I was here from out of town and had an absolute blast here. Totally worth checking out. Cheep…read moredrinks, good service and pretty girls! These are a few of my favorite things...

chloey hillary is the best bartender in ames!! give her a raise!!! she keeps me well hydrated all…read morenight!!

I have drove by this place a hundred times when it's been different bars over the years!…read more Recently it turned into a Country Rock Bar, and since I love the Flying Burrito Brother I thought I should probably stop in there and see if it was Sin City, or the Dark End of the Street type vibes! Naturally this isn't a Flying Burrito Bar, it's more of a modern country (songs I don't know bar) but they have a big Johny Cash wall mural by the pool table! The bartender was nice, and filled me in on their other locations in Ames, IA and in St. Petersburg, FL. So this is the 3rd One Night Stand... :) I think if you dig Country tunes, and Cheap beer you will dig this place! They also do Karaoke on Wednesday night! It's a step above Dive bar and I bet Gram Parsons would have no problem drinking some whiskey here!

It's well known this is the worst bar in Ames. The last time I was here, the bartenders decided to…read morestart a little "ice fight" with their bouncer Adam by throwing ice at him. Most of their ice throws missed and hit us, paying customers. I threw some ice back and then the bartenders started whining and said they'd kick us out. Jokes on them; we just left and took our business elsewhere. Short answer here: go to Paddies next door. You will have a better experience, better booze, definitely better bartenders. the bartenders here seem frankly incompetent.

As a noobie to Ames, Iowa, I wasn't sure what to expect of the nightlife here. Iowa State is a big…read morecollege campus, and on any given night, you can find youngsters like myself roaming the streets to find a good bar. Well folks, I think we found a keeper. My boyfriend insisted that Welch's makes the best White Russians (my absolute favorite drink of all time) , so we stopped into Welch's on a Saturday night around 11:30pm. For any other noobies like myself, you enter Welch Ave Station by going through the door and DOWN the stairs. The stairs that go up lead to a pizza place. When I entered, I saw that it wasn't too busy and on a Saturday night, that surprised me. I wasn't complaining though because that meant A) no nasty sweaty bodies everywhere and B) more breathing room for me! We immediately made our way to the bar. They have a variety of lit up signs that let you know what the drink specials are, and the different kinds of shots/drinks they make which was helpful! I saw names of drinks I'd never heard of before! We started with the infamous White Russians and went from there. The White Russians (we got the double) were delicious...creamy with just the right amount of vodka. I swear it tasted like a milkshake. We also got a round of Scooby Snack shots. I've never had them before, but I'm a big Scooby-Doo fan, and they were mega-tasty! If you're looking for a "shake-your-booty-to-booty-bumpin'-music" kind of energy, Welch's isn't the place for you. Welch's has a very laid back atmosphere. If you want to munch on some 50 cent popcorn, have conversations with your peers or play some pool, Welch's can do all of that for you. I enjoyed having a casual and relaxed night with some friends...nothing too crazy, but still a great time. Oh, and get the White Russians. Every. Time. P.S.- I heard they only used to accept cash, but they do accept both cash and card now!

Looking forward to another trip to Welch Ave on Saturday afternoon before students come back…read more Always good drinks and food from Pizza Pit. Only 2 people in the place sitting at bar eating and having drinks. Sat in normal "dining" area of the bar. Bartender watched us walk in and didn't even say "hello". Found a table easily but no waitress ever came. Finally went up to the bar to see what's up. "I'm the only one here". Oooookay? So the 2 people at the bar were going to ransack the place while you came over to our area to say "hey, sorry but I'm solo today. Would you mind coming to the bar to order?" Not too hard, but too difficult kind of multi-tasking for this guy. Decided to leave and walked down the street to have a sandwich and a drink. Lame! One of my favorite places to go but good help must be hard to come by on a slow Saturday. Maybe he didn't need the $10 tip he would have gotten for our drinks and meal??? You'd think on a slow day anything extra you could make would be a bonus. I know it's a college bar but it needs a cleaning. With it empty... the odor in the place was weird. So probably should have left for that reason. They need to get that addressed -HVAC or clean/replace carpets? Both?

My buddies and I grab $1 gin and tonics every Thursday night after our student ministry gets done…read morearound 9:30pm. We love the variety in rap music, drinks ranging from local to European, no tv's, and a great setting for deep talks. The environment is a dimly lit tavern with a sophisticated ambiance making for a more tame crowd focused on conversations opposed to dancing. Every once and a while a band will play live music. Free popcorn in the back with foosball and pinball too! All in all, I'd describe this as a "bar for professors" great for just chilling out with some close friends.

Cool place. Obviously British themed. Very chill when we went. Really neat bar - very historic…read morelooking. Mix of young and mature. Good specials and friendly bartenders. Good Mules and Pimm's Cup specials.

The bouncers are definitely bad... good if you are underage I guess (haha) . But I came in with a…read morereal ID card at 22 almost 23 years of age. I'm also married and have a wedding ring and husband with me. They said my ID was a fake without even scanning. My husband had to convince them to let me in. We walk in and we are like the oldest people there. But don't get me wrong, we are 22 and 23 (not that old) and the legal drinking age is 21 so idk how we could be that old compared to everyone else. The ambiance is fun and lively, but def too loud to hold a conversation. Good if you are drunk and cannot hold one. In my opinion it does kinda seem like they lowkey want to gatekeep the bar and not have married couples there or something. Could've been a genuine misunderstanding but the situation was not handled well on the bouncer's end for sure. We have a good story to tell but would not go back though!

