The Pad Thai is absolutely disgusting. It taste nothing like traditional Pad Thai. It didn't have the sweet palm sugar taste or the sour tamarind taste, it didn't contain any cilantro or lime. All of which are key ingredients in Pad Thai. It did however have tons of fish sauce. The smell was repulsive. After I got the courage to take the first bite I instantly regretted it. We also ordered the Pinapple fried rice, which tasted like instant rice smothered in curry powder. I was highly disappointed. We paid for our meals ($75 for 2 pad thai entrees and the Pinapple fried rice entree) and left hungry. I do not recommend this place at all. read more

I've lived here for a year and finally noticed this spot. Tried it out with a friend and it was amazing. It's absolutely one of my new favorites in town. I had the yellow curry with tofu as I'm vegetarian and it was fantastic. The coconut wasn't overpowering and the curry was a nice mild flavor as yellow curry should be. The service was also very fast as we informed our server we had an event to get to. I can't wait to go back! read more

This is a perfect example of an amazing restaurant. Great service, good variety of food, good portions, nice atmosphere. My meal was delicious and the Thai iced coffee was amazing. I can't believe I waited so long to try this place out, a real gem in Ames! read more

Spencer was a great waiter and the whole experience was great! I recommend the chai and Thai iced tea. The pad Thai and spicy peanut chicken were also great! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone but it was pricier for college students. 2 drinks, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert was $55. read more

The Spice - Delicious tom yum soup! - Thai Near Me - Ames, Iowa

You need a reservation to sit at a bar? Too exclusive. McDonald's seems better to me.

Amazing food all the time! I love this place. Best Thai in Iowa!

By far one of my favorite restaurants in Ames. I love spicy and this place does it right. I ordered a soup and the spicy peanut chicken. I must say my experience was great. Wonderful spicy food, good wine, and great service rounded out our dining experience at The Spice. read more

The food was not fresh and not good. I got food poisoning once I had lunch there today. The chicken that I ordered looks old and not cooked well. The taste wasn't nice at all. Don't recommend it. read more

Amazing! Every time I go in the food is consistently delicious and the entire staff is incredibly friendly. I'd highly recommend the spice of you have an open evening to relax and enjoy some good warm food. There are also a ton of vegetarian, and gluten free options with a few vegan choices as well. The prices are very reasonable considering the authenticity and the portion sizes as well. read more

Got seated right away. 5 tables in the restaurant had people seated. However, took a while to order food. Then it took much longer to get our appetizers and food. When the food came out, 3 of the 7 meals came out first and mine was cold. About 5 minutes later the other 4 meals came out. Other meals were complained about being cold and way over spiced, but no offer to fix them. When we got our checks, my check was wrong and we had to walk around to find the waitress to fix the bill as she was no where to be found. When she fixed it, she deleted the wrong meal, but raised the price of one of the correct meals. All of this and gratuity is included in the bill at 18%. read more

Good food and good service. Only gets four stars because it's a bit pricy for what it is. If I'm going to pay more than $15 for some shrimp or scalps, I would expect something better than very tiny frozen 18-25/lb bits. However, since this is Iowa, it's still pretty good for what you can get. I also hear from my Thai friends that it is pretty authentic.... For Iowa. Good place to take a date. read more

I had the best Thai meal here that I've ever had and better than any I've had in Des Moines. The prices were absolutely on par with comparable places serving good quality food with a lovely ambiance. If you are gainfully employed with a regular full time income, you would think nothing of the prices. The bleetings on here about priciness must be coming from college kids. The service was also excellent. Started with a bowl of soup which was delicious. Then ginger chicken which I asked them to make with medium spiciness. It was superb. Had I known how wonderful it was, I'd have ordered another one to take home to have the next day. Portion sizes were large. Would drive from Des Moines just to come and eat here again. read more

