Recommended dishes: Breadsticks, Salads, Pepperoni Pizza, Salad Bar
Ben Kepler
Food ranking is just for the pizza. Fresh is definitely better but generally on the line it's usually not the greatest. Now that being said why they don't change the name to chicken ranch is beyond me cause the chicken here is fantastic 5 star all the way. The sesame chicken is super good here also. The Mac and cheese is super good on most days some of the best. But few times it's not the greatest. Great place to take small kids with the game room. Did I say how great there chicken is cause it is super good.😃
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mac & Cheese, Loaded Cheesy Ranch Stix
Larry and Jean Jesse
Great salad bar-super variety of pizzas-delicious chicken and wonderful vegetables and desserts. Something for everyone!! 😊
VERY DISAPPOINTED. THEY SENT ME THE WRONG ORDER. BURNT CHICKEN BREAST. BURNT. NOT WHAT I ORDERED. WHEN I CALLED THEY TOLD ME IT WAS DOOR DASHS FAULT. THEN THE MANAGER HUNG THE PHONE UP ON ME. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kaitlyn Beenken
The pizza ranch is Ames has been going downhill for years but my experience this last time was especially garbage. Please do yourself a favor and dine somewhere else. My biggest problem was that we paid 36$ for two people and they never brought out the pizza we requested to our table, I requested another item as well (chicken fries) which I have been requesting every time I’ve been there for the last 4 years & they said it would be an additional $8.49 to request this item on top of the $16.99 buffet charge, so whatever we get the 2 buffets. There’s hardly anything on the line at 11:30am, everything that is, taste old and dry. The most me and my husband could eat was ice cream and soda so definitely NOT worth it at all lol. Not to mention, the person who they had working the counter clearly didn’t wanna be there. So overall it was a terrible experience. Me & my family will not be returning to pizza ranch.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Lindsay Wiley
Ames was a great pizza ranch great food nice and hot like all pizza ranches should have and they kept the buffet up real nicely fresh food put out fast to keep up with the crowd I'd go back any day
My husband and I came here yesterday to celebrate our 5th year wedding anniversary, but we should have known it was a bad restaurant, when we parked and saw the wagon in the parking lot had a broken "Happy Trailing" sign on the ground. We made the experience fun for ourselves, though we should have asked for our $56 back and gone to a different pizza ranch location instead. I was completely shocked that this location would be so horrible because it's located in Ames, which is a very high income, high society, historic, and iconic city in Iowa. Pizza ranch here sure isn't doing its city or customers proud. My husband has helped me write the review. When we came in there were no service employees at the front counter and we waited for 20 minutes, until my husband walked into the buffet area and began checking out the food to see how much there was. Then somebody came to help us. She mentioned we could pay extra for a "Go Cup" which we didn't have a clue what that was, because we are from a different state, so we both asked questions but she seemed very annoyed and bothered by them and only gave us simple answers with alot sighs and eye rolls. Thankfully, one of the cooks came out, and I asked him about the plates, and he was nice and answered me. As for the restaurant environment is was very dimly lit, vacant of any customers at 4:30pm and there were flies everywhere, and the tables were dirty and sticky and not cleared of dirty dishes until 3 hours later when there were 20 or so customers for dinner rush. I did enjoy all the old-fashioned cowboy/pioneer decorations on all the walls. That was fun, and the covered wagon and fountain outside were great photo opportunities. Unfortunately, there was a lot of absence of food. The chicken was either undercooked or overcooked. There was only half a pizza left on the entire buffet table. And no pepperoni pizza available a simple and icinic flavor. Their drink machines didn't have their flavors working. Quality was terrible. It was hard to get any clean silverware. The only thing