It's well known this is the worst bar in Ames. The last time I was here, the bartenders decided to…read morestart a little "ice fight" with their bouncer Adam by throwing ice at him. Most of their ice throws missed and hit us, paying customers. I threw some ice back and then the bartenders started whining and said they'd kick us out. Jokes on them; we just left and took our business elsewhere. Short answer here: go to Paddies next door. You will have a better experience, better booze, definitely better bartenders. the bartenders here seem frankly incompetent.

I have drove by this place a hundred times when it's been different bars over the years!…read more Recently it turned into a Country Rock Bar, and since I love the Flying Burrito Brother I thought I should probably stop in there and see if it was Sin City, or the Dark End of the Street type vibes! Naturally this isn't a Flying Burrito Bar, it's more of a modern country (songs I don't know bar) but they have a big Johny Cash wall mural by the pool table! The bartender was nice, and filled me in on their other locations in Ames, IA and in St. Petersburg, FL. So this is the 3rd One Night Stand... :) I think if you dig Country tunes, and Cheap beer you will dig this place! They also do Karaoke on Wednesday night! It's a step above Dive bar and I bet Gram Parsons would have no problem drinking some whiskey here!

6/13/26 11:00 p.m…read more What a fun concept!!! I love all of the retro games! There are a ton to choose from, but only one pool table. The games are separate from the bar and karaoke area, which is nice when you're there for the games lol. Overall, it was clean inside and outside, and even the bathrooms were really well maintained. They provide a quarter machine in the game area for convenience. We didn't try the food, but it smelled good and came out for others pretty quickly. Drink prices aren't too high either. Only one of three bartenders paid is any kind though, even when the other two weren't with other people. The one bartender that did help us was pleasant and had a smile every time. One of the other bartenders looked like he didn't want to be there, and the third never even looked up at us. Outback, they have a smoking area, and it was a decent size. Unfortunately, it has no cover, so when it rains, all of the chairs get wet, so you can't sit down. All in all, this is a fun place with plenty of room to bring friends and have a good time.

Had an absolute blast over the holidays doing karaoke here with friends. We didn't have any food…read morebut the drinks we had were good. It wasn't super busy but we had a good time

Cool place. Obviously British themed. Very chill when we went. Really neat bar - very historic…read morelooking. Mix of young and mature. Good specials and friendly bartenders. Good Mules and Pimm's Cup specials.

My wife and I came here on a pubpass and we parked in back. When we first arrived at this hidden…read moregem, I thought "am I at the right place?" Then I noticed the big flag and I decided that we were There was cool music playing at a reasonable volume, The bartender was very welcoming. They have a cute menu with a descent happy hour menu (pic attached) they had Paulener Hefeweizen on tap so I was happy. My wife ordered Slingshot from local Backpocket. Then she ordered a cucumber mint mule that was delicious. If you're looking for a nice,chill, dimly lit atmosphere, then London Underground is a great choice. I will definitely be back here again!

My husband & I love this local speak easy vibes type cocktail bar! We went for my birthday in…read moreJanuary & it was such a nice time. Ambiance is exactly what you'd expect; intimate, petite bar, calming lighting & the cutest little tables whether high tops or lounge type. They make a delicious dirty martini & even hand stuff the bleu cheese olives. They always have a menu of other craft cocktails available. Service is always prompt and I've never had a cocktail I didn't enjoy here. For an added bonus; check out Cyclone Liquors selection. Very impressive!

YES so much fun to drink here. They also have a beer menu if cocktails aren't your thing. Great…read moreservice. Speakeasy.

The bouncers are definitely bad... good if you are underage I guess (haha) . But I came in with a…read morereal ID card at 22 almost 23 years of age. I'm also married and have a wedding ring and husband with me. They said my ID was a fake without even scanning. My husband had to convince them to let me in. We walk in and we are like the oldest people there. But don't get me wrong, we are 22 and 23 (not that old) and the legal drinking age is 21 so idk how we could be that old compared to everyone else. The ambiance is fun and lively, but def too loud to hold a conversation. Good if you are drunk and cannot hold one. In my opinion it does kinda seem like they lowkey want to gatekeep the bar and not have married couples there or something. Could've been a genuine misunderstanding but the situation was not handled well on the bouncer's end for sure. We have a good story to tell but would not go back though!

The owner (Ben I think) is a scammer. They advertise $21 for 21 mugs everywhere. Went for a…read morefriend's birthday and was going to buy their mugs for the night. Get to the counter and Ben tells me it's $25. It's a $4 difference I know, but don't try to make a quick buck on unsuspecting college kids. Also incredibly dirty and grungy. They let in a ton of minors. Bouncers are overly aggressive. I'm honestly surprised they don't have any assault charges yet, or maybe they do, which is completely understandable.

Yum!!! Beautiful spot to sit on roof. Definitely do that if the weather allows. The food was good…read more The service was great, kind and attentive. I do wish you had a Manhattan on the cocktail list. But all good.

