This place was something I heard of from a woman waiting after me while I was checking in at my hotel in Des Moines - I am so glad she suggested it. The place is charming and fun - so big. The staff were very accommodating and the food was delicious - next time I'm in Ames - I am back here! read more

This restaurant has a good ambiance and great prices. For sure, it is an affordable place to eat. The service was good. There was a short wait but there were places to sit while you waited. The food was mediocre I guess. I has the French dip, which wasn't a French dip. It was brisket on a hoagie bun served with au jus. Good place for the money. read more

My family love this place. We actually went during an ISU football game and was amazed how quick we got in. Always call ahead and if you might miss your time then call! read more

Hickory Park is a staple of Ames for any event. Is the food good? Yes. Not the most amazing barbecue you'll have on your life but it's consistant. The atmosphere is fun for all ages and everyone always enjoys going even if there is a wait. MAKE SURE YOUR WHOLE PARTY IS THERE. The staff is nice and the restaurant is always clean. read more

Amazing food and great service. Must go to if in Ames. Also join the waitlist on busy days.

Good food. Lots of ice cream. This place is alot bigger than it looks and the service was great even for a table of 16 on a Friday night.

Always delicious, fast, and reasonably priced--one of our favorites! Best tenderloin in the Ames area.

While some might still claim a local favorite, Hickory Park continues to go downhill in quality, selection, and cost since the buyout. Never been a favorite of mine, but my family used to love this restaurant, now unfortunately they share my opinion. read more

RESPONSE TO TRACY D'S COMMENTS ON 9/25/24: Thank you for responding. However, your response is written in a way to make me appear as though I am the problem. The response is indicative of how your restaurant has "pivoted" away from being customer focused to revenue focused (and, there is and should be a balance). The customer should never have to feel it is at fault. I am experienced in running a business with customer service. Each comment you made is intended to make me feel like I am at fault. You are not accepting responsibility for the problems that I referenced. This is what I mean: 1. Pork not Smoked: The pork did not taste smoked or like it used to; even the other person who ordered the pork stated the same thing. It tasted bland. I am not sure why, but I am communicating that there was a problem. Instead of stating it is "absolutely smoked", maybe say something like, "thank you for your feedback regarding the pork. I will discuss it with the head chef." Maybe there was a problem with the supplier, I don't know, but don't be so defensive. I realize this was a tough review. Criticism is hard, but it can only help to make improvements. BTW, the local person I was with told me that the baked beans don't taste the same and no one ordered the baked beans. I am telling you that there is something different. 2. Ice Cream: I have a rule to never return anything to the kitchen. If I do, I am not eating what is returned to me. It has never turned out well for me when it is returned and I am nervous about may come "back in it". I am not saying Hickory Park would do this, but it is my rule. The takeaway for you should not be telling me what to do as a customer, but stating you would check as to why the ice cream had ice chips. Also, if you have delays in getting ice cream to the table, shouldn't the servers be checking how long it has been sitting and determine if it has melted. Why does it need to be the customer who has to return it? Like I said, I was at the restaurant when it was not busy. There shouldn't have been a problem with the ice cream melting. The toppings were not hot enough to cause the ice cream to melt that much. It had definitely been sitting too long before being brought out to the table. But, please, do not make me feel like it is my responsibility to tell the server about all the desserts melting. I am paying for someone to take care of the meal and service. 3. Restroom: Hand dryer: It sounds like you may have known one hand dryer was not working. If so, there are professional signs that can be used to post on the dryer with the right type of wording to state it is out of order and being fixed. As a customer, I rather know that it is not working vs. trying to figure out why it is not working. Also, I had problems with the hand soap and water too. I am a commercial property manager, I understand how all these features work. Sometimes, batteries are the problem. But, as a manager, I check the public places of a building and also have my staff do the same thing. The problem is when there are too many fixtures with of order signs on them. So, why was a hand dryer, soap dispenser and water faucet not working? They were all at different hand stations so I had to keep moving around. Just imagine if the restaurant was busy. 4. Credit card fees: I tell you it is extremely irritating and you report that that the credit card fee is extremely high. What are we talking about? The credit card fee was $1.80 that you passed on to me. Merchants credit card fees are 3% for Visa and 4% for American Express. The receipt had exactly 3% of the subtotal. The restaurant passed on the full fee to me. Shame on you for saying the "partial credit card to help offset the extremely high fees that are passed onto small businesses." Credit card fees have always been part of the expense model for companies, but separating it has not. I am choosing to not visit restaurants that have separate fees for credit card and service. Remember, you don't have to do the same thing as other businesses. Couldn't you be different and not nickel and dime the customer? You mentioned you are not having problems, but passing along the credit card fee and separating it out is a problem. If Hickory Park is customer focused, then prove it by eliminating this fee. BTW when searching the internet I found this, "according to Nilson report, the weighted average percentage of fees paid by merchants for the use of credit cards has fluctuated between 2.09% and 2.24% over the last decade." Are you making profit on the credit card fee of 3%? 6. I did tell your restaurant right away of what the problems were at the restaurant via Yelp, but what you did was turn around and make me look like the problem and be politely defensive. I was trying to provide constructive feedback of where we had problems. There wasn't just one issue here. read more

