While on business in the area, my travelling companion and I went for a beer and a burger at Boulder Tap House. This is a nice place with a good vibe. We each selected a beer and ordered the Western Burger, which is a six-ounce patty. He added fries and I had some good slaw. We agreed, the burgers were OK, not great. To start with they use beef that is too lean. The burgers were on the dry side. The main issue is that they are not seasoned and have no grill crust. You know they are beef because you can see it and the texture says beef, but beyond that they really have no flavor. This was a "just OK" experience for both of us. We will have to keep looking for a great burger in Ames. These were not remarkable. read more

Boulder Tap House - Western Burger with slaw. - Sports Bars Near Me - Ames, Iowa

This place is casual and lively. When we walked in, I can smell the greasy air in the whole restaurant. We came for dinner with a group of coworkers and half of us didn't like the food. The servers got our orders wrong (we ordered bone in wings and they gave us boneless) and she took it back and have us waited for another 10 mins. My potato soup was horrible, looks like from bottom of the pot that we so thick that I could used a folk to scoop and tasted nothing like potato. The Caesar salad dressing was sour. The cheese curd was good but can't have more than 2. Overall, didn't like the food and experience. read more

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We ventured into Boulder Tap House for a later dinner this past Sunday. Boulder Tap House appears to be a midwest chain with 11 locations throughout Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It's amazing how many restaurants are closed on Sunday in Ames... Not much of a demand for Sunday dine-in business in a college town I guess...? Lol Fortunately Boulder Tap House is open from at least 1100 AM until 1000 PM every day of the week. Boulder Tap House sits just off of the Southeast corner of South Duff and East Lincoln Way. It has a large parking lot and it's easy to access. We were greeted right away when we walked in and shown to a booth. Seating is a mix of low and high top tables and chairs, booths, and standard stool seating around the bar. There are TONS of TVs around the dining room and bar; most of which had football games running on them. Our server was named Zach. He stopped by shortly after we were seated, introduced himself and dropped off menus etc., and took our drink orders (Pepsi products). He was back shortly with the first round of drinks and to take our food order. We ordered: 1x Unsweetened ice tea 1x Cherry Pepsi 1x Cheddar house made Boulder cheese cubes 1x Medium (12) order of wings with their honey BBQ sauce. Blue cheese on the side 1x Side salad with ranch dressing 1x Swicy burger and fries Zach was attentive and personable and provided good service the entire meal. He made sure to check on us several times and kept our drink glasses topped off. I HIGHLY recommend the cheese cubes! Choose cheddar, white cheddar, or pepper jack cheese. Served with Burger Co. sauce. The Burger Co. sauce reminded me of a spicy ranch. These things are HUGE. Each will take you at least two bites. They were hot and fresh right out of the fryer. I cut mine in half with a fork to make them more bite size... And to avoid 3rd degree burns from the molten cheese! Lol The wings were sauced well and cooked perfectly! Very good! The swicy burger is where I'm torn. I see other reviews of this burger and everyone really seems to like it. It tasted okay... But I feel like it's trying too hard. Here's how it's described on the menu: "A little bit of sweet and a little bit of spice. A 6oz Angus burger patty topped with ghost pepper jack cheese, fried jalapeños, spicy peach sauce, butter leaf lettuce, tomato and pickles. Served on a toasted bun." First of all there was no tomato or pickles on mine... I didn't request them to be held so I'm not sure what happened there. There was a piece of lettuce...it was entirely covered up by the patty. I didn't even know it was on there until I bit into it. I was okay with this. The beef didn't taste fresh to me. I grew up in a small rural Iowa town of 500 where my dad was the city maintenance man. His boss (the mayor) also ran the local meat locker... It tasted like an overcooked frozen patty. Though I believe Boulder Tap House advertises fresh ground chuck...never frozen...at a lot of their locations. I'm not sure how it's distributed to the Ames location. In any case the taste of the beef was overshadowed by the topping to the point it became a texture v. the focus of the sandwich. All of the burgers listed using the 6 oz Angus patty are advertised the same way. Very heavy on the specialty toppings... The regular burger on the menu is advertised as a 8 oz burger patty (not specifically Angus). Same with the Smashburger (two 4 oz patties). Maybe the patties on these two items are different quality? I took a small piece of the burger itself and it wasn't great. It had the taste you come to expect with frozen patties. It was just meh. It lacked the flavor of fresh beef. I expected better for a $16 burger and fry combo. I kind of felt like the last burger I got at a Chili's was better meat. Now the fries though... Lightly battered and then fried! Served hot. On the thinner side... But these were exceptionally good...! I'd probably avoid the burgers on any future trips to a Boulder Tap House. But that's just me! If you like the novelty of topping and don't care about the quality of the beef. You do you! And I could be wrong about the patty...that's just how it tasted to me. I would go back. However next time I'd stick to the appetizers, wings, or one of the other sandwiches! Our meal overall was good. Payment is done with your server at the table. Everything was reasonably priced. Zach was terrific! read more

