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!

My wife and I went out for dinner last night and had THE Cafe's special entre. It was a fish dish…read morefeaturing many varieties including red snapper, and shrimp. It was an Italian soup style with incredible flavor. I hope they offer it many times again, as we loved it!

Disappointed... I came here for restaurant week to try their Thai Menu. It looked good online and…read morethought I'd give them a try. The Cafe has been on my list for a while now. Disappointed to say the least, I came in the back door not realized there was a correct door and was rudely cut off by other patrons at the front desk. I had to wait several minutes to be waited on and the place had plenty of spots. Maybe because I was a party of 1... they didn't seem to care. After I shared what drink I wanted, I learned they were out... fine no problem. I asked about the Thai specials, the waitress was clueless. I had to ask for the restaurant week menu and ask about the specials. She said they looked good but couldn't describe them and hasn't tasted them. I got the salad on special, but get this... they were out of the main restaurant week special... such a let down. The ambiance was mixed, one corner was a cute date night the other corner was crying children. All dimly lit and outdated decor. The whole experience was off, I ended up leaving after my one drink and salad. I hope to give this place a second chance sometime but hope they aren't out of dishes and I can get a trained server. Maybe another night for sure!

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.

Stopped in for breakfast and was very happy we did. The spinach and feta omelet was delicious,…read morepacked with spinach and topped with plenty of feta, and the fresh strawberries were a great side. And the chai latte? Creamy, perfectly foamy, and exactly what I needed to start the day. Everything was fresh, the portions were generous, and it was a great breakfast experience. Definitely a spot I'd come back to!

So this was a less than average breakfast experience. We had to be on a waitlist with about of a…read morethird of the tables being empty. I get that if you're short staffed, but having to then give out a phone number to be texted seemed like overkill. And they made the 80 year old after us do the same thing, I got the byo omelet. It was tough and over cooked. I like mine on the slightly browned country style more than a runny French style, but it was bordering burnt. My partner had even worse experience with the farmers omelet cause of the gravy tasting just bad with a glue like texture. The breakfast potatoes had a great seasoning, but were both wet and burnt. On the plus side, the coffee was fantastic. And our server was good.

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.

Food and decor, service was all amazing! Gluten free options were nice as well! Enjoyed all of it…read moreand will be back. Just wish the burnt ends weren't like $15 for 5 bites!

Never disappoints- great service and outstanding atmosphere- highly recommended. It has become our…read morefavorite place in Ames - God's Country!

I had the reuben and I tried the fish and chips. The sandwhich was good, the fish, disappointing…read more This place looks cool inside but I've been here a few times and honestly there's just something off about it.

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.

Love this café! Great ambiance and such a cozy vibe. I especially loved the dog pictures on the…read morewall and all the political posters. The coffee was delicious--not too sweet or overly milky. I got the cardamom latte and loved that they make their syrups in-house; it really makes the coffee feel worth the price. We got the Shrute crepe and added an egg, and it was delicious and super fresh. For the sweet crepe, we tried the apple & brie. It wasn't my favorite--the brie wasn't as melty as I'd hoped--but I'll definitely try a different flavor next time!

1) The place wasn't clean. Tables were unbussed. And they weren't very busy…read more 2) I was charged an exorbitant amount for 2 extra eggs with my order of scrambled eggs - more than double the cost of an order of eggs. When I asked the cook/mgr about it, he told me snappily, "Because that's a NON-STANDARD menu item!" 3) The reputedly wonderful pancakes, aside from being big, weren't anything but ordinary. I make better at home. 4) There were rats in the pile of trash by their back door where we parked.

Food was great! Staff were friendly and polite, I enjoyed the local diner vibes. I would eat here…read moreagain

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!

Cute brunch spot in Ames! Food was delicious and drinks were nice too! Decor is adorable here love…read morethe different salt and pepper shakers at each table. Service is very fast. However one complaint was that dine in was a bit awkward when I went, you order your food at the register, and if you see a spot open you just have to grab it. One more thing is you have to wait for a staff to clear it off before you can sit down. And theres a crowd of people awkwardly standing around by the register during their peak hours since it's not that big of a building. Feels like they should just encourage people to put away their dishes at a certain spot if customers can sit anywhere. Overall a really nice brunch spot and I will be back to try their other items. George says chomp chomp cho out of 3 chomps!