Our son was in Ames for hockey and we stopped in for food, drinks, and to watch the KU basketball game. Typical college Saturday going on. Tacos were deep fried and actually really good and $1.75 Apple Pie shots. Good times! read more

Es Tas Bar and Grill - Deep Fried Tacos - Beer Bar Near Me - Ames, Iowa

I am once again back at this tremendous establishment- the staff per usual treats me like family and gives me a great sense that I belong here. Everything aspect of this bar and grill is perfect from the nice bouncer Nigel who treats me like a king to the beautiful bartenders that make me feel like the only man in the world. I love this place. sincerely, Louie DuPont read more

Es Tas Bar and Grill - Beer Bar Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Come here for FAC (Friday after class), to get some inexpensive drinks, and crazy deals! Will always have fond memories of $1 tacos during taco Tuesday's, margarita mondays, and of course fridays for their $3 drinks! Tacos are always the highlight of my Tuesday - they're so crispy and addicting! read more

Es Tas Bar and Grill - a close up of a taco - Beer Bar Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Yesterday was like my 638173 taco Tuesday. $1.17 tacos in the best fried shells! I normally opt for the tater tots that come with cheese if you want because $3.50 on a Tuesday is also a steal. The drinks here a pretty good, I hear they have some of the best Thursday night mug specials like a mug of Well drinks for $3.50. We always start here if we are going out because it's the most affordable and has the best food. Moscow mules (again, my favorite) are $3 on Sundays so I'm a frequent flyer there too. I really haven't had a bad experience here. I've seen a couple uh oh with bartenders under the influence that make me squirm but I've been pretty far removed from those situations, it's just notable. We even tried coming here before a football game and they had fun brunch spinoffs of mimosa drinks and even breakfast! read more

Es Tas Bar and Grill - Tater Tots, Margarita - Beer Bar Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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This place is completely... life changing And I mean that in the best possible way. DOYLE: I looooove this place. BRIFAT: Fastest way to a headache but a great time with your college besties. Love my Thursday traditions at es tas. read more

Es Tas Bar and Grill - Doyle & BFAT - Beer Bar Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Horrible. I thought I'd had bad tacos before, and then there were these. Ground beef? No steak? Come on what is this Taco Bell? And some kind of white sauce? Is this a high school cafeteria? What's really impressive here is how they could have made the tacos less offensive if they didn't deep fry them. This is just a review of the tacos, which I had at a somewhat similarly bad food truck event in downtown Ames. I suppose if I had also gone to the bar I would have been able to drink and so the food wouldn't have tasted as bad. However, I'm confident that this is food that neither alcohol nor hunger could improve. read more

Slow slow SLOW food service. Here on a Saturday night with no one here! I ordered cheese curds and they forgot about my order. Took an hour to get it. My friend ordered tacos, they also forgot an it took 40 minutes to finally get his food. read more

Medium sized establishment. Low quality food. Large drink menu. Above average customer service. Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Customer Service: 7.5/10 Drink Menu: 8/10 Food Menu: 6/10 read more

Stopped by between lunch and dinner (about 3:30pm) for a quick bite. I don't know if they couldn't see me, but I ended up sitting for almost 20 minutes, and I had to flag the guy down just to get a menu. They seemed a little short staffed though, so I don't fault the kid working too much. I had the fried tacos which were really good. I will say they charge kind of a lot for basic bar food, I don't know if that's a result of covid or if it's always been. I probably wouldn't go back unless I was drinking with friends or they had an event. read more

Es Tas Bar and Grill - Fried taco - Beer Bar Near Me - Ames, Iowa

food is ok. drinks are fine. BOUNCERS??? extremely rude. my boyfriend and i simply went for DINNER. we were ID'd and scanned. our ID's were bent, mind you we are both well OVER 21. just wanted to eat dinner, point blank.... bouncers have an ego that cannot be beat. do not honor specials listed on their website in restaurant. none of the specials online are correct, so expect to pay full price even when there are "specials." read more

I love coming here for the lunch taco buffet! I've also been at night for a friend's birthday and it was pretty cool then too. I think it's a great spot for the post graduate crowd that hasn't decided to start hating Campustown. read more

Macy or however you spell her name was very rude and threw food on the table despite getting our order wrong and not being able to read a number. if you go to es tas just be wary if you get her as a waitress read more

Tenderloins were very good. Just the right size and not pounded to death. Chips and salsa are also amazing. Went on a Thursday night and it wasn't real packed. read more

