Mickey's
109 Welch Ave
Ames, IA
(515)292-7378
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Bar - Irish pub
Mickey's Irish Pub is a friendly, home-town style bar with a whiskey-drunk Irish attitude. Ladies, don't forget to throw your bra around the giant moose.
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Features
Awesome drink specials
Price Range
Crowd
drunk fun-havin' college kids
Web Site
52 User Reviews & Comments
April 7, 2010 



I always have a great time at Mickey‘s. It‘s by far my favorite bar in Ames. I like the atmosphere and the deck, but the bathrooms need some TLC.
February 2, 2010 



Mickey‘s is Terrible, Service is slow, drinks are weak, and to top the night off when I asked to close my tab the bartender informed me that he had given my card away to someone on "accident" and I should not worry about it. He actually told me to not sweat him giving away my credit card to some drunk punk. Terrible bar. Will never return
January 16, 2010 



Just isnt a good bar plain and simple. The staff isnt nice or very good at what they do.
December 5, 2009 



I agree with everything that the previous poster said. Nobody on Welch actually has ‘good‘ bartenders. At most there are snobby people who serve generic drinks and open beer bottles. I still assume no one really drinks tap beer on welch because the quality is so poor. The only thing that is wrong about the previous post is the go to es tas reference. Save yourself the headache.
December 4, 2009 



what‘s with the best bartender in ames crap? i heard the chick who works here is winning, but everytime i go there she‘s just staring in the mirror. nobody in campus town actually bartends..they make rum and cokes and pour beer. i cant stand this place mostly because i hate the staff. go to es tas!! much better!
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September 4, 2009 



This bar is way over rated. It is disgutingly ditry, smells bad, and the drinks suck. Unless someone forces you to go to this bar avoid it at all cost.
August 31, 2009 



I like mickeys. Only had bad service once from some short guy but the other girl blonde bartender was very nice. They could clean the bathroom downstairs though.
August 29, 2009 



I wonder which employees of mickeys put that last comment this place sucks the drinks r bad the bartenders are bad i have never met the owner but i am sure he is bad as well, once a powerful staple in campustown bars now is a joke
August 27, 2009 



Mickey‘s received a liquor license renewal! This is GREAT! I go to Mickey‘s every night because of the great drink specials and friendly staff, managers, and owners! WE LOVE YOU MICKEY!
August 16, 2009 



Once a campus town power house, this place has fallen to the way side and should be taken out like sundays trash.
August 16, 2009 



HAHAHAHAHA! the almighty Mickeys has fallen...liquor license is up for review and was denied. Made front page of the Ames Tribune (which I assume counts for a slow news week, but none the less)
August 12, 2009 



Man i hope this place closes down. This isnt Mickeys anymore. Its a dump with horrible service.
August 12, 2009 



Most expensive bar on welch and slowest service
July 22, 2009 



My girlfriend and I just got back from Mickey‘s tonight. We enjoyed great music and partied with the barstaff. It was fun celebrating my birthday tonight. Thanks
July 20, 2009 



The worst bar in ames currently the bar used to be fun, but thats all changed the now have a couple old creepy guys that work there, and jar night what a joke it take them 3 bartenders to keep up behind that bar come on really the old staff did it with 2, this place has the worst and slowest bartenders in campustown, i for one will be going where the bartenders where at least the bar staff is competent which is anywhere but here, you guys had such a great thing going for so long but you destroyed it
June 6, 2009 



I‘ve been a patron of Mickey‘s for several years now - through the old crew and the new crew switch recently and it is still the same mediocre bar that it always was. Saying that is has changed for the better or worse is a stretch either way. At the very least this place is still about 8 times cleaner than Cy‘s Roost aka The Welch Ave Bathroom.
May 24, 2009 



Came back to campustown after graduating 5 years ago, and hit some of my old hotspots. Me and my buddies started the night hitting a new corner bar and found a tranny show? ended up mosying around the corner and into Mickeys. It was just like I remembered it, one big party with fun people in it. Glad to see the tradition is still alive!
May 16, 2009 



Love all the changes at Mickey‘s. I stopped in early on Saturday and talked to the bartendar. She was very friendly and I really enjoyed listening to her about all the fun things that are happening at the pub. I had to leave around 10 pm and the place was filling up with people. The place was clean, organized and you could feel the energy in the staff and customers. I will definitely be back the next time I am in Ames. Thanks Mickey‘s!
April 24, 2009 



