A bit overhyped in my opinion. Ambar comes up in many searches as one of the top Indian food places in Cincinnati. While the service is impeccable with incredibly friendly waitstaff in a very seemingly family owned and operated establishment, I just can't go on and keep this on my list of all time best Indian restaurants. The food is good, but on the average scale. I ordered: + garlic naan: very large, but more buttery and lacking garlic flavor + chicken tikka masala: good balance of sweet, spicy, cream, etc- my favorite + saag paneer: very creamy and buttery, lacking taste of spinach/cheese/spice That being said, the food of course, is still good, and would not deter me from not stopping by here again... but I would be curious to try some other establishments as well. read more

Absolutely delicious. First tried at a catered event and had to come back for more. Their samplers were satisfying. Always good spice profile, great comfort food for us. read more

Definitely my favorite Indian restaurant in Cincinnati. Amazing flavors and spice levels. The chicken is always tender and cooker perfectly.

This is my favorite Indian restaurant in Cincinnati I love the food it smells amazing soon as you open the door your mouth just starts watering read more

Our go-to for Indian in the Avondale/UC area. Excellent and consistant food always a must for take out Indian. The food comes out piping hot so it's plenty warm by the time you get it home. Careful on the spice levels as they escalate quickly a 4 is plenty for me even on a sick day when I'm craving the spicy! The Garlic Naan is delicious and addictive. The Samosas are delicious as well. Meat veggies and sauces are obviously fresh. And the portions are generous, usually winds up being 2 meals. It's made it into our regular rotation so must try! read more

Best Indian food I've had. I live in Texas now, but every Indian restaurant I go to has to live up to Ambar, and I haven't found one yet. Best flavor and best heat. I always make a stop when I'm back in town. read more

This place is very bad and the food is horrible everything is creamy it seem like they boiled the meat and just dipped it in the sauce and the lamb had super bad smell and there chia had more water than milk asked them to redo it and make it a little bit different and they said it's not on the menu very horrible place carpet smell the bathroom was not clean their customer service was OK plz fix this thanks read more

I've been to Ambar since I first discovered it in 2010. It is a nice place with good basic Indian food. I'm not a big connoisseur of Indian cuisine (or the regions) but at least the this place has flavors I enjoy. Their Saag is absolutely glorious. No big highlights, however... but the food is standard good Id say. Definitely a good place that has filled me up for the past 9 years. read more

Still my favorite Indian restaurant anywhere. We just dined there after an absence of months, and it is the best rice, the best Saag and the best Aloo either me or my wife have ever had. AND, their service has improved by quite a bit over the years. I love dining in or taking it out. read more

I stopped by for lunch with a few co-workers a few days ago. Being Indian, I'd say I have unreasonably high expectations for Indian food and was pleasantly surprised with how good our meal was. Their lunch menu includes a number of decent size portions of typical Punjabi or Pakistani dishes which come with rice. Naan and other forms of breath must be ordered separately. I was eyeing a dish on their full dinner menu but our server was more than happy to accommodate with a lunch version of their Vegetable Jalfrezi. My partners ordered Lamb Saag and Chicken Tikka. We ordered 2 garlic naans for the three of us. Each of us had a decent sized dish which we were able to finish for lunch. The naans were surprisingly larger than needed for one dish so we easily finished 2 naans for 3 people. I will say that all of our dishes were on the oil-er side which unfortunately is common with northern Indian food. The flavors however were authentic and adequately spicy. read more

Absolutely fantastic service. My boyfriend and I got to the restaurant at 8 and were finished and out the door before 8:30. We shared a chicken tikka masala dish and an appetizer of aloo tikki and everything was DELICIOUS. We frequent other Indian restaurants in the area and after eating here will probably never return to them because of how delicious our meal was. We already can't wait to come back! read more

THIS IS AN UPDATED REVIEW: The last time I reviewed ambar it was for delivery and it wasn't my favorite. The three or four times that I have been there afterwards, I have enjoyed it!! The service is usually good and fast. The food is always good. Definitely recommend dining in instead of ordering to go/delivery. read more

I am glad that I found this place. I've had a craving for Indian food & I enjoy trying ethnic foods when I'm traveling for work. This was a great choice & close enough to my hotel. The Chicken Tikka Masala was definitely as good as the others raved about it! read more

The absolute best Indian food anywhere!!!!! Our favorite restaurant!!!! Mango Lassi is wonderful..... Chicken Tikka is the best!!!

