The Filling Station is a gas station, an extra stocked convenience store, a breakfast/lunch food…read morecounter, and a tables inside and out to enjoy your refreshments and the view. Gayle and I stopped in today after reading about it within some "48 hours in Ames" article. I ordered a brisket grilled cheese sandwich, while Gayle chose a similar one with blackberry flavoring. We split a can of Guinness off the convenience store fridge, and then sat outside for our street and car wash view. We had nice shade on a not too hot day and took the opportunity to hang out bit after we finished our meal. This was a tasty and pleasant experience of good value overall.

Was nearby for an early meeting and had a gap before my next one. Decided to grab breakfast and…read morerolled the dice and just went here for a quick bite. Wow, it is a lot more than a quick breakfast at a gas station! The kitchen was complete and had a full menu offered up. It was also a commercial bakery... multiple bakers working on cinnamon rolls that looked divine! I had a breakfast quesadilla. It had real flavor in it with candied jalapeños. It was a lot but judging from all the plates I saw come out of the kitchen everything there was solid in serving size. The chai latte was good too. And the folks were nice. They definitely have loyal fans locally, folks were ordering for tailgates!

Love the cozy atmosphere, and the food never disappoints. Service was great too, everyone is very…read morefriendly and accommodating! My favorite place to eat, and when my son is visiting from Oregon, it's his favorite as wellñ

We always try to eat here when we are in town to visit family. The menu is quite good but the…read morespecials are usually even better. We had the Baja Shrimp Taco special last Wed and restaurant week started so we had the entire Thai tasting menu on Friday. It was fabulous - please check it out. It is Midwest hot, not Thai hot. Staff is always great. We almost always end with carrot cake - I had ZoeBakes carrot cake in the Twin Cities and it was not anywhere close to as tasty as The Cafe's version. I would agree with some other posts that the lighting in some areas makes it very hard to read the menus or see your food. Updated lighting would be helpful. We try to come early and get a spot near the windows so that we can see better.

Mullets opened up awhile back at the site of the old West Towne Pub. Reviews have invited…read morecomparison with the Des Moines Mullets and perhaps some rough early service and concerns. If my Dad were writing reviews, he might have agreed with those comments as I had to talk him into coming here for breakfast this morning, after he'd already been here couple times previously. I thought our breakfast was a decent 4 star experience in that it was better than OK, but with no real "Oh Wow" moments. Observations: - I didn't see much difference in the interior layout of Mullets compared to the old West Towne Pub. Maybe the walls had different things, but everything else seemed to be in a familiar place, including the multiple screens for sports. - The menu is certainly more expansive than the old place and at least for breakfast a little hard to navigate around all the specialty offerings. Hashbrowns seem to be one of their things, and finding a straight order of bacon and eggs required a little digging. - Service was just fine: friendly and prompt in both order taking, food delivery, and the check. - Prices seemed Ames reasonable. But it is an Iowa thing to complain about prices. - My breakfast sliders (on with bacon the other sausage) were very good and just the right amount of food, considering how many times Dad, David, and I have been out to eat over the last couple days. - My 96 year-old Dad still has quite an appetite as he went "whole hog" with eggs, ham, and a full stack of pancakes. He must have liked it as he almost cleaned his plate. - David only ordered hash browns and orange juice, of which he enjoyed. When we finished, I asked Dad if he'd come back, with the answer being yes. I guess things had improved here in his eyes. The place as also busy enough including some folks that he hadn't seen for awhile. I look forward to this Mullet's being around when I'm back in Ames around late March.

Went on a non-game-day Saturday in mid-October around 9am. Not very crowded, staff were friendly…read moreand available, very pleasant and low-key atmosphere. The menu was a game-day limited menu but the breakfast food choices available were more than enough. Would highly recommend The Morning Mullet and their standard Breakfast Tacos. Portions were exactly perfect, not too little and no need to take-away. The gravy they use on their biscuits and gravy is the authentic sawmill type, which I haven't had much outside of the South, and it was fantastic. The Loaded Bloody Mary is also recommended, though their standard coffee was also plentiful and good. Overall great choice and an asset among breakfast-out options in Ames, we will definitely go back soon for a similar repeat visit.

This place is just wonderful. It has a calm and cozy atmosphere and vibe when you walk in. The…read morestaff are warm and welcoming, ready to help. Now, I love a good breakfast and brunch place, especially when it isn't a crowded chain place. This place fits that bill. It is a local place with two locations. The menu is brilliantly "evil" making it extremely difficult to choose just one dish to try. They all look amazing and delicious, so of course, you will need to visit more than once to enjoy all that they have to offer. During my visit, I tried their cinnamon roll pancakes with eggs and bacon. Oh boy are they incredible! The pancakes just melt in your mouth, full of flavor. The eggs were a classic standard of scrambled eggs and the bacon I ordered crispy as I like a good crunch. My companion ordered the Hobo Scramble and just loved it. She made sure to take some home to enjoy for a second time. All in all, I enjoyed my experience and look forward to my next visit and delicious meal.

