Awesome place that really surprised. Clearly a farm to table concept with a varied but overwhelming…read moremenu. Came in on a weeknight with coworkers and received good service and fantastic food. Nice drink menu (I enjoyed their take on the old fashioned) with cocktails and a nice craft beer selection. Everyone loved their food, from the barley soup to the ravioli, burger, Brussels salad, and the salmon I got. Hidden gem perhaps was their incredible dessert selection. The cherry tart was a pleasant surprise and the salted caramel chocolate cake will def fix a choc craving. Would gladly come back.

Provisions Lot F in Ames…read more If you like fresh baked breads and bomb desserts, along with amazing food, head to Provisions if you're in the area. Pork Belly app: thick cut pork belly in lettuce cups, topped with sweet thai glaze, pickled carrots, onions, celery, mint, thai basil, cilantro, scallions and crushed peanuts. A tad sweet for me but overall this was a great app. Slice of Sourdough: delish. Chicken Japchae: since my mom has celiac disease, we were very excited to see this on their menu - dining out with her can be a challenge. Especially at a place specializing in breads! The only unfortunate part about this dish is (I think) they forgot they already salted the chicken and salted it again...and then again. I'm not one to say something is too salty, I love my sodium but this was mouth-puckering salty. Inedible, actually, but the noodle dish itself was SO GOOD that she set the chicken aside and ate the entree. NY Strip Steak: perfectly med-rare, served with a garlic-rosemary potato pavé (like a potato casserole of sorts), roasted broccolini and a house steak sauce that was similar to a demi glaze. Not a bite left - no leftovers with this one. I ate the whole dang thing. Myself. And I have zero regrets. Crème Brûlée: I also couldn't leave without ordering a crème brûlée because there are some really bad ones out there. This did not disappoint. I also took home a Dubai Chocolate tort, Raspberry Crumble and a Flourless Chocolate cake. ZERO regrets but if you love Dubai chocolate then you know there are some discusting renditions of this in the market. However, the Dubai chocolate tort at Provisions Lot F is . I can't even describe how delicious this was and is worth the drive to Ames just for this dessert. If you're north of DSM for a game or whatever, I highly recommend Provisions! I'm already scheming a way to get back there...soon!

The Filling Station is a gas station, an extra stocked convenience store, a breakfast/lunch food…read morecounter, and a tables inside and out to enjoy your refreshments and the view. Gayle and I stopped in today after reading about it within some "48 hours in Ames" article. I ordered a brisket grilled cheese sandwich, while Gayle chose a similar one with blackberry flavoring. We split a can of Guinness off the convenience store fridge, and then sat outside for our street and car wash view. We had nice shade on a not too hot day and took the opportunity to hang out bit after we finished our meal. This was a tasty and pleasant experience of good value overall.

Was nearby for an early meeting and had a gap before my next one. Decided to grab breakfast and…read morerolled the dice and just went here for a quick bite. Wow, it is a lot more than a quick breakfast at a gas station! The kitchen was complete and had a full menu offered up. It was also a commercial bakery... multiple bakers working on cinnamon rolls that looked divine! I had a breakfast quesadilla. It had real flavor in it with candied jalapeños. It was a lot but judging from all the plates I saw come out of the kitchen everything there was solid in serving size. The chai latte was good too. And the folks were nice. They definitely have loyal fans locally, folks were ordering for tailgates!

Never fails to disappoint! They were extremely busy because of a concert and our food still came…read moreout hot and fresh. They forgot to put a burger in and the manager came over and apologized and said that the burger was on them! Very good customer service

Came here once with coworkers at their behest early on a weeknight. Place is huge, obviously caters…read moreto large parties, bus loads of ppl, etc. As such the atmosphere is quite sterile feeling, as much as they try to fill it up with old timey tchotchkes and relics from their history and other locations. Menu is huge, lots of options. Only thing that dwarfs their food offerings is the ice cream / shake/malt menu. I'll be honest I didn't care for the food. Got the turkey dinner with chili and sauerkraut. Turkey was drenched with gravy, on a pc of dull toast. Chili was good, sauerkraut was disappoint as it was a weird grilled and chopped way too fine. Got the pb nation ice cream which was the best thing I had there that night. One coworker got a mushroom Swiss burger and honestly that looked better than anything else.

