The bbq shrimp were very good. They were way different than I was expecting. Shrimp were smaller to fit on the bread slices and the sauce was good, but defintely not a KC type bbq sauce. My son who is pretty picky about burgers, IE no one makes them better than McDs in his mind. He really enjoyed his burger and homemade fries. I had the French dip with added grilled onion and mozzarella. It was great also. The atmosphere was definitely more upscale than I was expecting, we sat in the bar as we weren't dressed for the occasion. read more

Aunt Maude's - French Dip and Fries - New American Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Great food and friendly staff. The food is always fresh and delicious. Only complaint is the prices seem slightly too high, but I still enjoy going here occasionally. read more

Aunt Maude's is where you'll find the nicest people. Known as a place to take a date you want to impress, Aunt Maude's is fine dining in a quiet atmosphere. It's also a great place to meet business people for lunch; you can actually hold a meaningful conversation here. The prices are modestly expensive--you can spend as much as you like. They have a nice selection of wine and champagne in every price range, as well as beer. The menu has a variety of items from burgers to steak (excellent choice)--down-to-earth good food. An experience you'll remember. read more

The best dining experience in Ames. Great food and service. I eat lunch there more than dinner. Their soup and salad or salad and 1/2 sandwich lunch special is just the right size. Substitute for the French Onion soup and really enjoy. Bloody Mary's with a beer back is a favorite cocktail here. Aunt Maude's is one of the oldest restaurants in Ames and one with the highest standards. Sit at the bar or get seated in the dining room, either way you are in for a treat. This is were the locals go. read more

A favorite and we love the bread pudding. Staff is trained well and courteous. It is a fan favorite if our family and we are always happy when we go. read more

I do wish the place were a little lighter during the day, but other than that not a complaint! The food was fabulous--I highly recommend whatever the special of the day is. I got the chicken tacos for only $10 and it was not only delicious, but two very hefty tacos, spicy black beans and rice was more than I could eat! Also at our table we enjoyed dinner salads with what seem to be homemade bread croutons, a steak sandwich which comes with pasta salad, a burger with crispy shoestring fries, and a steak salad with lots of made to order steak. Because of rain we were not able to take advantage of the outdoor patio, but it looked lovely. They have a nice bar area with full menu, too. read more

Food here wasn't bad somewhat of a limited selection. Price is very high for the area and location. Overall service was good just need more selection and a little bit of a better price point more in line for Ames Iowa not a big city downtown area read more

This place is delicious!!! Went there for lunch and everything was very good. To finish it off we had the chocolate toffee bread pudding, which was fabulous. We will definitely be back!! read more

Continues to impress - we did pickup last night as an early anniversary treat and it absolutely hit the spot. We got a some fresh bread, the blackened chicken pasta and my favorite treat of all - the chili-rubbed fillet. Everything was on point - seasoning, temperature, flavor profiles...you name it. I hope that I can enjoy my next anniversary from within the restaurant of course...but given the need to be safe now, I salute Aunt Maude's commitment to customer safety and operations through curbside pickup. Please buy local; the quality and freshness you expect from Aunt Maudes hasn't wavered one bit. You just need to eat it with the ones you love at home for a little while :-) read more

Looking for a place for lunch & Yelp came through again! Enjoyed Aunt Maude's food & beverages. Wife had the steak sandwich, I had the Cajun pasta. Both were very good. Decided on a sweet ending and thought the Dark Chocolate Drop with sour cherry sauce was excellent! Just that little bite of sweet that made for a great ending! Would definitely return. read more

Just ate here tonight as I was In Ames on business. Staff seated me quickly and was very friendly. I had blackened chicken pasta and it was very good, the homemade lemonade was also very good. Highly recommended place to eat in my opinion. read more

First time eating at aunt Maude's it was amazing they're appetizer with goat cheese I don't remember what it was called but wow I could have ate that all day. Their vegetarian and creep was also very very good. If you have not eaten at aunt Maude's you definitely have to try it. It is kind of pricey but well worth it. Hopefully I can go back soon. so dress up and go get some good food our waitress her name was Danielle. she was awesome very nice very polite and had all our questions answered . We also got there .I believe it was their ribeye and that was very good to cook very well their food is just great you got to try it. So dress up and go get some good food and have a good night read more