If you want good Indian food in Cincinnati you go to Ambars no questions asked. I'm telling you, from the nan to the curry and everything in between is deliciously made to perfection. Their spicy scale is one of the most accurate in town, every time I go the spiciness is the same for the level I order. I can probably live off their chicken tikka masala, is glorious! Meat is tender and juicy... and don't get me started on their rice is cook to perfection. Menu has a lot of options for those of us that like to experiment with food. The servers are always willing to answer your questions and make suggestions. There's really nothing that I have tried that is not amazing. Can we make the rating scale go to 10 stars??? This place so deserves it! read more

If this is your first time getting Indian food, then you really can't go wrong with Ambar. I'd say that the service and dining atmosphere is fairly Western in style, with a more fancy dining atmosphere than most. So, if you're wary of trying something new, this style of dining will ease you in to a world of delicious and complex layers of spice. The food: When you get to Cincinnati, especially Clifton, you hear about the unsaid battle royale between Amol and Ambar. The first one to throw a punch (aka cater a student organization talk) was Ambar and the rumors were substantiated: it indeed was the best Indian food in Cincinnati (since it was the first of the restaurants I'd had)! This specifically refers to the rice, chicken tikka masala, and the saag paneer. Later on that year, it was Amol's turn to throw the next punch, and the food (once again, rice, chicken tikka masala, and saag paneer) was just as good as Ambar. [Actually, I think the saag paneer at Amol slightly edges out the saag paneer at Ambar] So who wins out in this battle royale? Since the food items are nearly identical in taste and quality, I would have to move on to price point, and Amol is a couple dollars cheaper. Knockout: Amol. Since then I've also tried the lamb vindaloo, chicken curry, and the saag tikka masala. The lamb vindaloo is delicious - a robust tomato-y plus indian spices flavored curry sauce. However, I was mighty disappointed by the saag tikka masala. Considering how much I love the chicken tikka masala here, I just did not think Ambar did a good job of marrying the spinach into the sauce, and I've had better, even around in Cincinnati (at Deep, for example). The coupon: BearCash coupons almost always feature coupons for both Amol and Ambar for $4-6 off a second lunch or dinner entree. So grab a friend, Pro-tip: Ambar has a lunch menu! Go for lunch! Coupon still applies! read more

There's not much I can say that is ever going to change the popularity of Ambar for so many Cincinnatians, but I am going to say it anyway. Situated where it is on Ludlow it almost has a "built-in audience" and this may actually be part of its problem. It doesn't have to try to hard to maintain a certain level of business and it's my opinion that this makes it a little 'lazy' both in its cooking/presentation of food and the service. It's a reasonably 'solid' choice of an Indian restaurant but, to me, it's nothing spectacular at all. They don't seem to pull out any stops to make you feel particularly welcome as a guest, the staff have often been dismissive (on one occasion, almost invisible!) and the food I've eaten has never set my taste buds alight. My most recent visit, a family affair to celebrate a pair of teenage birthdays, was 'forced' on me and the wife and - once again - whilst the food was adequate and carried a certain amount of taste, I felt more like I was merely going through the motions rather than thoroughly enjoying it... which is what I should really be doing each and every time I eat out. I think we've been spoilt by places like Shaan and Dusmesh where there appears to be a much higher attentiveness to the food being created and the ambience of eating that food. So, in summation, there's little actually wrong with Ambar, but for an Indian restaurant I consider it pretty 'ordinary'. An average 3-starrer in fact. read more

Our neighborhood Indian food stop. In Clifton we are surrounded by a collection of Indian places, but Ambar is usually our go to place. When we first moved here and I was rehabbing our kitchen we ate here at least three times a week. The food is very consistent and delicious. The interior is nice enough, and the service usually very fast and on point. With Indian I tend to drink tons of water and they generally keep the glasses filled. My friend who lives in NY still considers Ambar his favorite Indian place and we meet here every time he is in town. They have plenty of vegetarian choices and a nice full menu. One surprising issue is that they do not have coffee. I love rice pudding for desert and it is great with coffee. Last time I planned ahead and brought my own in preparation. read more