Burger was great but a bit small. For the price I think it was okay also considering I had space for dessert. They have so many sundaes so their options are grand. The brownie sundae I had was delicious. Service was great and easy. Will be coming back. read more

Hickory Park Restaurant Co. - Brownie Sundae - American Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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Food is just not good. Been here a few times and ordered a few different things (burgers, chicken, ribs, etc.) and everything has been dry and pretty flavorless. Have had to drown meat in BBQ sauce to get any flavor on it. Sides are just OK, BBQ sauce, overall service, and sundaes/shakes probably the only positives imo. read more

I've always enjoyed their food and service. They're quick unless they're busy, however they still get food out at a reasonable speed.

Hickory Park it's self is a super cool spot with a old timey cowboy feel, and the service was very nice and timely. The food is good but I don't think it's AMAZING. I would eat here again and know that I will like what I get, just didn't knock my socks off. I got Fried Pickles and Saucy Southerner Sandwich with Fries. The ranch is great though! read more

i would eat here every day if i could, has a very big menu and so much for people who like ice cream. the house made ranch is to die for. the service is fast and good, with a big layout. the ambiance is a little hectic but the food is THE BEST IN AMES. read more

Hickory Park Restaurant Co. - Grilled Cheese Sandwich - American Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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We stopped here on our way through Ames. We were seated quickly and it's a really big place. The ice cream, shakes and sundae menu was huge! We were on a road trip so we split chicken tenders and onion rings. The onion rings, ranch and shake were good. The chicken fingers were greasy and it took forever to get our bill. They were around a lot in the beginning and then our waitress disappeared. I took too long for what we ordered. read more

This place has a following!! Been in business 51 years so it's an Icon. I used Yelp to get in line so we didn't have a long wait upon arrival. This place was packed on a Tuesday night!! We had a little wait when we arrived but it's a fun people watching atmosphere. We were sat by a very friendly young man and a server stopped by to let us know she'd be back to wait on us. We had a little bit of a wait, then a different server helped us. She was super fun and helpful. When dropping off our drinks I asked what the green soda was on her tray and she said it was a 'green River'. Next time I saw her I asked if I could have a small sample to taste. She was so busy but made that happen for me. The restaurant holds 400 guests!! She said they weren't at capacity due to staffing shortages. The food is very much 'home style'. My mom and I spilt a club sandwich. She got baked beans and I got mashed potatoes and gravy. So delicious! We skipped dessert but I highly recommend you save room. It's every ice cream combination from Blue Bunny you could dream of. The prices were exceptionally fair and service was fast. Highly recommend getting in line via Yelp to avoid a 60 minute wait. read more

Hickory Park Restaurant Co. - Restaurant decor of antique Coke memorabilia. - American Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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This place is awesome! Great bbq! We had the sampler and pork tenderloin and both were amazing. Save room for dessert, they have a huge dessert menu. Service was great also! read more