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Great restaurant with an amazing menu! Our waitress was very helpful and knowledgeable about their menu. Tried the New Orleans Style BBQ shrimp- the sauce was amazing, and we all ended up just eating it with the french bread alone. Everyone got the Chili-cured center cut filet for the entree. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned deliciously! The mashed potatoes and side veggies were perfectly seasoned and matched for the dish. We tried the Pink Squirrel for desert and it lives up to the hype! Definitely recommend if you go through Ames! read more

The food is really good, highly recommend the french onion soup and any steak. The creme brulee is also delicious and they have a 1L bottle of wine which is really good. This is my go to place when in Ames. read more

Awesome food! Great service! Wonderful staff! I had the grilled salmon. My daughter had the flat iron steak, and my wife had the blue cheese cheeseburger. It was all wonderful! The shrimp in chili sauce appetizer was amazing! We'll go back any chance we get! read more

Have heard wonderful things about this restaurant, so my wife and I went there our anniversary to have dinner. We were greeted warmly and seated right away. The hostess had poured us each a water (tap warm) and gave us menus. Then we waited. It was kinda all downhill from there. It took a full 10 minutes for anyone to come by the table at all. I do understand that many places are understaffed, but by observation this did not seem to be the case. When the waiteress came over she was friendly and we told her we only wanted water and gave her our order. The prices were expensive, but that seems common anymore. Wanted prime rib, but not at $45 for a 10 ounce piece. My wife ordered the bistro blackened chicken. For $15 the portion seemed about right. She said it was ok, but not that flavorful. I ordered the French Dip sandwich that came with fries. The food arrived pretty quickly. My sandwich was inedible as a French dip. The bread was the wrong type, very thick and chewy. The meat was sliced far too thick for a sandwich and was tough. The au jus had good flavor, so I ended up just taking the meat from the roll and dipping it in the au jus. I tried dipping the bread in the au jus, but it was just too tough. The fries were horrible. Well, if you like soggy oily fries they were probably great. Not one crunchy one on the bunch. My wife picked a few out and said they were ok. Overall, nice folks, decent service, terrible experience with the food. Won't be back again. read more

Just move in Ames recently, Been to this place twice. Love this restaurant. Good food, good service and good atmosphere. Nothing I can complaint about this restaurant. read more

This place is quaint and very charming. LOVE the atmosphere Had a delish lunch on spring gnocchi with fresh vegetables Will definitely go back read more

Well this is a landmark in Ames. For pretty fancy food at fancy food prices! This is a good spot for a date, if you want to impress someone, or hey if you are looking for the 1-2 punch to spend all your money from your high school job... maybe take your prom date here! The food is good, the decor is classy and low lit, the bar is extensive! Not much for Vegan on the menu but when you are paying this kinda of money for food, the chef will pre pare you something special. They do lunch and dinner and you are not going to leave hungry! Good portions sizes, and good service.. Sometimes you got to go big and go broke if you want to have a little fun! read more

+1 for the ambiance. Dark bar area. Nice place. +1 for the waiter. Nice guy. -1 for his knowledge about the food. Tender does not mean raw. -1 Lamb was bad. Small portion too for $30. -1 For no WiFi at the bar. - half star for pouring the pop for the mixed drinks out of a can. I'd like to try it again though. read more

Well here's another great place to eat in Ames. I've been several times over the years for a long time. Only problem is I don't get hear often enough. Had a very nice young man as my server. I had the "Printers"Entree size salad. Really glad I got larger version, cauz smaller one would have just made me wish I'd ordered one I got. Sammon was cooked perfectly & sprinkles of blue cheese&crumbled walnuts topped it off. And, oh yeah, 2 pieces of garlic toast. PERFECTION!!! read more

Aunt Maude's is listed locally as an upscale restaurant. While I suppose that's true in this local, I would not rate this as upscale generally. Granted the ambience is nicer that say places like Outback or Texas Roadhouse, but below what I would expect from an upscale restaurant on the east coast. That's not a dig as much as it an FYI for possible east coast patrons. I started my meal with shrimp appetizer (NOL BBQ style). Oddly enough I and another table mate got a hint of curry in this dish which I wouldn't expect given the items description. This is a bowl a plenty of baby shrimp in a thin BBQ sauce. The shrimp was fresh and firm and the sauce although a little odd, was OK. I thought if it were a little thicker might have made it better and more suitable for French bread toasts that accompanied the dish. This is suitable for two people as the shrimp and toasts are abundant. The Prime rib was available today and so I went with this. This was on OK cut, a little more fatty than I would expect, for an upscale restaurant, but cooked well. I added some au jus and horseradish and now we were ready to go. This was accompanied by a vegetable medley of string beans and sliced carrots in a light butter garlic sauce. This was real good with firm veggies and just the right amount of garlic. The mashed potatoes were nothing special, and for my taste overly smooth, closer to a puree IMHO. A special not to our server that night, I think Josh, who was super attentive and had the service timed very well. So even if the "upscaliness" isn't what I might expect, it's an OK place. I'd come back just with expectations set more realistically. read more

