Where I Send Everyone Relocating to Ames: Cornbred BBQ

If you haven’t been to Cornbred yet, I’m going to need you to fix that.

Part of my job is knowing this market — the neighborhoods, the builders, the school boundaries, the commute times. But part of it is also knowing where to eat, because that’s half of what people are actually asking me when they say they’re moving here. They don’t just want a house. They want to know what their life here is going to feel like.

Cornbred is one of my go-to answers. It’s set up in the old Historic Train Depot in downtown Ames, which is worth seeing on its own, and the food backs it up — the Burnt Ends and Brisket are the ones people talk about, usually paired with their Hallelujah Mashed Potatoes. If you want something different, the Pulled Pork, Sticky Ribs, and Tex-Mex Poutine are all in regular rotation for me.

Relocating to Ames for work? I’m probably taking you here on your first visit. Coming from out of town to look at houses? Same answer.

This is the kind of thing that doesn’t show up when you’re scrolling listings from three states away — what the town actually feels like day to day. That’s most of what I try to give people before they ever put in an offer.

Cornbred is at 526 Main St, Suite 106, in downtown Ames.