3/9/26 6:15 p.m…read more Dine-in Food: Our order was - Mushroom appetizer, Cheeseballs appetizer, Garlic Citrus Shrimp, Fish Sandwich w/fries & mayo, BBQ Swiss Burger, and a kids menu Mac & Cheese. Everything was delicious! Yes, the fries may be the frozen kind, but I feel like a lot of places use premade fries like that; it didn't take away from how good everything was. The Mushroom appetizer is SO good! Savory, crunchy, and cooked to perfection. Their ranch is also really yummy; it's the good ranch ;) The size of the mushrooms was surprising as well. Most places use small, white mushroom caps for their deep-fried mushrooms, but these were slices of large portobellos (I think lol). We also really enjoyed the cheeseballs. They were crispy with the perfect melted cheesy inside. The shrimp was plump, full of flavor, they were much bigger than I was expecting, and there were a lot more of them as well. Not to mention the vegetables that came with it (there is a lot more under the toast in the photo) were really good! My husband really enjoyed the BBQ Swiss burger. Our daughter tried a bite as well and said she should've ordered that instead of Mac & Cheese lol. The burger was juicy and had great flavor. My daughter loves Mac & Cheese, so of course she devoured her serving lol. The Fish Sandwich was big, cooked perfectly, not overly greasy, and very filling. Service: As we arrived, there was a sign out front that said "Please seat yourselves", so we did. We were greeted with smiles as we walked in and were brought menus pretty quickly. We were served in a timely manner and everyone we interacted with was pleasant and easy to talk to. They were really welcoming and made us feel comfortable while we were dining, even engaging in small conversations instead of the normal quick dash by that other places tend to do. I had asked about the seasoning on the veggies (because it's absolutely delicious) and they gave me a whole bottle of it to take home! I was shocked and incredibly thankful for their generosity! As we were checking out, they even offered my daughter a ring pop, since we had forgotten to order dessert :) They're incredibly nice and seem to really care about their customers. Ambiance: As you walk in, it smells fantastic! It's quite casual and welcoming. You feel comfortable, which is always a great feeling while you're out enjoying a meal. There is a TV, but it was off, which, in my opinion, was kind of refreshing lol. Overall, the noise level wasn't very high. It was just low, casual conversational chatter throughout the restaurant with the occasional kitchen sounds. The decor isn't overdone; it's homey feeling, which adds to the relaxed nature of the place. All in all, we will definitely be dining here again! We really enjoyed our experience and can't wait to try more menu items :)

Great food and reasonable prices. I would especially reccomend the Gyros Plater. These sole…read moreproprietership restaurants are becomming rare. This place deserves your support. The food, the service, always excellent and consistent. My favorite restaurant in Ames.

We stopped in for dinner before an event at Stevens auditorium. We were seated right away and got…read moreour orders in. It's a very relaxing Irish pub vibe with a variety of seating options and lots of TVs. Our drinks came out quickly and the food followed shortly thereafter. I got a martini and it was very well prepared. My wife got a glass of wine from their decent wine list. For dinner, I had the lamb burger, which was quite tasty. It was a good combination of flavors and the fries were hot and crisp. My wife got a naked burger with a side salad. The creamy Parmesan was very tasty and it was a nice bed of greens. A table next to us had some sort of a problem with one of the dinners and the server tried many many times to get the customer to order a replacement, but he said he was OK with what he got. When she brought the check to them she made sure to take that off since he did not eat it and would not accept a replacement. They seem shocked at this, but I wondered why they just didn't get a replacement! Great service by that server. She was also our server and did a fantastic job with us. We had very tasty food and great drinks , so I would definitely recommend it and would go back if I was in the area.

Thursday evening. Meeting up with some friends for a double date…read more One of them has a gluten allergy and suggested this stop since they had some good options for her. Pulled into the parking lot and it was packed. Walking from the car was nice on this warm January evening, however if you have problems with mobility or it just took old and want to be dropped at the door then they have a nice pull up drive to the door. We got a text that our date had already arrived and was at booth at the bar. We walked in past the hostess and rounded the corner to meeting them at the booth. We slid right in and the waitress was there to help us with our drinks and menus. She had already been talked up by our friends and everyone was smiling and enjoying their time. The set up in this area was nice. It was a bar with high top tables and with booth also. The staff were all very friendly and you could see others sitting up at the bar enjoying their meals. The lamb burger was our choice for the meal tonight. We got one to share with a side of Brussels sprouts. Like we were told, the Brussels sprouts were really good. I ate them like candy as they had a nice fresh taste to them. Then I bit into the lamb burger. - Drool. Can I please go have another? The flavor of the meat was really good. It was a nice juicy burger with a great taste. I also got to taste the spinach artichoke dip. It also was good. While we were talking our friends told us that the last few years at this restaurant there has been a turn around on the menu and food quality. While I don't know details about that, I can share our over all experience was perfect. Good food, good service, good drinks, good attitude all around. The atmosphere on the bar side is lots of Irish beer decorations and lots of fun stuff on the walls and decorations everywhere you look. If you haven't been here, I recommend.

