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!

We stopped here for lunch when in Ames for a concert. It came recommended by a coworker and our…read morewhole group enjoyed our experience. Amongst our group we ordered the Long Island ice tea, nerds flavored Long Island ice tea, bloody marry and some martinis. We also ordered lunch and everyone seemed really pleased with their food. They were super busy but did a great job accommodating our group of 8. Glad we popped in during our time in Ames.

5 trips to Brazil were amazing so it was great to be at this bar for lunch and dinner. In Ames this…read moreis the # 1 place to be by far. Soccer. World Cup. Academia. Global travelers. Great staff. Feijoada is needed. I look forward to returning.

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!

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!

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!

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.

This spot was bumping on a Saturday morning, can tell the locals enjoy visiting here. The drip was…read morewas excellent and the chocolate chip scone was yummy. Friendly staff behind the counter and a homey inviting environment not much to not like.

My wife and I came here on a busy Saturday morning (seemed like there was a farmers market). She…read moregot an iced house made vanilla latte and she said the espresso had a burnt taste to it. The mango smoothie was good! I thought it was well blended and not too sweet. Overall good experience.

Super fun cafe with a European vibe. Came here with a private party and we had a blast. I…read moredefinitely would recommend a pomegranate lemonade. The meal started with greek salad and was delicious. Our main course was a chicken parm risotto. I loved it but others found it very heavy. Our servers were attentive but not overbearing. Would definitely recommend!

We went to the "tea party" in the sky but that was the stupidest thing ever. The tea was barely…read morewarm. The food sucked. I have been to way better tea parties! I will NEVER ever recommend this place! It was the biggest joke ever. It reminds me of the little girls tea party and not one for an actual adult

The choices are so unique to Ames. Love the classic Mac's and cheese. And the Belgium fries with…read moresauce. Fabulous! Have been going there for four years since my college aged daughter discovered it. My favorite place in Ames!

The help- very nice and friendly…read more The food- not so good, which is a bummer because I've been wanting to try this place for quite awhile. I kept it simple- fries and an empanada. Perhaps I ordered the wrong things? Fries were hot but tasteless, served with a side of what seemed like mayo? Empanada shredded beef filling was chewy and flavorless, the best part about it was the fried shell, not sure of the sauce served with it, but it was also nothing to rave about. I got a side of chipotle ketchup and that was decent. So....I can cross this one off of my "try it" list with no plans to return. Bummer.