Whether you would like a quiet space to study, a comfortable atmosphere to chat with a friend, or just a nice place to go to pick up a warm cup of coffee, the local cafés in Ames can offer you all of this and much more. Café Diem: Walking into Café Diem, I immediately feelt comforted by the warm color scheme and drawn to the overstuffed leather couches. It almost seems counter-intuitive to have such seating that forces you to fight to stay awake in a place that wants to sell you coffee. One of the first things I noticed upon entering Café Diem was the silence. Many students take advantage of this quietness and go there to study or do their schoolwork. One of the more affordable café choices in Ames, Café Diem was by far the majority favorite among students of Ames High. “It had a lovely environment and the coffee is more bang for your buck. It’s more chillax and there’s cool art,” junior Patrick Schmidt said. “When you go to Café Diem you just feel like an all around cool person.” Student Votes: 27 Stomping Grounds: Stomping Grounds has a general atmosphere similar to that of Café Diem, but provides its customers with live concerts for their listening pleasure, more food options (including breakfast!) and arguably an overall better cup of coffee. “I drink a lot of coffee,” senior Jacob Pleasants said. “Stomping Grounds has good coffee and the music proves a darn good ambiance.” Although this is true, Stomping Grounds was not one of the favorites of Ames High students who were polled. It actually had the least votes of all the cafés in Ames that were polled. Now you might be asking yourself how this was possible considering all the things working for it. The thing about Stomping Grounds is that it can be slightly intimidating. It is on a college campus, and because of this, it draws a predominantly older crowd. Uh-oh! Student Votes: 11 The Café: I’m not isn’t sure if The Café is actually a café, but it seemed appropriate to include anyway. The Café is a wonderful restaurant with some of the most interesting and delicious food combinations in town. “It smells good at The Café and it’s delicious. Mmmm…,” senior Jessica Boelman said. Known for its wide variety of amazing desserts, you’d be hard pressed to find something there that you didn’t like. A more expensive option than the cafés mentioned above, The Café mostly draws adults or students out for a night with their parents. Despite this, The Café still came in right behind Café Diem in the student poll. “They have really good food and a nice atmosphere,” junior Zach Burleson said. Student Votes: 16 With so many great café options in Ames, it’s hard to go wrong with any one of them. From tango lessons offered at Café Diem, indie rock concerts at Stomping Grounds, and The Café’s incredible dessert options, Ames cafés can offer a lot more than just your average cup-of-joe.