Me and my friends are 22 and we all got kicked out because one bar tender said our ids were fake when we had been served not even 25 minutes before by a different bar tender. The guy refused to scan our ids when we asked him to. Unacceptable service from them would not recommend to anyone. read more

Great college ambiance! Never misses! Great prices for great drinks! Amazing Tacos!!! Don't sleep on the tots or wings! Smaller, quaint, comfy. A place you a want to catch the game! LOVE Es TAS! read more

Came here on game day for the Cyclones and was expecting it to be packed, but they seemed a little understaffed. It took about 20 minutes to stand in line and get your drink. The drinks were okay, a little over poured. Also, how the heck do they run out of apple pie shots on game day! We were really looking forward to it and were disappointed when they ran out. Overall, the bar was a little dirty and their music was just ok. read more

I'd recommend ordering tacos and taking them Togo because the atmosphere is a little weird: pool table + loud music + casual restaurant, not sure if we're going for bar, club, or restaurant here. Had a very negative experience with a server who had a big attitude after getting our order wrong. Stay away from the margs and chips and salsa, I wouldn't take them if they were free. If it weren't for Taco Tuesdays I'd give this place two stars but the tacos are really out of this world good and cheap. read more

Taco Tuesday, all I gotta say. Above par tacos and good drinks but the atmosphere is a little weird, hard to get a feel for. Also was not offered salsa for my tacos which is a disappointment. Would recommend to any college bar hopper. read more

Yummm. the fried tacos and cheese curds are amazing. always a win! it's hard to say no when someone suggests Es Tas!

i was having a really great time at this bar.. and then i went up for a drink and then the bartender, i think her name was allie, decided to squirt liquid at me from across the bar. i would usually not mind a "prank" to this degree but i was wearing a shirt that meant a lot to me (it was my great grandfathers war veteran shirt). i will definitely return to this bar but will be avoiding this "allie". read more

The DJ on Thursday nights rock and is super cool and awesome! He played all the songs my friends and I requested!

Awful customer service, as an individual who works in customer service, this restaurant could not understand who was a paying customer and who was not. Each paying customer should get an order number. I paid for my friend to receive his tacos even though he had his receipt showing he paid. Rather then bringing the table order, each person should have an order number. The waiter did nothing to make it right besides offer a shot, which I did not want. The Manager brought my friends tacos after I paid a second time. Never will go back due to the confusion in the kitchen. $20 for 2 chicken tacos is rediculous, they should have a strong Manager presence and then they will understand the consumer aspect. 8-01 is no excuse for has service! read more

I am an alumnus of Iowa State University. I love Campustown but I usually stay out of most establishments frequented by students these days when I am visiting Ames. I am very loyal to another Campustown watering-hole that I've reviewed on Yelp before because of it's calm atmosphere, good food and good service. I however will add Es Tas enthusiastically to the list of candidates that I as someone in their mid-30s feel comfortable patronizing. This is a college bar, no doubt but they have a very deep and sophisticated selection of beers. They also have some really, really good food including a unique fried taco. I'll award a bonus star for having Grain Belt Premium on tap, a NHL Center Ice package, and their strong support of local sports community Cyclonefanatic.com. Es Tas is a place that I would be comfortable taking Cyclone fans of all ages. It will definitely be in the mix for someone who is usually reluctant to go to Campustown in the nighttime. read more

In a town not known for its great beer selection (outside of Cyclone Liquors), Es Tas does pretty well. I like going in and not knowing all the beers. Divey. Good bar food. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. read more

every 1 in 5 times i get food poisoning from taco tuesday but worth the risk some might say.

Es Tas has some of the worst service I have experienced. They are really lucky that it's good bar food (pretty much only bar food in the area so it's your only option.) I have been there multiple times throughout my time living in Ames and almost every single time, the bartenders are extremely rude, charge you the wrong amount, and forget about your food order. If you are looking for good (or even decent) service, I do not recommend read more

This little treasure is hidden on campus town if your student you're aware of this small bar and grill that serves the most awesome tacos I've had in sometime The only downside of this place is limited seating very small nice clean bar and grill. But like I said awesome tacos check them out if you get the chance located in the middle of Iowa State University read more

