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    Whiskey River

    3.1 (53 reviews)
    InexpensiveSports Bars, American
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)

    Whiskey River Photos

    Business Info

    WHISKEY RIVER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Whiskey River

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    Front of Whiskey River
    Jaclyn P.

    Good dive bar on Main Street in Ames. There are not a lot of options for the 30 and over crowd to go drink and have a conversation in Ames. There are more bars now then there used to be for the 30 and over crowd so it's getting better but everyone who comes to Ames should have a drink at Whiskey. There's always an eclectic group of people at this bar. It's not totally preppy and it's not totally white trash but it's a mix of everyone. Always a good time is had at Whiskey.

    Kristyn M.

    This was my first stop here. My main thought with any bar... is .. "yup just another busy bar." I got the busy part right, however I was pleasantly surprised overall how helpful and attentive the bar staff was. YELPERS: don't forget to check in and get your yummy Apple pie shot! My husbands company invaded this bar after an outing. We took over the pool table and just about every other table in the place. I could see the bar tenders rushing to get food started and kept the drinks a flowing. We made our way back to a table that was close to another entrance way opposite of the main street doors. Lots of TVs and all different types of decorations and craziness going on. I did like the funky blue stools with backs at the bar. We had already gotten our first round, but as we sat and talked the ladies came around and checked on us numerous times. The boys weren't complaining one bit as the lady's were dressed to be pleasing to the eyes. When we didn't need anything but they did not forget about us. I watched them make their way back behind the bar, serve drinks and food and then again later came back to check on us again as they cleared tables and seats around us. I was really impressed when I watched one make this GIGANTIC drink. I wasn't sure what she put in it, but there was at least two full bottles of something. Multiple giant straws were in there. I was lucky enough that I was able to get her to pause a second to get a picture of this monster drink. Everyone said it was good, but that's a little much for me. We didnt order any food, but I saw a few different bar meals served. Overall, I was happy with my experience here. The wait staff really made it a enjoyable outing.

    Pork tenderloin sandwich and sweet potato fries- yummy!
    Irina F.

    Cool place to stop by to get a drink and a bite to eat! Bartenders made a very refreshing cucumber something drink. Very delicious! We ordered one of the famous pork tenderloin sandwiches! It was huge and tasted delicious! Interesting place with many locals patrons!

    Matt E.

    Whiskey River is back baby! After a hiatus of several years, Whiskey River has returned to downtown Ames. There's been a substantial renovation, but much of the character remains albeit new and different. Even though it's only been open a few weeks this place looks like it's been open for a long time. Fantastic neon sign. They've got an interesting menu with many bar-food staples with some interesting twists. You can get an Vienna beef hot dog topped with pulled pork ( the closest thing I've seen in comparison with the famous KC BBQ Dog at the Sprint Center) or Mac N' Cheese. The previous incarnation of Whiskey River was well known for their burgers so I opted to see if these burgers would inherit the legacy of its' predecessor. I had the Cowboy Burger: topped with onion rings, bacon and pepperjack cheese.These are very good burgers, with an expertly cooked patty. Very satisying but lacking some accoutrements. It would be launched in to the stratosphere with the addition of a buttered toasted bun, lettuce and tomato. Sure to be one of my favorite burger n' beer places for long time to come, this is the fulfillment of a well-thought, quirky plan for the return of an Ames classic! Big thumbs up.

    The bar upstairs
    Tarun M.

    This is one bar to go if you like pool, cheap beer, live bands, fun conversation, spacious environment. I never same so many pool tables at the same place. Plus the beer is local and cheap based on the fact that you would have never heard of their names. Overall the place is great to chill with friends.

    Pepper Jack Cheeseballs $9 worth of cheeseballs? No way. Over cooked and over priced, will not be ordering again.

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    Photo of James W.
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    14 years ago

    Very fun bar to be at for a football game, lots of BIG TV's. Food is no good but what do you expect, it's a bar.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Whiskey River

    Review Highlights - Whiskey River

    My girlfriend had a pulled pork sandwich, which she also thoroughly enjoyed.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Mother's Pub - Specials

    Mother's Pub

    4.3(17 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Mother's Pub - Outside

    Outside

    Mother's Pub - Inside

    Inside

    Mother's Pub

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    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails - Buffalo and garlic parmesan traditional wings, yes! Get these.

    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails

    3.2(78 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Ambiance for the wings. Great vibe!! Service is wonderful. Large drink menu but geared toward young…read morecrowd- there is a whole page of mule options. The fried chicken was ok, a bit too bread and greasy. Chicken quality was fair 3 out of 5. The burgers were great 4 out of 5. The traditional wings were a 5 out of 5. So. Order a Beer (or mule) with wings and you are good to go!!