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For starters, the hostess who greeted us was nice and had a smile. That's always a plus when you first walk into somewhere you haven't tried yet. She also didn't give us an attitude when we asked for a booth. She was very nice about it. Our waiter was attentive and patient. He was also quite knowledgeable (thankfully) and when he wasn't sure about something, he would go ask instead of just say "I don't know". It was quite loud inside, but it's a sports themed restaurant with massive TVs and projectors all over, so it's to be expected. The booths are decently tall, so it gave the illusion of more privacy, which was nice. It was kept very clean inside and all of the staff were pretty on top of everything. Bathrooms weee also quite clean. Our food was amazing! Full of flavor with fresh ingredients. Large portion sizes with a decently low price. They don't over charge for drinks either. The kids meal Mac n cheese was just a basic Mac n cheese, but it works lol. read more

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Tried boulder tap house on a Friday night and had a nice time. There were many large groups waiting to be seated but the wait time for two people was fairly short. They also had plenty of seating at the bar to accommodate people. While waiting for a table I was able to witness how hard the staff works at this place! Everyone was running around to make sure the customers needs were met. They were so friendly despite a busy and likely stressful shift. The food was also good. I enjoyed a build your own burger but swapped the beef for grilled chicken. My spouse had a swicy burger. Both items were very tasty and worth the wait. I will definitely stop here again when I'm in Ames! read more

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Went on a Saturday with my mom. I had the swicy burger, it was so good. mom had the BYO Burger and enjoyed it. we got one side of fries to share. it was perfect. luca was our server. it was a full house. he started a little slow, but did a great job. restrooms were clean. they do add a 3% charge to credit cards. it's eye level on the front door, so you know if you paid attention to your surroundings. read more

Boulder Tap House - swicy burger, sorry I didn't get the goodies. partial order of fries. excellent burger! - Sports Bars Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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Great service and good food. A bit of a wait on a Friday night but not too bad due to lots of seating. read more

Boulder Tap House - Sports Bars Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Great spot for big groups. Nice craft beer list and yummy food. The burgers are just OK but everything else I've had is good!

Stopped here while visiting family in the are and was super impressed! The food was great and there was a huge variety to choose from ranging from tacos to burgers and more. We split an order of the totchos and they were so fun and tasty. They were giant tater tots loaded with cheese, tomatoes, green onions and lettuce. There were tons of fun burger options and I went with the western burger which had bacon, onion straws and BBQ mayo. So good! but honestly, there were so many other combos I wanted to try too. Our server was great also, we had a large party and he was super sweet and everything came out quick. Overall, a great experience. Highly recommend stopping by if you're in Ames! read more

This place was sweet!! We visited from out of town for game day. So many beers, sours, and ciders on tap. The staff helped us pick ones we'd like, and even gave us samples. The game day deals were awesome. The cheese curds were amazing, and the sauce was a perfect pairing. The place looked cool and the atmosphere was lively. I hope to be back again! read more

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Nice place, clean and inviting. Beer was cold and bartenders were very polite and helpful. I think the fish tacos were the best I have had!

There were 2 cheese curds on my cheese curd burger :( . Music was good. Food was good.

Atmosphere is fine, service is very nice. Unfortunately, the burgers, which is one of their main items, gave me the impression that they were frozen.. the texture was off a bit. The jalapeño jack cheese curds were great, though! read more

This restaurant/bar is located right down the street from my apartment. I came here just to see what it was like since I've read good reviews and heard good things about it. I usually don't leave reviews, but I was very surprised by how good the food was and how good our waitress was. I think her name was Jes, definitely recommend, and will be back again. :) read more

Pretty great spot for beer and bar food. I was impressed with the # of taps available spanning multiple varieties of beer. They do some daily specials as well as I showed up on half off wings day or something like that and was pleasantly surprised by how good they were. Plan on going again when I'm back in town. read more