This place is most definitely not what it used to be. I miss being served on a Friday or Saturday night and in a timely fashion too! They have far less liquor in their drinks than they used to in order to flock people in here. I could not stand that it wasn't completely packed yet on a Saturday night but because they WOULDNT open the other door to allow cool air to flow thru OR fix the A/C it was like there was more than the already less than max capacity in here. Needless to say, this place used to be a focal meeting point of everyone of old and new and whoever was in town visiting... I will not recommend meeting here as my place to 'start' the night out anymore. But more of a place to pop in for a shot then leave like we used to do way back when the old Es Tas when I was on Welch! read more

these bi chs felt h word yet yeu until 2 am tges bitches lets us fuckeby twitch eyem for until 2 am i lit the alit locev hand m so what ch

Love their food. Taco Tuesday nothing beats that. The tacos are huge for a $. Expect huge line if you're planning on tuesday. Not so busy on other days. The servers are bit rude sometimes. I guess they get exhausted after handling such a huge crowd. read more

This place is amazing! Great food and relaxing atmosphere! Always have great drink deals! I'm an Iowa Hawkeye fan so only come to Ames occasionally but when I do I make sure I stop in at Es Tas! read more

Es tas used to be our favorite spot in the Welch area, but sadly, it's gone incredibly down hill recently. The staff has changed dramatically, and it's very obvious they don't have a great hold on their training process. Most recently, I watched a steadfast regular get her ID taken at the door, and they refused to give it back, even though she was of age. Very sad they no longer know their clientele as they used to take such good care of their regulars. If you're thinking about heading to Es Tas, I would suggest just ordering to go. The unpleasant environment they've recently cultivated is just not worth the decent food. Heartbroken to see one of my favorite spots go so dramatically down hill so quickly. read more

Two words: Taco. Tuesday. For $1.10 you can get an amazing taco. They are big and the toppings are so fresh tasting and delicious. The lines are super long but it goes fast and it's totally worth it. My suggestion is to get your tacos and that's it. Their drinks are so watered down. I left the bar with a $50 tab for two people and not even a buzz. Very disappointing. The door man also didn't believe my 25 year old boyfriends ID which was funny but also really annoying. read more

Great amazing food but when we got there the bartender told us we have to order at the bar. We were the only ones there ... tacos are amazing but all tables were sticky and and had food on them. We will be taking it to go again... but a huge plus they have veggie options! Yummy! read more

Wow love this place. Highly recommend everything. Cheeseballs are fire and their Es tas punch is incredible.

The shrimp tacos are awesome! They also have endless tacos on Tuesday. Their drinks are great.

This is probably one of the best sports bars in the Iowa state vicinity. They have great Friday after class deals and also have great food. The tacos are their specialty. Good bartending service as well. Good location. read more

This was the single worst experience I've had at a pub in a very long time. I'm giving two because the tacos were delicious. The service, however, was awful. We went there as part of the rugby alumni weekend. We spent easily over $300 as a group of 5. We ordered tacos at 12:30, well before they closed. At 1am I asked one of the waiters if we'd have enough time to eat since we still hadn't gotten our food and they had just said last call was in 20 minutes. The waiter said that they wouldn't close until we got our food and ate. At 1:35 they finally gave us our food and to go boxes. We told the new waiter that we were gonna eat real quick and then leave. He got irate. He said he was kicking us out and asked us if we wanted him to call the cops. I told him the other waiter told us we'd be able to eat and then leave. The new waiter said "I never said that, I don't care, you need to leave." The other waiter walked up to us and I asked him about what he said earlier about giving us time to eat and he said "I lied." Seriously? We were almost done! One of the guys in our group was like "dude, we have like 3 bites left each just let us finish." They again threatened to call the cops on us. All the while there were at least 3 more tables waiting for their food. My bf and his ruggers were so upset. They give so much business to this place and all we asked for was 5 minutes. Fuck Es Tas. good luck getting the Rugby players to eat their again, one of the people they did this to was the rugby coach. Good luck getting anyone from the team to come there in the future. Ya'll fucked up!!! read more

Great bar to grab a beer and watch the game, play some pool, or have a great Taco Tuesday at. Usually a chill crowd, which is nice in the craziness that comes out at the bars on Welch. read more

GO FOR TACO TUESDAY! Some bars are only popular at certain hours on the weekend but Es Tas almost always has a good fun crowd in it. The kitchen is also one of the best in the campus town areas. If you are planning on watching a cyclone game or really any sports game, get there early to ensure a seat! Personally, Es Tas is one of my favorite bars in Ames. read more