Olde Main Brewing Company

Wonderful brews, I haven‘t tried one that I don‘t like. The food is a little pricey, but is good. I have eaten there about 15 times and have never had bad service.

Back in the midwest again and found some of their beer at Hyvee‘s....just as good as the tap beer. Love the Stout.

July 23, 2008
Meal was good - Stout beer was excellent.

Bad Beer. Really Bad Beer. They‘ve tried bottling their beer now and it doesn‘t keep well, turns bad in a few weeks. Bad.

I love Olde Main. The food is great and the beer is as good as any micro brewery. I will definately be back.

Olde Main is a great place to go in Ames. It is classier than some of the bars in campus town making for a huge draw on Wednesday nights for $1 pints. The food is better than your local Applebee‘s but nothing to write home about. Besides this, Olde Main still gets a "thumbs up" in my book.

Awesome place - great service. I had the ribeye and loved it - my wife had the walleye sandwich and I think I want to go back for lunch tomorrow. It was that good. The beer is great. I‘ve had alot of brew‘s across the country and this is really very well crafted. I really think this is a great addition to Ames and likely one that could easily be exported to other towns/cities across the midwest. I‘ll be looking for their beer when they start distributing. Ames should be proud - one of these days Ames could be known for one of the best micro-breweries around. Hats off to that Puff guy.

Service is poor here! I always get some rude waitress that hates her job and doesn‘t care about the company she works for, or let alone me the customer that tips for GOOD service. Boils down to poor management training and poor work ethic in SOME college kids these days.

I am sorry but the food was horrible, service looked like they couldn‘t handle the amount of tables they had....rude host and the beer was at best so/so.
I won‘t be back.

Just went for dinner Friday night and the service was excellent. Our servers name was Rick and he was very knowledgeable about the beers and the menu. He recommended the Bourbon Ale and it was smooth and flavorful just like he said. I got the ribeye with a healthy portion of mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables and it was fantastic. Definitely coming back!!!!

They just raised their prices, not worth it for the price with the quality of food they are serving. $23 for a ribeye, are you kidding me!!! And $16.95 for their Sunday brunch, they‘d be better off trying to sell the cure for cancer for $16.95, who do they think they are? Only good thing is pint night if you dont mind the crowds, meatheads and EMO‘s! Thumb‘s down!!

Great food, great atmosphere, great service! A personal favorite of mine!!!

I like trying new brews so I thought I‘d check this place out. The beer was pretty good (Amber is the best), but the cost was quite high and the quality of the service and the food rather low. I got a small fatty ribeye served with cold mashed potatoes (without gravy) and rubbery frozen vegetables for twenty bucks. Not recommended. The server seemed ignorant about the beer and was not helpful. If you want a good drink hit this place before you go to a nice restaurant, but avoid the food.

Try the asiago dip - it‘s fantastic! And of course since it is a brewing company, you‘ll have to wash it down with a beer. :)

my fiance and i frequent olde main just about every time we visit ames, and are usually satisfied. the only beer we truly find worthwhile, however, is the off-kilter scottish; the others do seem like imitaions, or are just, off kilter. the bar is where to go for service; fast, friendly & efficiant. the sunday brunch, on the other hand, is to be avoided at all costs. our waitress stood us up for 15 minutes after we were seated, to visit with a coworker. 15 minutes we waited, for waters or instructions. what a waste of money! it was later, but not closing time, meaning no fresh food. burnt-on scrapings. we should not have paid; we were so ashamed to have talked this place up to his mother & aunt from MSP. never will we return for brunch; we‘ll stick with the asiago/artichoke dip with our scottish ales in the smoking section.

We recently drove out of our way off I-80 to visit Iowa State for old times sake and what a find there! This great restautant where the food is special, the service perfect, and the whole atmosphere makes us want to go back We all (4 of us) ordered something different, did sample tasting and every choice was a dish we‘d like to have again! The meatloaf and wall-eye were favorites but the pork tenderloin was special too. It was fun ordering taste-size glasses of the different brews and the non-beer drinker selected a wine which was very good. All told, this stop was a highlite of our road trip.

