Reviews of The Grove Cafe (Coffee Shop)

Charlotte Sucik

This place is great. Homey, with really nice wait staff and a simple menu. I don't usually like giant pancakes because they can be bland and doughy, but these, while hearty, were flavorful and filling. (I could only eat half.). What really made them special though, was their homemade syrup. They have me a little container to take some home with the rest of my pancakes. Good food, good people.

Caden Daub

This place is a great little diner. You have massive pancakes, amazing omelets, and great specials. I'd recommend this place for a nice, quiet breakfast.

Bohb Nelson

Service is wonderful down to earth. Pancakes are the best! Get there early for biscuts and gravy.

Rhonda Day

Amazing food and amazing portions

Lawrence Romanowicz

Ironically... The At The Moment machine is only 6 steps away. AKA Atm

Taylor Herring

Great service and atmosphere! Oh and the food is great as well! Bring cash and an empty stomach.

Loren Turner

Great service, excellent food, very nice hometown cafe

Marc Young

Good breakfast at a fair price.

Craig Chase

Good food at a very reasonable price.

Curtis Copley

I was very excited to finally get to The Grove Cafe, and in the end it was all I expected. The food was above average for a diner, my eggs were perfectly cooked. Service and atmosphere were a little less than expected, but ok. Overall, what you would expect.

Jacob McClernon

Classic small town diner cafe for breakfast and lunch. I always grab one of their giant signature pancakes which are awesome. Limited seating and cash only, but the place is refreshingly authentic.

David Faux

A true staple of Ames. No frills, greasy spoon, that serves quality food. Small dining room makes a wait pretty likely on weekends, but the service is quick, and professional, and the people warm, and welcoming. Cash, and check only, and leave your pretentions in the car.

Samantha dolph

Was great service great food love the atmosphere and the old time dinner setting!! Really enjoyed my self can't wait to come back again

Chad Chapman

Excellent location and great atmosphere. Food is excellent too.

Timothy Gustafson

Great breakfast food!

Howard Moore

More often than not you get what you want

Stephanie Johnson

Food was very good. Looking for a ma and pop place, this is the place.

Mika Baer

The cook was hilarious! He seemed to enjoy teasing the guests which was a riot! The food was good, but all items you could make at home. There is very limited seating. This is definitely a very local, family owned place. They do not accept credit cards though so be sure to have some cash on you.

Drew Kortlever

High quality comfort food! Breakfast pancakes are amazing!

emily lubcke

Great diner with killer food. The lunch special when we stopped was a hot pork fritter sandwich with home made mashed potatoes and pork gravy. So good!

Alaina

Love the small town feel!

Jason Mickelson

Refreshing blast from the past!

Adam Hofer

I have gone to many pancake places. The Grove Cafe makes the best pancakes! Super delicious.

deb Bollmeyer

Busy...good food.

Ethan Dix

Still great. Breakfast as it should be.

Jason Yawn

Best pancakes ever. Great breakfast

Wren Bouwman

Their cinnamon french toast is to die for!

Kayla Rusher

French toast is amazing. Small town cozy cafe style. Very friendly staff.

Logan Butler

The Grove Cafe has an excellent small diner atmosphere, mostly because it is a very small diner, but also the employees give it that feel. I haven't tried much of their lunch foods, but they really shine on their breakfasts. The pancakes are some the largest I've ever seen, and coupled with their homemade syrup, you cannot go wrong. I've got a fairly large appetite, but one of those cakes and 2 eggs will put me out hard. I highly recommend eating here when you can.

Cindy Emery

Great place to eat anytime I have been eating there for a long time It is like going home and eating with the family

Mike Petroske

On our way to akla.stopped for breakfast good food and pleasant staff well worth the stop. Mike from Minnesota

Thomas Rodamer

The Grove is a piece of Ames. I have been going there for almost 10 years now and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a homestyle local breakfast place. they are family owned, and support lots of local young employees. When you eat here you feel great about the food and service you receive. P.S. they only take cash which I feel adds to the homegrown local feel.

Mary Palan

Great local food excellent portion sizes, good variety on menu, staff is friendly and helpful

Danielle Breon

Great food and cozy atmosphere. Only downfall is they only accept cash ( I rarely carry cash) but there is an ATM across the street! Overall 5 stars!

Tara Gregg

This little old school diner has amazing breakfast! Make sure you get there early, because there will be a wait and make sure you have cash on you, no cards accepted!

Cassandra Johnson

If the Grinch stole Christmas then that little cafe stole my heart. So yummy and very polite staff!