About an hour and a half drive but well worth the trip!…read moreSaturday early afternoon and it was packed...about a half hour wait for seating was the only downside. Service was outstanding and the staff seemed to be handling multiple aspects of the jobs and helping each other out...no one just did one thing and I think that really sped up the service. Katie was our primary server and was outstanding! We ordered up a two and a three meat deal and had Campground Beans, Creamy Coleslaw, Cheesy Potatoes,, and Mac & Cheese as sides as well as a slice of Texas Toast and Cornbread as sides....oh, and Golden Corn Nuggets as an appetizer. The Corn Nuggets were good and sweet and served up with honey and a ranch sauce for dipping. The meat choices were 3) Ribs, Pork Loin, and Turkey Breast....and 2) Pork Loin and Turkey Breast. The smoke on everything was amazing and just the right amount for excellent flavors..the ribs were very meaty. Some places ribs leave you wanting but not at Watcha Smoking! The Pork Loin and the Turkey Breast were both very good as well...still tender and not dried out. I liked the Neck of the Woods sauce the best (mild tomato based) as well as the Carolina Gold sauce...it had nice kick to it. The sides were all good but the only issue was the Cheesy Potatoes were a bit dry.....I'm thinking that it must've been towards the end of the batch and had been sitting around for a bit. Cornbread was excellent, Texas Toast tops, Coleslaw was a good shredded, wet slaw, the Mac and Cheese very good, and the Campground Beans were the preferred side as they had some good chunks of smoked meats mixed in. Fantastic place, great for small groups and large groups as well...great food and great service...Definitely worth the trip!

Really enjoyed the premier BBQ joint in the greater Des Moines area in my visit to Whatcha Smokin'…read morein the midst of a rural backdrop, this place was definitely worth the 45 minute trek from the state capital for delicious brisket, corn, slaw and sweet tea at a very affordable price. I appreciated the dual restaurant ambiance for a service side with waiters or a order at the register style. All BBQ restaurants have one or the other but not both. The meet was tender and juicy and as their name would suggest - smoked to perfection. I don't know if I'll find myself in Iowa ever again but if I do I will definitely make another pilgrimage to Whatcha smokin for the states best BBQ

Nothing to complain about food wise since it was delicious! Just keep and eye on what your biting…read moreinto. Our server was an older lady and was not very pleasant. The younger lady that sat us initially deserved the tip. Very clean establishment otherwise.

Great service very good food. Bread was crisp and crunchy so were the onion rings ! The food has…read moreimproved greatly in the last month. Amendment : ordered American cheese on the patty melt I got cheddar and the waitress did not return to check on the order.

Well I liked Whiskey River a lot more than some of the other reviewers here! Came here with a group…read moreafter a football game, and the place was packed, and every inch of every wall was covered with holiday lights. Where I'm from, they would call this a Christmas Bar and charge $50 just to get in! The service was amazing and the food was decent bar food. Great music, bartenders jump on the bar to dance, big screens with more football. What's not to love? Try the fried pickles!

SERVICE WAS HORRIBLE!!! Had a shorter white girl with brown…read morehair as a waitress. Came over to get our drink order after 5 mins of waiting. Brings our drinks back and leaves and is sitting at the bar on her phone. Then a group of college boys walk in and she proceeds to jump right over to them to get thier drinks and food order and still didn't come to us. We waited for 30 mins and finally decided to leave as no one was coming to help us. There was maybe 6 people at the bar and 4 tables so it wasn't busy at all! DO NOT RECOMMEND GOING THERE!! Should have read reviews before going

A quaint coffee shop over in West Ames. This place is my absolute favorite study spot. There are…read moreplenty of tables. My favorite spot is the high top tables that face the windows. They are a great spot to wire in and get work down and they have outlets. Their drinks have a large variety. They have smoothies for when you dont need the caffeine late at night. They also have a decent variety of pastries. The part that makes Milo unique is the community. I realize it sounds cheesy so let me explain myself. All the baristas are really friendly and nice. They welcome you and do all the standard stuff, however if they recognize you the visit is even better. I guess that what I'm trying to say is. Come to Milo to try it. Then come back again and again cause it only gets better.

Their speed is absolutely terrible. Don't go here. Takes 45 min to make a drink! Absolutely a…read moredisgrace

I'm not sure what to make of the "new" Campus Town (at least on the East side of Welch Avenue)…read more I've been visiting Ames since my first campus visit in High School and I still remember that old tobacco/news shop on the corner of Welch and Lincoln way and the home town nature of this area (if you don't count the XXX Theater that once existed). I guess it's the West side's turn very soon and I hope for my Son's sake that Mayhem Comics survives. Anyway, the new Corporate Campus Town has a lot of new things including fun and friendly places to grab a relatively quick meal. Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steak is one of those establishments, and I had a really great cheeseburger and fried combination there recently. A beer would have been great with this, but this isn't that kind of place. So I settled for a soft drink and wished I would have gone all in with some frozen custard.

The food was wonderful and the staff was amazing! Everything we got tasted great. Size to cost…read moreratio is also really fair. It's kind of loud inside, but nothing bothersome. The staff also keeps it very well maintained.