Ambar - Arlington

Ambar - Arlington reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. A

   Alisha

   Washington DC1 review

   1.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   We waited about 10 mins last our reservation time to be seated, however we were seated downstairs and it was incredibly dark and not enjoyable at all. Our waiter checked on us often but when we put in our orders for the unlimited brunch the items never came out, our waiter seemed too busy to do anything else other than ask us if we wanted more food that we never received. When a couple orders arrived we had been waiting 30 mins after being seated. I had 3 dishes overall so did my partner and we ended up asking for the check after less than an hour of being there. The manger on duty came to our table and viewed a tablet indicating what was delivered to our table, she completely gaslit us and refused to believe we hardly had any orders come out to our table. comped our drinks a total of $2.98, such a slap in the face. Very uncomfortable and unpleasant experience.
   

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2. J

   Jessica

   Fort Lauderdale2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Always a tremendous dining experience here. Great food and staff!
   

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3. H

   Holly

   Washington DC2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   This place felt like a challenge - eat everything you can eat in two hours to make the flat fee worth it! Between that and the incredibly high noise level that made us have to yell to each other to be heard, it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable experience. We didn’t enjoy the food much, either … we had heard great things but it didn’t live up to expectations.
   

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4. C

   Cheng VIP

   Washington DC3 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Most of the dishes were delicious. It was a busy Friday night when we visited, so service was slow and it was very noisy. Food came relatively quickly.
   

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5. J

   Jaime VIP

   Washington DC78 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I have been many times at Ambar and it’s always good but this time was even better - great food great service
   

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6. E

   Eloise

   Washington DC2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 24, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This was one of a shot in the dark for us so all the more reason to love it — food and service were FANTASTIC. We will definitely be back!
   

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7. D

   Donna VIP

   Washington DC59 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 21, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We enjoyed it very much. Inviting ambiance, delicious food, and excellent service. Thank you.
   

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8. A

   Ann Marie VIP

   Washington DC27 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on March 20, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   Th good was great and came out within a reasonable time, but the Thursday night we went the service was very slow in terms of ordering. Our server was very inattentive and was avoiding eye contact. Other tables appeared to be receiving the same treatment. The manager told us he had people out sick and so they were understaffed.
   

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9. K

   Kenny VIP

   Richmond5 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on March 20, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   I really like this restaurant and will go back. The one thing that would improve the experience A LOT would be for them to play different music, something culturally authentic to the Baltic region, or something soothing. The music today was way too "peppy" and American Pop. And too loud -- often felt like they wanted us to get up and dance instead of sitting and talking and relaxing. Our server, Francis, was excellent.
   

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10. C

    C VIP

    Washington DC20 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4

    This is the second visit for my nephew & I, both times for brunch. It's a great choice for millennial men (or younger) as they can eat as much as they want. It's also a great choice for most others, as there's a lovely assortment of choices that likely provides almost anyone with several terrific choices. And the price is, for the food/drink, almost reasonable (@ $43, plus tax, tip/pp). Service was a bit less favorable. My nephew, who was going through water quickly, watched the server busy chatting with colleagues on multiple occasions when he was craving more water. While I get that some time between orders - so folks have time to start feeling full - is not an unreasonable strategy, either provide larger water glasses, or come by more frequently w/the water pitcher. On the plus side, the restaurant was very quick to serve most choices after ordered, though it's not always in a logical order. Additionally, however, I found the server's hovering over me as I was handed the electronic bill and the pre-populated tip (at 22%) incredibly off-putting, and despite not so subtle hints, the server did not back off. While not every choice is a hit, some of that is personal taste. The grilled steak has been a hit both visits. The Balkan salad also was a great choice, as was the macaroni & cheese. I enjoyed both the mushroom flatbread and the mushroom pilov. My nephew loves all the sliders. Our guests this time enjoyed the meat pie. And we all enjoyed all the dessert options, plus the included drink options. All in all, while not a traditional DC brunch, it clearly deserves a place on most brunch-goers' brunch rotation.
    

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