they had extras of was a bucket of chips and salad. We're out of almost all of their sauces and condiments for the salads, and the dressings were put upside down the unsanitary ways. There weren't many options of food at all. The Mac and cheese were cold. Furthermore the foods meant to ne hot were cold, and the foods meant to be cold were hot. The salad had brown rotting chuncks of lettuce in it. On Thursday, wing night out of 4 different flavors are wings. They were supposed to have there is only one, which was barbecued chicken, and that was just barbecue sauce covered on over cooked, crispied chicken. There were no dessert pizzas either until my husband and I and another customer politely asked the cooking staff for more dessert pizza and cookie pizza. When they put out the dessert cookie dough pizza, it was raw cookie dough and mushy wet. An elderly gentleman had to get the raw pizza. A man and his child almost got some too before I warned them and asked the cook about it. He said that there were no raw ingredients in it, so it would not get anybody sick but that he'd take it back in and replace it. The ice cream was a very strange consistency of mostly ice, very thin, little cream, and melted easily. The waiter took the cups off our table, and we couldn't get extra drinks when my husband had specifically told him that we were coming back after the arcade. Restrooms were dirty, and no decorations and dimly lit. There was an overhead light in the eating area that was constantly flickering, and I got headaches from it, as there was a flickering light in the mens restroom as well, according to my husband. The games in the fun zone are all rigged as well. Requires a lot of money and low payout of tickets. Very small and cramped. It was practically a hallway with phone games to play. If I'm going to an arcade, I expect to play something, I can't play on my phone. There was no VR headset experience as seen in
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Jackie Whittaker
Great selection. The salad bar was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breadsticks, Mashed Potatoes
Jeffrey Mobley
Was pretty disappointed in my dining experience tonight. The chicken was dried out and was hardly any good pieces left. One of the crew was sweeping the rugs which I know threw dust up into the buffet, I lost my appetite after that.
Min-afternoon, some of buffet was not fresh
Kid-friendliness: Kid-zone
Wheelchair accessibility: ADA accessible
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breadsticks, Salads, Pepperoni Pizza, Salad Bar
Food ranking is just for the pizza. Fresh is definitely better but generally on the line it's usually not the greatest. Now that being said why they don't change the name to chicken ranch is beyond me cause the chicken here is fantastic 5 star all the way. The sesame chicken is super good here also. The Mac and cheese is super good on most days some of the best. But few times it's not the greatest. Great place to take small kids with the game room. Did I say how great there chicken is cause it is super good.😃
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mac & Cheese, Loaded Cheesy Ranch Stix
Great salad bar-super variety of pizzas-delicious chicken and wonderful vegetables and desserts. Something for everyone!! 😊
Kid-friendliness: Food items kids like-Game room keeps kids occupied
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad Bar
I requested delivery and was excellent from the call-in to the delivery. Always friendly staff and considerate when making the delivery.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salads, Chicken Wing
Great atmosphere and delicious food! Must try sesame chicken and the dessert pizza! Great service and reasonable prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Potato Wedges
food was great, enjoyable
Parking: short distance to front door
Kid-friendliness: obvious a good place for kids
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Soft Serve Ice Cream, BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Fries
VERY DISAPPOINTED. THEY SENT ME THE WRONG ORDER. BURNT CHICKEN BREAST. BURNT. NOT WHAT I ORDERED. WHEN I CALLED THEY TOLD ME IT WAS DOOR DASHS FAULT. THEN THE MANAGER HUNG THE PHONE UP ON ME. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!
