Ambra Restaurant — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Ambra remains a shiny beacon of great, careful, & thoughtful food in this city. I would say even more so now than when we visited pre-pandemic. Each dish comes with loads of backstory if you want it, and an insane level of technical know-how. The wine pairings are fantastic, and we were lucky to have an extra glass or two of some fairly unique bottles.

Sitting in the kitchen watching food preparation for both Southwark and Ambra was exhilarating and certainly worth doing for date nights, or just spending quality time with a friend. Just don’t take any photos of the actual kitchen (it’s a rule!).

The dishes were well rounded and fulfilling - however I can’t help but feel the plating and / or combinations could be even more inspired. They’re clearly striving to do some of the best culinary work in this city, and are succeeding, but some dishes could use a tad more oomph.

The pasta could have used a bit more acid (more lemon perhaps), and the sauce for the brined fish (I don’t recall if it was mackerel) was a tad too light. The radicchio was less bitter than usual but still a chore to eat. We could have used regular bread for the fish course to mop up the oil / butter - but what I really wanted was for all of it to be grassier. The sauce had very little taste considering it’s vibrancy. We recently had a dessert dish at Story in London that was almond and dill prepared in various ways. The dill oil looked similar, but was miles more flavorful. I wonder if the oil needs to be worked on - because the fish was outstanding.

It might be that the kitchen has mixed focused on Ambra since they’re having to do Southwark plating as well…but I expected a few more surprises. Breaking the structure of a tasting menu since we were literally in the kitchen would’ve been nice. A surprise taste of some extra thing that they whipped up, even if that thing was for Southwark.

I’ll tell you one thing, we left quite confident we need to come back and try Southwark after seeing the chefs make those lower priced dishes. Very exact and professional work from this kitchen. A solid choice for a very consistently good dining experience…though not quite as ground breaking as I know they have the skill and passion to be.

I just noticed they totally listened to (or at least intuited) the concerns from my previous review. Ambra now leaves you with a bag of something to take home. For us it was granola, the most delightful house-smoked almonds, two scones, and lemon curd. A VERY lovely reminder of the wonderful night we shared in the kitchen. Thank you for being in Philly and striving for excellence.

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Pre-pandemic review (5 stars): Among the best Philadelphia restaurants - though the tasting could benefit from greater pacing and an end-of-meal treat (WILL BYOB did Madeleine's, Eleven Madison Park does granola, Vespertine does a custom perfume, etc.). Other than these two comments, Ambra is a spectacular experience worth revisiting at least twice....

The notification text worked in the Resy app, as on Thursday, my phone buzzed, telling me that 2 seats were available on Friday at Ambra, which was perfect as it was my birthday. We snagged the two kitchen counter seats - and I’m so grateful we did as the whole night was fantastic. The food, the service, the ambiance - all top notch.

7 courses plus a few extra small bites were hands down - 100% - delicious. Not one bad note. The dishes were all unique and playful and beautiful. Those who know me know that I don’t like fishy fish (smell of fish turns me off) - but the few fish dishes were perfectly presented and seasoned and delicious. I’m already thinking about how I can get a full entree of their Smoked Swordfish - and their Sourdough Rigatoni Al Limone - as I almost embarrassingly licked the dishes clean. And the dessert! Oy! So good!

We did the wine pairing, of course - all organic and biodynamic wines. Our server described each pairing’s vineyard and producers - providing us an opportunity to learn about each wine. This added a perfect conversational and friendly vibe to the evening.

Our seats were at the kitchen counter, providing another opportunity to talk with the Chef Chris D’Ambro and to learn about each dish and the ingredients. Super sweet friendly passionate chef. There are 4 seats at the counter - and the two other guests and us chatted throughout the evening (maybe too much - sorry Chef!).

The experience was worth every penny. Further proof that Philly’s food scene is insane. Mostly due, to not only the delicious and unique to Philly (chef said one of the dishes that he “italian-ized” that dish 😍), but to the community-focused and friendly service - a neighborhood vibe - that we are all here at this moment, enjoying this time together. Sappy, I know, but Philly delivers on good food, community and compassion - and Ambra hits that perfectly. I’m already thinking of setting up the Resy notification for the summer when veggie produce is...

Wow - what a night! My wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Ambra, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable dining experiences we've ever had in Philly.

Ambra offers a single seating per night, featuring a multi-course tasting menu and wine pairings, with the entire experience lasting approximately 3.5 hours. That might sound long on paper, but trust me - the evening flies by. Every course was beautifully presented and full of flavor, with clear Italian influence but lots of creative, modern touches. The wine pairings were fantastic -- each one felt like it elevated the dish in a really thoughtful way.

The setting is also what makes Ambra special. Everyone sits around a communal table, which honestly could have gone either way, but ended up being such a highlight. Besides the couple we came with, we met two other couples during dinner, and we all ended up really hitting it off. It felt more like a dinner party than a restaurant -- but with food and wine on another level.

Service was smooth, attentive, and well-paced. The team knew the dishes and wines inside and out, and they explained everything with just the right amount of detail - never too much, never too little. It's clear they care deeply about what they do, and it shows in every part of the experience.

If you're looking for a special night out - something beyond the usual dinner - I can't recommend Ambra enough. Between the food, the wine, the setting, and the great company, it was truly unforgettable. Already looking forward...