Decided to go to lunch at Ambrosia with my father in town for the week. Now, I wish I had not. Server gave my father the wrong sandwich, and we were left waiting for almost 35 minutes in a near-empty restaurant. With two soft drinks and a couple of mediocre sandwiches in our stomachs, we settled our 26 dollar tab. Pretty pricey for the quality of food in this establishment. Thanks, but no thanks. read more

My first visit to this place. We sort of stumbled upon it because we generally aren't in downtown Eugene. We live in Portland, and I eat pizza a lot and like a few places in PDX. But THIS is the best pizza I've had in Oregon, hands down. The crust was light and flaky. The toppings were VERY fresh and according to the server, locally sourced. It was a Sunday evening and there weren't many people in the place. I imagine during U of O season, it's much busier. We were seated immediately, waited on perfectly and our food came really quickly. I loved it. Try the pizza here. Really awesome. read more

First, the manager seemed inconvenienced by our non-reservation party of 4 ,early on a Friday evening, and reluctantly had a server find us a table. It seems there was a plumbing issue and the entire back of the restaurant was closed for service. Fine, we were seated shortly after arrival. As for the food; I've eaten here on occasion for the past 16 years. It has gone from really good, to sub par. The last meal I ordered was the Fettucine Davide. It was under seasoned, the sun-dried (?) tomatoes were inedible and the chicken seems to have been pre-cooked. The server was friendly enough, but forgot to bring my husband's salad before the entree- I had to remind her. All in all, I was left unimpressed and don't plan on returning, which is a disappointed because I used to love Ambrosia! read more

I have had several pleasant dinners this year at Ambrosia. The waitstaff are clearly professionally trained, which is unusual for Eugene, and quite pleasant. No problem with a special request due to food allergies. Loved the halibut, well-presented and tasty. Lovely salads. My companion had an excellent filet. As Eugene area goes, very good, will send my friends. read more

Great food, wonderful atomsphere with outdoor seating as well, warm and courteous staff.

Italian not really, let's just say not classic, good though. Sea food pasta was good. Grilled tuna was ok, over cooked and a bit dry. Sides were meager and uninspiring. Overall meal was fine, but kind of pricy for what you get, which is nothing special. Extra star for the location, easy parking and really fun interior. read more

Good food, very attentive and friendly service. I'll be back!

We took our family there to dinner at the end of May. We saw the reviews, and decided to go there. One of us had the Tuna steak a special that night , the Osso Bucco, and seafood pasta. The tuna was so over cooked it was terrible. We told the waitress about it. She said, "I can have the chef add more sauce" (about a table spoon.) Hello, more sauce does not help a piece of overcook fish- at $31. We tried to change it to Osso Bucco, she said they ran out. Instead of offering to change for something else or redo the dish. She really did not want to take that overcook piece of fish back to the chef. A good chef and restaurant would insist in redoing another piece of fish. Yet later that evening, we saw another guest ordered and served the Osso Bucco. Lying does not help your restaurant to convince us to go back. We enjoy good food and don't mind spending money, but when a restaurant does not stand behind their dishes, it is not worth it. For five of us, we spend over $200. I gave it two star because the Osso Bucco was actually nicely done. read more

Ok so second try. Owner not here and as we sit at the bar the cooks scream out the waiters name whose next order is up. Not a relaxing or pleasant atmosphere. Had a split of the same meal. No split just one empty plate. So can't reproduce the "5" experience unless owner is on site. Oh well. Guess that's why they aren't a 5 read more

I like this place. I have never had a bad meal there. It has a very nice ambience. There are lots of choices on the menu and the specials are always interesting...and good. We take the whole family, but it would be a great first date place. read more

Nice people and attentive service, however the food wasn't great. Each dish had something wrong...either added extra spice on dishes that didn't need heat, or the dishes were over salted. Wouldn't go back. read more

