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Hickory Park Restaurant Co.

3.9 (802 reviews)
Open 10:30 am - 9:00 pm

Waitlist - Hickory Park Restaurant Co.

Live Current wait: under 5 minutes

Hickory Park Restaurant Co. Photos

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HICKORY PARK RESTAURANT CO. ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Hickory Park Restaurant Co.

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Dana K.

Casual, fast dining spot with plenty of room for larger groups. The dessert selection is impressive--the entire placemat highlights their many sundaes and treats. It gets very loud during peak hours, so conversation can be difficult. One person in our group was disappointed with the tenderloin sandwich, which tasted like a frozen, prepackaged product.

Emily S.

Went here for dinner after the Iowa State graduation ceremony and this place was packed! We had a large group and they were able to accommodate us. It seems like many large groups flocked here after graduation. They have a waitlist which helps to get a table ahead of time. Our waitress was attentive and very accommodating for our large group. We were placed at a few tables next to each other so we were together but slightly spread apart. The menu is fairly large but offers the same things just made in different forms. Do you want a platter or a sandwich? Food was mediocre but was filling. The pork sandwich was fatty and thick and barbecue sauce helped enhance the flavor. I wouldn't race back to this place but it's a fine option for a large group.

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Trixie T.

Party of 2, 7:30 PM. Beautiful entrance and foyer, great lighting and the decor was just fantastic! Our server was Zoey and she was phenomenal, bringing refills without request, lots of ranch to our Iowa liking! Food is always great here! The cheese curds were a bit overcooked, but no place is perfect. I just love this establishment and we always go here to eat when we're in town! Such a staple to Ames! Thank you!

Tom S.

Your grandpa's BBQ... Old, outdated but reliable. The food is very average... It lacks flavor. Seriously nothing special. It reminds me of what they would serve at a retirement facility to bring back the nostalgia. I've been here twice now, once with my partner and a second time for a work lunch. It is ab absolute massive place. They can serve busses of people at one time. The whole place reminded us of a feed lot corralling cattle in to get fattened up for winter... A huge entry and outdoor area with benches and corral lines. Individual booths that gives the feeling of feed troughs and slop. The food came out moderately quickly... but none of it was hot and it all lacked flavor. On a positive note, the servers are all kind and friendly, and you can tell they do their best. If you want great BBQ... don't come here... Go to Cornbred down the street. Or a list of other great restaurants in town. If you have a bus of people that need to be fed or want to give your grandpa a lukewarm meal that brings back nostalgia... this is your place.

Jessica M.

A barbecue joint that has been around since 1970! We dined in for lunch on a Friday at noon and we did not have have to wait for a table. The restaurant is vast with plenty of booth seating and old school décor. For instance, there is a candy section at the front of the restaurant with candy selling for 5 to 25 cents a piece. Our family ordered and shared the following: 1) Breaded cauliflower 2) Cheese and jalapeno hickory vegetarian burger with potato salad 3) Saucy Southerner sandwich 4) Dinner sampler with chicken, pork ribs, and smoked sausage; fries Portions are large so that was plenty of food for us to share. The vegetarian burger was a bit too salty. The saucy southerner tasted like any other pulled pork sandwich. The sauciness could have potentially masked the smoky flavors. The dinner sampler was the redeeming factor. The chicken and ribs were tender and juicy. The smoked sausage was smooth and had a good amount of spice. The service was attentive, efficient, and friendly.

Haley J.

Great BBQ restaurant in Ames! LARGE menu to choose from, if you are GF they have a separate GF menu as well. Our server was very attentive and everything came out correctly! She checked in a lot, but not too much.

Chicken Dinner
John S.

Not the best chicken dinner I've ever had, but you come here for the friendly service and nostalgia. Price point is decent, and make sure to get some candy on your way out.

Thin mint--small!!
Mary P.

We stopped on a Sunday evening while traveling home. We were immediately greeted at the door & quickly seated. Katie was friendly & got our drinks right away. She then took our orders and brought me my salad. I only had a couple of bites before our food came. My smoked turkey was tender & tasty & I took a couple of pieces home for lunch tomorrow. Hubby's 1/4 dark meat chicken was delicious. His mashed potatoes & Mac & cheese both disappeared. He finished with a hot fudge sundae & I had a turtle sundae. Yummy ending. Go there--be prepared to wait if you don't pick the right time!!

Salted nut roll sundae
Mark O.

