i adore this store! it's cozy and is stocked with the snacks and asian groceries that i like at a…read moregood price! the owner is super friendly and quick!

I've been here several times, and I've had great service. The owner (that the other review said…read morewas not friendly) always says hello to me and asks if I need any help finding anything. Several times she has also given me free items to try and see if I like them. I'll agree that some of the freezer items could be labeled a little better with prices and/or dates, but I haven't really purchased any of those items. I typically come in for different noodles, sauces, and spices. I have found all the prices to be very reasonable, and way cheaper than trying to buy all these specialty items from Amazon or other online vendors. The store itself is a little small and cramped, but that's part of the charm. This is a great store with friendly staff and an awesome selection considering the small size.

An Ames Tradition Since 1973…read more The Ames Downtown Farmers' Market is located at the old Train Station and runs mostly during May to October on Thursdays and Saturdays. Besides the cool architectural backdrop and the sound of UP Trains whizzing by, you can expect seasonal fruits & vegetables, dairy, meat, jams/jellies, wines, baked goods, and crafts - all from local vendors. I also enjoy the people watching and the community energy. And wouldn't you rather be here than walking the "not as fresh" aisles at the nearby Hy-Vee?

Great authentic food and service! We ordered a burrito and split it since it is so big. Still very…read morefilling and the staff brought it in two separate dishes for us after splitting it.

Food: Everything we've ever ordered has been astounding! All of the food is fresh, hot, and full of…read moreflavor. Portion size is great as well! I love the bread options their store offers also. The quesabirrias tacos are a favorite go to! They also provide lime wedges, radish slices, roasted peppers, and roasted onion with the tacos. The fresh, crisp cilantro is the "cherry" on top lol. Service: Every time we go in there, we're greeted with a smile! All of the employees are really friendly, patient, and helpful. They do their best to explain something on the menu if you're not fluent in Spanish/don't know what something is or consists of. They're very quick and efficient. Ambiance: A quaint, quiet store/restaurant full of delicious options and amazing smells. It's kept clean and tidy with medium noise pollution: there's typically a TV playing in the dining area or music playing throughout the space. The seating is cozy; more for 2-4 people at a table/booth, as opposed to large parties.

Good stock of asian food. Korean food is majority. Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese. I found…read morenatto in this store. Not all asian groceries carry this.

We looked all over for egg roll skins. Finally found them at Unimart. I will be going back there…read morebecause they are better than Hy-Vee ones.

This is one of my favorite places to buy gifts for my wife and is one of the strongest businesses…read moreon Ames' Main Street. Before there was a Wiliams Sonoma store in the state of Iowa Cooks Emporium has been selling high-quality cooking gear and offering classes in downtown Ames. While the location isn't huge you'll find the well-established brands (All-Clad, Le Creuset, Wusthof) that you trust right here. As someone who enjoys cooking, I can spend a lot of time browsing in here for kitchen gadgets. I do the majority of my business here around the holidays and they do a really nice job of wrapping gifts. They are very helpful in answering questions and guiding you toward the right purchase for your task or gift idea. As I write this review I can see many items that we've purchased from the Cooks Emporium. They are local, offer high-quality merchandise, and offer competitive prices on par with even online-retailers.

I love this store, but the employees are hit and miss…read more I am heavily tattooed (at least for Ames, Iowa) and sometimes there is a lady that is just rude and doesn't help me. I can tell it's because I'm young and tattooed by the look on the lady's face. Good thing she doesn't work on commission. If only she knew I graduated from culinary school four years ago and have been baking professionally since then, including wedding cakes. I'm not just some punk kid who can't afford your over-priced stuff. I usually buy my stuff on the internet - so much cheaper. But I love looking here and it's great for small buys (rubber scrapers) and "crap I need this right now and no one else in town is going to have it" impulse buys (mandoline). Great for seeing an item in person so you know what you want to order online.

This place is smaller than some that I've been to but they had EVERYTHING you could want! They had…read moregreen tea Kit Kats which are hard to find. I was so exited for find kimchi, endless types of dumplings and ramen, plus everything I needed to make pho from scratch! So excited I found this place and get creative with dinners.

I honestly do not make too many foreign types of food, but a friend and I were looking for a rare…read moretype of decaffeinated black tea, and we were hoping that we'd find some at some of the Asian stores in town. Sadly to say, we didn't what we were looking for. It was interesting to look through a bunch of new types of Asian cuisine that I hadn't known about though. This, and Uni-Mart, seem to have some of the best Asian item selections in Ames. It's not a huge store, though. There are about 4 aisles of items including tons of bulk-bag rice, tea, chocolate treats, soybeans, types of grains, and more. Lots of soy sauce varieties, too. There are also freezers with frozen food. Most of the food doesn't have English written on the packaging, but some of the packaging does have English to give you a general idea of what the item is. The interior isn't particularly modern, but it is clean. Some interior decorating would probably go a long way, but it's very functional. Some items didn't have prices marked on them, so if I was looking to purchase those items, I'd probably be pretty frustrated. Judging by the price tags, it looks like they may offer a discount if you pay with cash instead of credit cards. Some of the odder items I found included duck eggs, neat Cheetos packaging, and lots of varieties of rice that I've never seen before. It's definitely neat. They didn't have the tea that we wanted. In fact, I was a little disappointed by the tea selection; there are definitely much, much larger tea selections at all of the local grocery stores. I ended up purchasing some treats. The cashier wasn't particularly friendly, but she was very proficient and wasn't rude at all. Final thoughts: Definitely a neat store, and I'm glad that Ames has some Asian food stores to get some of the harder-to-find items in-town. It isn't the most modern-looking store, and it doesn't have a huge selection, but if you have a favorite foreign food brand and can't find it in the regular grocery stores, you might be able to find it here.

Curiosity brought me through the doors of Little Woods Herbs & Teas. I was looking for a matcha…read morewhisk to replace the metal one I've been making do with at home. We were greeted right away. The young lady behind the counter explained that they have a variety of herbs and teas and could mix and match any to our liking. They had a lot to choose from as well as hot and cold teas you could consume on the spot. I ordered a matcha. My wife and mother each had a chai latte. We enjoyed our teas at one of the small tables outside the shop and made the most of a beautiful spring morning in Ames. We visit Ames fairly often and will keep Little Woods on our short list. I am pretty sure I will still need a matcha whisk .

I love coming here not only for tea but herbs to make elderberry syrup for my family and they have…read morean amazing book collection! Such a gift to downtown Ames!

Enjoyed shopping at HyVee this week. Appreciated the help and easy checkout with staff. Everyone…read morewas friendly and had great answers to questions. Easy to find healthy options to select from. Cool vibe whether other AM or PM. It did not disappoint! Thank you!

Huge shoutout to this HyVee's catering team. They did an amazing job that had me getting pats on…read morethe back all night. Everyone was in awe of how large the spread was for the price. Thank you team for helping me thank my hard working UPSers after a successful holiday season. You fed them well. Look for my order again next year. Thank you again for a great job!