The Café

If you are looking for a great bite to eat in Ames, the Café is a must go. My friend and I went to celebrate a birthday, and our experience was fantastic. The food was delicious, the drinks were awesome, and the service was great! It’s perfect for a friend get together, a romantic meal, or just a lunch break.
When we ordered, our server was very polite and gave us adequate time between seating us and letting us look at the menu. Once we ordered, our food came to our table so quickly we didn’t think it was ours. We were both pleasantly surprised on the speediness of the food preparation.
I ordered the macaroni and cheese dish that came with a side salad and a baguette and my friend got a salad with tilapia. My macaroni was delectable. If you’re a macaroni lover like me, this meal is an absolute must. The Café is known for this meal. It was baked with bread and onion crumbs on the top. The side salad had crumbled cheese with a light dressing, and the baguette was baked and crispy. My friend enjoyed her salad, but she wasn’t expecting the fish to be cold. Our drinks were just the right amount of strong without being overbearing. To end our meal, we got the German chocolate cake. For someone who isn’t a very big fan of coconut, I found myself digging to get the last bite.
There are two main reasons I am giving The Café four stars rather than five. First, we waited for around 25 minutes to be seated. I blame this solely on the fact that we came around a busy dinner time. Secondly, the food was fairly expensive. My friend and mine’s meal altogether was around $ 60. However, this is pretty fair for a nice restaurant with a couple pricey alcoholic drinks, but for a college student, it wasn’t ideal.
Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in the Ames area or to someone who is just passing through. With the Café’s friendly atmosphere and amazing food, you can’t lose. Be ready for the food to have a nice price tag: it’s expensive but oh, is it worth it!

This is my first official Unilocal review. I’m not sure why I’ve waited this long to write reviews but here I am. I am a foodie from Central Iowa and my main goal is to write reviews, both good and bad, about the places to eat in and around this area. I’m planning to do Ames, the Des Moines Metro, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and any other place that I happen to visit from this point on.
I want to start with a place that is very familiar to me and a place that I have been to more times than I can count. I will begin my «tour of Central Iowa eating establishments» with The Café in Ames. The Café is located in the Summerset are of Northwest Ames. It’s not close to any of the major highways that come through town, though it remains busy all of the time because the locals know about it and really love it.
INTRO
The Café serves what I would call casual fine-​dining food, if that’s a fair term. Being from Iowa, I’m not sure that I have the answer to what fine dining really is because a majority of my food experience has been local and when I eat out on the road I go by word of mouth, typically and most people won’t recommend expensive eats. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week here and also have an on-​site bakery, bar and coffee bar in addition to the dining room. I was told they also have a catering business on the side which is pretty good as well.
ATMOSPHERE
The Café is a nice, casual place to grab something to eat in Ames. It can be a tad noisy at times, but once you sit down and get into a conversation with the people who are eating with you it is barely noticeable. The staff are friendly and helpful, attentive and the kind of staff that I would expect in Ames. This is a college town and good service is essential for a business to succeed here. From time to time the chef will come out and introduce himself and interact with the customers. The décor is modern with both comfortable booths and tables. I like the tables that are made out of cork material. Whether you’re here for a casual breakfast, a leisurely lunch or even a romantic dinner for two, you’ll find the food and service great no matter what time of the day.
MENU
The menu is small and changes often, but there are typically about 10 – 12 items available for breakfast, the same number for lunch and five during dinner. You may also order a sandwich from the deli while dining in if you so desire. There is an extensive dessert menu, full bar menu and a beer and wine menu. Fresh pastries are available for purchase in the dining room or to go. The food is fresh and local, mostly from either farms or vendors right here in Iowa. There are gluten-​free and vegan options available. Traditional American fare (such as the Café Burger, or Café Combo for breakfast with eggs, pancakes and sausage or bacon, Pizzas, Mac & Cheese, etc.) is typically on the menu most of the year, while other seasonal dishes do show up as well here. Prices are good, especially considering what it gets you here.
WHAT I ORDERED
Normally if only visiting this restaurant for the first time, I’ll tell you what I had and make an assumption about the food based on that. I’ve had lots of menu items from The Café so I’ll tell you about my most recent trip. I was in last week for lunch one of the days and ordered the Artichoke Pizza. It was fantastic. The pizza is all stone-​fired/​wood oven variety. They are personal-​sized, though it’s probably a big enough portion to feed two. The pizza contained pickled artichoke hearts, fontina cheese, marinara sauce and a garlic butter on top. Delicious! I enjoyed every bite of it.
WHAT’S GOOD
What can I say here? Almost everything is good, though I have not tried anything off of their bar menu, nor have I ordered anything from the deli. The bread is great. The deserts are exceptional. The coffee is really good as well. Service, quality of the food, atmosphere are all good things. The prices aren’t over the top unless you’re ordering an expensive bottle of wine.
WHAT’S BAD
The only real knock I have on The Café is the set-​up of the main dining area and the clustering of people around the main entrance when people are waiting for their tables. If it’s really busy, there will be a line of people along the wall and they are directly across a short wall from people in the dining area, making it easy for them to hear your conversation and likewise. Plus, the hostess and servers are constantly having to ask people to move so they can get through. I’m not sure if there’s a way to prevent this — just be ready if you go there and have to wait. The food will be worth the wait in spite of this.
SUMMARY
The Café in Summerset is one of the best places to get a nice, casual breakfast, lunch or dinner for a decent price. The food is high-​quality and local, the menu is small but vibrant and the staff are friendly. It’s a great place to run in for a cup of coffee and a pastry or to go for a nice dinner out.

