The newest Ambar location in the vibrant Shaw neighborhood stands out with its second-floor Rakia cocktail bar, complete with a retractable rooftop and weekend DJ performances. It also offers a designated pickup window for convenient grab-and-go options, alongside its renowned Dining Without Limits experience featuring the best dishes from the Balkan Peninsula with a modern twist. I had an absolute blast one price all ypu can eat one price all you can drink I highly recommend!! read more

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Incredible food, even better service! Love ordering as many of the mini plates for a set price ($49 without dessert). Super cute inside and out. Special shoutout to Christine F for the service! read more

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We came here for lunch for restaurant week, parking was easy to find. They open at 12pm so it didn't start filling up until 12:30pm. There's also upstairs seating so it looks like a large venue. The table bread is fresh and hot although I don't personally care for any of the complimentary dips. I absolutely loved the cheese pie and white flatbread. The Hand-Cut Fries, Cauliflower and Istrian Gnocchi were also good. Just so you know their gnocchi looks like German Spaetzle noodles. Menu is a QR code on the table. They add a 3% fee to the bill. read more

Wow! Utterly delicious. Completely refreshing. Not your ordinary hummus and pita. A whole new taste. The owner and executive chef are from Serbian. The flavors echo the Mediterranean mixed in with the northern parts of the Balkan Peninsula. The result lands on your table as a tantalizing experience. Don't miss the baklava! It's fresh and tastes like actual pistachios. #AmbarShaw read more

Ambar Shaw is my FAVORITE restaurant in all of DC. Their all you can eat lunch is an amazing way to experience the menu and their cocktails are also so yummy. Service was quick and efficient and waitstaff is always super attentive. The upstairs area of the Shaw location is BEAUTIFUL and absolutely worth making a reservation for ahead of time. read more

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Thank you for the great service from Rosa! The food was amazing especially the lamb medallions I will be back another time

Very poor experience at the Ambar - Shaw location all you can eat menu for a birthday dinner. Food - we tend to love tapas style food, but everything was very below average. Not much flavor or seasoning in ANY of the dishes except the pepper and cheese croquettes and beet spread (probably the only good things we had from the extensive items we ordered). Asparagus was bland. Some carrots not cooked enough. The brussel sprouts are in the vegetable section but topped with bacon crumbles?! Ambiance was pretty but definitely too loud for a large group and somewhat dim. Service - poor. After the first 30 mins or so, servers became scarce and it was difficult to put in additional items - quite an issue when that is essential of an all you can eat. There were 9 people on the reservation (not all had arrived) but when we were seated they only poured 4 glasses of water. Didn't bring any silverware for a birthday cake that was brought out. No serving utensils for any dishes. Servers also just seemed overwhelmed in general. There are much better food options in the area. Definitely would not return. read more

Let me start of by saying I love Ambar - the Capitol Hill location and the arlington, Va ones. I've gone to each multiple times and have recommended it to friends. So I was really excited about coming to this location because it's beautiful and I already knew what I was in for! The customer service - I'm not sure what to make I'm of it to be honest. A friend reserved for the the 5 of us a month before we came. She requested we get seated upstairs because this was for a friend's birthday and we wanted her to see the beautiful flower set up on the second floor. She put that I. The request, and even called twice to ask. When we got there, the hostess was very nice and said she will try to seat us upstairs. What did we have to do to try to get seated upstairs? They eventually found a table but it was for 4 people and they asked us we could squeeze in which we did but it was definitely tight. Our waitress was nice - no real complaints there. But some of the people dropping off the food slammed some items on our table. And can I add, we weren't loud, we weren't seated long (bc there's a 2 hour limit), and we made sure to thank anyone who came and cleared our table or gave us food. So not sure where the attitude was coming from. As for the food - I guess I expected more coming from the other places. I will say we liked the salmon Benedict, and the Nutella raspberry waffle. I also appreciated the Balkan salad. However, the rest was just ok. The bacon and grits was ok but nothing to write home about. The sliders were a little salty (all of them), the mushroom pilaf just fell flat to be honest. The beet spread and the ajvar were good. I don't know. I think it just didn't meet my expectations. But it wasn't bad bad, hence the 3 star. But other than the instagrammable views, I'm not sure if I'll be back to this location. read more

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A great lunch time experience. Great fast, attentive service. Great vegetarian options. Looking for something casual in DC.... Don't hesitate to check out Ambar. read more

Love love love Ambar! One of my favorite restaurant experiences ever. Came here with some girl friends for bottomless brunch and drinks and it was a great experience. Our server was super helpful and attentive in making sure our drinks were refilled. All of the food was great! I loved the variety of dishes on the menu and liked how you could do savory or sweet or both! Some highlight dishes for me were the shrimp omelette, mezze platter, and the grilled steak. I also highly recommend their Balkan salad for a fresh healthy option. Definitely hoping to visit again with some other friends soon! read more