We used to live this place 20 years ago. Now with all the great bbq places it seems mediocre. A lot of people seem to like this place still, but just so you all know, there is better out there. Still a good bbq restaurant though. read more

Always love the food here. Best bbq in town. Their bbq sauce is my favorite. Even when they are slammed they can usually get you in and out in a reasonable amount of time read more

If I could give this ten stars I would. Food was amazing! So many good options on the menu that it was difficult to decide what to go with. Service was stellar. Highly recommend going here for BBQ, you won't be disappointed. Pro tip - look at the back of your menu for all the ice cream options read more

Hickory Park Restaurant Co. - Meat platter - American Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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My food was cold. I have had a lot better food there. Waitress was polite. Restaurant was clean just need to work on serving hot food. Otherwise I would try it again sometime in the future. Pulled Pork Sandwich was good like I said but cold. read more

It's good but not great BBQ. Solid price and fun place to eat. I have been here a couple times driving through. The smoke turkey was the best item I. All my visit. The hot fudge shake was very good. Great customer service. I won't go out of my way, but I'd eat here again. read more

Huge menu so there is something for everyone. The service is frequently good! Sometimes when they're really busy the food could take a little longer getting out to you but they are normally pretty quick. Love having the candy station at the front and ice cream for after dinner! read more

Had barbecue turkey platter and the 1/4 chicken with 4 ribs. Meat was not warm. Turkey tasted like it was cut off a loaf. Green beans had decent flavor but also cold. Mac and cheese was similar to KFC. Coleslaw was decent. Overall wasn't worth a stop. read more

It wasn't my choice to come here again as we were a group of 14 family meeting up from all over. First off it was cold outside and the vestibule door was propped open creating a draft while we waited in lobby. Someone closed the door, yeah! and the greeter girls promptly rushed to prop it open again! Geesh! We were seated and met our very accommodating waiters. Drinks and dinners were ordered together which was perfect. Meals arrived quickly which was my first clue the meats & sides are all just waiting in a warming cart to be served onto plates. THIS IS NOT THE SAME QUALITY HICKORY PARK BECAME FAMOUS FOR! They don't offer brisket, maybe they never did. What's a BBQ joint without brisket? No Burnt ends? Everyone elses' platters looked like processed meat rolls put through a slicer. I didn't see any bone-in chicken or shredded pork, but maybe none of us had that. I had a Hot Tenderloin Sandwich. The mashed potatoes were real but soupy, the gravy was canned beef gravy. It should have been creamy pork or chicken flavored gravy! The tenderloin was large, nice and thick but a tad over cooked too long in the fryer. Everyone had ice cream for dessert, all of it had been dished up long before it came out & was melting when presented. Didn't they ever have fresh homemade pies to offer either? Next year I'll suggest another place to dine or if it ends up being Hickory Park, maybe I can just get a hamburger. This huge beautiful building that always had a full lobby of diners waiting has dwindling clientele. The massive BBQ kitchen with row after row of food lines are now collecting dust and empty. Sad experience two years in a row. read more

not sure where to even start... let's start with service. friendly waitress, but several mistakes: asked for water/no ice...came with ice. hubby ordered a side salad with blue cheese dressing...no salad came. re-asked for salad...came with no dressing. he also asked for cheese on his sandwich...no cheese. we were never asked how our meal was...i wonder why. meal: i ordered chicken salad...way too salty. came on a bed of rather wilty lettuce. hubby said his tortilla soup was too salty too. also said i make a better pork roast...tough and not much flavor. and, this is a bbq joint. and, no pulled pork? we are out of towners. we have been here several times. not sure what's happened, but we sadly won't be back as the only meal pluses were his beer and my malt. read more