Have been back a few times in 12 years, both with friends and as a solo diner and have not had any issues like in my previous review. Is it the best BBQ ever? No. Is it serviceable compared to the Jethros' across the street? Yes. They've added a couple of additional BBQ sauce options, but there's no guidance as to what they are. However, some of the non-BBQ offerings, such as the appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches are stars too. I highly recommend the Wisconsin Cheese soup, fried cauliflower, and any of the many ice cream sundaes. On my most recent visit, I was told they no longer have worcestershire sauce. That makes me a sad panda--it was a good compliment to the ground beef steak. Prices also seem to have increased by about 30-40% in the last two-three years. I get it takes a lot of people to run a restaurant of this caliber, but it certainly isn't a "value" any longer.

Breaded Chicken Sandwich
Hannah V.

An Ames staple restaurant for us! Long wait to get in and a long wait for our food, but it was a busy weekend night. I've never seen every booth full before, but tonight it was! Our server was great and got us everything we needed. We had our regular cheese curds, bacon cheese hickory burger, and then tried a new ice cream: chocolate chip cookie dough sundae! All very good, I loved the marshmallow on the sundae.

Shawn C.

Amazing food!! Great customer service!! Super cool old time feel! Perfect place to celebrate any occasion

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2 months ago

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2 days ago

Great food, great price, great staff. An Ames classic. Always worth the wait -- the Saucy Southerner is your best bet!

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3 months ago

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Tracy D.

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25 days ago

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Tracy D.

Thank you for the great pictures Dana!

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6 months ago

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Tracy D.

Thank you for the review Emily! Congratulations to the graduate!

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7 months ago

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Tracy D.

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8 months ago

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Tracy D.

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Tom.

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3 days ago

Been going there for over 43 years - through a few transformations. Still a great place to eat. Lots of energy there.

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13 days ago

I brought 25 people to Hickory Park. The service was great, and the food was delicious. I highly recommend.

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1 year ago

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Tracy D.

Thank you for the awesome review!

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8 months ago

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4 months ago

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15 days ago

Always great. Fast service and excellent food and desserts. Whenever I'm in town this place is a must stop location for me.

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15 days ago

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1 year ago

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1 month ago

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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11 months ago

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2 years ago

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Tracy D.

Thank you for the amazing review Daniel! Happy Holidays!

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5 months ago

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5 months ago

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

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3 months ago

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

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10 months ago

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7 months ago

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3 months ago

Our large party was served by three fabulous wait staff. Food was excellent, dessert was delicious!

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4 months ago

Amazing food service and ambience. The dessert menu is not to be missed! Do not forget to eat here while in Ames.

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1 month ago

waiter was super slow when did get food it was cold. service was slow need more handcap parking terry s

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Ask the Community - Hickory Park Restaurant Co.

Do you handle large groups? A seperate room?

We accommodate large groups regularly. We often have sports groups, work groups, school groups, etc During events in town we have 30s, 40s, 60s, sometimes even a group of 100.… Read more

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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.

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Waiting area
Waiting area
Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill
Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill

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Provisions Lot F

Provisions Lot F

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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!

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Provisions Lot F
Caesar Salad
Caesar Salad
Flourless chocolate torte

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Flourless chocolate torte
The Filling Station

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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!

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The cafe area
The cafe area
Breakfast quesadilla
Breakfast quesadilla
View from our Lunch Table.

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View from our Lunch Table.
The Cafe

The Cafe

4.4
(570 reviews)
3.2 mi
$$

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!

Visited on 11/07/25. The Cafe is an absolute gem! Every…read morevisit feels like a new culinary adventure thanks to their ever-changing menu. The chefs clearly love experimenting, offering a creative fusion of flavors that blend different cuisines beautifully. Whether it's a twist on a classic dish or something completely unexpected, everything is prepared with care and a true sense of innovation. Me and my significant other both ordered the Feta Cheese w/ Honey, Herbs, and Pistachios + Bread as our appetizer and for main dish we ordered Korean Steak & Egg that consist of soy/ginger marinated hanger steak with kimchi fried rice, and arugula with sweet chili aioli, and sunny side egg on top. The only thing I was a bit disappointed was that the kimchi didn't have the actual kick and true kimchi flavor but it was still good! Beyond the food, what really sets The Cafe apart is the warm and attentive customer service. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and always happy to make recommendations or accommodate special requests. You can tell they genuinely care about creating a great dining experience for every guest. If you're looking for a place that combines delicious, inventive food with top-notch hospitality, The Cafe is a must-visit. It's one of those rare spots where you'll leave satisfied, and already planning your next visit to see what's new on the menu!

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Menu and lamp inside
Menu and lamp inside
Vegan Grain Bowl Salmon add
Vegan Grain Bowl Salmon add
Lettuce Wrap chicken with peanut sauce

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Lettuce Wrap chicken with peanut sauce

Hickory Park Restaurant Co. - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

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