First couple times were awesome (2 years ago), seems to have gone downhill since. Food is pretty decent. Lotta neat old pics of stuff in Ames on the walls, if you like that sorta stuff. Worth a visit. Went from my favorite place in Ames, to a decent place to go.

Pluses? Nice atmosphere, but for the rest... where do i start?? each waiter or waitress i have had when I‘ve been there has been slow, extremely bizarre, and the poorest service. My boyfriend was informed that his meal came later becuase they forgot it under the heat lamp (gross... say anything but that!) They have failed to ask me how my meal tasted each time I have visited. I am done giving this place a chance, will never go again.

I‘ll admit, it‘s hit or miss lately when I go to Olde Main. I think they‘ve had some turn over, I know my favorite waitress Rachel left. But for a good 2 year stretch they were great. This is the best thing to happen to downtown Ames since the railroad came. So my review is more of a "conglomerate" review of the years I‘ve been visiting.

I came to dinner here with my family....the food took forever and when I decided to complain the the management they didint do anything, they were rude and made me feel uncomfortable. No one should have to wait 45 min for a meal. I will not return here.

Really one of my favorites in Ames and they have beer that actually tastes like beer!

I love this place for doller pint night on wednesdays but went for dinner and our food took foreeeeeeveer. Nothing seemed amazing... just regular. I do like the beer, dinky wheat or stout ale is good, its ok.

Worst vegitarian menu ever. Eggplant was too salty, calzone was too plain, both were too expensive.

What a board room! I recently attended a lunch meeting here and we got the pleasure of eating in their board room....the room, service, and food were amazing (try the angus beef). If you want to impress clients you must check this place out.

This place is amazing. I ‘ve brought clients here twice and have never had such great service when bringing large groups into a restaurant. If you have want to take a large group out to eat in Ames there is no better place to go!

This place needs to start over! They need entirely new chefs, management, and waitstaff. The food is overpriced for the frozen really overseasoned or really bland meals that you get. Their desserts are not homemade as they say. The sunday buffet is disgusting unless you stick to omelets, prime rib, and soup. Their servers are incompetent and rude and would much rather goof off in the corners than wait on their tables and actually deserve a tip. I am fed up with this place and will not return.

This place has some good aspects. The design is very attractive and I like having two completely separate areas for smoking and non-smoking. The service is decent, but food prices are outrageous considering the quality and quantity. For a pricey supper, a salad costs extra. Seriously, how much does lettuce set the place back? The appetizers are much the same - the andouille sausage appetizer costs $7 and you get four small slices of sausage. Ridiculous! The beers are rather poor in quality too. I keep giving this place more chances, but am always disappointed. Do not buy a growler for a Thursday refill special of $5 - that special is for carry-out only.

The brunch at Olde Main is fantastic! Anything you could want for a lunch type menu or breakfast. Great pork and prime rib, veggies, fruit, salads - or made to order omlets, biscuits & gravy, breakfast meats and breads, etc. The desserts are homemade and wonderful. The staff is alway friendly and attentive. We will be going back again and again. The restaurant itself is a wonderful building! It is worth checking out if you are in Ames!

We love this place! I consider myself to be a salmon expert and I have to say this salmon is actually better than my own or any other restaurant I can speak of. We are currently getting ready to leave Ames for career advancement but it will be one of the greatest things missed. The beer is fantastic and that atmosphere is wonderful. I truly have nothing negative to say.

I like their stout quite a lot, and their steaks and prime rib are competent (but avoid the flat iron unless you REALLY like pepper... it is very much over-seasoned). The service is decent as well. The beers could use some improvement and more variety (how‘s about a nut brown, or a red, or a hefeweizen, fellas?), but all in all it‘s a good place. Pretty expensive though, as far as dining goes.

