Austin is a sophomore creative advertising major and can be reached at [email protected]

I like pizza. I like frozen pizza, delivery pizza, hell, I even like Hubbell Dining Hall’s pizza every once in a while.

I grew up in a suburb of Chicago where deep-dish pizza for dinner on Wednesdays was the norm. I miss my Wednesdays. When a friend asked me recently if I wanted to get pizza I said, “yes.” When she asked if I wanted to go to Gusto Pizza Co. I said, “absolutely.” A group of friends and I drove the five-minute drive down Ingersoll Avenue to Gusto. When we arrived, we were all beyond hungry. The smell of the restaurant only made it worse. We placed our orders: two Buffalo Springfields, which have roasted chicken, celery, blue cheese, mozzarella, creamy Italian dressing and Roma tomatoes, and a Create-Your-Own cheese and pepperoni.

While we waited for the pizza makers to make our hand crafted pizzas, I observed the customers. All of the people who were in the restaurant were happy to be there, relaxed and dressed pretty casually.

Gusto has a really laid back feel. With an open design, the restaurant makes you feel comfortable, like you can take your shoes off and spread out. There are big windows that let you see what’s going on outside and seating inside and outside. One advantage to sitting inside is you’re in view of one of the many flat screen TVs that are hanging up in the restaurant.

Once our pizzas were delivered to our table, we all dug in. The crust was thin and crispy. It wasn’t the deep-dish pizza I am used to from home, but it was equally as good. I, as the pizza lover, got the standard pepperoni pizza. Even though it wasn’t a fancy pizza, it was still beyond good. The pepperonis were cut up really little into strips, not circular shapes. I added some dried peppers to add some heat to my pizza. With that combination, I’d say Gusto has one of the best pepperoni pizzas in Des Moines. My friends would agree. They loved their Buffalo Springfields. They were just as crispy, a little more on it, but just as good.

If you have an itch to get off campus, I highly suggest going to Gusto. A quick five-minute drive down Ingersoll Ave. will get you right in line to order your newest favorite. Another plus to Gusto’s location is Orange Leaf right next door…but that’s for next time.  Stay hungry, Drake University. There are good options all over town!