Amber has been declining in last few yrs food become horrible Im comparing 2011 when it was opened great dishes my favorite red snapper pineapple rice....tasty very delicious, fresh sushi.. it was a nice place for lunch lately lets say it started 3-4 yrs back Amber is falling a part There are some ok dishes def not like before, sushi isn't always fresh. Lately on few occasions experiencing sickness after eating sushi. Amber sushi chefs need to be educated, in need of improvement how to handle prepare flash-frozen raw fish . Biggest joke is a king salmon I DON'T THINK sushi chef at ambeR EVER SEEN HOW KING SOLOMON LOOKS LIKE OR EVER TASTED it.... service is questionable needs lots improvement Amber only cares about money sadly said all my friends and I won't be having lunch or dine at that establishment. read more

The entrance is quite small and unassuming, and the initial interior looks cramped, but the restaurant does have a nice back area for additional (and quieter) seating. As for the food, Amber promotes itself as Asian-fusion, which is why they have a culinary smorgasbord of dishes from all over Asia on their menu. We ordered the Pad Thai (the cheapest thing on the menu at $18), and the Ume roll combo (what we believed was the best value on the menu at $25 for 3 rolls). The Ume roll was surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) bland and the salmon/yellowtail/tuna all tasted exactly the same. The Pad Thai fared better and actually had some sweet/spicy notes, but it was nothing special. Overall, while I didn't have any major complaints about the food, I probably wouldn't go back. Everything on the menu needs to be $5 cheaper, in my opinion, to be worth ordering, otherwise I feel like I'm getting robbed. read more

Amber - Ume Roll Combo - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I'm obsessed with Amber sushi! Such great quality sushi and wonderful friendly service in the neighborhood. Truly a hidden gem, as it sits down a few steps around the corner from busy columbus ave. The sushi is well prepared, always fresh, and always on time (for takeout/deliveries). I order from Amber 2-3 times a month and keep coming back! Especially love their specialty rolls, which are inventive, delicious, and filling. Love having this place in the neighborhood! read more

Amber is a cozy almost subterranean sushi restaurant. You wouldn't know it from the outside appearance, but the fish is incredibly fresh prepared beautifully and the service is truly right there without being overbearing. read more

Amber - Golden Dragon Roll - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

A pleasant surprise! My friend and I were really craving sushi, but the spot we were originally trying to go to was full for the night. After searching on yelp we found this spot close by and decided to give it a shot. The interior looks small at first, but there's an entire other section in the back which we were led to. It was super cozy. We decided to share the ume roll combo and the sushi generation. The ume roll combo was quite generous in terms of portion for the price, and came with spicy salmon, spicy tuna, and hamachi. The sushi generation had three types of nigiri and the same spicy salmon roll. All the fish tasted pretty fresh, and I really enjoyed the rolls in the ume roll combo! I liked how it was really simple with just the fish, rice, and seaweed. This probably isn't the highest quality or best sushi you'll find, but if you're really craving it this definitely satisfies that. Good service as well! read more

Amber - Ume Roll Combo and Sushi Generation - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

had a delivery of two mains and two orders of soy beans. haven't had there food in years, was looking forward to the delivery. i will never order again from this restaurant. Don't know what's happened but everyone of the dishes were just awful. Mushy and taste less. Soy beans tasteless and under cooked! i feel sad writing this but, they need to get it together and not take customers for granted! Should be zero stars considering the price of this order! read more

Consistent and fresh food! I have ordered from their restaurants at the west village and upper west side locations. Very good and consistent! read more

Amber has always the freshest and highest quality sushi at affordable price. And definitely the best lychee martini in New York City! Hands down! The staff is also extremely friendly. Highly recommend read more

Amber - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Amber restaurant offers a nice selection of lunch specials at competitive prices. Sushi & sashimi as well as Thai dishes & "fusion" Asian cuisine are the cornerstone of their menu; the menu offers a wide range of options (besides sushi) to choose from. This week I tried 1) 3 Maki Rolls. The salmon & yellowtail rolls were better than the eel. All were fresh & delicious! Recommend. 2) Thai Basil flank steak. A bit too much oil /fat for me. Needed a little more spice/flavor. Good portion size. Enjoyed the rice. 3) Salad & Miso soup - both good. Overall, really liked the sushi rolls. Excellent lunch menu. One of the best sushi spots in the neighborhood. read more