Much improved from their auspicious beginnings. Service was competent and food was served hot. (yes, that is an improvement from a year ago)
Meatloaf is outstanding and the beers continue to get better. I would now be comfortable taking a client to Olde Main.

Dinner isn‘t until 5pm. We didn‘t know that but the hostess was nice enough to give my boy a free soda at 4pm. Our waitress was interested in our thoughts on the beer. The food was really good. Beer was good. The wife and I tried one of each including a seasonal pumpkin ale. The wheat ale stood out as having a strong citrus flavor, it was the best of the bunch. The pale, scottish, amber and stout were middle of the road.

If I am ever back in Ames I would go back.

I had eaten here twice before and the service and food were on the low end of mediocre, but I was willing to give it one more shot and I was pleasantly surprised. We went in last saturday night (Sept. 23) shortly before they were closing but they didn‘t seem to mind and I didn‘t feel rushed at all, the waitress was very welcoming and pleasant. She had me try the meatlof and pumpkin soup with a scottish ale and my wife had the shrimp scampi and a white wine, we were both satisfied with our meals and drinks and elated with the service! I am sure to return!

I had heard mixed reviews of the restaurant/pub, so thought I‘d decide for myself last friday night. What I found was a great atmosphere, great service, good food, and decent beer. The waitress was friendly, attentive, and gave us her honest dinner and beer suggestions. The menu didn‘t have a lot of variety and seemed a bit overpriced, but the chicken tortellinni and catfish special were delicious (although rice and vegetables were bland) The scottish beer was good and the jefe weisen was not. But I will definitely return.

Our watiress needed way more training, didn‘t know about anything asked about. Food overpriced, my chicken seemed undercooked. My dessert was straight from a box. The only thing this place has going for them is the look. Noise is terrible, we sat in a very corner booth which seemed hidden, but they were moving tables around upstairs and didn‘t seem to care that it sounded like the roof was falling. I also found unprofessional that the staff seemed to "hide" in a drink cubby hole by our table. They were laughing and goofing off. I thought it was very rude.

Food was salty and overpriced, thought service was bad.

I was at Olde Main the other day, and the service was fabulous. The servers had smiles on their faces, and were attentive to all of our needs. The manager was around asking how everyone was and really made us feel welcomed. We are having an anniversary soon, and I will be sure to book my reservation there!

Went to see a band ...way too small for any kind of movement, and the bar was soooooo slow. The waitress was kind of dingy and didn‘t even know specials or drinks---I thought this was supposed to be nicer than campus towne, but I thought it was way worse. To run a resturant of that size, you need a full staff!! Looks like your trying to save money.

Tried to book a group reservation, called and called...felt completely ignored. Looked at the Catering Menu and I thought the whole party reservation looked unprofessional and seemed poorly ran. I just feel unsafe putting together a family get together with a resturant that seems unconcerned with customer needs and isn‘t running up to par. I wasn‘t please with the lack of information and knowledge that the host stand had when I called...they are the first impression guests have when calling or eating in...and I got "hello, old main...and uh uh I dunno, I‘ll have to ask, maybe...etc. Needs Improvement before I will return.

went over the weekend, not good. was going to bring family there, but now instead going to ‘The Cafe‘ in somerset...i was not happy with old main at all.

Service, food, and management need help. You can tell as soon as you walk in ppl don‘t know what‘s going on. What happened it used to be a great place? Beer is good. I suggest everyone skip the resturant side.

I am sorry but the beer was ok (scottish for sure) and the resturant was terrible...I was just there on Aug. 11th 2006 and the food was salty, the wait staff rude and clueless, the host stand were also clueless....I did mention this to the manager on duty, and he seemed to be lost and uncaring. I have been to Olde Main before (i think in dec of 2005) and the resturant was much better...the food was different and our waiter was awesome. I hate to see such a nice place go down hill so fast, I doubt I will ever eat there again...I will most likely come back for a ice cold scottish!

