Imagine walking into a gas station and you're looking for some food. The words "gas station food…read moredoes not sound super appealing, UNTIL, you see a gourmet sandwich. You become a little suspicious until look around and see even more amazing food. Of course it has your typical gas station staples, but there's more of a variety of high quality products! Attached is an amazing coffee shop called Burgies! This is definitely a place to stop when getting gas in Ames!

Yes very good wash and good staff very happy all the time I love going there and washing my carread more

Over the many years while visiting my Parents in Ames, their Kitchen always had reminders of their…read moremany trips to Fareway. Packages of cheese, meats, cookies, etc. were present for meals and snacks. And for whatever reason, the other Iowa grocery store chain (HyVee) didn't have the same alure or trips to the store. At the same time, I often feel the need to supplement or replace the inventory. Although this Fareway is not the closest one to the house, I often find myself here, as part of my sojourns Downtown. As with any grocery store I don't shop regularly, it takes awhile to get my bearings. But when I do, I find what I need and the folks working here have always helped me out when needed, and with a smile. And even though my last trip only consisted of a can of coffee and breakfast pastry, I've continue to be treated like a valued customer.

I had a very pleasant time at this location and specifically one of the employees named Emanuel was…read morevery kind towards me.

This place is smaller than some that I've been to but they had EVERYTHING you could want! They had…read moregreen tea Kit Kats which are hard to find. I was so exited for find kimchi, endless types of dumplings and ramen, plus everything I needed to make pho from scratch! So excited I found this place and get creative with dinners.

I honestly do not make too many foreign types of food, but a friend and I were looking for a rare…read moretype of decaffeinated black tea, and we were hoping that we'd find some at some of the Asian stores in town. Sadly to say, we didn't what we were looking for. It was interesting to look through a bunch of new types of Asian cuisine that I hadn't known about though. This, and Uni-Mart, seem to have some of the best Asian item selections in Ames. It's not a huge store, though. There are about 4 aisles of items including tons of bulk-bag rice, tea, chocolate treats, soybeans, types of grains, and more. Lots of soy sauce varieties, too. There are also freezers with frozen food. Most of the food doesn't have English written on the packaging, but some of the packaging does have English to give you a general idea of what the item is. The interior isn't particularly modern, but it is clean. Some interior decorating would probably go a long way, but it's very functional. Some items didn't have prices marked on them, so if I was looking to purchase those items, I'd probably be pretty frustrated. Judging by the price tags, it looks like they may offer a discount if you pay with cash instead of credit cards. Some of the odder items I found included duck eggs, neat Cheetos packaging, and lots of varieties of rice that I've never seen before. It's definitely neat. They didn't have the tea that we wanted. In fact, I was a little disappointed by the tea selection; there are definitely much, much larger tea selections at all of the local grocery stores. I ended up purchasing some treats. The cashier wasn't particularly friendly, but she was very proficient and wasn't rude at all. Final thoughts: Definitely a neat store, and I'm glad that Ames has some Asian food stores to get some of the harder-to-find items in-town. It isn't the most modern-looking store, and it doesn't have a huge selection, but if you have a favorite foreign food brand and can't find it in the regular grocery stores, you might be able to find it here.

An Ames Tradition Since 1973…read more The Ames Downtown Farmers' Market is located at the old Train Station and runs mostly during May to October on Thursdays and Saturdays. Besides the cool architectural backdrop and the sound of UP Trains whizzing by, you can expect seasonal fruits & vegetables, dairy, meat, jams/jellies, wines, baked goods, and crafts - all from local vendors. I also enjoy the people watching and the community energy. And wouldn't you rather be here than walking the "not as fresh" aisles at the nearby Hy-Vee?

The bar seems higher at Fareway, as they strive for elite customer service, with their staff being…read morethe epicenter. I am amazed at their hires because they place great young people before you and surpass all expectations. This store is yet another example. Two of their customer service reps up front were amazing, displaying terrific interpersonal skills on different visits. This butcher shop is incredible, but that shouldn't be a surprise. Byron gave us multiple recommendations, and they proved to be superb. Plus, his recipe was outstanding!

Stop here to get meat for company coming the next day. Took the meat out of the refrigerator opened…read moreit up and it smelt aweful!! This isn't the first time this has happened!! I won't be buying meat there again and probably nothing else!!

Great place in town for emergency groceries. My boyfriend also gets a lot of our meat from here…read more The staff is always super friendly and approachable. They hire a lot of young people in town. I have heard rumors that they are not treated with the most respect, but I have no firsthand experience of whether that is true.

High prices, but it is a small town store and you'll find every you would find at a larger store…read more I needed a few items and was passing thru Madrid and decided to stop in. Awesome looking produce everything was really fresh. I got the feeling the owners care. Very clean place and the kid running the check out was fun to talk with, he had huge smile while he worked. I was super impressed with the meat counter. Cuts you would never see at the chain store without asking to have them specially cut. I realize you have to have higher prices to keep a small store open in a small town. Their attention to the customer has won me over and I will stop back in.

Deb is awesome, she's so helpful and thinks about people! I was in a boot and 2 days in a row she…read moreassisted me. Give her a raise! She's the best!

This is one of the best small town, grocery stores of any in the area hands-down. The owner as well…read moreas the employees are always friendly and helpful. Shopping here is a pleasure.

This is a great small town grocery store. The workers are friendly. They have a great selection of…read morebeer and alcohol for its size. And I love their bakery selections. The lemon bread is my favorite!