Amber - Yellowtail, salmon, and eel rolls. Excellent. - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Very low key spot, but great food and great vibes. I got the veggie dumplings you get 6 for $10 which such a great deal for this area. We got there pretty late- and the service was great and quick. Waitress was nice and super chill. Food was great can't really go wrong with some dumplings and texture was good too. Giving it 5 stars because everyone loves a place that isn't overpriced and in this city it's hard to find something that isn't. read more

Amber - 6 Steamed Veggie Dumplings - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Great lunch special deal!! The mango chicken platter was good, my cousin said it needed more rice. The ratio was a bit off. All the sushi dishes were very solid! The sashimi pieces had a good cut of fish and the rice ratio was perfect. The fish quality was also pretty quality and tasted fresh! The sushi / sashimi lunch special comes with miso soup and salad. The normal lunch special plates come with miso soup, salad, and either dumpling or mini rolls. The service was good, pretty standard. All the tables were filled, yet it wasn't that loud for a smaller space! read more

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Amber has been around for a while, and they are consistently okay. The sushi rolls are priced pretty high for what you get and there are lots of other options around. On the flip side, they are always open and there when I need them so I appreciate that. I wish they put less rice in their rolls and this inside was a little better looking. read more

I ordered in. The drunken noodle dish with chicken was awful. Boring. And tasteless and sad. I ordered many sushi rolls and each one was yuck. I'm sorry but this food is really not good. And as I write this I feel kinda nauseous. This will be the last time I order from Amber. read more

Amber is located about a block west of Central Park, and is convenient, somewhat affordable, but above all, is home to some excellent, delicious food. We got there at around 5.30 pm, and while the place was virtually empty considering it was early dinner time, they were fulfilling many, many to-go orders. The server was really friendly, and made the experience all the better. We ordered a spicy Sushi combo which was $23 (iirc), a rather good deal for 3 types of spicy Sushi: yellowtail, salmon, and tuna. The sushi was well made, well put together, and we enjoyed each bite. It doesn't stand out, but at the same time, doesn't disappoint either. The other entree was the Amber Shaking beef, which is meant to be spicy. It was slightly spicy, and is a bit on the saltier side. However, we thoroughly enjoyed it! The beef pieces were excellent and I just really liked the dish, which comes with taro chips on the side. The taro chips are so good, as well, and I wished for more. It comes with a side of rice. Overall, it was a really pleasant experience, and I would recommend this place to anyone looking for Japanese food near the Central Park area, if you don't want to be spending a fortune on food. read more

Amber - Amber Shaking Beef - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Called the restaurant to reserve a birthday dinner for 9 people before a show at Lincoln Center. They were very accommodating when I called back a week later and asked to add two more. The staff was so warm and welcoming when we came in, very attentive, and brought out a complimentary birthday treat for the person of honor with a candle. Food came out quickly, ensuring we made it to the show on time. Thank you Amber for making this large dinner so easy! read more

So we are within blocks of Lincoln center, so it is easy to find over the top places (Boulud galaxy) that try hard (and sometimes deliver) or pure ripoff. Strangely there are few places like this one. Amber is welcoming, the food is good without trying to impress, its not cheap ($19 buys you a few sushi and at first you are like "what?" but then you realize those are actually nice, well sized and satisfying). Have you once visited a small town and found one of the restaurants there is not an attraction per se but above the rest and you want to go back. Looking to match world class singer at the met with an equally stunning dinner? look elsewhere. Looking to forget you are in the center of the world and feel you want a nice solid restaurant for grown-ups (without neon or pretentious menu), a place to rest from the noise and take a break? You will enjoy your time there. hope this helps, read more

Hello, We love your food but were so dissapointed to find plastic spoons in the order when we didn't ask for them, as well as loads single-use individually plastic wrapped soy sauce. We are eating at home and don't need any of this. I cringe to imagine how much waste you are causing your take-out customers to put into the landfill each day. Not to mention the food was delivered in an unnecessary plastic bag (they have been against the law for years now). The food would have looked far more appetizing if delivered in the simple paper bags, the outer plastic bag was not needed. Please consider not sending these items anymore, or atleast ask if people need them before loading bags with them. Thank you, Llana Here's an article about how serious the problem of plastic cutlery pollution is https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/carrying-your-own-fork-spoon-help-plastic-crisis read more