Larry Conn

We came in right before closing. They served us with amazing service and the food was wonderful.

Dale Gummert

Very good place on main street in Ames

doug Zehr

Nice little grill. Be sure to bring cash or check.

Helen Colvin

My son loves the Famous Pancake, which really is the size of the plate. I usually go for an omelette. I haven't ever had the lunch food, the breakfast is too good.

Ashley Lawrence

Looks like a hole in the wall but it is soooo good! You must get the pancakes! Huge and delicious!!!

Jason Rudkin

Love the Grove down home food great breakfast fast friendly service. I could easily sit in there read a paper, drink there coffee and enjoy there staff for a hour.

Dennis Irvin

Small quaint place. Joint was jumping. Took a bit to get in but it was worth it. Food was good. Service was good. Decent price.

Terry Emery

Has always been a favorite of our family for 40 years. Best known for their pancakes. The only place I'll eat pancakes. I live in Florida now and make it a point to stop there any time I visit for my traditional pancake with an over easy egg on top. The pancakes are the size of a dinner plate and nearly an inch thick.

Alan Marshall

A classic midwest hole-in-the-wall cafe. Good food, cooked right in front of you. Nothing fancy, just what you need.

Scribbly Puns

Do yourself a favor and try the french toast

Blake Hegarty

My man Larry made some pancakes that were the size of a 5 month old baby. The omelete was probably one of the best I've had. My mistress loved his pancakes and honestly, I'm thinking about bringing my husband here for a meal some time.

Kris A

Completely mediocre. It exists. The food is....food. If “meh” were a noun, The Grove would be the definition. Hash browns are not brown-just boiled potatoes with salt and pepper. Eggs need salt. Celery doesn’t belong in breakfast food no matter how snarky the waitress is when telling you it does. I get that it’s a local favorite, that’s cool. But to anyone new to town, find somewhere else.

Lloyd .Quesenberry

Best pancakes in the world. Institution for generations.

Gail Loy

This is a historical homemade food yummy try the hot roast beef and Gravy plus prices are just right

Kasey Romano

Good old fashioned small town diner

ghost 1s

I wish every small town had a diner like this. Extremely good service, great food, and a friendly atmosphere.

Elizabeth Todd

Best pancakes ever

leslie ray

You dont go to this place for the ambiance. You go here for the food. Basic food, reasonable price!

Jami Tharp

Unfortunately the wait was very long sand there were inconsiderate people in there just sitting looking at their phones drinking water. I guess if you have such a large following of people who want to eat at your restaurant it's best to not allow that. We have never been there and were very much looking forward to it but after waiting 30 mins or so we left to go elsewhere.

F M

The food is cheap but isn’t that tasty. Looks NOT friendly-professional customer service.

Finian

Service was great, the pancake was even better.

Cheri Schmit

Always great food and service! Pancakes are amazing!

Shannon Sayre

Amazing food! Great people! Small Town feel. Must have the

Erica Polkinghorn

Friendly staff with quick service. This is a "Down Home Cookin'" type of diner! Loved our time there.

Michael Branan

This is an amazing spot tucked away on Main Street. The atmosphere is second only to the food. Great escape from the normal hotel breakfast. Whenever I come to town, I always stop by The Grove Cafe!

Keith Hunter

A very nice place to grab a bite.

Sharon Stevens

Server knew the menu and could describe the specials. Raspberry and rhubarb pancake, kilbasa and onion omelette. Hash browns were real but a little too crispy for me. The pancake was huge and topping sweet and tangy. Onions were golden brown. All homade Good coffee

mathew moore

Fast and friendly. Food was great

Andy Welter

Nice, homey diner with friendly staff and good food. Small so wait any be long.

Lance Erickson

Outstanding! Larry is a mean cook and Kristy makes it much more than just a meal. Phenomenal service, this is the place you’d leave a $500 tip!

Kalynn Doebel

This cozy little place doesn't seat very many or have a large expansive menu but it does have a whole lot of heart and downright delicious pancakes! I've never found a pancake anywhere that's half as good as the ones here! Seriously, try the pancakes. You won't be sorry.

Joel Uhlmeyer

Is this the best diner food you'll ever have? No. Not even close? Would Ames be Ames without it. No. Not even close. Quintessentially mid-western diner. Cheap. Quick. Relaxed. And a staple for any true Cyclones fan.

Jamie Kelley

Great food for breakfast and lunch lovers!

Clint Rabe

Fast, friendly service and food - very quick if you sit at the counter. Breakfast is a must here. Great pancakes and omelets.

Ed Moxley

Enjoyable breakfast experience with great service.