I couldn't find anything on the menu that was palatable. I was going to go with Cashew Chicken for $14 then I decided to go with the lunch Ginger Chicken for $12. It ended up being a quarter plate of chicken pieces with one piece of ginger in a watery soup base for the sauce. The green peppers and onion were so undercooked that they were still crunchy. I wanted to stop at Huhot an hour later to get something filling that costs less. Huhot was only $9.99 for lunch with BOGO on top of that. My dining companion order the lunch drunken pasta for $12 which was in a water base instead of a thickened sauce. This makes it drip all over as the noodles flop when you try to eat them. Parking is on the street out front at the meter. read more

Ok, I am giving it a 4 because based on where it is-in Ames,Iowa the choices and competition are limited. The food was such a welcome change! Price is high but again, they are in Ames Iowa. Really enjoyed dining here and will come again when I am in Ames!! The dining area is very comfortable, Asian design, booth like seating is nice- carpeted, was quiet and the lighting was soft. The pad thai is some of the best I have had- is somewhat better than some I have had in LA area actually! Good service, checked on you but did not forget about you either. This is a great restaurant and I love the Main Street area, local businesses, nice walking area, art and easy to park. Please go if you have not been to this restaurant yet- you will be glad you did! read more

Hugely overpriced. Thai Kitchen is less expensive and tastier. The only dish I've ordered at The Spice that I liked better than the corresponding dish at Thai Kitchen was the salmon panang -- but The Spice charges twice as much. read more

The Spice is my husband's and my favorite Thai place and honestly one of our absolute favorite restaurants. The food quality is always amazing, the service is fantastic and their menu selection is vast. Try the Tom Yum soup it is only 6 dollars and will be the best soup you have ever tried. For dessert you have to try the Mango sticky rice it is to die for. read more

Great food with exceptional service. We had Garlic Chicken and Drunken Noodles. Both were bursting with flavor. Highly recommended.

I have been to The Spice twice so far, and both times I have enjoyed my meal. The first time I had a pad thai which was good (although it is hard to mess up a pad thai). The dumplings (especially with some peanut sauce) were awesome. The second time I had the pad pak which was very good, and my boyfriend had the green curry--spicy, but delicious! The kung hom sabai (marinated shrimp in spring rolls) were a nice starter that made us hungry for more. The fellow that waited on us was attentive and friendly. Overall, a great experience, and I will go back again. read more

The Spice seems to be under a new, cost-cutting management scheme. They are using cheap stew meat in their beef curry and instant coffee in their Thai iced coffee. The Tom Kha soup was watery, without vegetables and had crimini or baby portobello mushrooms instead of straw mushrooms. But guess what! They are charging same expensive prices as before when the food was actually good. We won't be going back. read more

My husband and I had dinner at The Spice. Worst Thai food we have ever eaten! Couldn't chew or swallow the calamari for starters. Entrees were uneatable. Don't even want to give a 1 star. read more

Good basic Thai food, served quickly and well, at a decent price. Welcome respite from the road, and light enough to let us sleep when we reach our hotel. read more

I've had mixed experiences here but generally like The Spice. I had takeout a while ago, and it was Just. Not. Great. But my in-restaurant experience is always delicious and the staff - every one of them! - are really lovely. Their curries are my jam. read more

Good Thai; surprisingly expensive for Iowa. I really wish they were open later. Edit: Initially I was just happy to see there was a Thai place in Ames. I'm revising my review downwards (to 2*) now that I've been in town a while, and I realized that I have not been back in at least 6 months, and every time someone asks if I want to go there, I steer them toward the Thai Kitchen or anywhere else, actually. Again, it's fine, but the Pad Thai should have gold leaf in it for the price they charge. read more

Good Thai food and a nice, intimate ambiance. Definitely great for a nice dinner or a date. Now that I live in Seattle, I have tons of great Thai options for cheap, but when I was living in Ames, the Spice was a great choice. Again, I would recommend it if you are going on a date or nice dinner; if you are looking for take out or something more casual, Thai Kitchen should fit the bill for less money. read more