Yummy Indian food, although I'm not convinced that it is the best in town. I came here for lunch with coworkers and got the Aloo Choley lunch (potatoes and chick peas in curry sauce with rice, $9), and it was good. I asked for a 2 out of 6 spiciness and it was exactly what I expected it to be. Everyone I was with liked their food, although I wish I got naan or something to go with my lunch on the side. Service was fast, and they always kept my water glass full. Overall, I'll come back sometime for dinner, but for lunch I'd rather go to an Indian buffet for just a couple bucks more. read more

Ambar India is awesome; the food is superb. My wife took me there for our first date ever... I was really nervous because I never had Indian food before and didn't want to make a crappy impression. Well, still ended up making a not-so-great-impression but for a different reason... I did more eating then talking. This is my absolute favorite Indian restaurant. The best dish in my opinion is Chicken Tikka Masala, followed closely by the Chicken Tikka Saag. Only negatives are the restaurant is relatively small and can get crowded, you often have to wait for a short period of time to be seated. Tiny parking lot in back, be sure NOT to park next door (the feuding family members' business, or so I've heard) you will be quickly towed. Lastly, I would love to try other Indian restaurants, but my wife has pledged loyalty to Ambar, so she doesn't let me go to other places... read more

Ambar is one of the first restaurants I ever visited in Cincinnati, and thus also in the US. Being an Indian myself I wanted to try some good Indian food that day! Since then I've been here more than a dozen times in the past 4 yrs. The food is good, and like most Indian restaurants here in the US, it tastes like what you'd find in ones back home - which btw, is appreciably different from what you'd taste in people's homes. So let this make up your mind about the 'authenticity' of food in such restaurants! To give more details, I found the Chicken tikka masala here pretty different from what I've had back home, so that was a little bummer. Chicken jalfrezi, Gulab Jamun (dessert) are fine. On the other hand, I loved their Baigan bharta (eggplant dish), saag paneer, and Aloo Paratha! I'd give the food overall 7/10. The place is unmistakably family-run, and the service is fine but nothing stellar. And being a mid-range price-wise, I think it's good value for money too. Definitely check it out if you're looking for an Indian restaurant in the area, you'll have a good meal. Would've given it 3.5 starts but can't on Yelp, so yeah! read more

The vegetable malai kofta has crack in it. Or some other highly addictive substance. I make excuses to drive two hours from Indianapolis to eat this dish at Ambar India. The other assortment of entrees I've tried have also been excellent, but the malai kofta is something beyond. I would probably be embarrassed if I could step outside my body and watch myself windmilling the food at Ambar into my face. From inside, though, it's a transcendental event. The bar, atmosphere and service are nothing to remark upon, but that's of limited concern when you're having a religious experience in your mouth. read more

The food here is amazing. The only deterrent: the parking. Holy crap, the lot is so small! I ordered take out and couldn't leave when I wanted to because a delivery truck parked right behind me, blocking my way out. Meanwhile the smell of my tikka masala was perfuming my car, slowing killing me from anticipation. However when I got home was another story. Bhaturi-fry bread- was good. It was fried and tasted great! Chicken Tikka Masala was GREAT! I got a spice level 4 (not so spicy, but enough for me). The sauce was thick, buttery, and full of flavor. I find a lot of sauces at restaurants tend to be watery and low quality, but this sauced rocked. The chicken was boneless and white meat. The amount of rice they gave me was HUGE! Way too much for the amount of masala. But I appreciated it. It wasn't just plain, it was slightly seasoned and decorated with peas. Quite cute! I might be back if I can get over the parking! My order only came to $15 for a dinner portion and the food was ready in less than 15 minutes. I'd say that's a win. read more

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I've always considered this the best Indian place in Cincinnati, although I tend to choose other places since I like to sample a few things at a buffet. If you want quality over quantity, Ambar is your place. If you know Indian food well enough to have a favorite dish, Ambar is your place. I tend to get the names of my favorite dishes a little jumbled so every once in a while I get a surprise. read more

There was so much hype about Ambar, being the "best Indian in Cincinnati", so I came in very high expectations. Indeed the food is delicious and flavorful. The vegetable samosa and dipping sauces were the perfect way to start the meal. I would skip the beef samosa. Of course, the chicken tikka masala is a must-have, and it was filled with tomato creamy goodness. The rice and naan complemented the meal nicely. Portion sizes are huge, so be careful about over-eating when you come to this place. I'm giving it four stars because this place still is not the best Indian food I have ever had, so I'm not sure if it is worth the price. However, this place was worth a try, and I can see why so many love this place. read more