A Milk Man

The guys cooking are friendly and fun. The crabby old guy made the place memorable

Stan Asjes

Great classic dinner setting. Good old fashioned breakfast food. Reasonable prices. My only complaint is that I asked for over-medium eggs and I got over-easy. If you don't like you yolks runny, go for over-hard.

Joel Walker

Great food and atmosphere

Ed Hendrickson

The Grove is different than any other Restaurant in Ames. It gives you that Hometown feel of a cafe that has been around for decades. Try the famous pancakes they're very large so probably just get one pancake or every day there's a new special

Matthew Messer

Classic and delicious greasy spoon style cafe. Pancakes with fresh toppings are phenomenal, dont recall which days(I think Friday Saturday) they are served but they are worth the trip alone. Tasty oldschool toast/eggs/bacon/hashbrown/cheese style fare. Be prepared to sass with the owners if you belly up to the counter. Good fun. Place could be cleaner, though.

Kayla Roof

Definitely a hole in the wall. A local hangout. Kinda grease fire waiting to happen but in the mean time, I’m going to enjoy the best pancakes in Ames.

Todd Selburg

Friendly staff, amazing food and generous portions (you only need ONE pancake)

amanda hauer

Great food and always friendly service. The best pancakes EVER!!!

Brydon Papenberg

Great breakfast food. The pancakes are my hands down favorite.

Paul Livingston

An Ames tradition. Larry, Kristy and gang will take good care of you, and provide the comfort food you need for breakfast or lunch. The fried chicken is a personal favorite.

Connie Kim

I’m here now. I love their food. I think this is a kind of American homestyle food. The greatest part of their food that I like most is the food without SALT. I think the chef salts his food very little or not at all. Now I can finally taste some real American food without paralyzing my tongue with too much salt in it. Thanks for great food. I loved it!:)

Asensio Lorenzo Sempere

I didn't know about their "Our famous pancake", but they were awesome and huge. They were served with 2 packs of butter, and a bottle of syrup (unlabeled, but also one of the bests syrups I've ever had). The ambience was very relaxed and familiar, proper of one of those unspotted local places people often talk about. I'll remember to take my pancake-lover friend next time. PS: it's cash or checks only (no debit/credit cards)

Ritsuka Aoyagi

Fast, friendly service and the best food in Ames. Often has a long wait to be seated, but it's a small place with good food. Try their french toast special with cinnamon and sugar.

Heather Spaulding

I ordered two eggs with toast and hash browns. After eating the first piece of toast, I noticed the rest had blue mold growing on them. I was done eating by the time I got someone's attention. The waitress was apathetic and they didn't knock anything off my bill. $8 well spent because now I know to never eat there again.

Leslie Sutton

Love this place and their French toast is unbeatable

Carole

Passing through the area & saw good reviews for this place. Its a dirty dump of a dive. Watched the cook make our breakfast & it was cold when we got it (cold plates ?). Food was not great, coffee was terrible.

Delinxuent Blahalb

Their breakfast is awesome! Huge pancakes, the omelette are really good. Staff is great. Menu prices are good. Really nice local dine in.

Dan Wojcik

Wonderful greasy spoon, Ma & Pa style joint.

Doug Roeske

I absolutely love this place

Max Knoop

Best breakfast you can get in Ames really good

Emily Sue Pritchard

Best pancakes EVER!!!!

John Walling

Old time cafe..great coffee...good food... very kind servers.. hidden gem

Josh McCauley

Always worth stopping in for breakfast. Cash or check only.

Doug Hron

Has all the feel of a small town cafe.

Barbara Bourquin

The food at the Grove is always very good. The service today was not up to it's usual standard but it was very busy.

Jesse Sass

When it comes to your traditional diner breakfast, this place can't be beat. Specials are great.

Noah Torstenson

The grove cafe is a true gem in Ames. This place has a cozy, greasy spoon atmosphere with personable staff, and delicious, tastes-like-home food. Great for breakfast, brunch, or an early lunch. The place has an irreplicable community atmosphere that just makes it a very comfortable place to be. Additionally, they serve plate-sized pancakes, and really, who doesnt love that?!

Mary jones

Hash browns are simply smashed cooked potatoes thrown on a grill and undercooked. Don't label them as has browns. Pancake is not a typical pancake and syrup is their own homemade. For your regular customers this place might be great but for out of town customers or new customers you need to have a menu that states things, you have your special pancake but it is not a traditional pancake and not just because of the color! The taste is nothing like A pancake! Tell people about it on the menu. I don't need the owner to come over to my table and question me about why I don't want celery in my omelette and why I didn't like my pancake and if I put syrup on the pancake and tell me it was voted best pancake in 2011! APOLOGIZE, take the pancake of my bill and thank us for coming! Clearly this restaurant has it's regular customers but for newcomers you need a menu that describes menu items clearly.

