The IowaStater Restaurant

First I'll start with the good, the Iowa stater Omelette was excellent it wasn't a thin shell of egg crammed with stuff inside it was a nice thick eggy omelette and the hashbrowns were cooked perfect. I got a pancake instead if toast and it was good but what set it apart from anywhere else in town was the syrup the syrup offered here is authentic maple syrup and it was refreshing not getting the fake syrup you get everywhere else. That being said I think 3 dollars for 1 pancake is a bit steep. This place is a quiet quaint place for breakfast which is hard to find in Ames. The only complaint I have was the server was slow, slow to come back and get our order and took 10 minutes to come take our check.

We always have an enjoyable experience at The IowaStater Restaurant. The food was amazing and the service was outstanding. Our server Sierra was very attentive and awesome which made our dinner even better.

Great place to eat! Hidden gem in Ames. Love the burgers!

Went for Sunday brunch. While not an extensive selection, the food was tasty and the restaurant is pleasant. Perfect for a lazy Sunday.

Attended a Sunday brunch around 1115 or so, (open 630-1pm for brunch) they were busy as they are inside a hotel and there was a wedding the night before so there seemed to be several large groups. They took our name and quoted a 30 minute wait which was accurate. We were seated and immediately told the host that we were just having the buffet, they do offer plated meals as well, and we were told drinks were included and to help ourselves. ($13 each adult, not sure on kid pricing) We quickly noticed they were out of coffee and most juices, out of sticky buns and very low on several of the food options. We started by making our own waffles to try to wait out the buffet offerings. Waffles were standard make-yourself hotel style, with classic topping choices as well as whipped cream and fruit compote. It took a server over 30 minutes to come to the table but he did apologize and checked back a couple of times before we were finished. We ended up being able to snag a sticky bun, as well as waiting long enough to see fresh offerings on the hot buffet which included scrambled eggs w/cheese, breakfast potatoes, biscuits and gravy, bacon and sausage. They also offered cereal, oatmeal, fruit, a few premade baked goods and bread w/toaster. The busiest of stations was the made-to-order omelets, which offered about a dozen different toppings to fill the slightly over done eggs. A hidden gem was the salsa hanging out with the hot sauces to add to the eggs, which was not spicy but full of flavor. Because we never really saw our waiter, we weren't informed of the Bloody Mary/Mimosa bar, but did see the sign with pricing listed. They did run out of plates, glasses, cups and bowls on the buffet, even though the dining room was never actually completely full. They didn't seem to notice when things ran out until it was brought to their attention by several patrons. One in our party of two had attended the week before and stated that it hasn't been this discombobulated when they visited.
Four stars might be a little high for our visit but we are hoping it was a fluke based on previous experience. I included a pic of the weekly specials for those interested as they do have lunch and dinner service all week.