AMBAR Restaurant, Capitol Hill — Restaurant in Washington

My family and I (total of 10 people) were here on Saturday 5/17 to celebrate my college graduation. We made a reservation over a month in advance for the group dining experience and I'm very glad we did as the restaurant quickly got busy. When we arrived we were promptly seated upstairs in a semi private room (there was another group of 10 and a 4 top table).

It was Chef’s selection for the first hour and then unlimited small plates for the last hour. We told them in advance that there was one allergy at the table and they made sure to not bring anything with mushrooms the whole time. They were very transparent for last call for food and drink orders without being pushy.

Everything we tried was absolutely fantastic. They started off with some breads, spreads, and some pickled veggies and a balkan salad. We then had a mixed meat platter with some side dishes, and then a mixed seafood platter with some other sides dishes. Overall for the first half they brought out around 20(+) or so different items to try. Once it was the second hour we could order anything from the menu. Some of our favorite dishes were the stuffed cabbage, grilled shrimp, cepavi, drunken mussels, the baby carrots, and the brussel sprouts (I will seriously dream about these forever they were SO good). I wish we would've remembered to take pictures!

We also had a selection of their crafted drinks and all of them (alcoholic and non alcoholic) were very well balanced and priced fairly.

The only two things that I would say to be aware of (but in no way take away from the great time we had) are 1.) Parking. They are located on a main street and while there are on street parking spots they may all be full(limited handicap spots if this applies to you). There is a parking garage a couple of blocks away and a public parking lot about 4 blocks up. It may be easier if you aren't staying local to take the metro in and walk there vs drive and park. 2.) Service for the second part (chose your own unlimited small plates) was a little slower and we never received the last few plates we ordered. Where we only had the table for 2 hours we felt pressured to leave rather than wait to see if they would arrive. Next I would just be sure to order a few different small plates of the things I wanted to try at once vs waiting and spreading out my orders.

Overall, we had a great experience, the food was fantastic, and we would 100% come back here if we are in the area again.

Seriously... would die for their brussel sprout and stuffed...

My husband and I came here on a date night and it did not disappoint. We partook in the unlimited dinner experience, which was a great way to try a variety of balkan dishes at Ambar.

Service was great, never needed to flag down our waitress for anything, she was on top of asking whether we needed anything consistently prior to finishing drinks. Atmosphere was intimate and aesthetic, somewhat romantic for a date night, as well.

As far as food, everything tasted great and we were definitely FULL after dining in. The tapas sized portions were perfect for my husband and I to try a bite or two of SO MANY options on the menu. There were definitely some standout items!

Our favorite choices to HIGHLY recommend were the steak tartare, which was sweeter and delicious, and the lamb lasagna - creamy, savory, 12/10 - and the pork belly stuffed cabbage, drool-worthy. (first three pictures)

For the dips and pita starter, we really liked the beet tzatziki, which was slightly sweet, not overpowering, and was a scrumptious addition to a variety of the menu items. The chicken skewers, lamb, fried chicken and grilled shrimp were all fantastic portion sizes for those looking to hit their protein goals. They were all tender, though nothing particularly special in regards to seasoning and what I expected trying a new cuisine as "Balkan-specific". The corn puree with the shrimp though - DEVOURED that with anything I could dip in it. The pepper and cheese croquette was very good with the chutney on top, which was a perfect amount for a slight added sweetness. We enjoyed the earthy flavors of the forest mushroom crepe, which could use a little less sauce. The texture was creamy and doughy. I was not a fan of the squeaky texture of the halloumi, but the honey sauce on the plate was to die for - ask for more and dip all the things in it! The goulash would be perfect as a comfort food on a dreary day and the meat pie had a perfect blend of flaxy from the crush and moist tender meat. In my opinion, it could use a sauce or more spices added. Also, skip the brussel sprouts - they are steamed versus baked or fried, which is my usual for the preference of crunch.

Overall, wonderful experience trying Balkan cuisine for the first time. The unlimited offering was a perfect way to taste a variety of foods from the region and help develop preferences for another visit. If we are in the area again, I would definitely stop back for even just a slice of the...

Went for brunch on a Sunday, party of 3, and two were pescetarians.

Ambar's locations in DC have the whole brunch deal dialed in. IT IS EXPENSIVE - BEWARE OF HIDDEN CHARGES. If you are not already forewarned, then know that they offer a basic "all-you-can-eat" small plates menu under their "unlimited brunch" offering for about $35 with unlimited drinks for an additional $13. I'll break it down for y'all.

Is there an a la carte possibility? I don't know! It wasn't even offered.

For the $35 you get to select from a wide variety of meat dishes, including charcuterie, sausage/kebabs, and some baked pie items. For vegetarians the menu has some options as well including, incongruously, mac and cheese (which part of the Balkans is that from?). You can get a review of which dishes are tastiest from someone else - I'll just say that for me the Balkano slider was good, as was the tomato soup (delicious, but the pesto sort of floats on the surface, slightly oily).

Did I say the plates are TINY? Yes. They're about good to keep a starving sparrow well-fed. A hard-working DC-ite looking to get their tasty calories in? Not that much.

The restaurant adds a hidden 3% charge about which their website says, "*As a way to offset rising costs associated with the restaurant, we have added a 3% surcharge to all checks. This is not to replace employee tip. We do this in lieu of increased menu prices. You may request to have this taken off your check, should you choose."

You could choose, if the check was even presented to you in any level of detail. Unfortunately, you are just presented with a card machine with no total shown, and as is common for tipping in the USA now, the starting tip %s are shown as 25, 22, and 20. You could type in a custom % (18% used to be a good go-to rate back in the day), but with an impatient server, that is not an option.

So, you could walk away from a casual brunch with a nearly $70 per person charge. CRAZY? You could say that again.

The food is so-so, the place is huge, and the bills huge-r. If you're cashing it working for the Feds, go ahead. Others may want to think about their credit...