AMBAR Restaurant, Clarendon

4.6
4050 reviews

About

European Restaurant

Details

  • DeliveryAvailable
  • TakeoutAvailable
  • Curbside pickupAvailable

Location

AMBAR Restaurant, Clarendon
2901 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA
22201, United States

Hours

Reviews

4.6
4,050 reviews
5 stars
3,021
4 stars
617
3 stars
191
2 stars
85
1 star
136

What are people saying?

AI-generated from recent customer reviews

Service Quality

Ana received consistent praise for her attentive and friendly service, making a significant positive impact on customers' experiences.

Food Quality

The food was frequently described as delicious, with many recommending specific dishes and the all-you-can-eat option.

Atmosphere

The restaurant is noted for its pleasant ambiance, suitable for celebrations and gatherings, although it can be loud when busy.

Dietary Accommodations

Staff were commended for their attentiveness to dietary restrictions, ensuring guests had suitable options.

Mixed Experiences

While many reviews were positive, some customers reported issues with service speed and food presentation, particularly during busy times.
  • EP
    Erika Pinto
    5 days ago
    5.0
    From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is warm, inviting, and effortlessly stylish. The service is attentive without being overbearing, and you can tell the staff genuinely cares about the experience they’re delivering. The food is outstanding—beautifully presented, full of flavor, and clearly made with high-quality ingredients. Every dish we tried was perfectly balanced and thoughtfully prepared. You can really taste the passion behind the kitchen. Whether you’re coming for a casual meal, a special celebration, or a night out with friends, this place delivers on every level. An absolute gem and easily a spot I’ll be returning to again and again. Highly recommend! 🍽️✨
  • OR
    Oriel Rodriguez
    Jan 2, 2026
    5.0
    Me and my family went here to try it out, I will say the food is pretty good. Some of the flavors are a bit overpowering but other than that it was really good. Ana was our waitress and she did wonderful helping us choose which food was best to try. She also made sure to be aware of my family’s allergies and let us know which foods not to choose. She was always aware of us and what we needed at the time. I’ll definitely be recommending this restaurant.
  • KY
    Katie Yohnke
    Dec 28, 2025
    4.0
    Overall, we had a great first time experience at Ambar. We've talked about going forever and really happy we finally did. For 42.99 it's an all you can eat tapas style which works out well for larger parties. Most of these places are iffy when it comes to service as they tell you you only have 2hrs but then take forever to come back and even ask if you want more. Here though, someone was always asking us if we wanted more (we even had the manager telling us an empty table wasn't acceptable to him as we were breathing between dishes lol). Plates were cleared just as fast as they were delivered. We ordered quite a few dishes and There were only a few complaints in regards to the food: - Salmon Benedict was cold and it was pretty clear the poached eggs were bulk made and stored making it not super enjoyable served Luke warm - The flatbread we got was over seasoned with the oregano so much that it ruined the taste of the rest - Caramel Apple waffle was fantastic! However, really wish they would heat up the Apple pie mixture; it's just weird to have a cold filling on top of a warm waffle (maybe personal preference) - Strawberry Waffles could really do without the Nutella! Just make a strawberry filling or chopped strawberries and a maple syrup. - The shakahuka (no pic) was probably the most disappointing; it was really watery, more sauce than anything and oddly nothing served with it. Most of the time you have bread or some potato, but here, nothing so once you break the egg it was a literal soup which was sad - The potato hash (fried potatoes) were bottom of the bin. I think we got the last of what was bulk fried as they were super crunchy and mostly not edible. I'm sure if you get fresh ones they are probably great, but honestly they need a sauce (creme/sour cream/spicy tomato). We actually soaked them in the shakshuka juice which was decent Highlights and Recommended: Mediterranean omelet (no pic), Balkan Salad (I ate 2!), Fried Chicken Sandwich and Caramel Apple Waffle All of the sweet dishes we got were great! Waffles weren't over fried, mini donuts were perfect! Would only decrease the Nutella as they were all swimming in it. We did order the $0.99 mimosa which were better mixed than most bottomless places (you can see the bubbles in the pitchers and glasses) We did order a Mango Lemonade which was basically juice, very limited vodka. As mentioned, overall we had a great experience and majority of the food was good, including the scrambled eggs and bacon which are not pictured (we all know what they look like ). There was only one thing that was confusing to us once we got the bill. We were charged for a food experience and a drink experience (ultimately coming to $42.99/pp). We had no idea what the "drink experience" was since we were still charged 0.99/mimosa or $2.99 for elevated alcoholic drink. It appears that you can order bottomless non-alcoholic drinks (espresso, coffee, soda, tea, etc...) for the drink experience, but this was never communicated to us when we got there (we also said we had never been there). This also seems extreme for people who don't want or don't partake in that option. It was an added $12pp that we didn't even use (and didn't even know about) Had we known we might have had coffee or a latte-- these types of drinks aren't even listed on the menu as an option which feels very undermining when you're being charged for them without a choice. At the bare minimum list your non-alcoholic drinks choices.
  • JL
    J. Llana
    Dec 24, 2025
    5.0
    Reserved high top for Christmas eve last minute. Upon arrival, I asked host for cancellations for regular dining and they offered to see if the current time rez would make it on time. But my guests opted to just take our high top seating immediately instead of waiting. Most of the food was spectacular as usual. Not sure I would pay for the Christmas menu next time, the hanger steak, part of special menu, was tough. Branzino alone might make it worth it though. Mussels were PERFECTLY cooked, not tough or rubbery at all. Almost felt like little clouds in my mouth. Natasha offered phenomenal and attentive service. She made sure all our questions were fully addressed and didnt rush us AT ALL. She made appropriate suggestions and was super pleasant with any repeated requests. The kitchen and runners got the food out QUICK. My candied pecans were missing in my first order of beet salad but made it on there for the second dish. The other important ingredients were there though didnt take away from the main flavors. I love having the choice to taste a bit of everything. All those plates add up though. Do not go if youre not lavishly hungry. Probably the most potent espresso martini Ive had but the flavors were well mixed. I thoroughly enjoyed the carrot ginger spritzer. Im probably going to try to duplicate at home.
  • KK
    KB
    Dec 21, 2025
    3.0
    This is an updated review based on our recent 4th experience at this restaurant, this time with a group of 12. I definitely would not recommend this place for a large group. The only seating for a large group is a long table and because it’s a loud restaurant, it was very difficult to interact with half our party. The bigger issue was that with a large party, they don’t take specific dish orders for the first hour. So basically, they just rapid fire start dropping all the plates on the table, one after the other. It was too much food all at once and difficult to know what was what. By the time they were done dropping plates, we were too full to order the higher end items that we really wanted. The service was also not great - very little interaction and we didn’t even get to order a second round of drinks. Many of the plates are delicious but I wouldn’t recommend going here with more than 4 people if you want a positive experience.