There seems to be little dispute that this is the best restaurant in town-- and has been for the past 20 years or so. Over the past few weeks I've had the seared tuna appetizer, "New Orleans BBQ" shrimp (not a red sauce -- buttery, peppery), blackened salmon caesar salad, tequila fettucine chicken (favorite from 15 years ago), burger & fries. All extremely good. Steaks etc. have a good reputation too. http://www.maudesames.com/ read more

I had the chili cured filet with mashed potatoes and broccoli. The steak was amazing, but the sides while still good were nothing compared to the perfectly seasoned and cooked filet. The waitress was also very nice and helpful considering it was our first visit. I would definitely go back again. read more

In a word this place was - overpriced. Really tasty BBQ shrimp to start. Good Caesar salad after that. I had their filet and it was good as well, the veggies were fresh. I thought we paid too much for what we received. Good but not great....solid three stars. read more

It's definitely one of the stars of the culinary scene in Ames, make no mistake. It's a place to take out someone you want to impress or to celebrate a special occasion. The food is excellent, service attentive, and not stuffy like you might expect. Be forewarned: the portions are huge. You can probably skip an appetizer and go straight to a main. I wish we had but then again I love trying a variety of dishes when I visit a restaurant. Maybe just plan ahead and arrive hungry. Extra hungry if you want dessert. The salmon dip appetizer is heavenly. It's like a classic artichoke dip- served with pita points and baked in a casserole dish- but with salmon! Spreadable, delectable, salmon. Omg. The french onion soup served at Maude's is the best I've ever had. I used to think Panera had great french onion but Aunt Maude's presented a more subtle and nuanced iteration of French onion soup to me. It's light with clear broth that's surely been simmered low and slow. Thyme, rosemary, beef, and caramelized onions are noticeable on the palate. So good. I tried a special on their menu- seared sesame crusted Ahi tuna with mushrooms and rice noodles. It was amazing. AMAZING. The tuna was a beautiful piece of fish and perfectly and evenly lightly seared on all sides. The red flesh was gorgeous and there was absolutely no fat or fibrous bits. I cut it with a butter knife. Noodles were cooked in a Thai style soy-based sauce that reminded me of pad see ew. I sampled my husband's pork tenderloin. The presentation on the dish was top notch! Each slice of tenderloin was topped with a dollop of Maytag blue cheese and laid over an au jus. In the center of the dish was a mound of red bliss mashed potatoes. The tenderloin I tried was very moist and tender and the blue cheese added a nice creamy tang to the dish. The surprise dish of the night was the chocolate toffee bread pudding served with caramel and whipped cream. I would go back for the bread pudding alone. My eyes nearly watered as I had each bite. It was that good. Aunt Maude's does not disappoint and I'll surely be back. It's a bit spendy if you have a three course meal, but the food is excellent. The only negative, a small one, is that it is very dark in the restaurant. I guess they are going for mood lighting. read more

Last night the bf and I went here for an early birthday dinner for him. We sat at the bar to get the drink special prices and ended up eating there as well. The inside of this place is weird to go into from the sunny outside setting, when you come in your eyes take awhile to adjust to the dark! But after that you feel like you're not in Ames anymore because the interior is very elegant. From the suggestion of the bartender I had the bistro sized blackened chicken pasta, and my boyfriend ordered the rack of lamb. Both came with choice of soup or salad. The food was amazing and my "small" sized bowl of pasta was really more than I could handle so I ended up taking some home. If you have a huge appetite, I suppose to regular pasta will be a good choice, but if you want to save money and calories go with the bistro portion! The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is that there were several females working there that seemed to congregate at the front, right next to the bar and entrance. I can understand two, but really only one host needs to be up front waiting to greet people, having more than three girls up there talking is just embarrassing especially for such an upscale place. At the end of the meal we decided to take a piece of their peanut butter pie to go and enjoy later on. We both thought it would just be some average dessert, but once we opened the box and had a bite we realized just how wrong our assumption had been. The peanut butter is a creamy whipped filling, on top of a chocolate cookie crust, with delicious whipped cream topping and chocolate and caramel sauce covering it all. Truly a great dessert and end to a lovely meal. read more