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Great service and great food! Rosa did a great job of providing recommendations and taking care of us. Also, she was really helpful when we were paying with our gift cards from Costco (pro tip, get the gift cards at costco!) read more

I enjoyed this place so much, such a wonderful place and experience. My favorite item is the Balkan Salad. The environment and the vibes are great. Our server, Andres, was amazing and kind 10/10. read more

I don't even know what to say. It was such an enjoyable experience and I am a very picky diner. The food and drink were excellent quality. The price is honestly so far. 1000% I will be back. So fun, can't speak highly enough. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Shaw - Ambiance - Modern European Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Ambar is a must when in DC. I love bottomless dining, but unfortunately it is not easy to come by-especially for dinner, as bottomless brunch is far more normalized. We dined in on a Saturday evening and sat upstairs. The vibes are lovely, and so is the menu. We of course did the bottomless dinner experience, which is the way to go here-you can also add on bottomless drinks and/or dessert for an additional charge. To drink, I started out with the Sangria, which is one of the best I've ever had: not too sweet, and was perfectly refreshing. Our food vegan to come out quickly-you are first brought breads and spreads, and we loved eve try dip on the sampler. There is no limit on how much you can order, so I pretty much tried everything that was vegetarian on the menu. My favorite items were the Eggplant Moussaka, the White Flatbread (that truffle oil=OMG), the House-Cut fries (more like potato wedges-these surprised me!), and Stuffed Fried Piquillo Pepper. And although these were my favorites, I don't think there was a single item I didn't like! Our service was wonderful as well-at the end, a guy who I assume was one of the managers brought out a birthday dessert for our friend and little shots of Balkan alcohol (was it whisky? Vodka? I don't know), which was an incredibly kind gesture. Overall, I was incredibly impressed with our dining experience Ambar-I did not expect as good quality of both drinks and food that we did get, so it was a pleasant surprise. If they can keep it this consistent, I will 1000% come back. Compliments to the chef! read more

It was my first time coming here and yeah, I don't know if there is a word to express the joy I felt inside. There was a light that I did not want to turn off.... The drinks were amazing (I love sangria) and had about 3 of them! I didn't want to go toooo crazy (but maybe I should have. Will do next time xoxo) ordered an abundance amount of food and boy oh boy I knocked the fuck out when my head hit the pillow. Service was quick and fast. I didn't really have time to be "hungry." My table was filled with food... my mouth watered as I stared at the table...it was heaven... shoutout to the Mac n cheese, tomato soup, mushroom pilaf, chicken cheese sandwich (tw: blue cheese - i found it good but partner found it icky) waffle, and one slider. Food was bomb. Tbh this is meowtastic. 5 tunas from me. Come devour and eat like you were raised in a barn. The location isn't so barn like so have some class! It is tastefully decorated. Loved the people. Come meow around please and thank you! Meows & kisses read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Shaw - All the food named above - Modern European Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Andre is an amazing server! Very yummy food and the entire staff are so kind. Definitely sit on the second floor see the cherry blossoms. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Shaw - drinks! - Modern European Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great service, Maria! Amazing food and drink deal and wonderful environment, will be back!

Nemo is the best server--so friendly and attentive! Great food, fresh and flavorful too!

Extremely disappointed with my most recent Ambar experience. I've been to multiple Ambar locations throughout my 4 years in the DMV. For the most part, I think the food is overhyped but fine, the service is typically slow for bottomless drinks, and the ambiance is beautiful. However, after my most recent experience, I cannot say I'll be returning. We made a reservation for 24, which is admittedly a large group. Ambar's event coordinator told us that they could accommodate the size and we'd be in a private room. When we arrived, we were put at a table in the regular dining area and there were not enough chairs or place settings for all of us. Totally understand that the large number is difficult to accommodate, but we did not get what we were told. There was no manager or events coordinator available when we asked. We did the pre-fixed meal and overall the food was good and there were many vegetarian options for those who needed it. Everything came out hot and fresh. Strange that dessert was not included, especially since apps and mains are. We did tell Ambar in advance (after they asked) about allergies, vegetarians, and vegans. The wait staff were not informed day of. We also did the bottomless drink options, which includes rail drinks. We were surprised when the bill came and we were separately charged for liquor, such as Titos and Bombay. When we ordered these drinks, after saying we were doing the bottomless option, the only liquor option presented was Titos/Bombay. We were not informed that it wasn't included in the bottomless and we did not specifically ask for these liquors when ordering. It felt very sleazy. Finally, they really need to improve upon the bathroom situation. A single stall restroom for the entire dining room is not enough. We were told we could not go upstairs to the other bathrooms because there was a private event. Our waitress, Rosa, was absolutely lovely. Overall, I cannot recommend Ambar moving forward, as the experience is not worth the cost. read more