This is my favorite Indian restaurant in Cincinnati. I've been to others with buffets, places with more room (and less room) around the tables, take out only places, fancier, homier, and grubbier places. I come back here because the food is consistently great. I'm not a knowledgeable person about authentic Indian cuisine - I've never been to India, and I've never had Indian food cooked by someone who could tell me a story about why the family chose these spices in this amount for their garam masala. I'm pretty sure that the level of heat inherent in the everyday food would be far more than I could currently take. I do know what I like though, and Ambar serves it up every time. Saag paneer, chicken tikka, lamb curry, lamb rogan josh, tandoori chicken, and that fantastic basmati rice heaped up - that's what I like. Top off your meal with a piece of garlic naan and a frosty glass of mango juice and you've just improved your life by an order of magnitude at least. I frequently go to other Indian places in town, and will continue to do so. But I'll always come back here. read more

I do not have a lot of experience with Indian food. Previously I found that most places just add a bunch of curry, which makes everything taste the same. Ambar India is just a great variety with incredible quality. Every table we walked past or every order that went by I had the desire to sample. We ordered appetizers, two kinds of bread, I had lamb vindaloo for the first time and it pushed my boundaries of heat tolerance without blowing up my mouth. In other words, culinary perfection. Watching the staff is incredible, never an empty glass, never out of rice and a table turn was done inside of 90 seconds with pit crew like precision. I had as much fun watching everything around me as I did enjoying my dinner on a cold Saturday night. Worth the 25 minute drive we made to try it. read more

What a lovely place! I live on this street and for some reason never tried this place before. I got carry out. Saag paneer and garlic naan. I enjoy spicy food but got a 3 out of 1-6 in abundance of caution. I could taste the spice but wanted more so I'll be going higher next time. The garlic naan was absolutely delicious btw. I'm giving this place a 5 because every single person I dealt with was wonderful. So friendly, so helpful, so lovely. read more

The best Indian cuisine in the city. Be sure to try the samosas with onion relish! The service is very good and your water will rarely go empty.. and if you get spice level 4 or above, you will need it! My favorites: Chicken Tikka, Saag Paneer, Paneer Makhani Don't park next door next to the grocery, they don't get along :) read more

I only went because my boyfriend begged me to go get Indian food.. prior to this I thought I hated Indian food.. if turns out I love it!! We started off with the samosas as an app. I was blown away right off the bat- they were AMAZING!! They came with 3 different dipping sauces. I highly recommend the green sauce. The chicken jalfrezi is DELICIOUS. My boyfriend ordered it and I kept asking for "one more bite." I ordered the chicken tandoori. It was probably the most tender chicken I've ever had!! They give you a whole lot of basmati rice with your dish, you'll be eating it for leftovers days after. The naan bread is bigger than your face and so so delicious. Also really like the rice pudding. Fair prices and will definitely be going back again!! read more

It's basically just like any regular artery-blockage-causing-Indian-food serving restaurant.(most Indian food is very healthy so the authenticity of this place is arguable) The one difference from the run of the mill joints on Calhoun St. is that Ambar adds raisins and cashews to their entrees. Spice level 1-6. The tree nuts justify the 2$ price difference. They also have a slightly extensive yet rigid menu and are rude if they don't like yo face. I told them multiple times I dislike raisins in my curries(before my order that is, to the waitress) but they don't care. They do have alcohol and larger dining space with real silverware and tablecloths and are located in Ludlow which is a nice place for a stroll. I have not had an upset stomach after eating here, so if you can tolerate raisins in your spicy curry then maybe give it a shot. It's better to eat here than Deep India and Krishna India. read more

Of the Indian experiences I've had, this one is definitely the best I've found in Ohio. It isn't particularly fancy, but isn't a hole in the wall takeout place either. The menu is large so I'll have to keep going back to try everything. The naan bread was good (super garlic garlic naan) and my lamb was perfect. Sometimes lamb can be dry or tough, but theirs is really worth the price difference. Definitely some veggies etc in their curry. More than just the basics and everything was done right. Flavor came first. My water was always full too which can be important for those who try things very spicy. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone. They even have their own parking in the back. read more