Amber - Single-use plastic spoon and plastic individual soy sauce packets. All not asked for or needed. Going straight to the landfill. - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

3.5 Stars but rounding up to 4 Stars. I used to go to Amber alot when they were located across the street, in a much larger and much nicer space. But rent in the UWS is no joke and they moved to its current, smaller (& not as nice) space a couple of years ago. Service and hospitality is still great, however, their food, albeit still good, is just not as good as it used to be. I still go to Amber sometimes because they have great Lunch Specials! Today's lunch: My friend had two sushi rolls of his choice, which came with soup and salad. He said it was "okay, same old, same old" but good value at $11. I had the chicken with green curry, which came with choice of mini appetizer (I picked sui mai), soup AND salad for $13. Now that is alot of food! By the time my green curry dish came, I was getting full and only ate about a third of it, and took the rest as a doggy bag...lunch for tomorrow! The food was good but not great. Green curry was super mild and not spicy at all. Still tasty but a little "dummied down" for the UWS. Would I return? Sure, as my friend said, it's a good value lunch. Amber is still a pretty good option for this neighborhood! read more

Amber - My leftovers - chicken w.green curry & brown rice (part of their lunch special) - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

So I remembered that I had eaten food from here before but I never got to review them because it was before I was a Yelper. I love Mango chicken and I decided to order a lunch special. The specials come with Miso Soup and a salad but I don't like miso soup and wasn't in the mood for a salad. The specials also come with a choice of Mini Spring Rolls or Dumplings. I love both but I chose the spring rolls. They came with the sweet chili sauce already on it but it was still delicious. The portion of Mango chicken was generous and was served with white rice. My only issue is that I wish they put maybe some bell peppers in it. The only veggie included is a couple of pieces of Asparagus spears. The chicken is cooked well and the sauce has a bit of a kick to it. I love the addition of Thai basil in it. They give you plenty of sauce to enjoy over the rice. I would definitely try some more menu items. read more

Ambiance was good- I think the restaurant can lean towards the more casual or a little more formal, there isn't a specific vibe. The food was good- not the best sushi I've ever had, but it was good! The service was also good. The food came in a timely manner. read more

Amber - California Roll, Salmon Roll - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Best lunch deal around. The food is fresh. Been ordering from here for many years. Was sad to see someone broke in to the restaurantamd hope people in our neighborhood support them. read more

Located a few blocks north from 66th St / Lincoln Center, Amber Upper West Side is a wonderful, reasonably priced Asian fusion restaurant with good service and ambiance (and not noisy). Will return! The highlights are the crispy whole red snapper (gorgeous!), stir fried garlic edamame (much better than boiled edamame), and the sushi. See the photos. read more

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Came to this place because I was craving sushi with some friends. Everything from the appetizers to the sushi was delicious, I want to go back to try more menu items! I really loved the atmosphere, is perfect for any date. Can't go wrong with any of their sushi! read more

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I've only had delivery since Covid, not in-house dining. Sushi delivered can be iffy, but Amber is always reliable in quality and delivery. One of my go-to's for years. read more

Found a fish scale in my sushi, and when i told the server, he said "that's very normal". i dont know a single place that's cool with having fish scales in their sushi. We got the platter, and I asked for them to remake just that one piece and he walked away before I could finish saying it. Dropped the new one on the table. No apology. Gave themselves a tip on the receipt FOR US at the end, which I've personally never experienced (we were a table for two). Had better sushi and service. Don't come here unless you want bad attitude and bad food. read more

Came in a couple of months ago for early dinner after spending time at the museum. Both food and drinks were phenomenal. We were pleasantly surprised with the prices considering the location. The hostess was very nice, the service was alright. It wasn't crowded even though we came during the weekend, which we personally prefer. Would definitely come back when in the area again. read more