Great place for wings! Husband is a major critic of restaurants and pretty much finds everything wrong with a place and its food. Not here! The wings were legit tasty hot and just the right flavor and spice. Good portion size and meaty. I had a burger and tater tot's. Burger was meh, kinda bland and not hot but we were there at 10:00 at night so that might be why. But the tater tot's were killer good! Homemade and not frozen, could totally tell. Or just amazing real good ones? Whichever great crisp texture on the outside and soft on the inside, hot and tasty with an Italian spice flavoring. So good and crave worthy. This was our second visit. Lots of TVs for sports watching. The place struggles with room, and room away from the doors in my opinion so I was cold the whole time,this time and last, but great place to go while in Ames. read more

Boulder Tap House - Sports Bars Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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This was a late lunch and most tables were leaving as we were coming in so I was very grateful at how friendly and prompt our server was. She didn't act like we were putting her out or that she had others things to do. Drink list is quite large for a tap house and there are LOTS of taps!! Some interesting signature drinks- ice cream cocktails...hmm. Next time. Prices are competitive and portions are decent size. The boneless wings are tasty- juicy with great flavor, soup was typical but served hot- and we all know that doesn't ever happen. We ordered the wonton cheese curds- no thanks- greasy and bland. read more

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Food was hot and is amazing!!! Service was quick and very professional/friendly. I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone! Raspberry chipotle wing sauce makes amazing dipping sauce for fries read more

Service was good. The server was responsive and was able to get one of the 5 TVs showing the same football game switched to the Cubs game. The nachos were very good and plenty large enough for 3 people. The fried pickles were ok, not terrible or great, but we would not order them again. read more

Amazing friendly staff, happy hour 8-10, awesome drinks & atmosphere. Great place to catch a game!

This would be a 4, but was super shocked to spend $75 and pay with a credit card, you are charged a 3% fee!! That is such a turn off that I am not going to even comment on the rest of the experience. Unfortunate. read more

Great burgers, casual atmosphere and great beer selection. The app selection is worthy of making them your meal. This is an easy place to drop in, grab lunch and get out in a decent amount of time. Look forward to trying more of their burgers! read more

Food was good but it was $ 91 for four burgers and they costed the ranch to much money we will not go there again

I had a great experience! The food was excellent, and our server, Spencer Adams, was amazing. He definitely deserves a raise!

This is an ok choice if you're in Ames looking for a place to eat that prob won't have a wait. Beer selection is great, food and service were ok. It isn't one of our top places to visit when we are in town, but always an option if we need it. read more

Went in for lunch, sat down at the bar. No bartender behind the bar so I reach over and grab myself a menu to start looking at while I wait. When the waitress makes her way over, she then tells me "please don't reach over the bar". My apologies, I had no idea reaching six inches for a menu was such a problem. Maybe if they were more staffed, people wouldn't have to get their own menus. Weirdo vibes read more

If you want the type of food that will make you pop the button on your pants from a food baby or induce you into a food coma, I strongly reccomend this place right here. I have not eaten since 12:32 pm (writing at 6:18pm) and I don't plan on eating the rest of the day. The environment wasn't packed much for a Sunday afternoon, which made it easy to enjoy the company of friends and a great Minnesota Vikings game. The wait for tables wasn't long and the waitress we had helped us change channels to see the game also! Super great staff. What I ordered that has put me in non-starving state for many hours today was the egg and cheddar burger. If breakfast and dinner were allowed on the same plate, it would be this burger. Super super good! I also ordered a half order of cheese curds which is enough. The curds are very dense which will make you pretty full! Overall, I enjoyed the service and quality of food! Definitely try it out on a Sunday if you wanna get good, fast service! read more

Boulder Tap House - The egg and cheddar burger with cheese curds! Definitely try it! - Sports Bars Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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Oh where do I start. This was one of my many times at Boulder and I'm sad to say that I'm considering never going back. To say the service was mediocre would be an overstatement. In today's visit I had the best food I've ever had at boulder, but everything else was terrible. The drinks were watered down, the orders were mixed together, they gave our muslim guest bacon, they charged me for a lemonade I did not drink or order, they charged our guests for side sauces without letting us know, took our appetizer away before it was finished, and service was generally inattentive. I regret tipping the 20% I tipped on principle. Disappointing. read more

Our server was amazing! Ambiance was family friendly. Our food was good they didn't disappoint. The cheese curds & shrimp were delicious. However the service was the very best in Ames, our waitress was very attentive and kept checking on us and provided excellent customer service hands down! read more

