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Ja-Mar Drive In

4.2 (24 reviews)
Open 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

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No frills restaurant.  Stopped on our road trip for a quick breakfast.  Country fried steak with eggs hit the spot!
Michael K.

No frills restaurant. Stopped on our road trip for a quick breakfast. Country fried steak with eggs hit the spot!

Cheeseburger, fries and Butterfinger cyclone

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9 months ago

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5 months ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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8 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Classic American diner. Old school feel great food. Felt like a local. I am definitely going back.

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

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10 years ago

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14 years ago

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5 years ago

The food was so good! Then place is like a time warp, but is clean and great. We would go back, for sure!

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Photo of Beth S.
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8 years ago

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8 years ago

Been a regular customer for years. Great prices, prompt service good food, especially breakfast.

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13 years ago

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

Great food, super fast, and friendly! I would recommend the chicken dinner! Super good mashed potatoes and the chicken was top notch!

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8 years ago

Had heard about this place. Got he tenderloin sandwich and it was ok. Others got the fried chicken which seems like a better choice.

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12 years ago

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10 years ago

Great food!! Love the daily specials! The old fashioned atmosphere is fun as well :) love dining here

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The Cafe - Cobb salad

The Cafe

4.4(570 reviews)
41.1 mi
$$

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.

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!

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The Cafe - Menu and lamp inside

Menu and lamp inside

The Cafe - Vegan Grain Bowl Salmon add

Vegan Grain Bowl Salmon add

The Cafe - Lettuce Wrap chicken with peanut sauce

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Lettuce Wrap chicken with peanut sauce

Provisions Lot F - Provisions burger

Provisions Lot F

4.5(347 reviews)
43.9 mi
$$

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
Provisions Lot F - Caesar Salad

Caesar Salad

Provisions Lot F - Flourless chocolate torte

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Flourless chocolate torte

Cornbred - Burnt ends.

Cornbred

4.4(324 reviews)
43.2 mi
$$

Went here for lunch with the family, this place has a lovely charm - and was at one point a train…read moredepot. Our server was attentive, and it was quiet enough to have a pleasant conversation over lunch. Three of our table had the daily special - a ribeye sandwich with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, their version of sweet and saucy steak sauce. Everyone enjoyed it - and I stole a few fries which were golden crisp and perfectly seasoned. I was assured their fries are consistently delicious. I had pork shoulder with two sides, i went with hallelujah potatoes (cheesy potato casserole) and cornbread pudding. The pork was melt in your mouth tender, perfect with the sweet and sassy bbq sauce. Each plate comes with some pickle slices and pickled onions, the onions were nice - i gave my pickles away as i am not a savory pickle girl. The hallelujah potatoes were cheesy, creamy and crunchy (topping) and the cornbread pudding tasty. The lemonade was recommended to me and it was well done - tart and sweet. Overall if I had more time in town I would definitely come back.

Just some suggestions for future guests. Please ask first if guests want to be seated on patio. We…read morewere taken outside on patio, granted the plastic sheets were down, but it was a cool, rainy day. We were told the heaters would be turned on. They weren't. We asked to be moved inside and a they moved us to the loudest part, next to bathrooms and opening to patio, so still cool. Waitress had no time for us, maybe because we were asked to be moved. Idk. Food was good. If the name of your restaurant is "cornbred" you would think your meat dish would come with a piece of cornbread. Instead you have to order it as an appetizer which are muffins. How about one little muffin person placed on the table. I would also maybe include a side with your meal (maybe less meat) to accommodate for the side. Just suggestions. It is a cute place though.

Photos
Cornbred - Make Ames Weird

Make Ames Weird

Cornbred - Pork ribs and baked beans

Pork ribs and baked beans

Cornbred

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Chuckwagon Restaurant - Tenderloin.

Chuckwagon Restaurant

4.5(124 reviews)
73.9 mi
$

Love this place. Stopped by between Des Moines and Sioux City and had a deliciously disgusting…read moremeal. Everything was yummy and so unhealthy. Garlic cheese ball and tater tot poutine? Amazing. The tenderloin was massive. And the broccoli cheese soup was a star. Tried the peach pie as well which I thoroughly enjoyed. The wait staff was super friendly and the ambiance was exactly what I was hoping for, a quality local establishment. Throughly enjoyed it.

The gf wanted to check out I-80 MetalArt and we found the Chuckwagon Restaurant right across the…read morestreet. We arrived pretty much at straight up noon on a Saturday. I fully expected the place to be packed as it appears to be pretty much the only show in town as far as a sit down restaurant. There was a please wait to be seated sign there as we walked in. We were greeted right away and seated in minutes. It's old school wood tables and chairs and I think there was a counter available. Ordering is done at the tables as well as settline your bill up with your server. Surprisingly the speed of service continued throughout the visit. After drinks we ordered the rodeo burger and fries, a tenderloin with chili cheese fries, and the garlic cheeseballs. The cheeseballs came with marinara and ranch. Fresh, hot, and fantastic! I've eaten a lot of tenderloins. Many that have been highlighted as Iowa Tenderloin Trail winners or participants... This is one of the better tenderloins I've had in the state! Obviously hand made, breaded, and fried. Not too thick and not too thin. Drained properly. Served with the essential condiments including the holy trinity (onions, dill pickles, and mustard). The gf liked her burger. It could have used more of the featured ranch and bbq sauce. The fries... Neither of us cared for them. Obviously hand made, but almost too thin and too greasy. We'd both opt for a different side next time. To each our own though. Almost every small town along this stretch of I-80 has a pub & grill. The menus vary a little, but are very similar in a lot of aspects. The quality of service and the cooks make the biggest differences. The Chuckwagon hit five stars in some aspects of both. Work on those fries and the flavor of the chili (horribly bland) and this review would have been five stars. I'm going to emphasize this again. Truly one of the best tenderloins I've had in the state! Keep doing what you are doing!

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Chuckwagon Restaurant - Tenderloin and chili fries.

Tenderloin and chili fries.

Chuckwagon Restaurant
Chuckwagon Restaurant - The urinal

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The urinal

Ja-Mar Drive In - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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