The Iowa Stater - Ames

Let me preface this by saying that this is a restaurant in a hotel in Ames. To the people who've left negative reviews, are you expecting a Michelin star or what? The food was great. Particularly, I enjoyed the Brussels sprouts with the Greek yogurt sauce. Really dang good. The local ipa was tasty, but it's worth mentioning that they had a solid lineup of drinks. Also, much respect to the whiskey selection they have. It's not numerous, but the quality ones they have are fantastic. Savanna was my bartender and she was very funny and pleasant, all while working very hastily to handle a rush right before closing. Great attitude and could tell she was keeping the ship running well. Shoutout to the cooks in the back keeping everything moving, as my to go order went in and came out in a reasonable time given the mass amount of people who ordered dinner within 45 minutes of closing. Respect.

The place is pretty and I loved the little flowers on the tables. The food was sub par. Could have made better in a dorm room. Everything out of a bag and my mom had to eat oatmeal out of mug because there was no bowls. We saw the hostess twice, when we first got there and when we were trying to pay. Dirty tables everywhere and her sitting down talking to friends. Maybe dinner is better but do not go for breakfast.

We are staying in town for my oldest daughter's basketball tournament and dined in late after her last game. It was after 8, so it was nice the hotel offered a restaurant in the hotel. We both had the chicken fingers and fries. Good food/Good Service.

What a tremendous disappointment. I did research the night before and was actually excited about a made to order omelet station I read about. I woke up with a little excitement. But the day took a steep nosedive when we got there. The staff was fine, though it is a buffet and so not much interaction was had with them, but they were nice. The food was absolute gutter trash garbage. The eggs were cold, the potatoes were undercooked (hard in the middle) and soggy (I'm not sure how you get that combination, possibly under heated fryer grease) the meat was room temperature. All the components came out of a bag somewhere, nothing fresh nothing cooked by anyone with skills beyond that of a fast food employee. All that said, I have had the exact same breakfast buffet at a Holliday Inn for free! And I mean exactly the same, same waffle mix and skillets, same bag-o-eggs, same frozen sausage patty , all of it is identical to what they give away at better hotels. And the kicker..... the prices were way up from what I had read online. This disgusting breakfast set us back more than I would have paid at a really good diner. Oh, and I almost forgot, no omelet station. There was a sign that said I could order one for an up charge of ANOTHER $2 dollars over the $16.00 I was already paying. I may have said some expletives under my breath when I read that.

Nice staff. Worst service I can remember. Could not keep an order straight. Never got a salad that was ordered. Couldn't relay a drink order without mixing it up. Food was ok. One review said you're in a college town so don't expect too much. My experience in college towns has been good service by students who want to make a little money. I don't think Iowa has stupid students, but the brightest students are not working here. The reviews are accurate even after all the years.