Mickeys is going down hill fast, the new crowd there is stupid. The old staff moved to headliners because of the owner. That should be a huge hint to anyone wanting to go there.
April 23, 2009 



I love the person who says its turning around? ya, wonder if your an employee? that place is for the "campustown celebrities" (haha) who only serve their frat/sor. buddies. i loved going on a wed night, decently busy, about 3 deep at the bar and the female bartender is chatting away on her phone! really!? cmon now. and the place smells like they have a sewage problem or something. i also heard the owner lost all his employees to another bar bc he didnt pay them. kinda looked like the crowd went too. ive never had a good experience here. probably never going back. unless i get paid too.
April 14, 2009 



This place certainly has certainly turned itself around! Definitely the cleanest I‘ve ever seen it-- big improvement. Crowd has def picked up, super busy last few times I was there. Staff was friendly too, which is always a plus.
April 3, 2009 



what the hell is going on here? whoever is running that place has no business sense. a popularity contest for a staff? how about a bartender who knows how to do something. who gives a shit if someone is popular, they will just end up serving thier own friends all night. im so sick of hearing and seeing those stupid ads for hiring. and $1 jars and jugs is referring to boobs, not actual jugs of beer. this place is over for me and my friends. i would rather go to dangerous curves than this place, thats saying something.
Added by thebigguy
March 24, 2009 



Not too bad of a place to go for decent drinks. Atmosphere isn‘t bad, but the owner is horrible. I have personally interacted with the man, and it definitely was not an enjoyable experience. Supposedly the entire staff just quit because the owner is that bad to work for. Wouldn‘t be surprised at all if the crowd leaves too.
February 17, 2009 



do they clean anything here? i know its campustown but seriously, no tp EVER, toilets are always broken esp. in mens room. my shoes stick to the floor in the basement...and whats that smell?
January 30, 2009 



Some of the cheapest drinks on welch. Waitresses are nice to look at as well
January 8, 2009 



Question: Do I have to put on an 80 dollar polo shirt and pop my collar just to get a drink at Mickey‘s?
Answer: Yes. And you should probably try to pretend like you‘re in a frat, and walk around with an undeserved sense of accomplishment, then you‘ll fit in with the crowd at this bar.
Answer: Yes. And you should probably try to pretend like you‘re in a frat, and walk around with an undeserved sense of accomplishment, then you‘ll fit in with the crowd at this bar.
July 3, 2008 



Can‘t beat this place. Cheap drinks, pretty damn good service, dance floor in basement, and patio.
And for being dirty, you are at a bar, i can‘t see anyone not spilling once. And the point is to get drunk.
And for being dirty, you are at a bar, i can‘t see anyone not spilling once. And the point is to get drunk.
June 21, 2008 



The bar itself is dirty but like mentioned in other reviews what bar in campus town isn‘t. The service is excellent when you know they are obviously really busy. If you leave a tip the bartenders will usually come to you first the next time. The specials at mickeys are by far the best in town. How often can you get $1 draws and wells on a monday night. And the $2 you call its on Tuesday are better than the 2 for 1 special of wells at Paddys. The patio is great and the basement is really fun for the 2 for 1 shots and busting a move.
May 8, 2008 



Sure this bar is dirty, but what bar in campus town isnt. Just shut up and get drunk. This is the best bar I have been too in a long time. The patios open now so my buddies and I will be their every weekend over the summer!
April 26, 2008 



In response to the post about the female bartender from earlier...I go there quite often and enjoy seeing the people that work there when they are working and out playing when they don‘t have to work, except for her. I dread the nights she bartends and tend to go out of my way to the other side of the bar to order drinks because she has a chip on her shoulder that nobody gets. She is rude to everyone. I think she needs to get up on the right side of the bed some day.
April 20, 2008 



Mickey‘s has a great drink specials...who doesn‘t love 2fer prices until 10 pm every night? That‘s something other bars in Campustown don‘t give you. Also, the bartenders do not skip people NEARLY as much as bartenders at other Campustown locations. They do their job and go in the order you are lined up at the bar, not by picking who they think came next like other ones. If you tip well at the beginning of the night they also tend to give you better drinks all night long. Finally, for being a campustown bar, they are generally pretty clean. They‘re certainly much better than Paddys.
April 13, 2008 



Worst bar in Campustown. Full of arrogant, unpleasant hipster patrons. I can‘t believe that people actually wait in line to get in here. If you‘re not some frat guy with a popped collar and ‘product‘ in your hair, prepare to wait at the bar while that female bartender with the dark hair ignores you. I suggest going there when there‘s no cover, eating all their bar food and then leaving.
April 9, 2008 