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Ate at Boulder with family and we all will mark this off our list of go to places. I have eaten here before and the menu is severely cut back and quality has hit bottom. Ordered cheese curds which is a poor description at best. They were big squares of breaded cheese not curds. Food was burnt and had to send back, one burger was served without any burger patty on the sandwich, just lettuce, tomatoes, and onion! Burgers were flavorless. Never heard a sorry from anyone for the issues. We had to beg for more water. I could maybe understand this if the place was busy but it was not! Don't risk it go somewhere else!! read more

Great bar food, Ive enjoyed the food every time I've stopped in so far. They have good variety of drinks and specials depending on the day. For food I personally like getting their wings and cheese curds. Their cheese curds are huge and you can choose what kind of cheese. I usually order a half order of them on the side but they're so good and cheesy. If you're a cheese fan this would be my recommendation. read more

Boulder Tap House - Bone-in Wings and House Made Boulder Cheese Curds - Sports Bars Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Great food and service. Crazy packed on Friday night before home football game but food and service still excellent. Will return.

Wow, we sent our food back twice! What we experienced was a colossal fail. We ordered burgers and fries. Both were subpar. The burger seems to have experienced a down grade or something has changed as it was a very small, thin patty. It was fried to look long and was as tough as shoe leather. We had ordered our meat medium rare, and it was fully gray, without even a blush of pink. We sent them back but they came out equally as bad the next time. The fries were thin and not crispy. They didn't seem battered at all. I wish we had stayed home instead. We will not be back. read more

Prices too high for the small portion sizes. Burgers are small and maybe a handful of fries are provided.

Got seated right away, but waited 20 min and no service or acknowledgement . Walked out.

Great food! Reasonable prices! Bartenders were very attentive. Most go in the daytime and sometimes at night. Very consistent. Encourage you to try this place. (I do not work for this place) John Schumacher Ames, Iowa read more

I met some family here for lunch as a good half way point. Between us we ordered the cheese curds, wings, tater tots, and the hot honey chicken. Overall we weren't impressed. The cheese curds were homemade hunks of a greasy orange cheese, the tater tots were also homemade but were more like fried hashbrown balls then tator tots. They had a mushy consistency on the inside while tasting and looking burnt on the outside. The chicken sandwich had so much honey on it you couldn't pick it up because the bottom bun fell apart and was super sticky. The wings on the other hand were amazing! We had both bone on and boneless and they were all great. Our server was quick and very attentive. I might go back, if in the area, but would not get the tots or curds again. read more

Great wings and burgers. Super friendly staff and delicious and reasonably priced. Great game day location!

I've been meaning to update my review for Boulder Tap House but with everything else going on it slipped my mind. Before I gave them four stars, being a good restaurant for being new. Over the months, I was hoping they would improve on a few things, but during my last visit in early March I was unhappy with my visit enough to mention it in here. When they first opened, they were making a genuine effort at all levels to get food out in a timely manner and improve on the quality. I felt like both those things have gotten worse. We went back on a day that wasn't very busy. I believe it was a Tuesday evening. There wasn't much going on so we figured we could get in and enjoy a burger, fries and beer without a big crowd. We were correct, it wasn't busy... but we didn't have a good experience at all this time around. The burger failed on a couple of levels. It wasn't cooked right, it was smaller than it was the last time I ordered it and the bun was seriously stale. When I told the waitress about the stale bun she seemed indifferent, almost as if to say "we know our products aren't great but what do you want me to do about it?" The beer selection was still the same - still good... but it took our server almost 20 minutes to bring it out. She said the bartender was busy in the kitchen. So is that a staffing issue? You make your bartender work on the line as well? Not good if that's the case. We just were not happy on this return visit. The things that went wrong after they first opened should have been corrected and not have been an issue. On a night where it isn't busy there shouldn't be a wait like that and when you ask for a burger to be cooked a certain way it should actually be cooked that way. The beer is really the only thing that would get me to go back and for the most part, I can get those beers elsewhere in Ames. Unless they actually make some effort to change things I will not return. read more

Veggie-burger: good because of the toppings and bun (mushroom swiss + jalapenos) veggie patty: sooo thin and almost no flavor!!!!! server: friendly, nice, kind, helpful atmosphere: not for me, typical higher end sports bar beer selection: overwhelming for me but perfect for most price: overpriced for that flimsy azz patty, with tip $25 for a burger and 1 beer coleslaw: orgasmically good, my eyes closed and a sound came out :) will i return?: *shrugs* maybe, probably, but only if my libido is off the charts and I need the slaw to satisfy my urges read more

Boulder Tap House - veggie patty with mushrooms, swiss, and jalapenos - Sports Bars Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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