I had driven by Wig & Pen several times and finally took the leap to go when family was in town for lunch. The food was very good and our waitress was amazing. They were very accommodating when it came to my 18 month old son and went out of their way to talk to him. Â I tried one of their vegetarian pizzas while other members of my party had the pork tenderloin and chicken salad. Both really enjoyed but my grandmother loved the homemade chips. My son gives two messy thumbs up to the chicken strips.
My only complain was that there was another male employee who walked around looking as though he was pissed at the world. He ran into me and did not apologize. He simply gave me a dirty look and continued to clean off his table.
Ordered carryout from here a week ago.  They said it would be 35 minutes, but it wound up taking 50 minutes.  In the end the food was not a disappointment.  My fiancé and I moved to Ankeny last weekend and wanted to try out a local pizza place.  I would most definitely go back again, but I think we will dine in and give that a try.  We ordered a thin crust sausage pizza and a Chicago styled "The Union Jack."  Mmm.
Review Source:I am a Chicago-style pizza fan and in the Des Moines area I only have about 3 places where I can get it. Â So I've been to Wig and Pen twice now and each time I've ordered the "Union Jack" (Chicago-style of course). Â The pizza has a great flavor and the crust is just right-crispy and buttery. Â My problem with this pizza-both times- has been the cheese; it's mushy and plasticky. Â It totally ruins what would have otherwise been an amazing pizza! Â It is not gooey and stringy at all--it just tastes like cheap cheese. Â It reminds me of the non-fat shredded cheese that doesn't melt. Â Unless they change the cheese, I won't be back a 3rd time :( Â I 'm gonna stick with Felix & Oscar's.
Review Source:Wow, we came here for drinks after our first soccer game win in Ankeny. Â The pizza here was phenomenal. Â The best pizza since I moved here to Des Moines. Â I had a local beer on tap called Smitty's or something like that. Â Great atmosphere with a old style red telephone box outside. Â Inside there are nice props for the UK. Â A bit further out from the busy intersection around Ankeny on Ankeny Blvd. Â A nice place to chill with friends. Â Oh yeah, the pizza takes time (felt like 30 minutes) but totally worth it especially the big thick crispy crust.
Review Source:Stopped by the Wig and Pen after my daughter's softball game at Prairie Ridge. Â We tried the "flying tomato" style pizza and it was excellent. Â The crust was great, the sauce gave it great flavor and the toppings were fresh...liked the slices of tomato on top. Â My parents ordered the chicago style pizza, and it had a thinner crust and less cheese...it, too, was very good. Â My daughters ordered a hamburger and grilled cheese with fries (both teenaged girls, so eat a good amount after a ball game) and said the meal was fine...they said it wasn't 5 star, but weren't rating the pizza, either. Â I would definitely order the PIZZA if you get a chance to stop. Â We will certainly go back if we play ball in the area again. Â Gave the place 5 stars as the pizza they make isn't your ordinary pizza, and is a nice change from the regular food chains.
Review Source:Was just there tonight for Wig & Pen's 3 year anniversary in Ankeny! Â I've enjoyed the pizza on several previous visits but ventured to new territory tonight. Â I had the italian grinder and, in short, it was killer!! Â The toasted bun was key to bringing it over the top, but the high quality sausage and nice spice with the right amount of cheese and mmmmmmmm-good! Â Served by a very friendly waitress and now that i think about it, friendly hostess as well! Â Will always go back when in Ankeny.
Review Source:I visited the Wig & Pen on a Friday night and from the looks of the parking lot, this was the place to eat in Ankeny. Â It was bustling with customers. Â
I must state up front that I did not have pizza which has a strong reputation with my friends who recommended this establishment to me. Â
I had the Italian Beef sandwich which was somewhat of a disappointment. I've been blessed by enjoying several of them over the past month during my adventures through the Midwest and this was hands down the biggest bummer. Â It was small, with sliced roast beef akin to Arbys with a sprinkling of green pepers and diced onions (the variety you would find atop a White Castle hamburger) and au jus. Â The good news is that it was very reasonable in price and came with some really good fries, which leads me to give it a C+. It was inexpensive and satiating.
The service was very good, and the Wig & Pen has done a very nice job of updating the interior of their business from the former restaurant that occupied this location. Clean with ample seating, and a lot of neat UK themed adornments.