Food: 1
Service: 1
The pizza ranch is Ames has been going downhill for years but my experience this last time was especially garbage. Please do yourself a favor and dine somewhere else. My biggest problem was that we paid 36$ for two people and they never brought out the pizza we requested to our table, I requested another item as well (chicken fries) which I have been requesting every time I’ve been there for the last 4 years & they said it would be an additional $8.49 to request this item on top of the $16.99 buffet charge, so whatever we get the 2 buffets. There’s hardly anything on the line at 11:30am, everything that is, taste old and dry. The most me and my husband could eat was ice cream and soda so definitely NOT worth it at all lol. Not to mention, the person who they had working the counter clearly didn’t wanna be there. So overall it was a terrible experience. Me & my family will not be returning to pizza ranch.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ames was a great pizza ranch great food nice and hot like all pizza ranches should have and they kept the buffet up real nicely fresh food put out fast to keep up with the crowd I'd go back any day
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Thin, Gluten Free, Boneless Wings, Soft Serve Ice Cream, Breadsticks, BBQ, Mac & Cheese, Loaded Cheesy Ranch Stix, BBQ Chicken, Bacon Cheeseburger, Apple, Potato Wedges, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffed, Plates, Salads, Sweet Swine, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Blueberry
Nice restaurant and service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
My husband and I came here yesterday to celebrate our 5th year wedding anniversary, but we should have known it was a bad restaurant, when we parked and saw the wagon in the parking lot had a broken "Happy Trailing" sign on the ground. We made the experience fun for ourselves, though we should have asked for our $56 back and gone to a different pizza ranch location instead. I was completely shocked that this location would be so horrible because it's located in Ames, which is a very high income, high society, historic, and iconic city in Iowa. Pizza ranch here sure isn't doing its city or customers proud.
My husband has helped me write the review. When we came in there were no service employees at the front counter and we waited for 20 minutes, until my husband walked into the buffet area and began checking out the food to see how much there was. Then somebody came to help us. She mentioned we could pay extra for a "Go Cup" which we didn't have a clue what that was, because we are from a different state, so we both asked questions but she seemed very annoyed and bothered by them and only gave us simple answers with alot sighs and eye rolls. Thankfully, one of the cooks came out, and I asked him about the plates, and he was nice and answered me. As for the restaurant environment is was very dimly lit, vacant of any customers at 4:30pm and there were flies everywhere, and the tables were dirty and sticky and not cleared of dirty dishes until 3 hours later when there were 20 or so customers for dinner rush. I did enjoy all the old-fashioned cowboy/pioneer decorations on all the walls. That was fun, and the covered wagon and fountain outside were great photo opportunities. Unfortunately, there was a lot of absence of food. The chicken was either undercooked or overcooked. There was only half a pizza left on the entire buffet table. And no pepperoni pizza available a simple and icinic flavor. Their drink machines didn't have their flavors working. Quality was terrible. It was hard to get any clean silverware. The only thing they had extras of was a bucket of chips and salad. We're out of almost all of their sauces and condiments for the salads, and the dressings were put upside down the unsanitary ways. There weren't many options of food at all. The Mac and cheese were cold. Furthermore the foods meant to ne hot were cold, and the foods meant to be cold were hot. The salad had brown rotting chuncks of lettuce in it. On Thursday, wing night out of 4 different flavors are wings. They were supposed to have there is only one, which was barbecued chicken, and that was just barbecue sauce covered on over cooked, crispied chicken.
There were no dessert pizzas either until my husband and I and another customer politely asked the cooking staff for more dessert pizza and cookie pizza. When they put out the dessert cookie dough pizza, it was raw cookie dough and mushy wet. An elderly gentleman had to get the raw pizza. A man and his child almost got some too before I warned them and asked the cook about it. He said that there were no raw ingredients in it, so it would not get anybody sick but that he'd take it back in and replace it. The ice cream was a very strange consistency of mostly ice, very thin, little cream, and melted easily. The waiter took the cups off our table, and we couldn't get extra drinks when my husband had specifically told him that we were coming back after the arcade. Restrooms were dirty, and no decorations and dimly lit. There was an overhead light in the eating area that was constantly flickering, and I got headaches from it, as there was a flickering light in the mens restroom as well, according to my husband. The games in the fun zone are all rigged as well. Requires a lot of money and low payout of tickets. Very small and cramped. It was practically a hallway with phone games to play. If I'm going to an arcade, I expect to play something, I can't play on my phone. There was no VR headset experience as seen in
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Great selection. The salad bar was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breadsticks, Mashed Potatoes
Was pretty disappointed in my dining experience tonight. The chicken was dried out and was hardly any good pieces left. One of the crew was sweeping the rugs which I know threw dust up into the buffet, I lost my appetite after that.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 4
Pizza wad undercooked tasted raw
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Food was not the typical Pizza
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
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