    Positives first: Dip trio and chips were good, drinks were…read morecold, ambiance was good as well. The real scoop: My sister and her girlfriends booked a large reservation for our group and they were not prepared at all when we showed up. Not enough tables, not enough seats, it was messy. We ordered drinks, they staggered out. Mine was wrong, came out as a mule instead of a martini, the girl corrected it. My husband and I split the dip trio and the hot chicken sandwich for dinner with tots. (The photo of the onion rings is what my dad ordered as an app) The sandwich was unbearingly messy with sauce all over the place. We ended up picking it apart and eating it with a fork. Service was all over the place and I felt bad for the main girl serving us because the girl helping her could not be more unfriendly/helpful to her. I'm about 99% I wouldn't return here because I have no reason to go back to Ames. This place has potential but my sister and her friends said service and consistency here is an issue and that's obvious big time.

    Photos
    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails - Loaded tots were delicious!

    Loaded tots were delicious!

    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails - Totchos

    Totchos

    Sweet Caroline’s Kitchen & Cocktails - Bleached out menus that are barely readable.

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    Bleached out menus that are barely readable.

    BNC Field House - Chicken Tenders

    BNC Field House

    2.8(15 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    Absolutely ridiculous experience. Waiting 2 1/2 hours for tacos is beyond unacceptable. What made…read moreit even worse was watching people who ordered after me get their food while I was completely ignored. No updates, no apology, no urgency whatsoever. If your kitchen is that backed up, stop taking orders or at least communicate with customers instead of wasting their entire night. I've honestly never experienced service this bad over something as simple as tacos. The food could be amazing and it still wouldn't justify the disaster of a wait time and complete lack of organization. Save yourself the frustration and go somewhere that actually respects your time.

    Went for food and got the worst hospitality from the bouncer. Literally got yelled at to show my ID…read morewhen I stated multiple times I'm underage, am not interested in alcohol, and just wanted a meal. I showed him my real ID and got laughed at. He leaves without saying anything and returns 3 minutes later with a rude look on his face treating me like I'm an idiot. Any other time I've been at a restaurant, the person that greets me leads me to a table. I've never experienced anything like this before fries were good but wouldn't recommend if you're not 21. Otherwise my actual server was kind but I won't be returning anytime soon. Think his name was Christopher btw.

    Photos
    BNC Field House
    BNC Field House - A WHOLE FRIDGE DEDICATED TO SELTZERS!! NOW THATS DEDICATION also, refrigerator doesn't have a D but fridge does. Crazy

    A WHOLE FRIDGE DEDICATED TO SELTZERS!! NOW THATS DEDICATION also, refrigerator doesn't have a D but fridge does. Crazy

    BNC Field House

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    Welch Ave Station

    Welch Ave Station

    3.6(58 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $

    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?

    Photos
    Welch Ave Station
    Welch Ave Station
    Welch Ave Station

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    Jethro's BBQ - Ribs and Boneless Wings Combo

    Jethro's BBQ

    3.4(93 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    We stopped here on a whim making our way through Iowa on a road trip. I was looking for a good…read moreplace that could fill my family and keep them full for a while so we could keep driving. From other Yelp reviews, this place looked like a good place to try. Walking in, it first reminds you of a dive bar and staff were a little slow to seat us on a Thursday lunch but once we got our seats, service was speedier and we were eating soon enough. Service was attentive and our waitress made sure we had things taken care of. The best bang for your buck (or at least for my family of five) was ordering the family sampler platter. We got an assortment of meats including pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and chicken. We also tried the baked beans, mac and cheese, and waffle fries. Portions for the sampler are huge and filled us all up with a little extra left over. The BBQ was really good, just what we were wanting. You can't have good BBQ without good sauce (my opinion) and Jethro's had an assortment to find just the right one for the meat/entrée you were eating. Definitely a great stop, I'm glad we took a small detour to find this location.

    Tried the challenge sandwich (not trying the challenge). Delicious and more than any 4 people…read morereally should eat. Every part was amazing! I ate the pork and my Mac and cheese there, and that was enough to make me full. The leftovers that I took home after this, filled a catering pan! I ate three more days on that one sandwich.

    Photos
    Jethro's BBQ
    Jethro's BBQ - Ribs and Boneless Wings Combo

    Ribs and Boneless Wings Combo

    Jethro's BBQ - Brisket sandwich, mac 'n cheese

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    Brisket sandwich, mac 'n cheese

    Whiskey River - sportsbars - Updated August 2026

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