I am from out of town eating my way through Ames while dropping my freshman off to ISU. This place…read morewas so disappointing! The ambiance is nice, but the food was so subpar! I had a brisket burger listed as a customer favorite, but it was so bad! For starters, the lettuce was wilted. The sauce was too sweet, the bacon was like chewing plastic and the bread was cold. My husband's buffalo chicken wrap was also subpar. The monster cookie was good if you like oatmeal cookies. Overall, maybe a good place to drink and watch sports, but not a good place to eat.

As a noobie to Ames, Iowa, I wasn't sure what to expect of the nightlife here. Iowa State is a big…read morecollege campus, and on any given night, you can find youngsters like myself roaming the streets to find a good bar. Well folks, I think we found a keeper. My boyfriend insisted that Welch's makes the best White Russians (my absolute favorite drink of all time) , so we stopped into Welch's on a Saturday night around 11:30pm. For any other noobies like myself, you enter Welch Ave Station by going through the door and DOWN the stairs. The stairs that go up lead to a pizza place. When I entered, I saw that it wasn't too busy and on a Saturday night, that surprised me. I wasn't complaining though because that meant A) no nasty sweaty bodies everywhere and B) more breathing room for me! We immediately made our way to the bar. They have a variety of lit up signs that let you know what the drink specials are, and the different kinds of shots/drinks they make which was helpful! I saw names of drinks I'd never heard of before! We started with the infamous White Russians and went from there. The White Russians (we got the double) were delicious...creamy with just the right amount of vodka. I swear it tasted like a milkshake. We also got a round of Scooby Snack shots. I've never had them before, but I'm a big Scooby-Doo fan, and they were mega-tasty! If you're looking for a "shake-your-booty-to-booty-bumpin'-music" kind of energy, Welch's isn't the place for you. Welch's has a very laid back atmosphere. If you want to munch on some 50 cent popcorn, have conversations with your peers or play some pool, Welch's can do all of that for you. I enjoyed having a casual and relaxed night with some friends...nothing too crazy, but still a great time. Oh, and get the White Russians. Every. Time. P.S.- I heard they only used to accept cash, but they do accept both cash and card now!

Looking forward to another trip to Welch Ave on Saturday afternoon before students come back…read more Always good drinks and food from Pizza Pit. Only 2 people in the place sitting at bar eating and having drinks. Sat in normal "dining" area of the bar. Bartender watched us walk in and didn't even say "hello". Found a table easily but no waitress ever came. Finally went up to the bar to see what's up. "I'm the only one here". Oooookay? So the 2 people at the bar were going to ransack the place while you came over to our area to say "hey, sorry but I'm solo today. Would you mind coming to the bar to order?" Not too hard, but too difficult kind of multi-tasking for this guy. Decided to leave and walked down the street to have a sandwich and a drink. Lame! One of my favorite places to go but good help must be hard to come by on a slow Saturday. Maybe he didn't need the $10 tip he would have gotten for our drinks and meal??? You'd think on a slow day anything extra you could make would be a bonus. I know it's a college bar but it needs a cleaning. With it empty... the odor in the place was weird. So probably should have left for that reason. They need to get that addressed -HVAC or clean/replace carpets? Both?

6/13/26 9:15 p.m…read more What a great little spot! When we arrived, it was almost completely empty except for 2 other customers, which we didn't mind lol. We were greeted by the bartenders with a smile and a "Welcome in!". The staff were really nice and even when the bar picked up a little later, they were attentive, efficient, and polite. They definitely didn't "crack under pressure" lol. Inside, the bar and tables were very clean and organized. There is a pool table, but only one :/ I do wish they had a few more because when the bar got busy, everyone wanted a turn. The prices are amazing and the specials are so fun! It's also nice that they're open during the summer, since most bars in Ames seem to close for summer vacation.

Gayle, Scott, Dad, and I had just experienced a forgettable meal experience at the nearby HyVee…read moreCafe. Instead of heading straight home, Scott suggested that we drive past our former Ames house and then stop for a drink at Mother's Pub, which was known as Dugan's Deli when he attended ISU. We had a nice time, as we ordered our drinks, took them to the patio outside, and let Scott reminisce about his college days. And even though I graduated as a Hawkeye, I could tell my own Ames stories, like the time Bob Merrill and I stormed onto the old Clyde Williams Field with others to cheer the ISU football team during coin toss. As ISU is not in session, Mother's Pub was a bit quiet, like we were almost the only ones there. I wouldn't mind coming back to hear some live music and hanging out with family again.

Leah was incredible! She was so welcoming and attentive. I will be back as soon as we are back in…read moreIowa! Highly recommend for a late night spot!

It wouldn't be Ames without the Tip Top...my family gathered there following both my grandparents…read morefunerals to toss a few back in their honor since they should probably have had a couple stools named after them... and they passed in 95 and 97. Tip Top is iconic and has been a part of the landscape in Ames for as long as anyone can remember.

I am here currently and I asked to play pool with the guys playing. I was told no. it seems locals…read morehave it shut down for travelers. It is not a good bar to visit if you are looking for something to do in the area.

Best dive bar in Ames…read more Good prices drinks Daily deals Friendly staff 10/10 would recommend going here if you like dive bars