The Dot Cafe — Restaurant in Ames

Drove up from DSM this morning to check this place out. I work in MSP during the week so my hubby and I planned to come here after hearing about it last weekend. The open concept and color scheme were pleasant. The staff also seemed genuinely happy to be there. They were also very helpful. Orders are taken at the counter and the food is brought out to you. There are plenty of menus by the door so you can take your time perusing.

The food came out rather quickly and was beautifully presented. I had asked for the barista's favorite selections and she suggested the pimento oatmeal after I told her I like savory foods. It was one of two dishes I was eyeing, anyway. I've rejected sweet oatmeal most of my life so this is normally the way I prepare mine. However, I gagged upon taking my first bite. The oat milk totally ruins it, overtaking the entire dish and stealing all savoriness along with it. And no, it being oatmeal didn't already wreck it. I'm all for veg substitutions and often cook this way at home but oat milk was the wrong choice. It's too distinct a flavor to be on a salty rather than sweet meal. They honestly should have used cashew milk if they wanted to keep the integrity of the rest of the dish. The scallions on the oatmeal were also too powerful. They should have used chives instead. We could not taste the bacon or pimento cheese, at all. We also ordered the Breakfast Sandy. Quite unremarkable and the chicken sausage was rubbery and flavorless. I'm wondering if they forgot the seasoning. The sourdough was very good, though. I will give them that. I'm kind of thrown by all these 5 star reviews, though no one is really describing how or why the dishes are good. Neither of us are picky eaters. The flavors are just so confusing..Maybe we got the wrong things. We're not the type of people who ask to ever have dishes re-made or replaced. These are items on their menu that are meant to be ordered, and we tasted them in the manner that they were meant to be made. IF we ever come back we'll be ordering something else. Their page reads "Midwest nostalgia meets culinary creativity. As a proud woman-owned small business, The Dot brings you the comforting flavors you grew up loving, reimagined with a fresh, modern twist." I'm all for innovation but I did not feel that these dishes were elevated or improved in any way. I don't have any food allergies or special dietary needs, but I do appreciate creativity and will eat pretty much anything. It's rare that I leave disappointed and hungry. We stopped at Burgie's for breakfast burritos afterward. I was so looking forward to eating here this weekend. Maybe I'm wrong in my assessment. I'm just one opinion and I'm no chef. I just rely on my taste buds. I just thought I'd have a new suggestion for my many Vegan and GF friends. I don't waste food so now I'm trying to figure out what to make these leftovers into. I do wish...

Overall we were really underwhelmed. Cute place, just too many things we didn't like that made it not worth it for us to go back again.

Having to order and pay at the front with no consistent wait staff during your meal is disappointing for breakfast, especially if you want more than one drink or a coffee refill.

Ordered the nitro cold brew and was surprised at how extremely bitter it was, basically tasted like a regular drip coffee with ice, when other nitro cold brews I've tried are much smoother and not nearly as bitter.

Was excited to order the earl grey & orange french toast, some of my favorite flavors, but with every bite I couldn't taste anything orange or earl grey about it all. Just tasted like basic french toast, which was fine, the whipped cream was good, but a bit underwhelming.

The breakfast burrito had almost raw vegetables in it and my husband was crunching the bell peppers and onions throughout. And with the verde hot sauce being in the burrito and not on the side, by the time he finished the first half of the burrito his plate and other half of the burrito was very wet, soggy and falling apart.

Prices are pretty high for no sides included and no additional service. The building is also all concrete so if most of the tables are full it's really hard to chat or hear people at...

First off, if you don't like the "pay and tip first" system at a restaurant, don't eat here. We came in and had to figure that out, as there is no guidance. There were several confused people. It's fine, just not what I would prefer. Secondly, the food is overpriced for what it is. $13 for a breakfast burrito that was simultaneously too wet, and the vegetables were under cooked. Not sure what happened. My wife got the orange and earl grey french toast. It had neither of those flavors. I tasted it. It was bland. Her nitro cold brew also just tasted like regular black coffee poured over ice. I had the regular brewed coffee, and it was good. Overall, the atmosphere is nice, the people working are nice... but the food is just not good. It's disappointing because The Dot would kill it in that...