Try their meatloaf, it was very good. I didn‘t care for vegetables came with it though, tasted like frozen food.

The best brunch in Ames by FAR!!!!! The food is incredible. The Prime Rib melts in your mouth. The omelet man is both hilarious and a master of his craft. True the service at Olde Main is terrible. Absolutely atrocious. It was bad when they opened and hasn‘t gotten any better since. BUT with a buffet their extremely bad service doesn‘t get in the way of their extremely good food. Imagine what would happen if you combined their incredible food with adequate service. You could have a restaurant to rule the world.

Ate there for the first time last night. Food was good, beer was ok, wine was good. Service was hit or miss, sometimes she was there, sometimes she wasn‘t. Desert took a long time to arrive considering it was just cheesecake with fruit on top.

Atmosphere feels empty and cold...food is pretty good but seems to be a limited menu. Brewed beer could use some improving.

Olde Main is improving slowly but surely. The food has gotten better since the restaurant opened, especially the steak and other "special" cured meats. Service is still a little spotty, though, and the brewer still can‘t keep up with demand. At least one beer will usually be out of supply, and you‘ll still get the occasional keg that was rushed out of the tanks. The restaurant is pretty solid for dinner, though, and I never feel anxious about taking out-of-town visitors here.

Most of their beers are weak imitations of the real thing. If you‘re familiar with beer types Olde Main will be a disappointment (hint: "pale" ale doesn‘t mean you can see through it). But if your tastes run to Bud/Miller/Coors you can safely drink any of these. Food is hit or miss -- sometimes great, sometimes not. Service is good. I agree with the reviewer who said that it‘s evolving away from a brew-pub toward a restaurant-bar. Just as well given the bland quality of their beer.

olde main is one of the best places in town. the decor is gorgeous and the service is great. the beer is good, and the food is fantastic. this past weekend on easter sunday, all of main street lost power. old main was unable to open on time (10 am), due to their lack of power, but still prevailed. their brunches are amazing. they have normak breakfast foods, meats (pork, prime rib, ham), desserts, homemade omletts, salads, and pasteries. i highly recommend olde main. i always am happy with the quality food and service i recieve here.

The beer has improved and the ambiance has always been great. The food is very good, especially the house pasta dish. It is the best place in town for a lrge gathering.

The Sunday Brunch is repetitive and bland. The made to order omelettes are the only thing that ever tempt me to come back. Not even a single beer is included with the brunch. If you are a brew pub it seems you‘d want to push your product and could afford to offer one glass with a $15 meal - but oh yeah, the beer is horrible. I mean undrinkable bad and I‘ve tried it several times to give them the benefit of the "new and just getting started" doubt. Nope, its not improving and the whole place seems to be moving away from the brew pub concept to just restaurant/bar. Most brew pubs don‘t offer beers that they don‘t make - not Olde Main - they rely on them since theirs are horrible.

Too bad - its a nice place visually but just not hitting the mark with the food or the brew.

I was at Olde Main onh Friday night and although there was a small wait, it went very quickly! The server was really attentive and the food rocked!! I will recommend this place to my friends and will be proud to bring out of town guests here too. My new favorite place in Ames!!

Feb. 28, 06 I was in the pub on this night and they have some new people working behind the bar, and I think that this will really help out. The beer has gotten much better, although I miss the Honey Brown. The pub side is fun when you want a casual atmosphere, and you can still get the full menu in there as well. Keep up the good work.

Great food - Marinated Iowa Chop and Tortellini, great service - heard it was bad - our service was fantastic. Highly recommend giving it a try. Brews - Amber was good, so was the Honey Brown. They have growlers of beer to-go, interesting.

Tried it twice and gave up. Poor food (cold and over salted), okay service, okay beer. I just had higher expectations. Seems like there‘s plenty of potential that just doesn‘t gel.

awesome place to eat! great food, original beer, nice decor, and wonderful service. i highly recommend!

