The Iowa Stater - Ames

I want to start by noting that this restaurant is located in a hotel in Ames. To those who have left negative reviews, were you expecting a Michelin star or something? The food was excellent. I especially enjoyed the Brussels sprouts with Greek yogurt sauce – they were really delicious. The local IPA was great too, but I should mention that the drink selection overall was impressive. I also appreciated their whiskey options; while the selection isn’t vast, the quality is outstanding. My bartender, Savanna, was not only enjoyable to chat with but also worked efficiently to manage a rush right before closing time. She had a fantastic attitude and kept everything running smoothly. A shoutout to the kitchen staff as well for handling the orders effectively; my to-go order was prepared in a reasonable time, despite the large number of diners who came in just before closing. Well done!

The restaurant has a charming ambiance, and I appreciated the little flowers on the tables. Unfortunately, the food was quite disappointing—it felt like something I could have made in my dorm room. Everything seemed to come from a bag, and my mom ended up having to eat her oatmeal from a mug because there were no bowls available. We only saw the hostess twice: when we arrived and again when we were trying to pay. The tables were dirty, while she was seated chatting with her friends. Perhaps dinner might be better, but I would recommend avoiding breakfast.

We're in town for my oldest daughter's basketball tournament and decided to eat here after her last game. Since it was after 8 PM, it was convenient that the hotel had a restaurant on-site. We both ordered the chicken fingers and fries, and we were pleased with the good food and great 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.