I love the Café because it has:
Ridiculously good breakfast
Strong coffee
Deli sandwiches
Pastries and desserts
Freshwater fish, pork, steak or vegetarian dishes that are delicious and not typical entrée offerings like so many other establishments
Friendly staff
A relatively quick meal, even when there is a wait
And, their soundtrack gets a 10 out of 10.

For my first visit at this Ames eatery staple, I was not disappointed! Stopped in on a Tue over lunch hour and was seated immediately. The atmosphere is casual yet elegant and upscale. White linen napkins on cork board tables with individual bottles of water at each table.
Ordered the Margherita pizza and that alone is enough to make me come back for another visit! Crust was wood fired to a thin and crispy perfection! The basil tasted like it was hand picked from the garden and a touch of coarse sea salt added just the right amount of saltiness.
Since this was my first visit, I was told to save room for dessert. After viewing the options, I went with the Banana Caramel Cream Tartine (had them drizzle some caramel on top and add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.) I can now die a happy man! Was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had!
The entire experience was fantastic and will definitely be back again!

I kick myself for not coming here sooner… Really. But now I know the Café is amazing, I can’t wait to put this on my regular brunch/​dinner rotation.
The menu is awesome — for example, brunch has excellent options for everyone. Something savory, something sweet, eggs, salmon, you name it – they have it.
Do try a cocktail. I had a gin & tonic with maple syrup (!!) it was outstanding and the perfect winter warmer-​upper.
A dessert is mandatory (at least it is for me) so try a delicious, beautiful pastry or plated dessert. The banana caramel tart is incredible. Complete with real vanilla bean flecks :) I LOVE that!
Very reasonably priced, amazing food/service…you must go!

This is my go-​to place to eat in Ames. The food is always the highest quality, and the servers are helpful in working with my food sensitives (I’m gluten free and dairy free). Great drink selection, great atmosphere. The only bad part is the line to get a table.
I love that the kitchen opens into the lobby. You can see how the food is made while you wait. The coffee is decent, but not worth a trip to The Café just for a cup. I can’t say anything about the bakery because I have food sensitivities that won’t let me partake in them.
Overall, a delightful place.

Stopped for breakfast here after visiting just outside of town. I guess I could just say, it was alright. Very cute little place, food came quick, and as far as the food, definite 5 stars, delicious! The waitress came with the check, I left her my card, 20 minutes later we had to track her down to ask for the card back. Even after making direct eye-​contact with her multiple times. Even when we tracked her down, she seemed baffled by what we needed. So, basing this on the service, 3 stars. I would be willing to give it another go if I am in the area again.

This place hit the spot when I was in Ames in need of a quick, tasty lunch. I sat at the bar in the back of the restaurant because it eliminated the wait. The have a regular menu, but also a very small side café menu that you can order from and receive your food nearly instantly. I ordered the chicken salad sandwich and a side of potato chips. It was a seriously good sandwich on fresh bread. The price was perfect at well under ten bucks, and the inside isn’t as fancy as I assumed it would be (a good thing in my book). Give it a try!

Yes, it’s the most cherished restaurant in town and for good reason. I’ll spare you reading through a review like every other and leave you with just a few tips.
1. Leave room for dessert. The Café serves the best bread pudding, tarts, and cakes, especially carrot, in town. My favorite is the blackberry sour cream bread pudding.
2. Waits can be very long. I’d wait 30 – 45 minutes but not more than that. There are other restaurants in the area that are also quite good. To avoid a long wait, go at off-​peak times like right at 5pm.

I have eaten here on previous trips to Ames. It has a really cute and cozy feeling to it.
Parking is easy and I have not had to wait very long in the past for a table.
The menu seems to change and they have great, tapas style dishes for sharing and some cool seasonal stuff to try.
The desserts in the front case always look great, I just never have enough room to try one!