One of my favorite breakfast places , ANYWHERE!!! Food, service, location...all wonderfulread more

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!

Love this place. Outstanding service and the food was outstanding. Great place for a game watch or…read morea casual drink or meal. German platter is fabulous.

I wanted to love this place. I really did. The atmosphere is a perfect combo of British style pub…read moreand Midwest bar and grill. The wide availability of British goods for purchase/take home (teas, sauces, biscuits etc) is adorable. The service was first class. The UK beer choices were wonderful despite not having Speckled hen available. I was torn between the fish and chips and the pork vindaloo having been a fan of across the pond fare for decades. I opted for the former. While the chips were perfect and the curry sauce second to none, midway through the meal I realized why I didn't love the fish. The batter. On advice of other reviewers I ordered the dish crispy and I think that helped but I finally realized not only did I not love the fish-the batter made me hate it. I finished the latter half inside out if you will and that made it acceptable. Maybe the vindaloo will turn my opinion but in inquiry I was told it was a medium hot-which in the Midwest typically means mild. Maybe next time.

Nice place with friendly staff. But did it live up to my expectations after all of the rave 5-star…read morereviews? Maybe not... We sampled our way through the Reuben & Gobbler panini sandwiches with sides of chips and baked beans. Both were good, but neither was amazing. Typically I'd expect a panini to be oh so warm, melty, soothing (in a sandwich way). These were more what I'd title as toasty sandwiches... bread sizes were vastly different, which resulted in different portions. And on the Reuben specifically, where's the meat? The kids meals (and everything else) were very reasonably priced. But I was a little disappointed that the "treat" was a pack of fruit snacks at a place apparently known for their baked goods. Our toddler was unsurprisingly very pleased with the fruit snacks. I wanted to love it, but didn't. Ultimately it was an entirely adequate dinner. Good. Sadly not exceptional.

CLOSED PERMANENTLY as of last Friday according to sign on door…read more Had yesterday off so did the wife I decided we should drive up to Story Chitty and check this place out for lunch. 1215 pull up front sign on door states closed. I just looked at their website at the menu & hours would have been awesome of the owner to put something on the site about NOT BEING OPEN ANYMORE...

One of my favorite stops in ames. Staff is kind and the vibe is very cool and relaxed…read more I've tried about every crepe on the menu and they are all great and range from classic flavors to unique combinations id never think to get in a crepe. First time getting the matcha here I usually get the lemonade it's very good but the matcha was surprisingly really good! I'm very picky about my matchas and struggle to find coffee shops that make good ones but this is probably one of the better options in Ames.

Lockwood Café in Ames, Iowa is refreshing little secret nestled in a corner neighborhood off of…read moreOntario Street. The building is a reclaimed grain and feed store originally built about 1870. It's kind of a self-serve place where you order at the counter, go pick up your own food, and bus your own table. With that said, the prices are extremely reasonable, and the food is excellent quality. The menu is a crêperie with a number of vegan offerings and no meat proteins on the menu, with the exception of eggs. I had the Fruit Parfait Sweet crêpe, my wife had the Apple Crisp crêpe, and my son had the Banana and Nutella crêpe. All three were fantastic, and the coffee was delicious! This is a super affordable little breakfast option that I would recommend to anybody who enjoys a good crêpe and a great cup of coffee.

Bring cash!! Cash only!…read more We stopped in for a Sundays hankering of biscuits and gravy. Did not know it was cash only. Save yourself the extra atm fees and bring cash. Don't let that distract you from the tasty food this plays cooks up. Pancakes of the win. Def on my rotation of great breakfast spots.

Small town diner kinda place. Good food. Service was friendly but a little disorganized (not a big…read moredeal). Had to go down in the scary basement to find a restroom so not good for folks e mobility issues. But given the food was good and people friendly, I would return.

Love the service and good is delicious! The ambiance is delightful. I highly recommended it!read more

If you love yourself, this is what you're going to do: you're going to go to The Dot on a…read moreWednesday, Thursday, or Friday. The menu changes depending on weekend/weekday status. You're going to order the broccoli reuben (not available on weekends). You're going to leave a changed person. The Dot is cozy! When my parents visited me up here, they requested multiple Dot trips. It's really that good. For some historical context for the curious, The Dot moved into the building formerly occupied by Daytime Diner. Daytime was one of my favorite places in Ames, but their pipes burst during the intense blizzard we had back in January of 2024. You can still see one of their stickers in the doorframe of the leopard bathroom. They reopened much later with weird hours and a flipped ordering system, and they were unable to stay afloat. I was devastated. But, The Dot has moved in to surpass what Daytime was able to achieve. Ames continues to have innovative and exciting food options!