Albie Craig

Felt like home, good food, friendly staff and the owner was extremely helpful seeing how the parking meter ran out of time, he ran outside to ward off the parking police just in time. So yes I totally recommend this grove cafe. Just remember to feed the parking meter.

The Dinkster

Great service, good food. "Down home" kinda place.

Mervin Casey

A jewel of a classic greasy spoon. Definitely check it out

Laina Fisher

Great food at affordable prices

Emma Conley-Mechtel

Delicious food! Friendly and spunky staff!! Definitely a treat to eat here! Plus the new blonde guy cooking is a stud!!!

Sam gaia

Great food, great conversation, small enough to have a homey feel and friendly atmosphere.

Zombie Homey

Best pancakes ever!!! Don't forget it's cash only.

Jacqueline Montgomery

What a perfect diner! Fast and delicious food with friendly, outstanding service!

Mike T

Wonderful "down home" eating experience. Atmosphere is rustic and clean. Menu is small but the food is excellent and the service is outstanding. Highly recommend to those interested in a unique dining event.

Chino Ortiz

Amazing food and great friendly service. I certainly would come back here cause their prices are great for such a big meal

cody neltner

Great Restaurant, Great food, and Great people!

Fabio Torchetti

Their motto is: "Just like home: you don't always get what you want!". It's a a classic American Diner providing you the atmosphere and the menu you'd expect. Worth visiting for the food - classic, simple, honest - and the experience.

Temi Agbaje

Great home cooked mean! Make sure to bring cash!

Ronda Anderson

Best place ever!!! Still have the high chairs I sat in as a kid! Don't worry they are well kept and clean! It's very "family"... I loved the original owners and I love Larry and Jill! And the best waitress, Christy!!! Wish I could come home every weekend for a pancake!

Dan Grein

Quick, cheap, quality breakfast and lunch. The people pretty cool too :)

Freya Gaynor

It's great in the afternoons when students are working there, but the early mornings are very understaffed and a little snippy as a result.

Zachary Hayward

Got the short stack and sausage on the side. Was delicious. Went with a few locals that said they have never had a bad meal there. Would happily go again. Unsure on pricing as was shouted the meal.

Trysten Rupp

Had that home feeling. Would go back again! Very good food and nice people.

Nate Camm

Small, homey feel with your standard breakfast food. Can be quite busy at times but good prices and service

JC McManus

Amazing food and great service, friendly and quick staff, great price!

Bryan Friestad

Very good food, small and quaint. They dont accept card, which came as a suprise, but there is an ATM right outside ($1.75 fee). The cinnamon french toast was really good!

J.E. Gibbs

Yummy Mother's day breakfast with family. Best french toast with sugar cinnamon and also plain with sryup. Thanks for the taste testing. Polite staff. a short wait to get a table, but totally worth it. Eat local people, ya never know what you will find.

Jeremy Thomas

Friendly little place, food was good, staff were great

Joseph Dolph

This place is small and quaint. The food and service is great.

Chevonne McInnis

I just started going to this place regularly and thought it was homey and that the prices are right. It receives two stars because the views expressed by one of the workers (the owner?) made me uncomfortable. Everyone has a right to express themselves. I have a right to eat somewhere else.

Shaive Reza

. Great taste. Local. Reasonable price.

Adam Baldus

Amazing old school diner. Cheaper than anything I've seen in years and still delicious. Smaller space but has that charm of times gone past.

Andrew Smith

It was really good. Just your basic breakfast staples without any over the top nonsense. Also has lunch items, but that wasn't the time of day I was there.

John Petersen

An excellent place to get breakfast, especially if you are looking for a classical diner atmosphere. If you come on the weekend be sure to arrive early because there's usually people waiting for tables, and since space is tight there's really no good place to stand and wait. You should definitely try the pancakes.

Joshua Przybyszewski

Great place for breakfast. Feels like a home cooked meal with friendly staff and cooks. Not much seating, so you might have to wait for a bit.

Ryan McKilligan

Ames classic! Everything you could want in a traditional diner

Butch Spencer

Love this little place

Iddo Friedberg

Small town hospitality, food, and prices. Best breakfast in Ames. Owners are genuinely friendly and hospitable.

Julia Anderson

For the no frills menu they serve, they do it well!