As a visitor to Ames, a friend had recommended two places; Hickory Park and Aunt Maude's. I came to yelp and found that as BBQ places go, Hickory Park might not have met my expectations. This left Aunt Maude's. For a Wednesday night at 7pm, it didn't appear overly busy as we were seated immediately. But with only two of us, I wasn't surprised. It was very dark inside, but my eyes adjusted. The decor was very tasteful and I thought the stained glass window was beautiful. A server's assistant came with water right away and our server popped over to inquire about drinks. We both ordered gin and tonics. Drinks were good, a nice balance of the mix. When we ordered our drinks, we also ordered an appetizer. The Goat Cheese Terrine. It came out very promptly and it was good. Nice flavor and presentation. However, our waiter still had not asked for our food order. We were almost finished with the appetizer before he came back to ask about orders. My friend ordered the Tequila chicken and I ordered the Ahi Tuna Salad. Since we had finished our appetizer, we sat around chatting until the food came. As for the presentation of either plate....meh sums it up. Chicken and veggies in a bowl like plate and a slice of french bread. The salad was tossed in the bowl, with grated radish (I believe) on top and the tuna fanned out to the edge of the salad. My friend said her chicken was so-so. The cilantro was an interesting flavor addition with a pasta dish. The Tuna Salad: The Tuna was seared nicely so as to give it that wonderful pink, cool inside. Whatever they used to blacken the tuna had a bit of a bitter bite to it, but not so much as to detract from the over-all flavor. The description from the menu is such: Mixed Greens, Green Onions, Toasted Edamame, Carrots, Crispy Rice Sticks, Wasabi Vinaigrette. Mixed greens: Very little strips of romaine lettuce and a whole lot of cabbage (green and some purple). Don't get me wrong, I love cabbage in salads, but at this point I would have called it slaw. Limited amount of the toasted edamame. We received our meal and after several bites the waiter stopped back to see how it was. My friend said, "Fine." and I opened my mouth to speak and he was gone, really. It was so sad it was funny. So, the next time he came back I pointed out my questions about my salad. No crispy rice sticks. When I asked the waiter pointed to a piece of cabbage and said, "They break them up and put it in the salad". I informed him it was cabbage. He went back and brought out a small bowl of rice noodles. The white color would have been totally lost in a bed of white cabbage, so I wonder if these were the correct "rice sticks" or if again there was too much cabbage? Regardless, the salad was less than hoped for. I guess I'll need to go to Bourbon Street in Cedar Falls for my Ahi Tuna. The server was so-so. I hope he's not planning on making this a career, cause he'll starve. So, perhaps Aunt Maude (yes I know there isn't one) was having an off night or perhaps Ames is so desperate for a nice place to eat they have become complacent. read more

Found them on Trip Advisor and saw they had a artichoke dip that looked great plus other tasty dishes. When we got there they said they didn't have the dip and that trip advisor has their old menu. So we had the homemade chips instead. Very good. I also had the Tri-tip with fries and vegetables, it was incredible. And wow, when I paid, they gave us the chips for free. I thought it was mistake and mentioned it to our server, and he said that it was correct, since I wanted the dip and they didn't have it. That is so classy of them. Excellent service and the food was fantastic!!! read more

First off, the two $$ don't accurately depict the cost when evaluating the food. It should be $$$.5 or $$$$. The quality of my filet was fantastic, but both sides were cold, and the filet was anything but hot. It was served with a seasonal vegetable, which I subbed for grilled asparagus. Last I checked, asparagus is a vegetable. However, I was charged an additional 4.00 for the asparagus, but was not told in advance. When I'm paying $45.00 for a filet, I don't think there is margin for error on the sides or temperature. Nor is there room for an up-charge for a vegetable the kitchen has on the menu. read more

This is a hidden gem. Service is great. Atmosphere enjoyable. Tonight, I had possibly the best fillet that I have ever ordered. Perfectly done, great red sauce...OMG. Topped off with the sour cream ice cream. Heaven on a plate. If you are in Ames...it's a must eat! Thank you Katzy.... read more