Pizza takeout for lunch from Wig & Pen was ok but definitely not anything to write home about as far as pizza goes. Â Â We had the "thin crust" which was, by my Northeast standards, pretty thick. Â Â The tomato sauce was tasty but the pizza as a whole was not very inspiring. Â Â Since all the rave reviews here are for the Chicago style, perhaps we just made a bad choice.
Definitely not the best pizza I've ever had but it wasn't the worst either and I'd pick it over a chain pizza place any day.
We went to the Wig & Pen based off of the reviews for their Chicago Style Pizza. Having lived in Chicago, and eaten more than my fair share of their storied Pizza, I was excited as true Chicago Style Pizza is hard to find.
The restaurant was easy to see from the street, and there was ample parking. The hostess was very friendly and we were seated immediately.
They have Honkers Ale from Goose Island Brewing Company (one of my favs) plus a good selection of draft and bottled beer.
We ordered a Large Chicago Style pizza. The alarm bells should have went off when our pizza arrived ~ 20 minutes after ordering; true Chicago style Pizza takes a while,,,, like 40 minutes or more in the oven. To our approving eyes, the Pizza looked like it was built right; Crust first, A healthy layer of cheese, toppings, and a nice chunky red sauce on top. Now, for the eating. After cutting off a chunk and picking it up with my fork, I could see that the crust didn't look quite right. It was not a medium thick crunchy crust. It was pretty thin, and appeared to be a slightly thicker version of regular pizza dough crust. The first bite,,,,,,,,, not very hot, actually just warm (see earlier comment on the 20 minute pizza). The cheese was melted, and the crust did not seem all doughy, but still, did not seem fully cooked. As fore the taste, it was very good. I say with the exception for the crust, they nailed the flavor profile. The topping were good, but maybe a little skimpy (compared to what you would find in Chicago). If you order a sausage pizza in Chicago, prepare yourself for a solid layer of sausage, here there were little chunks of sausage here and there.
Over all it was a good pie; just needed a little more time in the oven. A more traditional crust wouldn't hurt.
The rest: The non-pizza part of the menu had a good variety. Looked like a great place to watch the game, have a group of people for a party etc.. There looked to be plenty of families there with kids of all ages (this was a Sunday afternoon ~ 5:30 pm).
Perhaps I am not rabidly devoted to it because I didn't go to college in Iowa City, but I think Wig and Pen is PRETTY good, and that's about it. Â
I'm hoping I just hit an off day at the restaurant, but I don't think the Chicago-style pizza is all that great here. Â Ours was watery and undercooked - it completely fell apart when we tried to slice through the center. The sauce was delicious, I'll give it that, and I'm all for the Bloody Mary specials on Sundays. Â I've had good lasagna here, and tried a friend's thin-crust pizza that was pretty great. Â However, I had higher hopes for the fish & chips (nothing special, a little soggy) and was especially disappointed in the Chicago-style pizza. Â
I'll definitely come back - Lord knows we need more restaurants in Ankeny that aren't national chains. Â All I'm saying is that I was hoping for a little more.
Went back last night, and they still get four stars.
Tried the onion rings this time. They were decent, but didn't wow. The menu states that they make them fresh each time, but I didn't get the impression that they were straight from the fryer.
But the pizza (oh...the pizza....pizza....pi...). It's just terrific. I'll leave it at that.
I discovered W&P late into my 8 years in Iowa City. After leaving school, one of the restaurants I missed the most was W&P. Fast forward about 5 years, visiting my BF's family in Ankeny. The local paper has a blurb about how W&P is opening shop just down the street from practically MIL's house! Â Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to head down 35 for a visit to my practically in-laws, but the Ankeny dining scene leaves something to be desired, unless you like chain restaurants. Nowadays, I LOVE going to visit, so long as we can trek down the road for some flying tomato pizza. Ankeny is not a bustling hub of activity (despite what the Super Wal Mart parking lot looks like on a Saturday), so please support this place and don't let it close down!
Review Source:Wig and Pen is by far the best Pizza I have ever had. I do admit this is most certainly not a 5 star restaurant, but this is "As good as it gets" for traditional American Pizza.
Wig and Pen serves Chicago style Pizza and they serve it well. Where most Pizza places fail, making zesty tasty sauce, Wig and Pen soars.
In addition the crust is perfect being slightly chewy on top and crispy on the bottom!
We had the vegetable version of the pizza and couldn't be happier. Service was fantastic, I wish I could remember the name of our server!
 A warning: Chicago style Pizza takes about 50 minutes to prepare. This is common.
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