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.

Went here for lunch with the family, this place has a lovely charm - and was at one point a train…read moredepot. Our server was attentive, and it was quiet enough to have a pleasant conversation over lunch. Three of our table had the daily special - a ribeye sandwich with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, their version of sweet and saucy steak sauce. Everyone enjoyed it - and I stole a few fries which were golden crisp and perfectly seasoned. I was assured their fries are consistently delicious. I had pork shoulder with two sides, i went with hallelujah potatoes (cheesy potato casserole) and cornbread pudding. The pork was melt in your mouth tender, perfect with the sweet and sassy bbq sauce. Each plate comes with some pickle slices and pickled onions, the onions were nice - i gave my pickles away as i am not a savory pickle girl. The hallelujah potatoes were cheesy, creamy and crunchy (topping) and the cornbread pudding tasty. The lemonade was recommended to me and it was well done - tart and sweet. Overall if I had more time in town I would definitely come back.

Just some suggestions for future guests. Please ask first if guests want to be seated on patio. We…read morewere taken outside on patio, granted the plastic sheets were down, but it was a cool, rainy day. We were told the heaters would be turned on. They weren't. We asked to be moved inside and a they moved us to the loudest part, next to bathrooms and opening to patio, so still cool. Waitress had no time for us, maybe because we were asked to be moved. Idk. Food was good. If the name of your restaurant is "cornbred" you would think your meat dish would come with a piece of cornbread. Instead you have to order it as an appetizer which are muffins. How about one little muffin person placed on the table. I would also maybe include a side with your meal (maybe less meat) to accommodate for the side. Just suggestions. It is a cute place though.

Great atmosphere and love the vibes here! Good prices too, especially on the weekly deals. Tuesday…read moreis 2fer Tuesday, so BOGO. The only thing to note... We came here with a Pub Pass. A deal where you buy a $25 booklet and get a free beer at about 18-20 bars all throughout Des Moines and Ames. That's the deal. It's well known and an annual thing. We presented it to the bar tender as expected and was promptly told that they do not recognize it and only use it for BOGO's. That's simply not the deal that we paid for. Unfortunate.

DV has a great selection of wines plus spirits, beer and seltzers. The atmosphere is chill and the…read moreowners are very friendly and accommodating to large groups. If you stop by, order one of their delicious charcuterie plates!

Gorgeous jazz bar with exceptional drinks. I'm a huge Old Fashioned fan. I tried both the smoked…read morebutter pecan and the cinnamon one. Delicious. Service was excellent from a new bartender on his second night. Ice cubes were a fun touch. This is a great date night location.

My husband and I love speakeasies, whenever we visit cities we get excited about trying one out, so…read morewe've been to quite a few. This one was disappointing. LOWS: Food: Mozzarella sticks were pale and bland. The red sauce tasted like canned tomato paste. The charcuterie board was a let down too. The prosciutto was overly slimy and smelled spoiled. The bread wasn't a fresh sourdough like advertised, it was a Texas toast. HIGHS: Cocktails: The drinks we had were great! They have over 100 different bourbon and a variety of cocktails. Mixed Feelings: Music: The band Nola was fantastic. They matched the vibe we were expecting. But no one told us about the $5 (per person) cover charge. It wasn't on the menu, the website or the reservation nor was it mentioned to us verbally. Ambiance: The decor and dark chairs were great. However I've never been to a speakeasy with wide open windows that let so much light in.

Awesome place that really surprised. Clearly a farm to table concept with a varied but overwhelming…read moremenu. Came in on a weeknight with coworkers and received good service and fantastic food. Nice drink menu (I enjoyed their take on the old fashioned) with cocktails and a nice craft beer selection. Everyone loved their food, from the barley soup to the ravioli, burger, Brussels salad, and the salmon I got. Hidden gem perhaps was their incredible dessert selection. The cherry tart was a pleasant surprise and the salted caramel chocolate cake will def fix a choc craving. Would gladly come back.

