There are numerous great places for people in Ames to grab a bite to eat. Ames is full of restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebees, Red Lobster, Carlos o’ Kelly’s and many more.

These are chains of restaurants known around the country for their great taste and service. However, Ames is home to some local restaurants that offer equally great taste and service but with a local atmosphere.

Scattered across the town of Ames are local restaurants ranging from Mexican food to Chinese food, from hamburgers to pizza to seafood. 

One local restaurant, which is found on Main Street, is Lucullan’s Italian Grill. The owners of Lucullan’s Grill pride themselves on almost all of the food being made right in the restaurant.

“We make almost all our food besides the sandwich buns,” Terry Lowman, who owns the grill with Mark Kassis, said. “Otherwise we make all our own breads, sauces, from scratch.”

Lucullan’s most popular dish is the lasagna. A favorite of owner Lowman and his recommendation is the lemon chicken with orecchiette, which is a chicken breast lemon baked served over orecchiette pasta. 

Lucullan’s Italian Grill is a family owned restaurant that’s been around for 33 years. “Some of our recipes are handed down from our ancestors,” Lowman said. “My partner’s family is part-Italian and they cooked a lot of really, really delicous things and we get to put them on our menu.”

Other popular local restaurants include Jeff’s Pizza and Black Market Pizza for a pizza and breadsticks.

El Azteca and La Fuente are local favorites for Mexican food.

The Cafe and Olde Maine are some favorites for a date night, offering full course meals such as salmon and steak.

 Dublin Bay offers authentic Irish cuisine in an Irish pub atmosphere for residents looking to try something new. Other cultural cuisines include The Spice which offers Thai food, as well as Chinese Homestyle cooking and Mongolion Grill both located near campus. 

Hickory Park is perhaps Ames’ most famous local restaurant, with a large array of barbecue food.

Whether looking for a quick spot to grab lunch, to try something new or a place to take a date, Ames has something for everyone. So ditch the nationwide chains and support the local businesses.

Sit down and enjoy.