Cellar 626

Tucked behind the beer cooler at Cyclone Liquors on Lincoln Way, Cellar 626 has no sign, no street presence, and no reason to exist — except that it absolutely does. You walk through a working cooler door to find a 30-seat bar where the drinks are named after liquor store employees and the Smoked Stan (a smoke-finished Old Fashioned) is the kind of thing you'll describe to people for years. It started in 2015 when Cyclone Liquors needed a bigger tasting room and ended up accidentally inventing one of Iowa's best bars. Word has gotten out just enough to earn a USA Today "coolest bar in the state" nod and a 4.5-star Yelp rating — but it's still a secret to most of central Iowa, and there's still no sign to tip off the uninitiated.

The move: Walk into Cyclone Liquors like you're buying wine, drift past the craft beer wall, and slip through the cooler door in back — then order something off the house cocktail list and let your date figure out how you knew where to go.

• 📍 Ames
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 626 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50010

Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

Verified 2026-06-09.