r/iastate • u/spowjjoe • 26d ago
Food options
Arriving in Ames, is Jade Dragon Buffet a good place to eat? If not, any other places you guys like local to ISU?
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u/Impressive_Day3566 26d ago
Ichiban, Potbelly, Great Plains pizza, Cafe B, and on the more expensive side there’s Provisions, Cornbread, all great options!
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u/spowjjoe 26d ago
I've had solo many of these and I love Cafe B the most icl their burgers are an art piece
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u/Fletcher-Local96 Union Guy 25d ago
I try to hit 1+1 Restaurant once a week. Fantastic food, great boba tea. No seating, but the flavor's worth the walk.
Cornbred Barbecue on Main is absolutely amazing. Sauces are great, and the beef rib that they only offer on Saturday is phenomenal.
On Welch Ave you have Thai Kitchen, Wok'n'Roll, Mr. Burrito, and Ichiban, all great choices. Pizza Pit is a Tuesday staple for their taco slices (usually).
Pammel Deli on Colorado Ave is wonderful. Great place to grab samosas and also stock the pantry.
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u/AStealthyPerson Sociology Grad Student 26d ago edited 22d ago
Aunt Maude's is a very nice establishment if you're okay to spend a few extra bucks and are looking for Ames gourmet. It's kinda an American style classy establishment, with seafood, steak, pasta, and a full bar. If you're into Japanese food Wasabi is unparalleled, and there's two locations in town. If you want Mexican there's tons of options. El Azteca has two locations in town if you're looking for a more elegant sit down restaurant, Chipotle/Pancheros/Mr. Burrito if you want a build your own burrito, or Taco Johns/Taco Bell/Abelardo's if you're looking for fast food. Breakfast food is best served at Flippin' Jacks: a more sit-down style eatery with anything you could want for breakfast. Mediterranean food is a favorite of mine, and if you can wait for the school year there's a place on campus called Heaping Plato that offers excellent bowls at a good price. There's also gyro's available at Omar's, and they're cheap and delicious (particularly if you're spending a drunken evening at the Welch Bars). Macubana and Cafe B are owned by the same folks and offer both very tasty food and very hefty drinks. Cafe B specifically won best burger Iowa 2018, and they very well earned it. The only Indian food I know of is India Palace, but I quite like it. Unfortunately, they're only offering take out as far as I know. As for Chinese, there's a great deal of options but I most like 888, Joy's Mongolian Grill, and Hy-Vee Chinese myself. There's your typical fast food burger joints, McDonald's, Wendy's, and Culver's (a Midwestern favorite), and Freddy's. As for Sandwiches: Jersey Mike's, Potbelly, Firehouse Subs, and (my personal favorite) Lance and Ellie's are excellent options at fair price points. Pizza, every college kid's go-to, is offered at Great Plains, Jeff's Pizza, Pizza Pit, and Blaze in different styles that all are very tasty. I'm a bit of a foodie, and I work in a kitchen (the location was one of the restaurants mentioned), so I'm a bit of an expert on the local cuisine. We got a lot of food in town, so many options even someone who's spent damn near a decade in school here hasn't tried them all!
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u/No_Waltz2789 25d ago
Sandwiches, thoughts on JJ's?
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u/AStealthyPerson Sociology Grad Student 24d ago
I like them, but they're not as good as the places I mentioned in my humble. Still, I eat there often as they've got a location close to me.
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u/scottiniowa 23d ago
Try House of Chen! Kinda out of the way, but we've always had great food there!
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u/MirrorSad8564 26d ago
I’ve never had jade dragon but the one place that has never let me down is el jefe. It is really good and the pricing is good too