Great asian restaurant close to Central Park. We were looking for a last minute place to go for Sunday lunch before heading into the Central Park and this was a great place that we stumbled onto. We had their sushi, spring rolls, drunken noodles and the Crispy tangerine chicken. All of it was delicious and easy to share. Also very affordable! In addition, one of our friends has a shellfish allergy and the staff was extremely attentive to it - they were very clear about what she could and couldn't eat and checked in on her multiple times. She even said that she has never had anybody so nice about her allergy. Nothing too fancy, but if you are looking for good food and service at an affordable price, this is your place! We will be returning. read more

Bellini brunch? Why, yes, of course we should! You gotta do Sunday brunch in NYC the way they do it in NYC: boozy. Thank goodness Amber offers a prix fixe selection of sushi and Asian rice dishes that include a cocktail, starter and the anticipated miso bowl, all told it's a good deal, and the food's legit. Portions also generally reflect NYC, reasonable, nothing that'll weigh you heavily down and that's important because you're walking off that Bellini buzz. Easily some of the best salmon I've enjoyed atop sticky rice, this place nailed everything we were using the app to search for: hole in the wall off Madison avenue, quiet and comfortable, good service, memorable NYC brunch. read more

Amber - Mango chicken brunch platter - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I stopped by for lunch and was pleased with the Covid-19 safety precautions and the friendly/attentive service I received. I shared their "sushi platter for two," which contained four 6-piece classic rolls (i.e., California, Salmon Avocado, Spicy Salmon, and eel) and 12 chef-selected sushi pieces. My guest was pleased that the restaurant could accommodate his request for rolls made without the seaweed (a strange request, I know...). The four sushi rolls were unbelievably large and filled to the brim with generous chunks of fish and the fixings. While their chef-selected sushi pieces were quite large, for $50+, I expected some fresher sushi. I honestly felt a few sushi pieces we consumed were not properly cleaned. In essence, Amber provided my guest and me adequate service and a decent lunch, but nothing extraordinary. read more

The sushi was good but I got sick immediately after. I don't know if I can blame this restaurant but I felt sick before we even paid the bill and had to run to the bathroom. The sushi did taste fresh and good though so I don't really know what to think here. The edamame was nicely salted and I had the salmon lover platter. Kind of a weird review to write lol but I try to review everywhere I go fairly based on the experience vs. just rant or rave! read more

Decent priced. Decent quality sushi. Nothing bad. Decent ambiance, inattentive staff with beautifully plated food but nothing to brag about. read more

Amber - Mixed Sashimi Salad - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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In the past I had some very good sushi meals at Amber; so decided to go back today for lunch. It was disappointing. It's not the same as what it used to be. When Amber first opened on Columbus Avenue numerous years ago, I sat at the bar and had some very good sushi. The place was always packed. Then, when the building was up for sale, they moved to their West 70 St. location - a much smaller, non-atmospheric place. During the pandemic, they had outdoor dining, and, on several occasions, I ordered the Amber sashimi entree. It was very good with at least 18 small, thin sliced sashimi pieces with various kinds of fish. Remembering how good that was, I ordered the same thing today, but it wasn't anywhere near the same. I ordered miso soup, the sashimi entree, white rice, and plum wine. The wine ($14 a glass) was rather sour and not nearly as good as i get for $7.95 one block away at Empire Szechuan. The soup was good ($4.50), but too large a bowl to have with other food. A smaller bowl at $3.50 would have been better. The rice was okay, standard white rice. The presentation of the entree was nice, but that is where any interest in it ended. It was 8 large, thin slices of sashimi (seared red & white tuna, mackeral, & some other fish). (I don't particularly like seared sashimi. It takes away from the natural flavor.) There was some kind of unnecessary sauce spread over these fish pieces. Then there were 2 oysters with caviar, which were good. (I hesitated before I ate them due to the vibrio outbreak). There was also 2 cucumber wraps with lobster inside. I ate the lobster & left the uninteresting cucumber. Fortunately the lobster was chewable (hard to find in NYC nowadays). There was also uni in a cut out cucumber. It was watery & a little weird. I only ate part of it. The texture should have been more firm. The fish was served over loads of shredded radish and 4 nice pieces of mint. There was also was a nice flower and some seaweed. The seaweed contained something really hard. I took it out of my mouth, thinking it must be a lost filling or cracked tooth but, upon checking my teeth that was not the case. After putting more seaweed into my mouth, more hard pieces (like metal). Luckily I didn't swallow them, and quickly took them out of my mouth, but this should not be happening. The entree was $43 - far from worth it. The server was friendly and efficient, although I had to ask twice for the wine. I am handicapped with bad knees; so I use my cart similar to a walker. This restaurant isn't the easiest to get in and out of. There are 3 steps going into the place and a not very efficient railing. I let my cart go down first, & then I followed. When leaving, the waiter opened the door for me, but left me at the bottom of the steps to try to figure out the rest of the ascent. Fortunately there was nothing in the cart; so I lifted it up to the top of the stairs, and then, between the railing and the sides of the stairs I managed to get up the steps; but it wasn't easy. A little more help from the waiter would have been nice. Consequently, during my visit, when I entered there was one customer at the bar, and the rest of the time I was the only patron. It is not likely I'll return or order from this restaurant again very soon - many better options to explore. read more