I love their Mac n Cheese & deserts. But I want to let you know, the restaurant menu changes more frequently then anyone can think. So I only love their Mac n Cheese I have tried their sandwiches (Chicken n Veggie) not a fan!
I would love going there to have deserts, mouth watering cheesecakes, My personal fav is mouuse cakes, tiramisu.
No Phone network.

Innovative, tasty entrees, wholesome foods, great drinks, menus updated with the seasons. A terrific place for a pastry at breakfast, a nutritious lunch, or a romantic dinner.

Haven’t eaten here for years but was brought back when I moved into ISU. Really nice atmosphere, the lighting looks like it would be horrible but sitting at the table it is perfectly done. Fast and good service as well.
As for the food I was impressed, especially for how fast it got out to our table. I had the pizza margherita which was made with all fresh ingredients and had great flavors. Tried the turkey hoagie as well and as normal as that would sound, it blew me out of the water. Very interesting flavors, incredibly well-​balanced and varied.

Dessert/​Coffee shop on one side, full restaurant on the other side, and nice outdoor seating shared by both: this is a very nice and very popular place.
Menu is very small and very focused: if you don’t like breakfast or light offerings this is not the place for you: I ordered the Eggs with Short Rib. Simply amazing. But maybe the lunchtime Bloody Mary influenced my judgement.
Waitstaff are friendly, but their system of checking you in and waiting is terrible. Expect to wait, and expect to be annoyed and uncomfortable the whole time you wait to be seated.

This is a great place to grab a tasty meal. They serve gourmet meals and a trendy/​classy atmosphere. Miranda was a fantastic server!
Today, I had brunch and it was delightful. Their eggs are farm fresh and that really comes through on the plate. My pancake combo was served with banana pancakes, salted Carmel butter, and real maple syrup.
The locally roasted coffee was a bit strong, but a good pick-​me-​up. The pepper bacon was beautiful but unfortunately did not have any flavor. It just tasted like grease — not even salty or smoky.
Overall, a good place with friendly service and delicious, fresh food.

I finally made it to The Café!
Great menu items and specials but I decided to go with the Pizza!
Our server was very nice and we did get Carrot Cake after.
It was a lunch meeting so no time for beer or wine but I saw quite a few people Making time!

Great place to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner! This place was packed. At least a good 40 people in front off us. Took about 30 to 45 min to move through the line. Awesome thing about here is they have a bar to kill some time while you wait.
We ordered off the brunch menu. Wife had the Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes and I had the Quiche with fresh fruit. Both were awesome. Got everything within 15 min. Had some drinks during brunch wife got the Screwdriver and I got the bloody Mary. Can’t go wrong with that.
Overall great place. I’d say this is must if your in Ames. The wait is a little nuts but like I said the bar is always open. Service is awesome.

Hands Down my favorite restaurant in the Midwest. So luck it is in my back yard (so to speak)! The menu is always changing put they always have the standard favorites available so you know there will always be a good choice. I love going and trying something new. Even when it sounds different than my normal taste I have NEVER been disappointed.
Every staff member is knowledgeable on their menu. We love sitting at the bar while we wait for a table and order an appetizer. The bartender is not only an expert on drink selection but can also make a recommendation on the menu as well. They have always tried everything. The staff is amazing as well as the food and the private feeling atmosphere is wonderful. This place is well worth the wait!

The Café is a ‘really great place’.
I went to college in Ames and made a point to stop in at least once a month. Their menu changes seasonally which is great. A few of my favorites are their biscuits & gravy, pancakes, fish tacos, and mac & cheese. They also have a sandwich side that has a dynamite chicken salad sandwich and homemade chips. Yum!
You can’t forget their amazing dessert selection, can’t go wrong.
This is a great family spot, date night spot, and just all around great place to eat. Can’t wait to visit again when I am in the area.

Have to update just to tell you how addicted I am to The Café. It’s ridiculously close to my office, so going here for lunch is just too easy. So far, I recommend the following, but stay tuned as my waistline and this list grows:
1. Veggie deli sandwich — INCREDIBLE. Best vegetarian sandwich I have EVER had. The ciabatta is perfection, the hummus isn’t too overpowering or rich, and the vegetables are simply amazing. Roasted tomatoes are plump and juicy, asparagus is SO awesome, and the portabella just makes it.
2. Turkey cherry deli sandwich — also pretty fantastic. I got it on sourdough, which may not have been the best choice since the cherries leaked through the dough, but it does allow me to tell you how GREAT the sourdough is!
3. Soups — asparagus bisque and tomato basil are both good. Not the best soup I’ve had, (was hoping for more substance to the asparagus, but it was very nicely pureed) but they were still good. I’d definitely go with a sandwich or salad over the soup, but you really can’t be sad you got it, either.
Haven’t dared to delve into the desserts or entrees yet, but like I said, stay tuned for my next jump in pant size.