They have come a long way from a year ago but still much work to be done. Good beer and very awesome interior. Service is improving but still too many problems. Food is good but often is served cold. Meatloaf is a sleeper choice.

Nice atmosphere, terrible beer, slow service, bad acoustics

the food is pretty good but the service is ridiculously slow. we went here for lunch and were late getting back, they couldnt even get is out of there in an hour (there was no wait).

The atmosphere is great. Food is good. Had salmon that was a little dry and rolls that were hard as rocks but server then brought fresh ones. Service was absolutely the slowest I‘ve ever experienced. Would be fine for leisurely dinner with cocktails; not so good for work lunch.

I love the atmosphere. I think the food is great. The menu is a little limited but I hear they are working on a new one. I don‘t think the beers are ANYTHING like commerical brews. They are completely the opposite! Their specialty beers that they rotate around are usually my favorites such as the Mild Brown and the Solid Gold. If you have had a bad experience, I would give them another chance. You are missing out.

Olde Main has come a long way from were they started. The beers are now a reason to go to the pub. They also serve food at both bars (when I first went there they didn‘t). There service has become a pleaseure to experience rather than a bare. The food is excellent! The type of food they serve, you would not expect from a Brew House! I ate there on a Saturday night and it even came out in about 20 mins, which I think is an unbelieveable feat for such food. If they keep learning as they grow I think they will be here for years to come!!

Great Atmosphere, I like the outdoor look that they were going for, not to mention all the pictures of Ames and ISU history. Food is awesome, I hear there coming out with a new lunch menu, can‘t wait to try that. From the opening in October to today the service has gotten a lot better, for a restaurant that size I‘m sure they‘ve had their hands full with training, hats off, I know your on the way up. The beers have gotten a lot better to, I really like the Scottish and the Dinkey Wheat. Check em out, they‘ve even got a Pub bar that‘s open til 2am.

I went to Olde Main Brewing today for lunch and it was wonderful. The service was perfect and the environment was great. I really didnt think the food was over priced and I also thought that the portion size was just right. I feel that when restaurants serve huge amounts of food that this is the reason for obesity. I highly recommend this restaurant for the atmosphere and the service with a smile.

The food is alright but way overpriced for what you get. I went there for lunch and got a salad that was literally half a cup of lettuce and some olives, and cost $9. The decor is cold and makes you feel like you are sitting in a mall food court.

Nice ambience. Diners can choose to sit in an airy and open space on the main floor, replete with strategically placed HDTV‘s, or upstairs in an intimate balcony arrangement, high above the doings below. Olde Main serves some OUTSTANDING appetizers, mozzarella sticks, nachos shrimp cocktail among them. FAST and FRIENDLY service! Beautifully presented entrees with a lot of attention to detail. Superb root beer. Ames is lucky!

Over priced for the experience. What IS that interior trying to be anyway? Seemed like a theater set in a high school gym for another bad production of "Our Town".
The food was fair but pretty skimpy actually. I‘d think a place like that would go for volume if they were not "wowing" you with quality. I had a tenderloin and the cut was alright. The sides were a bit bland.

This place started in Oct 2004, and the brewery is doing wonderful! The owners are very personable and the atmosphere is so enjoyable. The resturant/bar has great food, wonderful root beer, and fantastic beer. Not to mention the fact that the decor is beautifully done. I highly recommend Olde Main to everyone!

I hated this place, my shrimp pasta came with more green beans and carrots than pasta. Horrible choice of entrees. After "eating" here, we got fast food.

The vegetarian meals are horrible. Stay away if you don‘t eat meat! The beer isn‘t anything special either, mostly clones of commercial brews. The only things that stood out were the root beer and the martinis.

This place just started in Oct 2004, so they‘re still catching their stride a litte bit (Jan 2005), but they‘ve mostly got it together now. Good food, nice atmosphere. Good root beer. (I didn‘t try the beer because I don‘t like beer.)