Grove Cafe

The food is mediocre to acceptable, the service is below par, the prices aren’t fantastic, and the furniture and building is dilapidated. But I love the Grove café. It is what it is and you get what they got.

I went for lunch. I liked the food. The prices are low. The staff is friendly and attentive. Much more fun than a run-​of-​the-​mill chain restaurant.

The food is very good, so I would definitely recommend going, especially because it’s good to support small business. That being said, they close way earlier than a breakfast place should close on a Sunday, and the service was average. The pricing is middle of the road, and their pancake is huge and meal within itself, so make sure you don’t get more than 1 side! They have homemade syrup and a small town diner feel.

This is a wonderful old-​school diner in the greasy spoon tradition. Great, friendly place with classic ambiance. Great prices, friendly, well-​trained staff. Booths are cozy and sitting at the counter is fun too.
My only complaint is that they close at noon on Saturday and Sunday. I bet they could draw a big post-​church crowd on Sundays.

We stopped here Saturday morning for breakfast. My first time here but my husband had been here 5 years earlier and remembered it as being very good. I made the mistake of ordering their special pancake of the day. I wrongly assumed that the raspberry/​rhubarb pancake would have tasty bits of fruit in the batter. Wrong. It came covered in at least 2 cups of sweet, pink goo. Nasty goo. I scraped the goo off but the actual pancake was so tough that I had to cut it with my knife. My husbands salsa omelet was uninspiring as well. We won’t be back.

Very good breakfast. Affordable. Not a fancy place a 70’s style café. But you won’t be disappointed.

Once you go inside, you will love the smell. The aroma of grilled cheese is so good. It is open for breakfast and lunch, which means a good place to enjoy teatime with friends.

Short Version: Fantastic place to eat, and the prices are literally perfect. You’ll pay less to eat breakfast here than most any other place you can think of — and you’ll still feel really full. I would recommend coming on weekday mornings to try and avoid the rush of people on the weekends, though.
Long Version:
Despite living in Ames for a pretty long time, I haven’t eaten at most of the Main Street establishments. Today I decided to change that.
The biggest thing to know is they either close at noon or 2 PM depending on the day. Definitely a morning establishment. They ONLY take cash, so make sure you have cash handy in order to go. As they’re along Main, you may need to pay for parking as well. They don’t have a dedicated parking lot.
The inside is cramped when you’re walking around, but they’ve arranged the tables and seating that it doesn’t feel cramped while sitting. You know how some restaurants you can sit at a table and feel «everyone» around you. That doesn’t happen here. They don’t have a ton of seating, but they haven’t gone and stuffed it so full of tables that it’s a pain to get around. There are booths, a couple tables, and a bar area with stools.
The entire kitchen is visible to the public, so you can watch them make the food. They aren’t particularly putting on a «show», but it’s neat to watch someone work and see how your food is made. The interior definitely looks dated, but it doesn’t look dirty. Just not modern.
The prices are insanely reasonable here. I was really surprised. Their «Famous» pancake (which SERIOUSLY is enough for most people and may even be too much!) is $ 4. Other food ranges in the $ 4 to $ 8 range. Entirely reasonable. A check for two people came out to less than $ 15. Great pricing.
Employees were friendly, but the service was a bit lacking. We came on a Sunday morning, though, and all of the tables were full, so they definitely seemed busy. Water wasn’t refilled, though, and we had to inquire about other various things instead of them being offered (boxes, etc.) They were very prompt about the various parts of required service (taking order, bringing check, etc) though — just not a lot on the checking in or taking further care.
I had a single «famous pancake», and my friend, who said he was really hungry, had their «short stack» — which is two of the pancakes. The pancakes are probably 10″ across, and not only are they really the size of the entire plate, but they’re also super, duper fluffy. Like, about ¾ of an inch in height. I ate my entire pancake, but I’ll admit that it was a challenge. About ¾ through, I felt full on a single pancake. Unless you tend to eat a lot of food, I’d say that their single «Famous» pancake is probably enough for most people.
I’d definitely come back here to eat. It’s fun to support a smaller establishment, and the food was definitely good. Maybe I’ll try coming back at a time that’s a little less busy for a bit more personalized service next time.

They dont accept credit cards which is annoying. Average prices. $ 10 for an omlete and coffee. Average food. Potion size was a little small. Atmosphere is good. Has a country feel with plenty of locals. Friendly staff. They offered me hot sauce, so thats a bonus.

