Stomping Grounds

A delightful restaurant in Campustown worth taking your parents and out of town visitors to. The coffee and tea selection is impressive, seats are bountiful, and there’s a nice outdoor patio for use in nice weather. Portion sizes are appropriate, not excessive.
I almost invariably order the same thing: the croque Monsieur sandwich. I love perfectly toasted bread and the yummy beshamel sauce. I also like to get it with a side of their pasta salad.
Other dishes I have had have been very good as well. The French toast is a wonderful breakfast option that isn’t too large. The fruit crêpe is also quite good.

Great little café in Campustown. Fantastic coffee, SUPER friendly baristas, and really cool artwork in the café.
Five stars.

Great outdoor seating area and pleasant ambiance just to sit and enjoy an afternoon. Portion sizes are smaller. Slight French flare to the menu. A little pricey for food quality, but you pay for the environment. Great teas. Staff quality varies.

Their servers need some serious training on service. Beginning a college student and only work on weekends is not the excuse. Tables are not properly cleaned before the setting up for the next group of customers, forgot the straws we asked for the cold drinks, took 20 min to get the coffee but forgot the coffee cream, despite repeat requests for coffee cream it was still forgotten…

Positives… they have a solid tea menu with a lot of great options. The menu has some great unique food options like the Croque Monsieur — I haven’t found this anywhere else other than in France. Their soup/​sand-​which combo is also a nice light option. Their patio is great for soaking up the sun on a nice day with one of the refreshing craft brews they offer.
Negatives… They are open late and have free WiFi so this attracts a lot of studying students but they do not let you access the outlets?! Huge turn off for me. As for food they have not changed their menu since I started going to school in Ames (3 years ago). Management needs to add something fresh or at least have weekly specials.

This is easily the best coffee/​café in campus town in Ames! And has been since it opened! They were the first in Ames to offer pour over coffee, they have great apple cider in the fall, and the soy lattes are amazing. I dig the weird mugs they give you, that look like they might have been apart of some MUG MAKING college course over the years at Iowa State!
They have my favorite outdoor seating in all of Ames, perfect for eating lunch and watching the leaves fall on an autumn day! The interior is great too, plenty of seats, great local art on the walls and random games and books to be played or read. Free Wi-​Fi as well!
The food options here are great! They have local and regional craft beer, and wine also! I really dig their salads they are huge, and come with some fantastic homemade bread! They also have ABC Cookies (Vegan)! They also have live music!
Only weird thing about the place is the bathroom’s are out of the coffee shop and down the hall! But that’s no biggie, and this place is still and has always been a 5 star place to me! Keep up the greatness and other coffee shop/café’s take note!

I’ve come here a couple times for coffee to meet up with new people and talk, and it’s always been fantastic.
The interior and the «vibe» here is definitely very hipster/​college-​student/​artsy. The paintings on the wall can be purchased, and I imagine they’re done by local student artists (but they look nice). There are interior tables to sit at, and I think they have tables that easily fit 6 without rearranging. I can’t remember if there’s any music, but if there is, it’s very gentle and quiet. This is one of those places you can easily come and talk. There’s a gentle buzz of conversation from other tables, but you’ll never feel like you can’t actually «hear» the other person. It’s a nice, laid-​back vibe.
I’ve never actually sat down and ordered food here, so I can’t really comment much on the wait staff or the wait. I always get a cup of coffee and sit down instead of ordering food. During the ordering process, though, the staff is usually friendly enough, and my coffee is made within a minute, so I’ve never had any issue with the staff.
As for what I get, I always get their Mocha Milkshake, and my god, it’s delicious. It takes awhile to sit and drink which is perfect because I’m sitting and having a conversation anyway. They have the outdoor patio as well, and aside from the annoyance of loud people on Welch (depending on your night), it’s quite nice out there as well.
Parking is a bit of a pain and does require paying parking meters unless you park quite a ways away from the restaurant. Even with the metered parking, though, depending on what time you come, there may be no parking spots available.
Final thoughts: I’d definitely recommend this place for their Mocha Milkshake. It’s so delicious, and I’ve never had any issues when coming here. I have no comment about their food or food quality, but I really love the atmosphere as a coffee shop.

This is my go to for both eating in and take out. A variety of really delicious hot or cold sandwiches to choose from, fresh side salads and the best berry crepes. Try their Jasmine Pearl Dragon tea, it is incredible!