Lunch specials are a great value. Miso soup, salad and entree. Perfect Japanese-Thai fusion food after a day at Central Park! read more

Amber - Lunch special choose 2 rolls - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I decided to try Amber to try a Japanese restaurant on the UWS that I had not tried yet. I'll start that the food and the service were OK to average. I had the oyster tempura roll to start and a sashimi platter for my main. I has a 5oz pitcher of Junmai Ginjo sake as well. All was good. The low marks are because of the atmosphere. There was no sushi bar, just the bar bar, at which I sat. OK but there were two TVs playing some old NY Giants football show. Why? I felt like I should be an old man sitting in a divy corner bar. Basically I did not like the atmosphere of the place and probably won't return because of that. read more

I hesitate writing this review because it is a hidden gem in our hood. Best bar, best HH and amazing service. Jason, you are a true gentleman. Always make us feel at home. That said, order anything because you just can't go wrong!! My go to is the zesty chicken. Wow...just WOW!! read more

Man... if you're looking for a spacious bathroom, this is NOT your place (but at least it was clean... they might want to cut down the amount of air scent that suffocates any occupants). However, if you're looking for sushi and salad with a beautiful twist, hot damn... look no further. I arrived at almost 1230pm for lunch, and sat at one of the 2-tops in the dining area just beyond the bar. The two servers were polite, and at least one was almost always present to help. They work quickly, and efficiently. I ordered a house salad, a Citrus Salmon Carpaccio, and my regular Salmon Avocado roll. The carrot-ginger dressing that comes with the house salad was good... not as sweet as some places, a little stronger in flavor. Aside from mixed leafy greens, the salad had pine nuts, and yellow & black raisins, and it was delish! Then came the Carpaccio. I liked the salmon a lot, each piece had a small but potent slice of jalapeno on it. And the half dozen or so slices of salmon came on a tremendous bed of mixed leafy greens! I would have appreciated if the waitress had mentioned this to me, as I would have skipped the house salad and had now money left over to tip her with! But that's ok... the house salad was awesome. They gave me some extra dressing so I could kill my second salad like a BOSS. The salmon avocado roll was typical, but very good quality. My mouth was so full of flavor at this point, that the roll was almost bland. I would suggest Amber look at adding some additional types of seeds to the outside of their sushi rolls to add some more flavour. They're very creative. I'm sure they can come up with something! read more

Very average sushi joint. The $17 special roll wasn't so special, but it was pretty tasty. The salmon sushi and tamago sushi were standard, but nothing great. My girlfriends spicy snow crab roll wasn't very good at all. It was essentially all mayonnaise. She asked for a normal one without tobiko (the special roll version) and was charged the same- meh. Fine if you're craving sushi, but not in our go-to spots. read more

Recently found this neighborhood gem. Quality rolls and sushi, nice selection of cooked Japanese small plates/appetizers and interesting cocktails. They accommodated our request for outdoor seating despite questionable weather and generally provided good but unobtrusive service. Will be back soon. read more

Friendly, attentive and humorous staff, cozy atmosphere, generous portions and quality food! The perfect location for a date, I highly recommend! read more

Been going to this restaurant since I was a little kid. The staff is amazing. If you are a returning customer, they will refer to you by name, ask about your family, etc. But beyond that... the food speaks for itself. The rolls are great and so is the pad Thai. read more