A glass-fronted dessert case can change the direction of an afternoon. At The Cafe in Ames, it might hold a glossy fruit tart, bread pudding, a fruit crisp, a towering slice of carrot cake or flourless chocolate cake, giving a simple coffee stop a little more ambition.
That flexibility runs through the whole place. The Cafe handles breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, and it does not ask diners to treat those occasions the same way. You can settle in with a latte and blueberry scone, meet someone over a sandwich, bring the family for pancakes, or make an evening of a carefully plated entrée and martini.
The menu evolves with the seasons, so the named dishes are best viewed as a useful picture of the cooking rather than a permanent roll call. Still, the range is broad: steaks and seafood, salads and pasta, omelets and sandwiches, vegetarian dishes and desserts made for choosing slowly.
A morning stop with more than one mood
Breakfast can be as straightforward as Colombo coffee and a pastry, but there is enough on the menu to turn morning into a proper meal. French toast, pancakes, quiche with salad, a BMT omelet and a ham-and-asparagus omelet all give the day a different starting point.
The French toast has been a particular hit with younger diners, while pancakes offer the familiar, low-stakes comfort that traveling families often want. An elite omelet served with potatoes and whole-grain toast is a heartier option when coffee alone will not do the job.
For a lighter pause, a latte, chia latte or an éclair can carry the moment nicely. The pastry side of The Cafe is not merely an afterthought attached to the dining room; it gives the place a useful bakery-counter personality throughout the day.
Lunch with a few sharper turns
At lunch, familiar forms arrive with enough detail to keep them from feeling routine. The Cafe Burger has sharp white cheddar and a house Thousand Island-style sauce, with crisp, well-seasoned house-made potato chips alongside.
The brisket sandwich comes with a potato salad notable for its more complex seasoning, an unexpected bit of attention for a side dish. A pastrami sandwich and mac and cheese topped with melted mozzarella offer further comfort-food territory.
There are brighter choices, too. The Somerset Salad combines smoked salmon, mixed greens and crunchy seeds, while fish tacos have become a recurring favorite. The Thai tofu bowl brings noticeable heat, making a convincing vegetarian alternative to the sandwich-and-burger lane.
Dinner plates that dress up the room
By evening, the bistro setting takes on a more polished character. Dimmer lighting, music and candles can give dinner a date-night ease without making the room feel stiff or overly formal.
Korean flavors show up in several memorable dishes. Korean fried chicken Chinois pairs crisp chicken with a moderately spicy sauce and fresh crunchy vegetables, while Korean short ribs and Korean skirt steak have both stood out as dinner orders worth lingering over.
Seafood and steak get their share of attention. Chili-lime salmon has been a strong recommendation from the staff, and a tender medium-rare steak has drawn comparison to a filet in both texture and quality. Shrimp ceviche and calamari provide a lighter way to begin a larger meal.
Then there are the dishes made for getting every last bit from the plate. Cannelloni arrives with a flavorful sauce and bread suitable for mopping it up. A chuck-filled torte served with chili-spiced au jus brings a more unusual, savory note to the menu.
The pleasure of the dessert case
The sweets deserve their own visit. Carrot cake is especially well known here for its moist crumb and full, unapologetic flavor. It is the sort of slice that makes sharing seem less practical.
The flourless chocolate cake goes in the other direction: dense, rich and deeply chocolate-forward. It has become a requested birthday treat for at least one family, though diners with celiac disease should confirm current preparation and cross-contact details directly rather than assume the kitchen is fully gluten-free.
Key lime pie and passion fruit coconut cheesecake bring fruitier contrast to all that chocolate and spice. The cheesecake, with its tropical direction, is a welcome choice when a meal has already included a substantial entrée.
Fruit tarts, bread pudding and fruit crisps round out the case, and sweets can be taken home as easily as they can be ordered after dinner. The Cafe also works nicely for an evening dessert-and-martini stop, no main course required.
A room for booths, conversations and small celebrations
The dining room has a warm, attractive bistro look, with booth seating available for a more tucked-in meal. A private dining room broadens its usefulness for small gatherings, while patio or terrace seating may be an appealing option when it is available.
The room is often comfortable for conversation, though the sound level can rise to moderate at busier times. It accommodates a mixed crowd naturally: couples on a dinner date, families at breakfast, a party of six around the table, and regulars picking up dessert on the way home.
Presentation is clearly given attention. Entrées arrive with the composed look of restaurant dishes rather than bare-bones café fare, a detail that helps an ordinary dinner feel a bit more considered.
The useful details
The Cafe has a free parking lot, and free street parking is also reported nearby. The restaurant is on the first floor, with handicapped parking noted.
Service is friendly and attentive, particularly helpful when the changing menu leaves a table weighing several tempting directions. A staff recommendation can be useful here; chili-lime salmon is one example that has made a strong impression.
Waits have ranged from none to roughly 10 to 30 minutes, with the middle portion of a service period sometimes busier. Takeout is available, and the dessert case makes an easy final stop when a full sit-down meal is not on the agenda.