The female bartender screamed at us because the lightbulb over our table went out. She was convinced that we did it. When my buddy reached up to see if he could fix it somehow she screamed at us again. We pretty much just gave up and continued sipping our drinks. When I turned to look at the bar about 5 minutes later a male bartender let out a string of expletives telling us to quit f*ing around and not to look at the bar?! Strange. Anger management may be needed for the staff. So...if you go here, make sure you don‘t sit at a table with a shitty light fixture or you may get an @$$-chewing. Also, the door guy needs to lay off hitting on people. It‘s creepy and annoying. I do like the patio, but now that the tables inside have been ruined for me, the patio‘s about the only place I‘m willing to hang. Especially since the basement is nasty.
March 12, 2008 



One of the best place to go and get your drink on.
March 12, 2008 



One of the best bars in Ames, you know that its going to be a good night if you end up in the basement at Mickeys
January 30, 2008 



Drink specials are great, love the atmosphere, it‘s a little crowded but what bar in campustown isn‘t?
July 9, 2007 



Mickeys is by far my favorite bar in campustown and the only place I will ever FAC. Service is usually really good, doesnt take long for a drink, free food, staff is cool, and drink specials are usually pretty good too. Basically, this place offers a chill environment upstairs where you can hang with friends or play darts,foosball, or pool....or you can head downstairs at night and dance instead. The best is chilling out on their patio/deck area during FAC while enjoying 50cent draws.
June 26, 2007 



Mickey‘s has something for everyone. It is by far my favorite bar in campustown - you can‘t beat the patio in the summer. The girl bartenders in particular are incredibly quick to serve drinks, and are not bad to look at either!
June 25, 2007 



I always have a GREAT time at this place!!! You have to have done something really wrong to not get good service here.
May 27, 2007 



Great place to go if you want service without a smile and to be surrounded by smoke.
May 17, 2007 



This is the BEST bar in ames. If you want a great drink at a cheap price than this is the bar for you. The service here is absolutly incredible. If you are a fan of FAC you must go to Mickey‘s for the best FAC on welch.
May 2, 2007 



Mickey‘s has something to offer to everyone. You can chill outside on the patio, dance, play pool-darts-games, or whatever it is you want to do. great drink specials during the week and two for shots in the basement. guarantee you have a great time!!
March 22, 2007 



all i know is when i get to mickeys i get my drink fast. that dark haired girl behind the bar is vicious and takes no crap, but i get my my drink fast and strong. i dont go to the bar for a show, i go to get drunk and hang with friends! cant wait for the summer patio!
November 14, 2006
I go here quite a bit, and I know all the other opinions matter...But when the owners of Club Element, Cy‘s, and Chasers all show up on a friday night to have a good time it must be happenin‘. P.S. I love the bartenders.
October 30, 2006
I have come to terms that all bars on welch are dirty, however Mickey‘s is one of the better ones. Drinks are not that cheap, only during the week and the bartenders are NOT NICE.
July 20, 2006
I LOVE MICKEYS! I know a lot of people that go there. The bartenders are super nice and it offers a variety of things: Pool, a dance floor that actually has people dancing, a patio when the weather is warm, a nice lounge place upstairs, and GREAT drink specials! I would reccomend it to anyone!
February 9, 2006
i agree the mickeys in des moines is cool but the ames bar just sucks a lot of ass, too small, nasty downstairs and too many people/tools that go
November 20, 2005
I guess really lame people cruise this site. Mickey‘s is a GREAT bar with super-cheap drinks... The music usually caters to no one in particular. Different music for everyone. If you hang out at Welch or some other tired place, this is not the place for you
November 15, 2005
‘tis a crappy bar indeed
November 15, 2005
I hate Mickeys, all the ugly people in Ames flock to this bar! Needs a lot of improvement!!!!
April 21, 2005
They used to have a small town environment, but now the music selection has gone down hill... I don‘t know how playing terrible rap/hip hop qualifies as a "small town" environment in Iowa.
Any attempt to play classics such as led zepplin, lynard skynard, etc. on the juke box is immediately changed by the staff.
Any attempt to play classics such as led zepplin, lynard skynard, etc. on the juke box is immediately changed by the staff.
April 6, 2005
they play the most annoying music here, I can‘t stand it! Last time I was there they were playing "save a horse ride a cowboy" so I went downstairs to get away from it because they play it constantly, and they were playing the same song downstairs also. The songs were about 15 seconds off each other. I want to break things just thinking about it now.