I offered to treat a friend anywhere at all that she wanted in Ames and she loves Hickory Park so we went there. Since it is currently the great covid quarantine of 2020, we got our order to go and found a nice park to eat our Hickory Park lunch at (giggles to self) My friend, she loved her BBQ sandwich. I tried one of her fries, and wow, these fries need some help!!! They are that wavy kind of fry, flavorless and limp. I got the black bean burger, with mushrooms and swiss and "cheese balls". The cheese balls were okay. Edible but nothing I'd go out of my way for. My black bean burger was dry. It wasn't disgusting but it was nothing special either. I might be back again, I am not sure. I kind of hope not but I totally would for a friend, it is good enough for that :), I just hope there are other veg options read more

Hickory Park Restaurant Co. - blackbean burger with mushroom and swiss. - American Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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Such a big variety of desserts! Food as well. The food is alright, the service is great, and the dessert was great. It's pretty relaxed in there. I think 4 stars because the food isn't craaazzy good, just standard. read more

One of my favorite places to eat! The food is delicious, always hot and fresh! The staff ia always kind and they are usually pretty quick to get the food out! Highly recommend!! read more

Had group meal with girls basketball team and we had a great experience. Good food and our large group of 14 sat in two adjoining tables so we were near our kids. We would eat here again in a heartbeat. Was recommended to us and it was great. read more

Always great food and quick, friendly service. Definitely order the cheese curds. Our family loves the hot Turkey meal and the bbq dinner.

Always great food, generous portions, and fast service. Been going here for years! Sometimes they can be a little too fast so I'd recommend if you getting an appetizer to order it separate from your main course, unless you want them coming at the same time. read more

We haven't been to Hickory Park in a long long time.. I was not disappointed in what I ordered at all but upon trying the other foods that everyone else ordered that was a different story... I ordered the 12 oz portion of sausage with Mac and cheese and green beans - delicious.. my husband ordered the Swiss, bacon and guacamole burger with baked beans - beans were good and the burger had a LOT to be desired :( my son ordered the hickory park special which had BBQ chicken and ribs with mac and cheese and mashed potatoes - chicken tasted good(minus the skin) ribs looked good but I didn't try them. Mom and dad got the hamburger steak - ehhh not the best and the hand breaded pork tenderloin hot meat dinner - which looked over cooked (didn't try it), my sister got a traditional hickory burger and it was just like the other burgers, not the best... I know who goes to a BBQ place and orders a burger, well most places their burgers match the greatness of the rest of the food, not here I would never recommended a burger here.. The hot BBQ could be hotter as it seemed very mild.. I will return someday because the food I had was great (the best we ordered) but will know what not to order in the future... Thank you hickory park for the beautiful decor and the great customer service.. read more

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Great food. Exceptional service. Feels like a neighborhood centered establishment. Very busy. You might want to call ahead for less wait time. read more

I've been dining at hickory park for years. Followed them from location to location & there's a reason this newest location is 5 times the size of the original. People love it, it's always consistent, great bbq at reasonable $. The efficiency of the staff makes it all run smoothly. Worth the occasional short wait times. If you like the entrees you'll love the deserts. Half the reason I moved to Ames so I can be that much closer. Well that & the fact the last place sucked. read more

Used to be better under older ownership but still good. Gone cheap on some things and changed there Mac and cheese unfortunately

Zero stars. The service was the worst I have ever experienced. Our waitress never came back and checked on us. Never refilled our drinks. There was a table of 20 LOUD kids seated next to us and the screaming was so out of control we could not even have a conversation. Appalling management excuses for the noise. Spitwads flying. Kids fighting in the aisles. Food was cold. Absolutely atrocious. I have eaten here dozens of times over the years and I will NEVER be back. read more

I had the bbq chicken & ribs, he had the saucy southerner. Amazing dinner in a cozy booth, bbq joint vibe. It's no wonder this place has been here forever. Our server Kyle was kind, helpful & efficient. read more

This is been a family favorite for a generation or so. The barbecue was delicious even after it sold to a corporation it seems to maintain its quality and friendliness of the staff. Always enjoy eating here with family and friends. The menu is very big as there is something for everyone. And don't forget to save room for an ice cream sundae. read more

The service was really good and and so was the food we had a great time for my buddies birthday and the waitress was really nice and did the best she could if we could give delainey a raise do it because she definitely deserves it read more