Emma Gallegos

It's a very quaint little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that has great food! Larry knows how to make a pancake! The catchphrase "Just like home, you don't always get what you want." Is funny, but if there is something wrong with your order, they will fix it for you! This place is currently CASH ONLY, but it is worth every penny! The food is very affordable and you have to try the pancake. Yes, singular. Just 1 pancake! It's as large as the plate and guaranteed to leave you feeling full and satisfied! The Raspberry Rhubarb topping is really good and most times I go just for that! Give it a try! You won't be disappointed!

Riley Snyder

There service is fast and friendly. The breakfast is great.

Diane Santefort

Small, quaint little place. We got the last table in the back, and by the time we were done there was a line out the door. Their famous pancakes are worth the wait.

Doug Abolt

Good breakfast. Very nice owner waitress's very quick prompt service even when busy and standing out the door line. Great place for wait staffers that want to work and be appreciated. After speaking to the owner this morning. Go support a great hometown business!

Robert Hoffman

As always, good food and good company to start your day off right!

Justin Weeks

Great small town diner feel, good prices, big pancakes, and amazing food.

Joe Napier

The giant pancake is good, but I haven't really enjoyed anything else I've had there. They don't accept cards which is a pain for those of us that don't like to carry cash, but I find myself stopping by whenever I'm in the area anyways. For what it lacks, it's a cozy diner with a good vibe and worth checking out.

Melissa Halvorson

Yummy diner with great service.... my husband confirmed they're the best pancakes ever

James Kilmer

Nice cafe, great breakfast. Throwback, real people, good service, nice prices. We need to go to the Grove more often.

Levi Jensen

Came to eat a bomb breakfast because EVERYONE recommended this place, and ended leaving very unsatisfied! The place was a little dirty, there was a giant stack of papers and other articles of trash right by our table. Observed the cook mess up on a pancake and broke it almost in half as he was trying to flip it and one of the waitresses asked him why he didn't salvage it!! I don't know about her, but I'm not eating a folded in pancake! We ordered one pancake, two eggs, hash browns, sausage, and toast. Not even a joke, they put our toast down before the pancake was even on the flat-top!! When we got our food, it was pretty mediocre to say the least!

Matthew Jontz

I had the eggs, hashborwns, and bacon as well as the raspberry rhubarb pancakes. Pancakes were DELICIOUS and so was the rest of the meal. Although I will say the portions were a bit small (except the the pancakes, they were huge). Prompt and friendly staff, good ambiance, fair prices and overall great experience! Will be going back soon!

Cameron Stotz

Great breakfast spot. Stopped in on a whim. Wasn't too busy or too quiet either. Grabbed a booth and didn't feel rushed. Food was great, service great. There are parking meters out front. I only had two dimes and that gave me an hour!

Jill Noland

Small, home cooked, Very good food.

Russ Stigler

Can't go wrong with the pancakes.

Amber Dooley

It was very good food and the service was great. What I didn't prefer was the cook being very rude to his wait staff. He was screaming at them like they weren't doing what they where supposed to. Buddy have some consideration for your wait staff. They were just as busy as you were and that gives you no right to yell at them in front of all of your customers. I can say that I didn't appreciate it one bit and neither did the people that I was with. Please next time wake up on the right side of the bed, and have consideration for the wait staff. Also remember you are only paying them under minimum wage to wait tables. Please don't treat them like they aren't individuals themselves. You can't stand there and bark orders at them. Not once did I hear you say thanks or please?? Where are your manners?? Next time I come into The Grove Cafe I hope that I don't hear what I heard this morning.

Austin M

Great food, reasonably priced. CASH ONLY. ATM outside

Max Justice

Way too much hype for nothing! People are nice. But the food isn't that great. Hell, Perkins would be a better choice. Plus there would be ALOT more room and more to choice from at Perkins. As a local, you can find a better place. Being a "mom and pop" place does NOT mean it's a good place.

Andrew W.

Another great breakfast at the Grove! Love this place. Hasn't changed in decades and doesn't need to. Pancakes are huge and amazing!!

Deb Grove

A nice hole in the wall eatery serving homemade soups and comfort food! Breakfast all day!

Kelly Galvin

Always excellent! Larry and Cristy are the best and the food is so good!!

Lisa Reis

As always, Great food and service!!

Kimberly Winner

Cinnamon French toast is where it's at.. I've also had the big pancake.. it was good. Eggs and sausage are good.. everyone is nice.. I strongly recommend the Grove Cafe.. CASH ONLY..

Cory Adams

Some of the best pancakes in the known universe!