The owner (Ben I think) is a scammer. They advertise $21 for 21 mugs everywhere. Went for a…read morefriend's birthday and was going to buy their mugs for the night. Get to the counter and Ben tells me it's $25. It's a $4 difference I know, but don't try to make a quick buck on unsuspecting college kids. Also incredibly dirty and grungy. They let in a ton of minors. Bouncers are overly aggressive. I'm honestly surprised they don't have any assault charges yet, or maybe they do, which is completely understandable.

Medium sized establishment. Great place to grab a reasonably priced drink/meal with your friends…read moreand watch the game. Atmosphere: 8/10 Customer Service: 4/10 Drink Menu: 6/10 Food Menu: 7/10

Absolutely ridiculous experience. Waiting 2 1/2 hours for tacos is beyond unacceptable. What made…read moreit even worse was watching people who ordered after me get their food while I was completely ignored. No updates, no apology, no urgency whatsoever. If your kitchen is that backed up, stop taking orders or at least communicate with customers instead of wasting their entire night. I've honestly never experienced service this bad over something as simple as tacos. The food could be amazing and it still wouldn't justify the disaster of a wait time and complete lack of organization. Save yourself the frustration and go somewhere that actually respects your time.

One solid year I've been going to Mother's and I could name off every experience I've had. Mostly…read morebecause they've been full of great times and great beverages. They are always having deals as well, which make my pockets a little happier knowing I'm not losing a lot of change. The environment can be either quiet, kind of busy or so packed you can't get in. Most nights I'd say are fairly easy to get in and find a table. Its also a great place to take some birthday shots! Definitely recommend the green tea shots. I had a whiskey sour during their whiskey Wednesday and it was awesome! They have many options so you can't go wrong of what you choose. They also have pizza and chips options if you'd like a quick bite! The whole place is worth a try!

6/13/26 9:15 p.m…read more What a great little spot! When we arrived, it was almost completely empty except for 2 other customers, which we didn't mind lol. We were greeted by the bartenders with a smile and a "Welcome in!". The staff were really nice and even when the bar picked up a little later, they were attentive, efficient, and polite. They definitely didn't "crack under pressure" lol. Inside, the bar and tables were very clean and organized. There is a pool table, but only one :/ I do wish they had a few more because when the bar got busy, everyone wanted a turn. The prices are amazing and the specials are so fun! It's also nice that they're open during the summer, since most bars in Ames seem to close for summer vacation.

Are we having fun yet? You should be!…read more Stopped here again to get my helping of karaoke singers and pop culture. Street or lot parking. As you walk in, the bar is right in from of you. If you look right the small stage is where you can have the spotlight and sing your heart out. Get in your song choice cause it is hoppin tonight. There is a decent selection of drinks on tap. You can grab your drink and hang or you can make your way around to the other rooms where video games are a plenty. Take your quarters. Grab your drink. Play your hearts desire. Some fantastic old pinball to some more current games. They even have a small kitchen if you get the munchies. If you need to get a shipping fix. There is even a small store that sells unique gifts. The bartenders were on point tonight, and no one was ignored. We all had fun and I really like the place.

6/13/26 11:00 p.m…read more What a fun concept!!! I love all of the retro games! There are a ton to choose from, but only one pool table. The games are separate from the bar and karaoke area, which is nice when you're there for the games lol. Overall, it was clean inside and outside, and even the bathrooms were really well maintained. They provide a quarter machine in the game area for convenience. We didn't try the food, but it smelled good and came out for others pretty quickly. Drink prices aren't too high either. Only one of three bartenders paid is any kind though, even when the other two weren't with other people. The one bartender that did help us was pleasant and had a smile every time. One of the other bartenders looked like he didn't want to be there, and the third never even looked up at us. Outback, they have a smoking area, and it was a decent size. Unfortunately, it has no cover, so when it rains, all of the chairs get wet, so you can't sit down. All in all, this is a fun place with plenty of room to bring friends and have a good time.

8/6/26 11:45 p.m…read more This little bar is a diamond in the rough for sure! It's small, fun, and perfect for locals that aren't into large college kid crowds. The prices are phenomenal, and the apple pie shots are pretty darn delicious. The bartender on shift when we went in, Leah (I don't know how to spell her name, but that's how she pronounced it lol), was so much fun! She enjoyed herself and engaged with everyone in there without overindulging or breaking the rules. She has a great personality and definitely made our experience there far more enjoyable. They do not have a kitchen anymore, so there are no food options, unfortunately. But everything else definitely makes it worth it. There are also gambling machines for those who enjoy that as well as a pool table.

Leah was incredible! She was so welcoming and attentive. I will be back as soon as we are back in…read moreIowa! Highly recommend for a late night spot!

Amazing. Such a find. Drinks and ambiance are a 10 and I have raved it to everyone since I…read morevisited. The entry through the store and back of house really makes it feel special.

My husband & I love this local speak easy vibes type cocktail bar! We went for my birthday in…read moreJanuary & it was such a nice time. Ambiance is exactly what you'd expect; intimate, petite bar, calming lighting & the cutest little tables whether high tops or lounge type. They make a delicious dirty martini & even hand stuff the bleu cheese olives. They always have a menu of other craft cocktails available. Service is always prompt and I've never had a cocktail I didn't enjoy here. For an added bonus; check out Cyclone Liquors selection. Very impressive!