8:30 on a Monday morning and not an empty seat in sight. A promising indicator of something good to come. Tables at the Grove Café turn over quickly, however, and two booths opened up before we had time to consider our options. We then ran into a friend we hadn’t seen in years, a common occurrence here I suspect. A nice mix of blue collar and professional diners, all seemingly regulars except us. We knew the waitress recognized us as newcomers, because she felt the need to instruct us how to properly use the syrup dispenser without spilling on ourselves!
Prices are low. Décor is, well, minimalist. Just what I love in a local café. The ham and cheese omelet we ordered was tasty, although we did have a little regret that we passed on the specialty cheeseburger omelet. The giant pancake we ordered was unique, very yellow from egg yolk I’m guessing. One is a meal in itself. Delicious! Coffee is refilled promptly and is served in a variety of random coffee mugs. I received an «ISU Cyclone» mug and chuckled at the construction worker nearby sipping unaware from his «Minnie Mouse Friends» cup.
If you’d like, you can watch your meal being prepared right behind the counter in classic short order cook fashion. The Grove Café has been a Main Street fixture for years. Hard to say why I haven’t frequented it in my many recent visits to Ames. I can assure you, however, it won’t be long before I’m considered a regular and the waitress will no longer feel the need to instruct me on how to dispense the syrup.
Like the Grove Café’s downtown directory sign says, «Just like home. You don’t always get what you want.»

The Grove Café is where the locals go! I have eaten here a few time and met here for meetings! It’s your old classic mom and pop Midwest Café! Huge pancakes, huge waffles, lots of eggs, and bacon! They open early, the coffee is hot, and they got your back on some delicious breakfast food! Every time I have ever eaten here I have got the oatmeal! It’s vegan and it’s good, and you can get it with raisons (natures candy), and brown sugar!
The place is not huge, so you may need to wait a bit for a table on a busy day! This is one of those classic places where you go in on a Saturday morning, and either you get a crowed full of people who have not gone to bed yet, or are just waking up! Which makes the atmosphere as electric as the griddle cooking that bacon!
Not many places like this left! It’s the gold standard and legendary! No Nonsense here!

Okay. This was a great find. Driving from Clarion to Des Moines and we were hungry. Stumbled on this find. Nicest people. Good solid food and great pancakes. They also make their own syrup! We had meatloaf that was amazing. Wish I came to Ames more often.

This place is truly an Ames staple. You know when you’re watching the Food Network or the Travel Channel and they do those features on really unique cafes and restaurants? Well, that’s what this place is for Ames and here’s what you need to know:
Get up early. This place is a morning establishment. Opening it’s doors at 6AM, they close at 2PM during the week and NOON on the weekends. Set your alarms fellow people who like to sleep into the afternoon.
Next: You’ll have to stand in line. Yeah, even outside in the cold. It’s okay, it’s worth it. Your uncle or your roommate or whoever will complain. Just keep telling them it’s worth it.
You don’t need to check in or request a table. Stop disrupting the line flow! The staff is on top of this. You don’t need to inform them of your presence. They know. They want to feed you. Remember what your mom would tell you when you kept running into the kitchen asking when your chicken pot pie was ready? Just be patient.
The food is cheap and really good. Whether you want breakfast or meatloaf, you wont be disappointing. But, you should get the pancake.
Yes, that’s THE pancake. You get one. You’ll only need one, trust me. Seriously, if you think that’s not going to be enough get a side of bacon or sausage. The pancake is HUGE and will be enough. I have yet to finish one yet.
Your plastic is no good here. This place is CASH ONLY. Make sure to leave a tip.
After you stuff yourself full and keep repeating to your comrades how amazing your meal is, remember the poor folks just waiting for their shot of the joy you just experienced. You’ll be tempted to recline in the booth with your coffee and let your stomach settle… well, don’t. Share the wealth my friends.
Now that you know what to expect, your experience at The Grove Café is waiting for you. I look forward to reading your Unilocal reviews. Good night and good luck.

Excellent diner experience! Great service (the only confusion is that it is pretty small, so when you enter just make sure to keep on eye on when a table opens up, and people come in through the back and the front, so sometimes the order of people isn’t clear).
The pancakes are great and definitely what you want to get when you go there. Also had a country platter that was a special, really good hash browns and flavorful dish with peppers and onions. Have been there twice and will be back when I need my diner fix.

Great solid breakfast spot.
Good prices, and service.
Had the french toast. Just like homestyle.