Ambar

One of my favorite happy hour spots. Prices are incredible and apps are tasty! My favorites are the vodka mango lemonade, fried sourdough bread, and the mussels (the sauce they use… yum!!!)… all $ 4 each during happy hour! The staff is always pleasant so it makes it that much better.

We had an amazing experience here on Sunday night. The weather was perfect so we sat outside on the front patio. Water was served and we met our waitress.
The menu can be a bit overwhelming but in a good way! It’s full of spreads, soups, flatbreads, sausages, seafood, pies, mezzes… you get the point. Our waitress suggested the Balkin Experience, all you can eat and drink for $ 49 — if you don’t feel like drinking — you can get it for $ 40 a person. And we went with that.
Everything we had was delicious. Let’s get to it:
Urbnebes Spread: ⁵⁄₅ — I literally licked the plate clean. I’m a new believer of miracles of aged cow cheese.
Meat Pie: ⁴⁄₅ — Taste like meat in a pastry, solid! Loved the garlic yogurt spread on the plate.
Brussel Sprouts: 3.5÷5 — They were good but with Brussel Sprouts being nearly on every menu in D.C. your Sprout game gotta be strong! These were aight but not STRONG!
White Flatbread: ⁵⁄₅ So, so, so good! Perfect cook, great fresh truffle taste and best of all? The miracle of aged cow’s cheese blessed my plate again.
Drunken Mussels: ⁵⁄₅ Those things are soaked in the most delicious juice, this is so good, you might want to pick up the bowl and drink from it. Mussels aren’t overly chewy either.
Kulen, Spicy Salami, Meat Mezze: ⁵⁄₅ I love salami, like a whole lot. This was very good. Also, loved the cheese that came with this plate.
Ambar Fries: ²⁄₅: There’s some homemade spice on these things that had my coughing up a storm. Also, the fries are huge and mushy, making them seemed not all the way fried enough.
Red Quinoa Salad: ³⁄₅ New item on the menu. The pomegranate overpowers the taste but still a-​okay item. Wouldn’t get it again, though.
Shrimp Skewer: ⁵⁄₅: Very nice grill on the shrimps, loved the grill on the asparagus and loved the aioli on the plate.
Balkan Kebab: ⁴⁄₅: Very good meat, was getting very full at this point but pulled through because it was really good.
Whew! I’m already looking forward to going back to Ambar and getting this all-​you-​can-​eat deal once again. Give Balkan food a try!

Went with a group of four, and everything was A-​OK. Did not go with the $ 49 Balkin Experience because the whole table would need to select that option, and we didn’t feel like being balkin alcoholics that night. So we ordered a selection of things.
Ordered the mussels when i enjoyed, wife thought they were too strong, and I’ll admit I felt they could have cut back a little on capers. Leek Croquettes were tasty, as well as meat pie, probably the best items. The slow cook pork was surprisingly tough, also ordered one of the spreads (strawberry), which just tasted like Philadelphia cream cheese, and the Ambar fries were tasty, but nothing unusual about them.
Desert was a balkin joke. We ordered their ‘Award winning’ Forest Gnocchi, and it just tasted like gritty Grape Nuts cereal that was on the very sugary side. Wife just had one bite of it and said ‘no’.
Overall, it was an ok experience, glad I got the chance to try some Balkin food, but probably won’t be coming balkin back for it. More a fan of Spanish tapas maybe?

I love Ambar! The food is delicious and the manager (Uros) is wonderful! The brunch menu offers a variety of spreads (cheeses, breads, meats), egg dishes as well as sweet and savory options. For $ 39 you get bottomless mimosas and small plates. Definitely one of the best brunches in DC!

Balkan cuisine? Who’s ever heard of that? If you ask me what Balkan cuisine is after having had it, I still don’t know how to answer that question. I ate seafood, bread, vegetables, soup, meats, and pies, and there’s no one distinct profile of the dish that makes you go, oh, that is Balkan. What I can tell you though is what ever it is, Ambar does it exceptionally well.
My group of 6 went with the all you can eat special for $ 40 (no drinks, $ 49 with). If you can do it, I would HIGHLY recommend it. Be smart about it and don’t load up on all the lesser items before. Tell the waiter/​waitress you want to start with the drunken mussels because those things shine so much!
Here’s the run down of what we got.
1. Drunken Mussels — oh that sauce these bad boys are in. It’s some cheesy, rich, gooey goodness. The mussels aren’t large and overwhelmingly chewy either so I think that’s why I loved them so much.
2. Fried bread — just keep asking for it! These doughy fried morsels are amazing! Trust me, you’ve never had this before, and you can dip it in EVERYTHING!
3. Meat pie — it was good in flavor
4. Veal soup — oooo rich goodness! A definite must get, especially with the fried bread.
5. Leek Croquette — another unique and amazing dish. I don’t know how to explain it.
6. Cabbage Casuele — same with the leak croquette. Well made taking you to flavor town.
7. Tartar steak — the pork cracklins were unique. The tartar had good consistency. I enjoyed it.
8. Summer Pepper — another one of those you think it’s so simple dish, why get it, but boy, you are wrong. Stuffed with beef, pork, and root vegetables. Delicious!
9. Vienna schnitzel — thin, crispy, great meat!
10. The spreads — I would highly suggest you get the smoked trout and when we were there they had this unique strawberry flavored one that was covered with bacon bits. I’m not a fan of mixing savory with sweet, but if that is up your alley, I would highly recommend it.
That was what we got, and there’s a good amount still off the menu untouched, but these are all ones that I would HIGHLY recommend you try out & have your waiter/​waitress keep bringing to your table!

We checked online reviews and saw the excellent rating this place had so we gave it a try on Monday (Memorial Day) at 2PM. Upon arriving, they were packed, but we had reservations, so there was no problem getting seated. But the music was sooo loud, we could barely talk to the hostess to give the name and be seated.
Upon being seated, the music was too loud to carry on a decent conversation with the people we sat together with. Somewhere around half way through our time there, they lowered the music and things got a little better.
When we made the reservation and decision to go there, we looked at their menu and it looked amazing. Unfortunately when we got there they were having brunch, which is far from healthy! In fact, there’s nothing healthy on that particular menu. The food all looked really good, but they really should offer some dishes that are healthy, vegan and/​or non-​dairy. Upon asking for the portabella mushrooms that are part of a crêpe they offer to simply be added to a salad, the server advised that they were pre-​prepared in a cheese mix, not made fresh to order. Having a good amount of menu pre-​prepared is fine, but they should also have the ability to make something that can meet the dietary needs of their guests.
The food we did order tasted nice. The chicken sandwich was dry and the actual fried chicken was flavorless, but the spread, consisting of apples with it was very tasty and offered a nice flavor, but still resulted in a dry sandwich. The cucumber salad was really good and loaded with flavor. The chicken spread appetizer was nice, but was very heavy of mayo and tasted like the chicken version of tuna salad. The bread that came with it was nice, but the fresh bread puffs were freshly fried and very oily.
Overall it wasn’t as bad as I’m describing and we’d like to try it when they’re offering a different menu.
The server was OK, but not as understanding of those who might have special dietary needs to offer up anything. Everything we asked for was either a «yes» or «no» to whether they can do that, rather than making good suggestions.
The biggest issue that inconvenienced many that day was that none of their restrooms were in working order! (Isn’t this a health code violation??)
I watched people leave to go to other restaurants on that road to use their restrooms instead — this is pretty poor service.
I can see that the food would normally be great, but mark up much of the issues to poor management and customer service. Seems they might be too big and popular for what they’re able to handle.

Amazing food! We were a group of 6 and got the unlimited samplers and drinks. We asked the server to bring us what they recommend, and ended up trying 28 dishes! I liked them all but if I had to pick my favorites, it would be the brussel sprouts, all the cured meats, the fried bread, and steak tartare. The staff is so friendly! Our group is heading to Belgrade and plan to go to the same restaurant there, and our server brought us a desert platter with a welcome to Balkans sign. The ambiance is also wonderful! Not too noisy to carry out a conversation. It was packed and this was Tuesday night! Highly recommend making reservations ahead of time. Will definitely return!

I absolutely love this place! The food is amazing and the service is top notch! If you can, splurge for the $ 49 Balkan experience. It includes unlimited drinks and plates! When I say «drinks» I don’t just mean cheap beers and house wine either! It even includes cocktails (the mojito is wonderful)! Every plate we ordered was delicious. I didn’t taste one thing I didn’t like. The fried sourdough balls are seriously amazing! They have a good selection of gluten free and vegetarian options as well so there is something for everyone!
The restaurant itself is beautiful. There are two levels and an half– outside patio area. It’s inside but the room is open and gives it a patio feel. Now that the weather is starting to warm up, it would be a great place to enjoy the refreshing cocktails and delicious food!
If you’re considering this place– just go! You won’t regret it! Just be sure to make a reservation as it can get crowded!

Ambar is one of our favorite restaurants. We’ve been eating there since they’ve opened, and we’ve watched the menu and concept evolve. It’s small plates, but the portions aren’t too small. If you can, I highly recommend doing the Balkan Experience, which is $ 49 per person. It includes unlimited small plates and selected drinks. For $ 10 more, you can add on unlimited mixed grill, but those are huge. In my opinion, just the $ 49 option is perfect. You’ll be making money off the drinks alone!
The atmosphere is cozy, and I love the décor. They have huge jars of pickled things everywhere, and the waiters are very knowledgeable and happy to make recommendations when asked. They’ve never steered us wrong. Some of our favorites include the smoked trout dip, brussels sprouts, leek croquette, and steak and frites. The trout is the perfect balance of smokey and just a hint of fish. It’s very tasty. The brussels sprouts are fantastic, but I really haven’t met a brussels sprout that I didn’t like! The bacon is a welcome addition. The leek croquette is delicious. The leeks are sweet and add just a hint of onion. It’s fried, and I think also has a mild cheese in it, so it’s pretty heavy. Just one order will do! Finally, the steak and frites were a surprise! It’s not what you’re picturing, but instead almost like a shredded pot roast over big steak fries and a cheese sauce. It’s really really good, and it’s not super filling.
As far as drinks go, I’ve enjoyed their Pomegranate Collins, Mojitos, and Sparkling Wine. My husband tried a Sarajevo Old Fashioned, and neither of us cared for the Rakia that they use in it. He also had a few Bip Beers which were also good. They have a really great wine list, though, and if you’re adventurous, I’d recommend the the Agrina Portuguiser. If you love it as much as I do, DCanter next door carries it for half the price of the bottle at Ambar! ;)
Desserts aren’t included in the unlimited, but there’s always room no matter how stuffed we are! I can’t remember what we ordered the first time we went, but I want to say it was the Three Chocolates. This past time, we tried the Forrest Gnocchi. It apparently won some award, but in my opinion, it was just OK. It was a soupy cookies and cream tasting dish with a hint of orange marmalade.
We’ve also been for brunch where they offer pretty much the same menu plus a few breakfast staples. I think we ordered the Nutella Waffle with strawberries and it was amazing. We love Ambar, and will definitely be back!

Definitely make a reservation ahead of time! This restaurant is worth it and definitely our favorite in DC so far. Bonus? Service was top notch and they helped us navigate what items are/​can be made gluten free.
Go for the $ 49 unlimited drinks and food. You’re welcome. Pretty much every dish we ordered was amazing.
Drinks: Mojito is strong — you’ve been warned. The red house wine was good. Mango limeade was sweet, but also pretty strong. The Pom Collins was great and my wife knocked back two pretty quickly.
Food: Chef’s selection spread was good and included this delicious fluffy cheese, hummus, and a trout spread. The puff pastries and pita bread provided were great, and my wife got a good serving of sliced celery, peppers, and cucumber to eat the spreads with. I wasn’t a fan of the red pepper spread, but my wife enjoyed it. Cheese puff pastry was amazing. Smoked sausage was delicious. The salmon was good; sea bass was okay. The «fries» were not cooked all the way through so I wouldn’t get them next time. Asparagus was pretty good as a side dish but nothing new. The Brussels sprouts with bacon was the BEST. I hate vegetables and I was fighting my wife for it. The stuffed cabbage roll was good, but my wife claims that her grandmother’s is still the best. The stuffed summer pepper on the other hand was a delicious and great take on the traditional recipe!

Ambar just keeps getting better and better! I decided to celebrate my birthday this year at Ambar, and it was a such a good decision. They are great with groups and the group all you can eat /​drink deal (either $ 59 or $ 69, can’t remember, oops) is such a great option for large communal meals. It also removes the hassle of figuring out what to get because they curate the meal for you with their best sellers. You can also add in whatever else you want off the menu that they didn’t bring out, so really, it’s a win-​win situation. My favorites were the chicken kebabs (surprising, I know, since it’s such a basic dish, but it was some of the juiciest flavorful chicken that I’ve ever had), grilled octopus, brussels sprouts (perfectly roasted), steak tartare (I may have hoarded one of these just for myself), and ALL of the desserts.
The desserts deserve a special mention — as it was my birthday, I got a spread of all their desserts — and they even made it complimentary, which was super sweet of them! On top of that, they brought up the full sized version of forest gnocchi — which you *have* to try. It looks weird when presented — like a mish mosh of random ingredients, and once it’s mixed together, it looks *even* weirder — like … chocolate porridge? But don’t judge the book by its cover! It’s one of the tastiest chocolate dishes I’ve ever had — it’s meant to taste like a jaffa cake — chocolate + cream + cookie + fruity tangyness. Definitely would visit Ambar again for this alone.
Overall — the service is impeccable, the dishes are delicious, the price point affordable, and the ambiance fun. Definitely a must-​try place if you’ve haven’t been here yet!

One of the best dining experience I’ve ever had! My friend and I came here for dinner on a Saturday. The hostess told us we have to wait 30 – 40 min to get seated or sit any of the empty seats on 3 of the bars they have. We luckily found 2 seats on 2^nd floor bar. We had $ 49 UNLIMITED food AND drinks!
We had chefs tasting for both Kajmak bar and spreads to start off. Smoked salmon and spicy crab were my favorite! Mm so yummy. Next, we had squash salad. We also had mushroom pizza sa Perukama flatbread. Omg so good. My mouth gets watery even thinking about it. The stuffed sour cabbage was alright. The bartender said it’s true Balkan food but it was okay. Drunken mussels, Sesame crusted salmon, and shrimp skewer were very good! I got margarita and red wine and the bartender gave us free shot of Balkan vodka (?) Which was 45% alcohol. It was a very good night.
Pros:
–friendly servers including the executive chef and the bartender!
–we tried almost every food on the menu and they were amazing. Wished they were smaller in portion so that we can eat more ;)
–ambiance: classy and cute.
Cons:
–nothing really — if you know what you’re getting
I would definitely come back

This is the best dining experience I’ve had so far in terms of service and food quality. Make sure to get the Balkan experience which is $ 49 unlimited small plates and drinks. We were there for 3.5hrs and possibly could have stayed longer if it was not a week night!
Highly recommend the sourdough! It’s freshly made and tastes amazing even by itself. My favorite pairing is with the salmon spread.
The manager or owner came over during our dinner to check how everything was and shared an anecdote about his childhood eating sourdough with Nutella. It really made this dining experience special — «living» the Balkan experience.
Ambiance– I loved the décor in Ambar. It has 2 floors, 1^st floor seems more cozy. 2^nd floor has a bar. The place is very trendy. Check out my pics.

I was actually slightly shocked when I realized I hadn’t written a review for Ambar having been their several time the last time being 4÷3÷16 for lunch.
I’ve never had a bad experience at Ambar.
I also find their pricing extremely fair for the area. I discovered during my last visit for lunch they offer their signature lemonade, an appetizer (soup or salad), main dish (in a «tasting» size) and dessert for $ 22.00. The best part of my meal was the asparagus soup. It was creamy, salty and delicious. Although, my salmon and soft cheese dish was a tasting portion, it was more than plentiful.
Our waitress was very nice and I felt she checked in on us the appropriate number of times. My friend and I sat for almost 2 hours chatting without every feeling rushed.
I also like the ambiance Ambar with pictures and nick knacks of Eastern Europe. Ambar on a nice day will also open its large window in the front of the restaurant. On the day I had lunch we sat in front of the open window looking out to their street patio. (It can get a little loud during peak dining times.)
In an nutshell, I have nothing bad to say about Ambar and if in the area it is often my default place to meet friends for a meal.

My husband and I were so glad Rose’s Luxery rejected us. It gave us a reason to finally check out Ambar with our two friends visiting from out of town. Although Ambar was fully booked for the night, the sweet hostess managed to squeeze us in. She did warn us that we might have to give back the table within 1.5 hrs. We gladly took the offer and made the best out of the allotted time.
Since we had limited seating time, we decided to forgo the unlimited tasting option and went ala carte. The four of us each had the chore of choosing three dishes. There weren’t a single dish we didn’t enjoy. The must gets included veal stew (the broth was out of the world), mushroom crepes (huge portion, creamy, loved the texture), cheese pies (cheese and carb what not to love?), stuffed cabbages (wished there were more rice and meat!), and peanut pork tenderloin (this dish surprised me the most especially since I usually don’t care for peanut or pork. The pork was perfectly cooked and the creamy mashed potato side was so delicious!)
There were many options, so many things we wanted to try! Wished we had the time to try the whole menu. But 12 dishes for the 4 of us was just right. Just enough stomach room for desserts to come. We ended our meal with chocolate gnocchi and Capri (raspberry cake and sorbet) — to our perfect sweet ending!
Overall — there were couple of no shows so we weren’t rushed to give up our table. We ended up catching up and staying for drinks. Service was attentive and prompt. The manager even came to our table and gave us complimentary shots. Foods were unique and delicious. Price was very fair. Forget Rose’s, Come to Ambar! I can’t wait to bring my family to take advantage of the unlimited tasting!
Major Kudo — I forgot my purse at the restaurant (for two whole hours before I noticed!) and the staffs held it for my return. Not a single item went missing. Honestly, I can’t thank them enough.

Absolutely beautiful from the food, décor, and the staff.
The minute I entered I was greeted and felt a friendly pleasant vibe. The owner was very friendly and down to earth. I did not feel a snooty vibe at all while dining that night.
The food and drinks were beyond perfection. The Grappa Smash drink was a smooth, minty drink that was not too sweet or over the top. This drink alone will have me returning. I had the almond crusted chicken with a squash salad. The salad had me hooked on the panko coveted mozzarella balls! The chicken was delicious beyond words! Dessert was heavenly … I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Love this place! My date and appreciated the Rakia which were compliments of the owner.

Delicous brunch menu!
Endless brunch options and mimosa for $ 39.
They have a variety of vegetarian dishes for those who are meat-​less like me.
Our server was really nice and friendly and made the experience much the better.
Ambiance and interior decorations were very lovely.
Tips:
— gets busy on weekends, make a reservation.
— 2hr limit from when the reservation begins
— come hungry, bc you’ll enjoy a feast

Ambar’s happy hour especially on Tuesday is one of the best deals in the city. From 4 to 7 everyday they have 4 dollar drink and food specials and even better on Tuesdays the drink special continues until closing.
I sat at the upstairs bar during my recent visit and enjoyed the setting. The skylines provide a lot of natural light that really adds to the rustic vibe with the wooden bar. Service was really good, the bartender was friendly and made sure to keep my glass refilled when needed.
Drinks were decent but not the strongest, probably for the best at the happy hour price point. I tried all the select cocktails on their happy hour menu and found the mojito to be the best of the bunch, not too sweet with a nice alcohol balance.
Didn’t really get a chance to explore the food menu and only had an order of fries, fresh potatoes, well seasoned and cooked nicely, the accompanying sauce was the real treat and had some strong flavor.
Worth a Tuesday visit and I’ll definitely return.

This was my second time having the $ 39 unlimited brunch at Ambar. They serve unlimited small plates along with bottomless glasses of mimosas or bloody Mary’s. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for an overall awesome brunch experience!
The service is great… Our waitress made some great recommendations, kept our glasses full and served us with a smile. The Balkin food is delicious… I especially liked the savory bread pudding with bacon, cheese pie and prosciutto Benedict. I also loved the pear mimosa.
Overall this was the perfect spot for a Sunday funday brunch with my girlfriends!

The ambience is trendy but warm, reminds you of modern eastern Europe and the walls are decorated with shelves full of brandy bottles.
My friend and I have been wanting to give this place a try for a long time. We had no reservations but the hostess courteously and quickly seated us. The server explained the menu and left, so the manager found us wondering and looking around. He took care of us since then. He patiently explained the menu and brought me a sample of brandy so I could tell if I wanna order it or not. Obviously, brandy was not my thing so I ordered a sparkling dry wine which was great.
We ordered mushroom crepes, fried breaded chicken breast, and balkan kabob. They were all tasty and to my surprise, generous portions for appetizer. My favorite was the mushroom crêpe, i highly recommend to try it. The chicken breast was tasty and well prepared and balkan kabob was something between a Mediterranean lamb kabob and meatball. I really loved the tomato sauce.
The manager was really friendly and nice and very attentive to service. I enjoyed the experience and will go back to this place.