- you will return soon!!!
(5)Dan D.
Had hopes of a new place in Ames to eat when visiting but this is not it. In short, weak drinks, slow service and tough food. Two of us had the pan roasted chicken. One was good and the other ok but a bit tough. One of us had the braised meat which was pork. It was tough all the way around. The table next ours had issues as well. Unless rave reviews start appearing I won't be back.
(2)Regan K.
My family went to eat dinner here one night and we were very unimpressed. When you first walk in you are awkwardly stared at and were unsure if you were supposed to waive over an employee in the groupd by the bar or seat yourself. When we sat down at our table our waitress handed us our menus and then gave us time to look while she went to get us water. After she came back with our waters she asked for any other speciality drinks and also explained the menu and awknoleged the chefs specials and speciality drinks. We ordered the flatbread for an appetizer and our main dishes. While we were waiting we noticed the quit, calm atmosphere with dimmed lights and excellent music. The flatbread was DELICIOUS! It was warm toasted flatbread with a cheese spread, mushrooms, candied tomatos and crunchy onions on top. Very tasty! The main meals dropped our bar way down. They were very bland and had NO taste. I got a pasta dish with chicken and it was well plated but the noodles seemed a little chewy and oily. Onother person in our group described the meat in her dish as "Mystery meat" and lost her appetite after a couple of bites. Another in the group had potatos with mushrooms but it was such a small portion it was a joke! Other things we noticed was how unorganized the staff were and how they just sat and talked together behind the bar, the tables were very close and not very private, there were no candles on the table which was very disappointing since it would add to the ambiance and there was no salt and pepper on the table. Something that also bothered me was how the waitresses did not use tray but carried the dishes one in each hand which caused her to make 2 trips. At the end of the meal the group member with the "Mystery Meat" told our waitress that she was displeased and the waitress was very sympathetic and took it straight to the chef and even tried to offer us dessert on the house and eventually took her plate off the bill. Overall it was a great atmosphere and it had a nice feel and look of it with the long black leather booths and wooden bar and tables with lights hanging from long wires. Out waitress was very knowelegeble and deeply cared about our experince. (5 stars for her) Since this resturant is very new we expected these kinks and will probably not come back until they are fixed. If I do and my experience had changed I will update this review. (Another thing I saw while eating was the bartender taking shots which I thought to be unprofessional)
(3)Gregg W.
I had the salmon, she had a pasta dish. Both were OK. Good service and atmosphere. Overpriced and just OK food makes me believe their future is limited.
(3)