Aunt Maude's - Omg fillet in chile sauce!! - New American Near Me - Ames, Iowa

I really don't understand the comparisons of this place with the Cafe. Really? I don't even know why some people classify the cafe as "classy". Maybe they've never left Ames, idk, but classy the cafe is not. Anyways, this is about Aunt Maude's, and it's the only restaurant in Ames that actually is always super clean, the waiters and waitresses are actually pretty nice most of the time, and the food is pretty legit. I go here pretty often with my parents, and I've always left pretty happy. Last time I had the Lamb and it was amazing, however my only complaint is that the pieces were quite small considering it was like 35 bucks. But hey, quality over quantity, and it was still pretty good. I like it =) read more

Only the second time I have eaten here and when my friend suggested it, I was eager to go back. I like the menu choices including vegan & vegetarian, the service and indoor atmosphere. Prices are comparable to similar-type restaurants. Restroom was clean and maintained. I look forward to trying the outdoor dining area sometime. read more

Have been going here since the early 80s and it still remains my favorite. Love this place! Great staff and ambiance

The place was lovely and the staff, very attentive and polite. They offer the best food at the best possible environment. Reasonable price as well. You may have to wait a little moment but let me tell you from a first-hand experience, the wait is worthy! You'll never be disappointed. read more

Amazing steaks but if you want regular dinner type sides, go somewhere else. My steak came with a beet salad, a horrible pairing for a steak. Give me a potato or some standard side. Desserts are amazing. read more

I have only gone here once. It was a friend's birthday so we reserved seats for a large group. We were seated in the basement, which wouldn't have been that bad except for the red-ish lighting that made my head hurt. I ordered the pork loin. It was absolutely disgusting. As with any meat you expect a certain texture. The pork loin was more like some kind of paste. So my plate was basically meat paste that was formed into the pork loin and then sliced. I believe it came with mashed potatoes or something like that and they were inedible as well. I don't understand how the quality of the food does not match the exorbitant cost. I was only able to stomach about 2 slices before I left the rest of my plate. Now this could have been an isolated incident but about everyone else in our party felt the same about their food. Only one of the dishes actually came out good. I am never returning to this place. I love going out to eat and have an open mind. Unfortunately, of all the places I have been, this was the worst restaurant. Would not pay 1/10 the price for this food. read more

This spot is a-okay. I went for a dinner here with my boyfriend and his parents. The atmosphere is like a dark, jazz lounge, but with a hint of family dining. The music was eclectic, as were the decorations. There are chef specials which chnage according to their menu. The food is a mixed bag. Spaghettis, sandwhiches, main dishes, and it's a tad pricey, but not bad in my Vegas-minded opinion. I ordered the Tequila Pasta Chicken dish. Basically it's a green pasta with an alfredo-tequila sauce amd chicken. It was good. The chicken in particular was the best. I'm not a fan of alredo pasta, but I could eat that one again. I opted for the chicken soup, which was boring and typical. My boyfriend's mother got the side salad with her meal and it looked great. My boyfriend and his father got the steak sandwhiches. They both seemed to enjoy it. But the dish came with a pasta salad? Slightly odd. My boyfriend was not a fan. Lastly, we all shared the bbq shrimp appetizer and I gotta say it just was not good. It was absolutely nothing you would expect. When I think BBQ shrimp I think it should be BAR-B-QUED, and these were not, plus they were served in an odd soy-sauce based brothish thingy (my best description). I wish I had gotten one of the meat dishes, skipped the shrimp, and tried the french onion soup (extra to substitute for the chicken). Overall - okay. Will I be back? Well possibly, but it won't be for awhile! read more

A couple of times when my father-in-law came to town and was buying (we were poor college students at the time), we'd hit up Aunt Maude's for some delicious Prime Rib until one visit when we were more than disappointed to find out that they were *gasp* out of prime rib! We survived, and ordered something else off the menu, but it didn't hit the spot quite like the prime rib did. :) Aunt Maude's offers a more fine-dining type of experience, which in-turn, means the prices reflect that, so just know that going in. Service when we have been there is great, and the food is truly worth a shot! read more

I love a great Steak Salad and Aunt Maude delivered! What's not to like about a nice hearty bed of greens with lean and tender "melt-in-your-mouth tri-tip steak, potato wedges and onion rings. Top it off with a nice red wine vinegar dressing, blue cheese and a side of olive giardiniera. I forgot to mention the warm cheese-crusted bread to go along with it. What a meal! Aunt Maude's had an awesome craft beer selection too. Friendly and attentive wait staff. When in Ames, be sure and visit Aunt Maude's. read more

Aunt Maude's - Aunt Maude's steak salad. Yum! - New American Near Me - Ames, Iowa