If my appetizer, calamari, and main course, spicy peanut chicken, hadn't been so good I would have only given Spic two, maybe one stars. Why? Our service was mediocre to lackadaisical and the place wasn't slammed. When the server presented our meals I asked for soy sauce and another in our party asked for salt and pepper. The server wandered off and didn't return until we were almost finished. when we reminder her she said she forgot and hustled off and returned with the soy sauce and salt and pepper. Then when one of our party asked her for a scoop of ice cream it seemed to take hours for her to return with it. She was quick to return with our checks but never returned so we got up and left our table and paid on our way out the door. It might be a while before I come back. read more

I don't know how people can give this place anything less than 5 stars. The most authentic Thai food I have found in Iowa.

Maybe it's changed a bit since I lived in Ames. But I loved it, and went several times. It helped me survive my graduation weekend. It was relaxing. It was tasty. It was a reasonably priced (though not cheap), *nice* place. But I do love Thai Kitchen, too. :) read more

I'm far from an expert in Thai cuisine, but I love the food I have had at The Spice. The Massaman curry with chicken is my favorite dish-- sweet with a little bit of spicy. You can ask them to adjust the heat level on any dish, so if you're a little more adventurous than I am you can turn up the flavor. Expect to pay more than you would at most restaurants in Ames. I think its worth it, and have enjoyed the atmosphere every time I've been there. They are a little slower at lunch time, so if you only have one hour, you might be cutting it close! read more

You'll pay a lot here. The food ranges from interesting Thai shades of Asian cuisine to banal Chinese food. Hopefully you get one of the more interesting dishes because the food is very good! read more

The meal and service were great. Our first experience at The Spice and Thai food was a little intimidating as I was never "curry" fan growing up. Our waitress suggested the Panang Scallops as I mentioned to her that I liked seafood with a little heat. This was the perfect dish. I enjoyed the dish with a cool glass of Rielsing. I was amazed that it wasn't the same "curry" I had as a kid. This was fabulous. It may not be "as good as it gets" to some but for me it was a very nice dining experience. My wife had the Pad See Ew with chicken and loved it. Good portion and very flavorful. Will most certainly return. read more

I went many times with my friends there. First, their dishes kind of over priced. Secondly, I had couple times order pad Thai and other type of rice noddle. They came for cold inside if the dish!!!! And I ordered spring rolls one time, inside still frozen!!!! So we can see that, for those rice noddles they already cooked before customers came in , and they just add meat and warm up! read more

We were seated quickly and kindly. Our food came out in a reasonable time frame. The pad thai was absolutely DELICIOUS! The one and only drawback was the cost. Not ridiculous, just a little on the steep side, particularly for thai food. I would go back, but this is definitely not your average thai dive. It is a restaurant for a classy night out. read more

This is one of our go-to restaurants in Iowa. The food & tea are authentic and spicy (as promised), jazz playing softly in the background, just the right amount of lighting, always clean, exceptionally friendly service. Worth the price. read more

My favorite place!!! I always get the yellow curry as it is the only vegan curry and it is delicious! The servings are huge and very filling. You can make it as spicy as you want. read more

The best food in town and the service is amazing. I'd recommend the pad thai with a glass of plum wine. I go there every chance I get.

Food is fantastic! Have had the lemongrass chicken, yellow curry with chicken, steamed dumplings, and the chicken satay. They were all delicious, with the yellow curry with chicken being my favorite! The wait can be a little long but I think the food is worth it. It can get slightly noisy especially when there are larger groups. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Ames. The people who complain about the price have eaten cheap food all their lives. These prices are very normal for a classy restaurant. Everything I have had there has been excellent, the service is good (unobtrusive) and the atmosphere is wonderful. I think The Spice is infinitely better than the Thai Kitchen, but this is definitely not a restaurant for poor college students to frequent. read more

Had a gluten free menu. Options and flavor were OK, not great.

The Spice has the freshest, most flavorful Thai food in Ames. I have never been disappointed by a meal and I have been a customer since they opened! Everything is absolutely delicious. The portions are HUGE and make great leftovers! read more