It wouldn't be Ames without the Tip Top...my family gathered there following both my grandparents funerals to toss a few back in their honor since they should probably have had a couple stools named after them... and they passed in 95 and 97. Tip Top is iconic and has been a part of the landscape in Ames for as long as anyone can remember. read more

Fantastic place! Love it and never miss it when I head home. Best tailgating!! At the corner of duff & Lincoln we'll be drinkin' my favorite t shirt! read more

The Tip Top lounge is an Ames classic establishment for those brave fans who start their drinking day early and take it serious. This is a Cyclone bar and many ISU fans have gotten their game face on at the Tip Top. Go Cyclones!! read more

Great little dive bar with pool table! Bartender was awesome!! Recommended us to eat at Cornbreads for great BBQ! Great suggestion!

Stopped on a Sunday before noon for a quick drink. Great crowd and everyone was friendly. Great atmosphere with my type of down to earth people! read more

Tip Top's is a classic staple in Ames. It has been around for so long! We went to grab a drink, since it was my father-in-laws old stomping ground. LOL. The drinks were great prices and everyone in there was extremely nice! We loved their jukebox in there. Also, what we found crazy, but a great tradition was the morning chili before games. I loved their shirts too! read more

The Tip Top Lounge is football gamedays in Ames, Iowa. This place hasn't changed since my father was a student at Iowa State, neither have their traditions. Chili and beer at 6 A.M. on a football Saturday is a prerequisite to calling yourself an Iowa State Cyclone. This is not a place that doesn't have to boast about anything. It's dirty, it's in a poor location, it's old. But it is an establishment that has endured in Ames for years, which is remarkable. It is interwoven permanently with the tradition, character and fun of being an Iowa State Cyclone. Now that People's is in the history books, this is the place to stop in, get a bowl of chili and suds, take some photos and buy a T-Shirt if you are in Ames in the fall. It is a landmark. read more

It's a classic. Ames staple. I miss living so close to this little dive! Great for game days and Sunday Funday - oh and karaoke and chili and good conversation. read more

I've been Tip Topping for many years every Saturday before going to the tailgating lots. It's strange smell, awesome chili, dirty bathrooms, and cheap beer make it very popular with locals and alums that prefer to avoid the rampant musk of axe body spray that plagues most bars in Ames. Dive bars are not for everyone. The devout following for Tip Top derives from the people that it offends. Here are a few pointers to remember if you plan on attending the Tip Top. 1. Don't even think about drinking and driving. The bar is at the intersection of the two main drags in Ames, and is heavily patrolled (especially on game days). 2. Everyone will talk to you. The locals that hang out at Tip-Top enjoy seeing new faces, it takes a certain type of person to venture out from the Welch scene and will be welcomed. 3. Do not smell your shot. If you or someone else orders you a shot and you try to smell it to see what is in it, the bartenders have been known to replace it with a shot of warm, well-gin. 4. Eat the chili. 5. Cash Only read more

My experience at the tip top was definately an experience. I have just returned home from a week staying in Ames. Its a great dive bar with karaoke on thursdays and saturdays. The chili is so good. This place has so much potential. Your probably wondering why such a low score than? I watched the bar Manager Get completely wasted, I counted 63 free shots and drinks he gave away. He started crying..yep thats right. Crying while I was there. He then proceeded to leave the bar unattended for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. I watched him yell and ignore paying customers so he could flirt and give free drinks out to every and I mean every female that walked in. I also watched him get mad about the music selection someone payed for on the juke box and watched him skip all their songs... Then he proceeded to play lady gaga and michael jackson the whole night. Overall besides the unprofessional and drunk bar manager I would give this place a 5 star. The other female bartenders were on spot and very nice. I went there every day for a week and this was not a one time experience. Every night the females worked it was professional and everytime the guy that said he was the manager work it was out of control. Hopefully they replace the problem and I encourage everyone to check it out. read more

Funky little dive bar that has been there since the beginning of time. I finally went in there.....for god knows what reason....and it was alright. Nice, drunk people.......but, as I expected. Its an icon in this town. read more

Tip Top Lounge - Tip Top Lounge bar - Lounges Near Me - Ames, Iowa

My favorite bar way back in college (1980 to 85). Thumbs Up in campus town was a biggy, too, but they've been gone for decades. So glad to see the TipTop hasn't changed. Man we had some late night (land early morning fun ther (they used to open at 7:00am). Chili and cheap tequila shots at 1:00AM with Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" blasting on the juke box. Hair of the dog and playing some pool, the morning after. Please keep being you, TT. Good stuff. read more

A great place to drink with the rednecks in the 70s...this is the definition of dive bar in Ames ... looks like the "men with hair buns" have taken it with the cappuccino machine photo! read more

Your typical hole in the wall dive bar. Use to be a place where you could see the diseases crawling on the walls of the bathrooms, but the new managers have really cleaned it up in the last 10 years or so. This use to be a stop for our karaoke crowd after our bar in Colo, Iowa closed. fairly clean, rowdy crowd though. Last time I was there someone put something in my pitcher of beer that made me sick. The next time I came in the managers gave me a couple bottles of beer on the house, as a sorry for what happened token. Fun crowd when the right crowd is there. It's a dive bar/biker bar, so mind your P's and Q's if you venture here. read more

This was the first bar my dad ever took me to when I was four or five. I remember the pickled eggs and pig's feet on the counter and beat up bar stools. I eventually made it back on my own 20 years later, and the place still rules. I'm sure that if I lived in Ames, I'd be something of a fixture. Thanks Dad! read more

Great place to people watch and see some real characters--and I mean that in a good way. I swear I saw Abe Lincoln making out with this crazy woman as they swayed to Lady Gaga. Female bartenders are kinda scary but I am sure they have to be a tad gruff with that crowd. The place looks so gross from the outside but has some vibe that just makes you drawn to it. Strange. read more

Small town bar right in the middle of a city...you just don't find places like this very often! I love this bar!

very friendly staff good drinks at a fair price they seem to keep there regulars coming back it has a funky smell most of the time that you can hardly handle and its really small with limited seating... read more