Burgie’s Expresso Cafe owner Steve Burgason has understood the coffee shop culture ever since he and his wife spent a year in Vienna.

“We fell in love with the coffee shops over there,” he said. “There’s a whole side of culture to coffee houses that’s really exciting.”

Exciting enough that Burgason had to bring it to Ames. Burgie has since opened three cafes in the Ames area, the most recent being in the Memorial Union earlier this summer.

“We’ve been real pleased with the number of customers we’ve had, even with all the construction,” Burgason said. “We see ourselves as kind of a non-alcoholic Cheers.”

Burgie’s in the Union will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Burgie’s in North Grand mall is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Burgie’s at the Gateway Express, located at 2400 Elwood Drive, is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. everyday. The cafe/Amoco features Ames’ only real instant cappuccino machine.

“It’s a very interesting machine,” Burgason said. “The $20,000 Acorto is fully automatic. You come in and push a button and it grinds the coffee, pumps it, extracts the expresso and mixes it with milk. It’s completely self serve.”

Customers at the gas station can hear classical music while pumping their gas as well as making their cappuccino.

Another coffee shop in the Ames area is The Stomping Grounds at 303 Welch Ave. which offers both indoor and outdoor service.

They feature a large variety of cappuccino as well as cakes and various desserts.

Employee Brian Crooks believes a majority of the customers prefer the caramel latte. “It is by far the most popular drink.”

They are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Cafe Lovish, 2512 Lincoln Way, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. On weekend nights the cafe will stay open until 2 a.m. with special Latin dances. Students are invited to free soft drink refills on those nights.

Cafe Carioca, 2408 Lincoln Way, specializes in strong Brazilian coffee. “A lot of people say we have the best regular coffee in town,” owner James Hufferd said. “We are also the only place in Iowa I know of that serves Guarana’, which is basically a Brazilian soda.”

According to Hufferd, their Cha’ Mate version of iced tea is very popular as well as the hot version, Mate Latte. Cafe Carioca is open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Cafe Beaudelaire, 2504 Lincoln Way, is one of few shops with live entertainment on some evenings. Ames’ own The Bone People make frequent stops there, playing live music or performing jazz poetry.

“There is a cover charge on those nights,” employee Laurisha McClarin said. “But the money goes directly to the bands. We also have the finest collection of medium priced Spanish and Italian wines in the area.”

Beaudelaire’s serves Euro-Brazilian style coffee and a fresh fruit drink with flavors ranging from cantaloupe to plum. A 20 inch loaf of bread and an array of fancy desserts make up the rest of the cafe’s menu.

Cafe Beaudelaire is open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday. They are unsure whether city ordinances will allow minors in after 10 p.m..

Cafe Luc’s, located in Lucullan’s Italian restaurant at 400 Main St., is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.

According to owner Terry Lowman, they will be experimenting with live entertainment this year. “We have the room for it, we’re just figuring out some details. Keep watching, it will be happening.”

If the coffee shop craze in Ames continues, university officials may need to worry about running out of room. “There’s always the hub,” Burgason joked. “Well, you never know what could happen.”