The Great Plains Sauce & Dough Co. — Restaurant in Ames

Got there at 2:30 in the afternoon, nobody else in the restaurant. Two women behind the counter, seemed friendly enough. I explained it was my first time eating there and asked if they offered a "supreme" type pizza. She said, "you decide what you want on it, and we'll make it." I ordered a small white, thin crust with a half dozen ingredients on it, then found a table - and waited about 30 minutes. She called my name and I went to the counter to get my pizza (they won't bring it to your table ... even though it was my first time, and there were no other customers in the building). They were also not present when I retrieved it off the counter. My first bite was delicious, nice and hot with gooey cheese. But as I ate on, it became apparent there was way too much tomato sauce, and the crust was tough. The last two pieces I ate only the toppings, with most of the sauce scraped off. Nobody ever came to the table to ask how the pizza was (as I had explained it was my first time eating there). All in all, I'd have to give this parlor an "average" rating ... not bad, but not superior either, as some of my friends had boasted. If you want a "superior" pizza and experience to go with it, go to The Leaning Tower of Pizza in Ankeny ... it's...

I’ve been working in Ames for the last month. I decided I’d try the “best” local pizza. This place has a lot of good reviews. I decided to swing inside to order so I could get a feel for what others were ordering and see their operation. First thought was the inside decor / vibe was very cool for a pizza place. I had high hopes. The two people in front of me ordered New Orleans style crust so I decided to be safe and do the same. I ordered the Prairie Special as it is very close to a similar pizza that I enjoy back home. The pizza came out. Looked fine. But man was the dough super thick. It reminded me a lot of Digiorno pizza but even thicker. But also the crust was super bland. There’s honey at every table for the crust That’s to make the crust tolerable. The toppings were scarce for a $28 medium pizza. Like there were 4 toppings but getting a bite with 2 ingredients together was near impossible. One bite, only bell pepper. One bite only sausage. One bite only onion. Etc. it’ was so bad that this fat boy didn’t even want to take the leftovers to work the next day for lunch. This is a miss and don’t see what the good reviews...

I used to hear about Great Plains all the time. Then I went and became a believer!! The crust options can seem overwhelming to someone who has not experienced a home-style pizza restaurant before, but all the crusts are delicious!! The toppings are always fresh (fresh mushrooms- not canned) and the sausage is a special blend that Great Plains has created specifically for them. Their taco pizza is a 100% must (especially when on the Potato (which is a thin, soft crust) with the Doritos chips on top!! Yassssss! It's done right. And I love the flavor and textures of the Oat crust (which is thick crust, but not as crispy and hard as the wheat). I love the herbivore (their onion, green pepper, mushroom & black olive pizza- and I add pineapples) on the thin wheat crust. Usually, with that amount of delicious toppings, standard pizza slices get limp, but not at Great Plains!! Leave the forks behind. Pick up the slice and eat up! Also, don't be surprised if you get a thick crust large pizza and you can only finish two slices of pizza. The large pizza's seem to weight about 5...