Added to this review below 08/21/25…read more My wife and I found the hangout Diner in the last part of July. We went there for breakfast and lunch. And chosen a variety of various Foods. Now rather than make a whole bunch of reviews I'm going to try to put a lot of the things that we got into one review so here goes. Biscuits and gravy the best around. You can get a half order or a full order. You can add an egg if you like which I did. I had chicken and waffles one time. It's not always on the menu but you have to call and ask first. But it was very very good. My wife has had a full breakfast by choosing eggs bacon hash browns and all the components separately. Christy and her mother Sharon are there most of the time. They cook and also waitress. They have pancake waffles French toast all the normal breakfast items. And the mix for the pancakes and waffles is homemade not from a bag. This time for breakfast I had a breakfast burrito and had them put everything inside but no green peppers. It was large and delicious. My wife has eaten a chicken Caesar salad which she said was a delicious. They do have daily specials and you might want to call before you go in and find out what their special is for the day. Not everything is on the menu but if you ask she possibly might be able to make it for you. Now for the sweet end of it they have sticky pecan rolls cinnamon rolls that have a glaze on them sometimes they have a variety of Danish rolls. They also have ice cream by the scoop or in a bowl. It's not soft serve with scooped ice cream. They have various types of of hamburgers. All in all it's worth going in and trying it and see what you think for yourself. I highly recommend it as you see I gave five stars to the food and the atmosphere . Oh yeah coffees only $2 a cup. 08/21/25 my wife and I went in for the special of the day today. I had homemade meatloaf, garden fresh green beans and mashed potatoes and gravy. Everything was delicious. My wife had the homemade stew and a chicken Caesar salad. I tasted the chicken off of the Caesar salad and it was seasoned beautifully.

Always a great place for traditional American fare. Don't expect escargot, but good comfort food…read moreis plentiful. Their holiday buffets are very well done and well attended. Come for the hotel rooms . . . stay for the drinks in the bar !! Bowl . . . downstairs , . . but only after the cocktails so as offset the curves of the lanes.

Paulina and Daniel were absolutely delightful. The service here is fabulous and efficient…read more Definitely a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. Iced Chai latte.. to die for!!!

A trail head treat. If you are going to hit the trail this…read morewas a treat to find. I started in Ankeny and pushed to the end. It was a treat to hear live music coming from the bar on a Sunday afternoon. I made my way over and a small lunch crowd had started. They have a nice patio where you can pull up a stool and sit at the bar. They had a full bar available outside. I asked for a menu and they had food that I could order and specials on the grill that day. I first ordered a root beer. The root beer was from a local Brewery so it cost a little bit more. I looked over the menu and looks like they had some really good choices. However with the bike ride I wasn't terribly hungry at the time so I did not end up ordering any food. As I sat there and there was a gentleman that was playing live music by the entrance way. He was rather good he had CDs and shirts out for sale and it was a very nice Ambience for the bar. I sat there for quite a while the TVs above the bar showed us the most current hurricane that was going on in Florida and any other news that was happening. I sat for quite a while the bartenders were very attentive asking me if I needed anything and were accommodating. They were happy to give me some ice for my water bottle and we're not put out when I decided I wasn't going to order any food. So I decided to go ahead ahead and pay my tab and head off. It was a very nice stop before jumping back on the trail. I think you should give the whistling donkey and try and maybe get the honor of trying their food. Hopefully next time I make it all the way up I'll be hungry and want to try some food. I will admit it was a perfect day to sit outside and enjoy the free entertainment and I would recommend this stop to anyone on the trail.

Nice stop on bike trail! Good music and food! Fish sandwich was very good! Glad I didn't follow…read morenegative reviews!

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!

Had dinner here on a Tuesday evening while in town for a conference. I partnered up with another…read moreconference attendee and we came here for dinner. The menu had a diversity of options with both bistro and full size options. We both settled on the Main St. chicken dish on recommendation from the waitress along with swapping the rice for mashed potatoes. Great suggestion. My conference mate asked to have her mushrooms removed and I asked to have the tomatoes removed. Although we both ordered the same meal, the presentation looked different for each of us and hit the spot for our tastebuds. Mine seemed more like a chicken marsala while hers was a tomato sauce. Either way we both enjoyed our meals. We both also had dessert - I had the delicious chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. Honestly there was too much sauce but the cake was still delicious! My conference mate had the peanut pie and it was divine - imagine a Reese cup with an Oreo crust. If I'm ever back in Ames this will definitely be on my return list!!

Came here on company dinner and we had a great time. Food was decent and I enjoyed my carbonara,…read morehuge portion. The French onion soup was just ok but everyone enjoyed the peanut butter pie. Very good ambiance for group dining and the service was great.

My how I have missed my favorite restaurant in the Midwest! This was my first time at their new…read morelocation and it did not disappoint. Chef Lynn greeted me when I walked in and took time to chat with me. Everyone and everything here is fabulous and I will be back as often as possible. The food, service and ambiance are fabulous!

We had a good experience! The restaurant was busy when we visited, but the staff handled everything…read morewith a positive attitude. Even with a full dining room, everyone was friendly and worked hard to make sure we were taken care of. However, we spent more time there than we originally planned waiting. The food was good. You could tell the kitchen and staff were doing their best to keep up with the crowd without sacrificing quality.

Great place if you need a quick, grab and go breakfast. The biscuit sandwiches are amazing. The…read morehomemade biscuits are to die for! Sit down breakfast is available, too. You can't leave without trying the fresh, homemade scones.

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.