There are many Indian restaurants in Cincinnati and Ambar is the one that has always been consistently good in my experience (even for take out). Chefs have changed at other locations, but Ambar is always delicious. Ambar is located on Ludlow. They have parking lot behind the restaurant (it can get a bit tight). They usually stay pretty busy but I have never had to wait too long for a table. Carryout is always a good option here as well. The prices run a little higher than other Indian restaurants in the area but quality is consistently there. You cannot go wrong with pretty much anything on the menu but the American favorites like chicken tikka masala and chicken saag are pretty fantastic. read more

My parents used to make us come here when I was in high school and I hated it then. But somewhere along the way I found Indian food that I enjoyed (I am not a big fan of spicy things), and came back during a college break to realize that yes, this IS the best place to have Indian food in Cincinnati. Chicken tikka masala and everything else is awesome. I never know what else to order-- I still rely on mom and dad to figure that stuff out. Parking sucks, yes, but carpool if you're coming with friends, and just deal with it to have a good night of hanging out and eating. Servers are really friendly and nice. P.S. In my memory, this place used to be more dive-y, but last time I was there it was pretty nice actually! read more

Ambar is located in the Ludlow area of Clifton. Although finding parking is tough on Ludlow, luckily they have free parking in the back, but once that fills up, you will have to find street parking. Finding authentic Indian food in Cincinnati is tough, most of the Indian restaurants are very Westernized, with lighter spicing and more cream added to most dishes. That being said, Ambar delivers solid westernized Indian food. At this point I've tried several of their dishes including Lamb Curry, Lamb Vindaloo, Mixed Vegetables, and Chicken Saag. All the dishes are tasty, but I wouldn't say they stand out from other Indian restaurants I've tried in Cincinnati. If you are in the area and are craving Indian, Ambar is a good option. read more

I first visited Ambar India for lunch on a Sunday with some friends. The restaurant's ambiance isn't anything to get excited about but it was clean and simple. We were greeted when we came in and were seated in a booth. Since it was during lunch, I opted for a lunch portion of chicken curry. I asked for 2.5 spice level and actually was surprised how mild the spice was! I've been to other Indian restaurants where a 2.5 has a kick but not here. Even so, the portion was more than enough for lunch and for less than $8 for chicken curry and rice, it was worth it. My friends ordered chicken tikka masala which they enjoyed. Overall, we were pleased with our first visit to Ambar India. The food was good and prices were affordable. I would definitely go again. Parking is tight in the area! Because it was the Sunday after Christmas, we didn't have too much trouble but I imagine other times might be more difficult. If you live in the area, just walk! read more

Most unsatisfied food I ever tasted in my life. All package food. Same gravy for all subzi. Nasty food . read more

I know everyone else in the world thinks this is the height of Indian food in Clifton and I can't disagree more! Yes, the food is just as good as all the other Indian food in Clifton. It feels slightly more expensive with slightly smaller portion sizes. Their Navratan Korma and naan is good. But, I HATE the atmosphere. The tables are packed together so you can't help but hear the conversation of those around you. There is always a wait during dinner hours and the only place to stand is in the doorway standing over other people. Service is quick, but not particularly friendly. There are so many other Indian option in Clifton. Branch out and try another! read more

We hadn't been to Ambar in quite some time. It was the first Indian restaurant that we ever went to probably 20 years ago. Over the years it has been one of our favorites and it still is. However, there are numerous other Indian restaurants now all over Cincinnati and we aren't always over in the Clifton area. This time we decided to go to Ambar. Our meals were every bit as good as we remembered. Served hot, with large portions and just the right spice levels. Service was excellent. Parking can be a chore. They have a very small lot behind the restaurant that holds about 10 cars and it's hard to maneuver. You are better off parking in a lot on Howell avenue one block over. They will give you a ticket to park there free. read more

BEST... INDIAN FOOD.... EVER. Thats about all you need to know. If I had to choose one last meal on earth it would be the chicken curry at its peak spice level with their delish rice and naan from Ambar India. The awesome thing is that they have opened a few locations outside of Clifton - Raja India in Mason, one in Hyde Park, and another random Indian name in northern kentucky. read more