Provisions Lot F in Ames…read more If you like fresh baked breads and bomb desserts, along with amazing food, head to Provisions if you're in the area. Pork Belly app: thick cut pork belly in lettuce cups, topped with sweet thai glaze, pickled carrots, onions, celery, mint, thai basil, cilantro, scallions and crushed peanuts. A tad sweet for me but overall this was a great app. Slice of Sourdough: delish. Chicken Japchae: since my mom has celiac disease, we were very excited to see this on their menu - dining out with her can be a challenge. Especially at a place specializing in breads! The only unfortunate part about this dish is (I think) they forgot they already salted the chicken and salted it again...and then again. I'm not one to say something is too salty, I love my sodium but this was mouth-puckering salty. Inedible, actually, but the noodle dish itself was SO GOOD that she set the chicken aside and ate the entree. NY Strip Steak: perfectly med-rare, served with a garlic-rosemary potato pavé (like a potato casserole of sorts), roasted broccolini and a house steak sauce that was similar to a demi glaze. Not a bite left - no leftovers with this one. I ate the whole dang thing. Myself. And I have zero regrets. Crème Brûlée: I also couldn't leave without ordering a crème brûlée because there are some really bad ones out there. This did not disappoint. I also took home a Dubai Chocolate tort, Raspberry Crumble and a Flourless Chocolate cake. ZERO regrets but if you love Dubai chocolate then you know there are some discusting renditions of this in the market. However, the Dubai chocolate tort at Provisions Lot F is . I can't even describe how delicious this was and is worth the drive to Ames just for this dessert. If you're north of DSM for a game or whatever, I highly recommend Provisions! I'm already scheming a way to get back there...soon!

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!

Dublin Bay is an Ames long time favorite. Locally owned and operated Dublin Bay has a great bar…read morearea and quieter restaurant section. I love their food including Ruben, fish and chips, shepherds pie and Club Sandwich. I highly recommend Dublin Bay.

We stopped in for dinner before an event at Stevens auditorium. We were seated right away and got…read moreour orders in. It's a very relaxing Irish pub vibe with a variety of seating options and lots of TVs. Our drinks came out quickly and the food followed shortly thereafter. I got a martini and it was very well prepared. My wife got a glass of wine from their decent wine list. For dinner, I had the lamb burger, which was quite tasty. It was a good combination of flavors and the fries were hot and crisp. My wife got a naked burger with a side salad. The creamy Parmesan was very tasty and it was a nice bed of greens. A table next to us had some sort of a problem with one of the dinners and the server tried many many times to get the customer to order a replacement, but he said he was OK with what he got. When she brought the check to them she made sure to take that off since he did not eat it and would not accept a replacement. They seem shocked at this, but I wondered why they just didn't get a replacement! Great service by that server. She was also our server and did a fantastic job with us. We had very tasty food and great drinks , so I would definitely recommend it and would go back if I was in the area.

Surprisingly good! I'm not from Ames, but travel for work and received mixed reviews about this…read morelocation from a coworker. So maybe my low expectations helped to elevate the experience! Great fried chicken; excellent mashed potatoes and a warm inviting atmosphere. Great after a long day!

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!!

Since neither my husband nor I had ever eaten here before we decided this was a "go" for our rare…read moredate night. I was a little surprised by the atmosphere as I'd pictured it having a little more ambiance than it did. Bright lights & most people seated drinking at the bar. It was a little later so I guess I understood the lack of diners but noticed another foursome enter that were staying at the hotel enter and also comment sarcastically about how bright it was in there at that time. So knew I wasn't alone. The food was exceptionally good though! I had the petite sirloin with roasted asparagus with a lovely mashed potato dish. So good! I felt so bad for our young waiter when the table next to ours ordered a bottle of wine and he came out to open it for them and was clueless as to how to present it, open it, & pour for them. He had no clue. Showed a lack of training for sure. I've always thought of this restaurant as a bit higher class than it felt to us. But at least we know what to expect next time if we return for the good food.

Staying at the Gateway Conference hotel for a conference. There's not much - nothing close by so…read morehad lunch the first day here. Nothing stood out to me so selected the BYO hamburger with fries. The fries were nice and crispy. I really enjoyed them. Now the burger, I requested medium well .. I normally do medium and should have stuck with it ... but this one was WELL done slightly burnt. The meat was not ground well and hard to chew. I should have just ordered fries! Thankfully our conference included meals or transportation to town so I didn't have to return. Maybe the other items are good - I will never know.

Look... I get it. I absolutely love a well-made cocktail, but there is also something so fun about…read moreenjoying it in this type of atmosphere with great people. I had a lot of fun exploring some spots in Ames, but Cyclone Liquor is the one I keep coming back to. Not only for their great selection and store picks, but this speakeasy is 10/10