Hickory Park Restaurant Company

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I too ate at the E. Lway location in the 70's. It's as good today as it ever was. They got it down pat. They herd us in like cattle, feed us more food than we can possibly eat, for minimal bucks, and send us away happy. Been to Hickory Park for almost 40 years, and never a bad experience. Cute, cheerful young ladies serving seems to cheer me up on the dullest day. Best value around.

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User Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I remember eating at the original Hickory Park on East Lincoln Way in the 70's That was good. I liked the atmosphere at the second location much better than the building it is in now. It seems the food and service has gotten progressively worse since it has moved to now its third and current location. We eat there now only when the people we are dinning with choose to. I can't remember the last time I have dinned there in the last couple of years (8-12 times) my party did not have something wrong with the food and or service. One thing I used to always look forward to was the ice cream, but recently they have switch from a much superior Anderson Erickson ice cream to Blue Bunny. The mashed potatoes and gravy is the ONLY thing I would recommend and I think I have sampled just about the entire menu in my life living in Ames. Even if the service was constantly good and the food prepared to order, the quality just is not there. I will say the portions and price are fair, you will get what you pay for. It just seems the hype Hickory Park gets is all about the great food. That may have been true as recently as 10 or 15 years ago but you will find better food at almost any restaurant in Ames. Hickory Park used to be a favorite place to eat as recently as 10 years ago. A lot has changed. That being said, it's not all to blame Hickory Park, the current dinning competition in Ames and central Iowa has left Hickory Park in the dust when it comes to quality. Having traveled the U.S. and tasted real BBQ from K.C. and Texas, I'm not so sure I could call what Hickory Park has is BBQ. It is an original flavor that's for sure. That stuff they have in the bottles on every table is what the Hickory Park employees call "baste" is the proper word for it because I'm pretty sure it's not BBQ sauce.
Dave, what happened? You had such a good thing going for a many years.

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User Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Definitely the most over-rated restaurant in Ames. Every time we go to Ames, other people want to eat there. I think the food is average at best. There are definitely better BBQ places in Des Moines.

Yeah, it's unique, and yeah there are NOT a lot of really good restaurants in Ames. But is the food really that good, or do you just think so because everyone tells you how fantastic it is?

OK, the desserts are amazing, I'll grant you that one.

But I'd rather go to O'Malley & McGees up the street or Wallaby's on the west side, or even Pizza Pit in dogtown for better food.

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