Teams
Forum List
Toggle sidebar

First trip to Ames - bars, restaurants, etc?

If you are from Austin....I am sure you have been to the Salt Lick. Hickory Park in Ames is on par on better than that.....Nvmd...looks like you mentioned Salt Lick above.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Depends on what you like. Cafe Baudelaire (good gyros and craft beer selection) or Welch ave station would be my recommendation for bars in campustown.
 
If you're looking for a great Italian Hot Roast Beef sandwich, Pizza Pit is the place. Every time I'm back in Ames, I have to get one!
 
Alternate suggestion.. Ames can be fun, but given age range, I might suggest staying in does Moines and going out in downtown des moines. So many more good options.
 
I'm not a fan of Great Plains. It's a very specific style of pizza and I don't even think I finished my share when I went there.
 
Obviously you're a Baylor fan, but it sounds like you live in KC and you've been a member here since 2008 - why is this your first trip to Ames? You should come up for a basketball game sometime (so long as you don't mind watching Baylor get beat ;-)

Hickory Park isn't "BBQ" but it is good smoked meat. They don't do any kind of rub at all, and the sauces are served on the table and not on the food. But the meat and sides are very good, and the ice cream sundaes are amazing. And it is a little cheaper than the normal stuff you get at Applebees, BWW, etc.

There's a good place called Dublin Bay that's not too far from the stadium - Irish food and beer in a resteraunt/bar. I love Great Plains as others have mentioned. I don't understand everyone's fascination with chili at the Tip-Top. It's a total dive bar. From what I remember, just about every bar that students like are dive bars along Welch Ave. The times I've gone out I've felt much more hygenic in the Main Street bars (Main Street Brewery, London Underground).

Tailgating around Jack Trice really is great. There are tons of parking lots adjacent to the stadium and they are all full of great fans that share their food and beer. I'd say you could easily drive straight to the lots and spend the afternoon walking around and getting free food without having to stop anywhere. If you want to go to a resteraunt, make sure to leave yourself a couple extra hours for waiting for a table. Ames isn't that big so the popular places are in high demand.

Oh crap, totally forgot about The Cafe in north Ames. It is awesome. One of the chefs used to work for a major Vegas hotel (I forget which one, but I worked with his mom when I was an ISU student so I know that for a fact) and he decided to open a resteraunt in Ames to be close to family. I've also heard good things about The Spice though I've never been there.
 
RebelT said:
1.) Franklin Barbecue. It'll change your life. Best brisket on the planet. Amazing ribs.
2.) LA BBQ. Started by a former apprentice at Franklin.
3.) John Mueller Meat Company. The son of the legendary Louis Mueller who has been doing BBQ in central Texas for decades. His beef rib is something serious.
4.) Micklethwait Craft Meats. Very, very good. This is a place to get a variety of things -- go with a group and order a pound of everything.
5.) Stiles Switch. My go-to, simply because it's easy to get to, air conditioned, and they don't run out. It's number 5 for a reason -- the top 4 are better -- but this is the place you go if you don't have the luxury of planning around a trip to get BBQ. Good brisket and an absolutely phenomenal beef rib.

You can't go wrong with any of those 5. Now, on the other end, regardless of what you hear, steer clear of Salt Lick. Place is unbelievably overrated.



Enjoy!
Click to expand...


All of Above = True

I live in KC and I'd say the best BBQ going lately is at the Woodyard BBQ. All the old time famous places aren't great anymore. Oklahoma Joe's is generally above average and the best restaurant style and side dishes are found at Jack Stack. Crown Ribs and lamb ribs are good there.
 
ISUCyclones2015 said:
They came into town in 1994 I believe. On the corner of Stanton and Lincoln.

Anyway, don't bother going to them. They suck.
Click to expand...

Interesting...I was in school well after '94 and even lived on Stanton, so if they've been there that long and I didn't know about them, they must be terrible. I'll heed your advice.
 
ISUCyclones2015 said:
They came into town in 1994 I believe. On the corner of Stanton and Lincoln.

Anyway, don't bother going to them. They suck.
Click to expand...
No it was way later than that. I think before Jeff's it was Pizza House if anybody here is familiar with that. I want to say Jeff's came in the mid 2000's. And I'm not sure how you don't like it. Maybe you went on an off night? Of the dozens (yes dozens) of times I have gone there over my college career, I had only 1 bad experience. Every other time it is excellent! It is a must do whenever I am back in Ames.
 
roundball said:
Interesting...I was in school well after '94 and even lived on Stanton, so if they've been there that long and I didn't know about them, they must be terrible. I'll heed your advice.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure why he is so negative to Jeff's. Read my post above and take my word for it to at least try it. They have pizza by the slice after 10 on most nights ($3 per slice) and have slices from 11-4 during the week (2 slices and drink $5.50). That is your best chance to try it without breaking the bank.
 
roundball said:
Interesting...I was in school well after '94 and even lived on Stanton, so if they've been there that long and I didn't know about them, they must be terrible. I'll heed your advice.
Click to expand...

I definitely wouldn't say they're terrible. It's not your best pizza you'll find, but they have great lunch specials and $3 slices the size of your head served into the wee morning hours. I like it.
 
Agree with what others are saying that you should come enjoy our tailgate scene. Hell you're welcome to come tailgate with us if you'd like. The more the merrier. Grab a case of beer, a bottle of night train and a couple bottled waters and you'll be set. As far as wanting to remember the game, that's overrated. With the upset we've got brewing, you're not going to want to remember the game. Seriously though, tailgate man. Beautiful women, people partying their ***** off and some great food. You cant go wrong!
 
Tailgating is the answer, Tip Top is a dive, Hickory Park is good but not 5 star but also cheap. Es Tas has good tacos, Jeffs is horrid like others have stated, Great Plains is pretty good. Bars on Welch smell, bars downtown are better, Joes is the best pizza in town by far had that the last time I was in Ames and it was excellent.
 
Reb...I have traveled to Austin more than 20 times over the years on business. I would say the BBQ has improved some but has a ways to go to be legendary. J Mueller was good but wasn't it closed for a while? I would agree with Franklin near the top. Stiles and Mueller's seem very similar.

For what it's worth, Hickory Park would be similar to County Line BBQ in Austin. You will probably find better BBQ at the tailgate on Saturday.
 
We went to Great Plains once and never again. I don't think the quality itself was bad; it was just not a style we liked - really disliked the crust. Jeff's was everybody's favorite when I was there.

If you are around for breakfast, go to the Cafe. Just went and it was delicious. I'm sad that I never discovered it while living in Ames.
 
ISUCyclones2015 said:
NO. Jeff's is the most overrated pizza I have ever had in my life. It is probably one of the worst pizza's I've ever had.
Click to expand...

kanyedisbelief.gif
 
Cychedelia said:
Tailgating is the answer, Tip Top is a dive, Hickory Park is good but not 5 star but also cheap. Es Tas has good tacos, Jeffs is horrid like others have stated, Great Plains is pretty good. Bars on Welch smell, bars downtown are better, Joes is the best pizza in town by far had that the last time I was in Ames and it was excellent.
Click to expand...

K8TyNMO.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Help Support Us

Become a patron
Top Bottom
Back