We always try to eat here when we are in town to visit family. The menu is quite good but the…read morespecials are usually even better. We had the Baja Shrimp Taco special last Wed and restaurant week started so we had the entire Thai tasting menu on Friday. It was fabulous - please check it out. It is Midwest hot, not Thai hot. Staff is always great. We almost always end with carrot cake - I had ZoeBakes carrot cake in the Twin Cities and it was not anywhere close to as tasty as The Cafe's version. I would agree with some other posts that the lighting in some areas makes it very hard to read the menus or see your food. Updated lighting would be helpful. We try to come early and get a spot near the windows so that we can see better.

Disappointed... I came here for restaurant week to try their Thai Menu. It looked good online and…read morethought I'd give them a try. The Cafe has been on my list for a while now. Disappointed to say the least, I came in the back door not realized there was a correct door and was rudely cut off by other patrons at the front desk. I had to wait several minutes to be waited on and the place had plenty of spots. Maybe because I was a party of 1... they didn't seem to care. After I shared what drink I wanted, I learned they were out... fine no problem. I asked about the Thai specials, the waitress was clueless. I had to ask for the restaurant week menu and ask about the specials. She said they looked good but couldn't describe them and hasn't tasted them. I got the salad on special, but get this... they were out of the main restaurant week special... such a let down. The ambiance was mixed, one corner was a cute date night the other corner was crying children. All dimly lit and outdated decor. The whole experience was off, I ended up leaving after my one drink and salad. I hope to give this place a second chance sometime but hope they aren't out of dishes and I can get a trained server. Maybe another night for sure!

This place is just wonderful. It has a calm and cozy atmosphere and vibe when you walk in. The…read morestaff are warm and welcoming, ready to help. Now, I love a good breakfast and brunch place, especially when it isn't a crowded chain place. This place fits that bill. It is a local place with two locations. The menu is brilliantly "evil" making it extremely difficult to choose just one dish to try. They all look amazing and delicious, so of course, you will need to visit more than once to enjoy all that they have to offer. During my visit, I tried their cinnamon roll pancakes with eggs and bacon. Oh boy are they incredible! The pancakes just melt in your mouth, full of flavor. The eggs were a classic standard of scrambled eggs and the bacon I ordered crispy as I like a good crunch. My companion ordered the Hobo Scramble and just loved it. She made sure to take some home to enjoy for a second time. All in all, I enjoyed my experience and look forward to my next visit and delicious meal.

L)My cousin and I were traveling through Iowa. We were looking for a place for a place to stop for…read morebreakfast. Great reviews. We waiting to be seated. Ordered coffee and water then omelets. Coffee could have stripped stain off furniture, omelets were very overcooked and dry, fried potatoes were cold and burned. Best part of the meal was my 1 piece of sourdough toast. Even my cousins pancake was tough. We will jot be back. Service was slow and forgetful. Best thing I can say is the bathroom's were clean.

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!

Nice place with friendly staff. But did it live up to my expectations after all of the rave 5-star…read morereviews? Maybe not... We sampled our way through the Reuben & Gobbler panini sandwiches with sides of chips and baked beans. Both were good, but neither was amazing. Typically I'd expect a panini to be oh so warm, melty, soothing (in a sandwich way). These were more what I'd title as toasty sandwiches... bread sizes were vastly different, which resulted in different portions. And on the Reuben specifically, where's the meat? The kids meals (and everything else) were very reasonably priced. But I was a little disappointed that the "treat" was a pack of fruit snacks at a place apparently known for their baked goods. Our toddler was unsurprisingly very pleased with the fruit snacks. I wanted to love it, but didn't. Ultimately it was an entirely adequate dinner. Good. Sadly not exceptional.

CLOSED PERMANENTLY as of last Friday according to sign on door…read more Had yesterday off so did the wife I decided we should drive up to Story Chitty and check this place out for lunch. 1215 pull up front sign on door states closed. I just looked at their website at the menu & hours would have been awesome of the owner to put something on the site about NOT BEING OPEN ANYMORE...

Retro diner ( real) experience. Quick service. Good homemade pie. Preserved old style building.read more

We have started frequent date nights some at 4pm. But the drive to Colo, Iowa is always beautiful…read more Pulling in to the parking next to motel or station is just the beginning. Small town family service on the inside, with hometown cooking. Smothered chicken with the best pan gravy, made me miss my grandma!! You gotta try it and bonus was the RED Cutlass Supreme out front!!

Food was great! Staff were friendly and polite, I enjoyed the local diner vibes. I would eat here…read moreagain

Small town diner kinda place. Good food. Service was friendly but a little disorganized (not a big…read moredeal). Had to go down in the scary basement to find a restroom so not good for folks e mobility issues. But given the food was good and people friendly, I would return.

Great place if you need a quick, grab and go breakfast. The biscuit sandwiches are amazing. The…read morehomemade biscuits are to die for! Sit down breakfast is available, too. You can't leave without trying the fresh, homemade scones.

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.

Stopped by for a quick breakfast, overall it was okay. Was sat immediately and service was pretty…read morequick for the most part. It was chilly inside but I'm always cold so maybe that was just me. Was disappointed with the cook of the pancakes, and they really didn't look appetizing. Overall, service was okay and our waitress was friendly :)

Wife and I arrived at around 11:30 waited around 5 minutes to be acknowledged at hostess station…read morebefore being. Told table would be cleaned. A couple of minutes later another couple came in and were immediately seated. we left and will never return. Very rude.

Excellent food, great atmosphere but a little pricey. All around good place. I recommend it.read more

The food is awesome. Especially the never ending fries. Homemade skinny fries. The burgers are…read moregreat and the desserts are awesome.Service was fast and all orders correct. We had a group of 10 people. It was a place our group likes to go!

Our trip to pick up a truck brought us to Grinnell Iowa. After the pickup we were on the hunt for…read moregood food. Yelp reviews pointed us to Frontier Cafe where we found the sweetest server and delicious food. Hubby had the Texas Omelette and I had the Spring Chicken dinner with extra avacado. Such a pleasant experience. Food was fresh, seasoned perfectly and plentiful.

I have visited this cafe on multiple occasions. The staff are always kind and friendly and the…read moreservice is always good. They have a large menu to choose from and it follows traditional diner food.