Top Five Ames Restaurants
- Thread starter NewCoke
- Start date
No kidding- they once tried to serve me a plate of food that someone else had eaten off
- Mar 27, 2006
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No kidding- they once tried to serve me a plate of food that someone else had eaten off
As I was leaving La Fuente once, I noticed a box sitting outside their back door labeled "Raw Chicken: Refrigerate" It was springtime, so it was cool out, but not cold. Curious, I took a closer look at the box, thinking that surely it was just empty and waiting to be thrown in the trash. But no, it had chicken in it. It was frozen. I guess they were letting it thaw.
Actually, Hickory Park has moved twice since it's original location on E. L-Way. But that's been over quite some time, a lot of you weren't even born when they were at there first site.
As a student late 80's early 90's.
1. Pizza Pit - Pizza Twins were a heck of a deal
2. Taco John's - Sunday night was all you could eat
3. Arby's - 5 for 5 deal could eat for three days on $5
4. Save-U-More - after midnight $.50 could buy you 2 strips of bacon in a little heat retaining bag. mmmmm
5. Hometeam Pizza - maybe the cheapest Pizza ever sold. Quality was on par with Tottinos
As you can see I was a little strapped for cash back then. Some nights I made a meal out of 6-8 pieces of toast and a glass of chocolate milk.
1. Pizza Pit - Pizza Twins were a heck of a deal
2. Taco John's - Sunday night was all you could eat
3. Arby's - 5 for 5 deal could eat for three days on $5
4. Save-U-More - after midnight $.50 could buy you 2 strips of bacon in a little heat retaining bag. mmmmm
5. Hometeam Pizza - maybe the cheapest Pizza ever sold. Quality was on par with Tottinos
As you can see I was a little strapped for cash back then. Some nights I made a meal out of 6-8 pieces of toast and a glass of chocolate milk.
Old George's Pizza is good. The Spice Downtown is good. May House is awesome!! Try Fuji never been there, but heard it is good as is Jeff's Pizza. For drinks and a good atmosphere try The London Underground on Main St. cool place.
When I was in college:
1. Es Tas Tacos
2. O'Malley & McGee's
3. West Street Deli
4. Legends
5. Dublin Bay
Favorite drunk food:
1. Pita Pit
2. Flying Burrito
3. Superdog
4. Gyro Stand
5. Gumby's
6. Perkins
7. Jimmy John's
I also worked at DaVinci's and invented several pizzas/sandwiches that probably took a couple years off my life.
1. Es Tas Tacos
2. O'Malley & McGee's
3. West Street Deli
4. Legends
5. Dublin Bay
Favorite drunk food:
1. Pita Pit
2. Flying Burrito
3. Superdog
4. Gyro Stand
5. Gumby's
6. Perkins
7. Jimmy John's
I also worked at DaVinci's and invented several pizzas/sandwiches that probably took a couple years off my life.
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May House? The one next to Family Video that's been shut down a half dozen times for roach infestations and reopens under a new name a couple months later?
When I was in school (mid-90s) and lived on the west side, we'd eat there despite the rumors of bugs, but when we brought some friends there from out of town, sat at our table and moved the table stuff (menu tent, etc.) and 3 big *** roaches scurried off the table was the last time we ever went there. I think that was 3 name changes ago.
Maybe you haven't eaten very many places throughout Iowa? :yes:
I would put both Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls ahead of Ames, and I would be surprised if Des Moines wouldn't be better too. Other than maybe Great Plains, there's not a restaurant in Ames that would make my top 5 statewide.
haha i used to eat there. It was good for carryout chinese but the place was definitely suspect. Oh well, at least it didn't kill me.
I can remember May House being named like 3 or 4 different things: Wok In, Peking Palace, and there's probably a couple I've forgotten.
I'm an Ames townie so the Hickory Park move I'm talking about occured at least 10-15 years ago. The current location used to be a Bonanza restaurant (the building was expanded greatly) and Hickory Park was further north on South Duff.
My experience at The Spice was just poor service and poor food. The thing that put it over the top was a screaming child at the next table for the entire meal. Not the spice's fault on that one but sometimes one thing will just push a place over the edge. I believe I had the green curry and it was very bland. Cafe Shi has superior curry imo. I also don't like La Fuente, the food's alright but you can hear the help screaming at each other in the kitchen.
Places that closed that I miss: Ruttles, O'mally Mcgees, Pizza Kitchens (the crock pizza was awesome).
I'm an Ames townie so the Hickory Park move I'm talking about occured at least 10-15 years ago. The current location used to be a Bonanza restaurant (the building was expanded greatly) and Hickory Park was further north on South Duff.
My experience at The Spice was just poor service and poor food. The thing that put it over the top was a screaming child at the next table for the entire meal. Not the spice's fault on that one but sometimes one thing will just push a place over the edge. I believe I had the green curry and it was very bland. Cafe Shi has superior curry imo. I also don't like La Fuente, the food's alright but you can hear the help screaming at each other in the kitchen.
Places that closed that I miss: Ruttles, O'mally Mcgees, Pizza Kitchens (the crock pizza was awesome).
Best Pizza: Great Plains (could compete for world pizza title)
Best Cheap Pizza: Pizza Pit
Best Fast Food: Taco Time
Best Ethnic: Cafe Shi
Best Place to take wife/girfriend to get lucky: Aunt Maudes:smile:
Best Cheap Pizza: Pizza Pit
Best Fast Food: Taco Time
Best Ethnic: Cafe Shi
Best Place to take wife/girfriend to get lucky: Aunt Maudes:smile:
Forgot to mention Battles, in my opinion, way better BBQ than Hickory Park. Also, I have had some GREAT food at ISU tailgates!!!!
Ames in general has a lot of room for improvement, but eating options and quality for a town of this size in the middle of Iowa is outstanding.
I believe that every place on your list is one of my favorites. Add Wallaby's, and that's my list of favorites in Ames. Fuji has really good hibachi chicken at lunch, and pretty cheap. LOVE the curry at Cafe Shi and the pad thai at The Spice. The lunch alfredo ravioli at Olde Main is probably the best pasta in Ames - even including Lucullan's, and that's hard.