Came here for the second time over The weekend and this experience was 10 times better than the first visit. I'm glad I gave them another shot bc everything was delicious. I can't decide is the pork sausage or the veal soup are my favorite. They both literally knocked my socks off with how flavorful they are. I did not participate in the bottomless mimosas this time around but the mango flavor is too good. The service was a little slow bc they were extremely busy. If you want the cute ambiance and aesthetic be sure to request to sit upstairs so you can get the cute vibes. It's very pretty upstairs. read more

Everything that came to our table was delectable and perfectly sized for trying out as many things as we could. Our server Maria handled all of our allergies perfectly and checked on us super often. Cannot recommend this place enough, especially considering how close it is to the U Shaw metro station! read more

We went and had amazing time. Andres was amazing and assisted with all of our requests. This is my favorite restaurant in DC. Would recommend. read more

The food and the service was amazing. I was upstairs sitting in the bar area were it was extremely hot. There was no air circulating and I found myself as well as others fanning with our menus. My husband and I come here often. I can only imagine hoe warm it will get in here a the summer heats up. I hope these conditions will be changed so we can return to one of our favorite brunch spots! read more

Love this location great service and food always go here for my birthday and the mimosas are great

TLDR: do not visit they will under serve you and over charge you contrary to their menu. Enjoy other restaurants instead Ambar Shaw was a very negative experience. I visited with a group for a birthday and everyone was very polite and mindful of the staff and other visitors. The service we received was so poor despite us being an ideal group. Our table consistently had empty drinks waiting 10-30 minutes for a refill for our 2 hr stay. When we got a brief chance to speak with our waiter we asked for specific food items to be ordered to the table and a disappointing amount of them did not show up despite us double checking on them. We watched as the staff hung out with one another and lingered on other tables while we could barely get drinks we paid for or food service we asked for as well. The worst part of it all is the online and menu they handed our table while knowing our size states a price of $34.99 for brunch, but we were charged $39.99 per person on top of a 22% "contract fee" we signed and knew about. We asked why we were charged more and they stated it was due to our party size. This is not stated anywhere, written anywhere, nor shared with us in any way. We did not stay longer to refute but this was robbery and they were so disrespectful to us and our group despite us being a quiet and polite group who wanted to visit their venue for a celebration. This is so disappointing we will not be returning and spreading our sour experience. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Shaw - The receipt with the fraud overcharge. And the menu they gave us describing the price of their service - Modern European Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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AMBAR was amazing. Best place for an all inclusive brunch with lots of food and drinks. We had Andres and he was spectacular. We got the 22$ drinks plus brunch. We had a blast with lots of yummy food as well as being flexible for vegetarian, allergy and gluten free food was amazing. We love ambar!! read more

The Ambar Shaw location has a seasonally decorated upstairs that is beautiful and perfect for a date night. I really love their other DC location. I went to try their lunch during a weekday when it's easy enough to walk in without a reservation. The food is tasty and I would say the chicken stroganoff (served only at this location I'm told), cauliflower, and trijanica cheese spread with bread (not shown) we're the standouts. The desserts were just ok IMO and could be skipped if you want to save more room for savory food and drinks. I also got the shumadija iced tea which is on the sweet side. It's nice that the drinks were a happy hour prices during lunch. The staff and service were excellent. I can't wait to return to try dinner and brunch sometime! read more

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Our server Sara, made the experience!! Fantastic evening out! Would recommend the lamb and the Brussels

This was my second time at Ambar and it was great! Rosa was such a good server. We let her choose the best items on the menu for the all you can eat service. We enjoyed it all. We went early with a young baby and they were very accommodating. We will be back! read more

Brunch was great with all you can eat and drink deal. Inside was cute with the flowers by the bar. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Shaw - Modern European Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Is there better service than Maria? No chance. She made sure we were taken care of the entire brunch. It was a legendary experience, and I invented brunch. read more

Andres was a phenomenal server!! He was so attentive and my friend feel so special on her birthday.

Great brunch and good for friends and families alike! Andres was our server. While brunch is the hardest to serve, he has a great attitude- patient, calm and enthusiastic!!! read more

We loved our lunch today!!!! Andres was absolutely amazing. He made our experience fantastic!!! We will definitely be back

second time dining at ambar and we had the same server which is Roselle! such a great server attends to EVERY needs and very patient when taking orders! i'd recommend this and server to anyone's first time here. A 10/10 experience everytime i've dined here. Roselle is #1 server here for all i know: read more

The food was really good. The service was very excellent and expedient. Our server, Pablo, was very attentive and friendly. Will be back again! read more

Pablo was so amazing literally the best server that you could ever ask for he is so attentive and he is literally the best person that you can ask for us to serve for you read more

Pablo was an incredible waiter. The food is incredible , well seasoned and resembles Balkan cuisine. The Cavapi is a must have!

Pablo was GREAT! Excellent service and customer service! He went above and beyond to ensure we had a good time

Great food and service! Rosa was an excellent server!!! The food at Ambar is an exquisite journey with rich and vibrant flavors