Back in Ames tomorrow and need advice

coolerifyoudid

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Feb 8, 2013
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Coming up for the game tomorrow with the fam. Needing a good place for lunch. Been outta school for awhile (dammit) so I know most of my favorites places are long gone. I come up a couple times a year, but usually eat tailgate food or grab something in Des Moines before coming up.

I know all about Hickory Park, but I'm not dumb enough to try that on game day. Options are open (except McD's :mad:) just don't feel like waiting forever.

Also, I wanna check out a lot of the buildings, dorms, etc, but not sure if security has changed much. Back in the day, they only locked the women's floors and everything else was pretty much open around the clock. Anything change?
 

oldman

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West End Pub has some good food, but last weekend our service was pretty slow.
 

Erik4Cy

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Other than HP, others I frequent when visiting family or for a game are:

Wallaby's - Dublin Bay - Olde Main - Black Market Pizza - Aunt Maude's - Great Plains Sauce And Dough - Battles BBQ - WestCyde Wings (hear there is a BWW now, but I'm not huge on them.)
 

CostaDelMar

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Wallaby's is prime... could be crowded on gameday.

Vesuvius has nice, light pizzas

Brick City Grill just opened on the north side not too long ago. Has a modern, sports bar feel

Noodles & Co has quite a few pasta options.

There are of course the obvious boxed chains: Applebee's, Red Lobster, etc.
 

JP4CY

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TipTop for chili breakfast and a beer(s)
Sportys for shuffle board and a beer(s)
Tailgate lots for a brat and a beer(s)
Victory pizza at WAS and a beer(s)
Dessert at Thumbs with a beer(s)
 

NATEizKING

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Feb 18, 2011
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Hilton
parking.jpg
 

mapnerd

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Other than HP, others I frequent when visiting family or for a game are:

Wallaby's - Dublin Bay - Olde Main - Black Market Pizza - Aunt Maude's - Great Plains Sauce And Dough - Battles BBQ - WestCyde Wings (hear there is a BWW now, but I'm not huge on them.)

Westcyde wings is closed now.
 

1100011CS

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Oct 5, 2007
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Dublin Bay, Old Chicago and Okaboji B&G are a few we hit up when we don't tailgate. We're coming from the East so those are all on the way to the stadium for us. Not sure if that matters for you.
 

Cydar

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Apr 2, 2006
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If you are headed downtown just be aware that there's a farmer's market on Main Street where Wells Fargo Bank is located. The market runs from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
 

coolerifyoudid

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TipTop for chili breakfast and a beer(s)
Sportys for shuffle board and a beer(s)
Tailgate lots for a brat and a beer(s)
Victory pizza at WAS and a beer(s)
Dessert at Thumbs with a beer(s)

Noticing a trend....and I LIKE IT
 

mywayorcyway

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Mar 1, 2012
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Welch Ave. Station and order Pit from upstairs...

Seeing this makes me cry tears of joy and sadness. I haven't lived in Ames since '99, but the number of hours I spent at Welch playing foosball and eating pizza/wings was astronomical. Man, I loved that combo.
 

ImJustKCClone

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Used to play a lot of pool at Welch Ave until they started letting sharks play 2-3 tables simultaneously. The fantastic Pizza Pit sandwiches were no consolation for waiting an hour for your quarters to come up while someone else was playing multiple tables. Don't know if they still allow that or not...it was a long time ago, but it chased a lot of casual business away.

Cooler - you mentioned family...there's a reasonably priced Mongolian buffet, wide range of options from sushi & build your own noodle bowls to fried chicken & mashed potatos. The buffet style makes for little waiting time, even on game days. It's just north of 30, off the K-mart road. It's in a cluster of buildings with Old Chicago & Vesuvius, where the Silver Saddle Motel used to be.
 

Angie

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I love all of the places mentioned here, but a lot of them will be packed tomorrow (Wallaby's, Dublin Bay, Boji, WTP, etc.). For a family, I would go off the beaten path to get a shot at eating in a timely manner. Downtown Deli (just park behind to avoid Farmer's Market), Pammel Grocery for gyros, House of Chen or CHC for awesome Chinese. If you want pizza, I might try GeAngelos, Joe's (over by WTP), or even that place in Perfect Games. Maybe Dutch Oven?? Flame and Skewer at the mall.
 

Angie

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I wonder if Oddfellows would be busy?
 

Agclone91

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Feb 5, 2011
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I love all of the places mentioned here, but a lot of them will be packed tomorrow (Wallaby's, Dublin Bay, Boji, WTP, etc.). For a family, I would go off the beaten path to get a shot at eating in a timely manner. Downtown Deli (just park behind to avoid Farmer's Market), Pammel Grocery for gyros, House of Chen or CHC for awesome Chinese. If you want pizza, I might try GeAngelos, Joe's (over by WTP), or even that place in Perfect Games. Maybe Dutch Oven?? Flame and Skewer at the mall.

:unsure: