Review of Ambar aka my new fave in DC!
Ambar is a restaurant specializing in Balkan cuisine in the Barracks Row neighborhood of SE DC. The restaurant has generated a lot of local buzz and popularity and I've had Ambar on my long list of DC places to try as I was intrigued by the Balkan cuisine. Finally, last week I went to dinner with my friend, Hannah, and I questioned why it ever took me so long to go- I have been missing out on this gem all this time! I cannot gush about Ambar enough- we had the most perfect GNO and I'm telling you all about why you need to go too in my rave review below!
Ambar restaurant
Photo Credit: Ambar Instagram Page
Overall Experience: Hands down, this was one of my favorite dining experiences in DC for food, service, and ambiance as a whole. The food is excellent, the service was phenomenal, and the ambiance was vibrant and hip- I seriously felt cool just being there.
The Scoop: This place offers BOTTOMLESS DINNER. Yes, I said BOTTOMLESS DINNER- WITH drinks! There are two options- a $59 or $49 option which include endless plates (this restaurant is small plates/tapas style, so you can try all sorts of goodness until your hearts content), and select bottomless cocktails, red/white/sparkling wine, and beer. Let's face it- a good dinner in DC is going to set you back at least $40 for an appetizer, entrée, and drink or two, so this deal of bottomless everything is pretty damn amazing. To top it off- there is no rush at all to flip the table and get you out the door. Hannah and I sat there for over three hours grazing on all the delicious food and enjoying bottomless cocktails and not once were we rushed by our waitress, Yuliia. In fact, she was urging us to try more food and drinks! It was such a relief to experience a relaxing, leisurely dinner.
Ambar also offers a bottomless brunch for $39, which based off the dinner I'd imagine is some kind of wonderful. They also have weekday Happy Hour specials at the bar for $4 plates and drinks- but get there early to snag seats at the bar before it gets too crowded!
The Décor: Is AWESOME. Its so very classy and rustic. I loved everything about it, especially the frame wallpaper on the staircase wall and the gorgeous patio on the 2nd level with vines along the ceiling.
The Menu: Delicious and different. I'll admit I wasn't very familiar with Balkan cuisine, but I was pleasantly surprised. Another great thing about the bottomless dinner is you can try it all to get the full taste of this cuisine! Yuliia thoroughly explained the menu to us and pointed out some of the best items and everything she recommended we order was out of this world! While everything we tried was outstanding, our favorite dishes were the Urnebes spread, Leek Croquette (sooooo delicious), Bacon & Peanut Pork Tenderloin, and Sesame Crusted Salmon.
Bacon & Peanut Pork Tenderloin
Sesame Crusted Salmon
The Service: Outstanding. Our cheerful waitress, Yuliia, treated us wonderfully and took great care of us all night! The bartenders and staff were very polite and friendly as well.
I highly, highly suggest you try Ambar for your next happy hour, bottomless lunch or dinner- and request Yuliia be your waitress!
XOXO
Blonde in the District