Didn't hit the mark....again. When reservations for a birthday gathering are made in advance, that should be the clue that this dinner is something 'special'. To be sat in the back by the bathrooms, facing the wall & kitchen, rather than being able to take in the establishment/nuances/music, shows disregard for the patrons. Not only does the wall between this back room and the rest of the restaurant leaves a feeling of 'cut off' from the entire place, but is hard for the waiting staff to maintain properly to make the meal/experience flow from horderves through dessert. Had to ask for items, condiments and dessert and coffee...wait for coffee to brew...and ask for a refill, which came after the dessert was finished. Obviously a staff too young to remember or understand the beauty of dinners that aren't just about the food but the experience. Food was good but not the timings that should have accompanied it to make it great. Not at all worth the couple hundred $$ dropped for beer, pizza and dessert. read more

Took my wife out for her 66th birthday on April 9th to Ambrosia. She ordered the special which was seafood pasta for $29. It was to include salmon, langostino, scallops and pork belly. It wasn't until part way thru our meal that I ask her how her dinner was. She said it was disappointing. I ask what she meant and she showed and told me how little seafood there was in her meal. The scallops were bay scallops which are very small, couldn't find any pork belly and the langostins were at best the size of a small salad shrimp. She said the salmon was very good just very little of it. Brought this to our waiters attention and he tried to justify the dish but we weren't agreeing with his explanation. For $29 the dish should have been much better than what she received. Olive Garden seafood pasta has so much more seafood in it for a much lesser price. Need to make this up to my Sweetheart, thought I was taking her out for a special meal on her special day but I chose the wrong restaurant evidently. read more

well our first, and probably only visit, was a disaster. we waited for an hour for our food, then when asked, the server indicated it hadn't been started but we were running very late to a play. no serious concern on her part besides assuming we wanted free drinks. she didn't offer any choices so we had to ask if there was any thing on the menu that we could get quickly. we agreed upon some pizzas which also arrived late (and were not very good). we got the pizza to go and ate on the run. of course the pizzas were missing ingredients we asked and paid for. all of this combined with super dated decor, bad serving, and mediocre food makes it hard to want to go back. read more

I have never had a bad experience here! The food is amazing, love the wine selection. I even came in one time for a wine tasting with appetizers it was amazing, even made some new friends! One of my Top 10 favorite places in Eugene! read more

This restaurant manages to make everyone in my family happy. Best wine list in Eugene for grown ups, Shirley Temples (with 5 cherries!) for the kids and interesting, delicious fare sure to please anyone. The range of local ingredients is impressive. I should mention that Ambrosia is located in the finest area of downtown Eugene. If you're visiting, don't miss this one! Amazing big bar where knowledgable, fun locals hang too. read more

Ambrosia is THE best restaurant in Eugene. Consistently fabulous food, great atmosphere, friendly service people. We go there at least once per week. Every time we try somewhere else, we ask ourselves WHY? Go to the best and never be disappointed!! read more

Unfortunately, the salad's were the highlight of our meal. They probably deserve a 2.5, but I'm rounding up because of the location and building. The entrees were all very average. I got a sausage and mushroom calzone; the few mushrooms were big chunks and hadn't been cooked with anything to give them flavor and the sausage was bland and boring. Others in our party got a boring margarita pizza, a Cajun pasta with fishy scallops, and a rather bland halibut. read more

Four weeks ago my family and I went to Ambrosia to celebrate a small event. I was so steamed when I left, it took me this long to cool off and write an objective narration of my experience. It was mid-afternoon, midweek-1 table besides us was in the front dining area. We were waiting for another member of our party to join us, sooo, a bar order and appetizer were ordered while we waited. The service was SUPER slow. I thought it was just us, but a young couple came in and they waited literally 20 minutes before they even got to place their drink order. I ordered a dish I had ordered there 1 month prior. The dish came out completely different than I had experienced previously. I very politely sent the dish back asking for it to be re-accomplished. The dish returned- steaming from the microwave and I was told that another chef had redone my dish. Needless to say, I sent the dish back: I explained what my expectation was, how the dish had been served previously, and was wondering why there was no menu consistency. At this point, I opted to allow my companions to finish their meal while I deferred a substitute dish. I was very quiet about the entire event. However, a young Manager came to the table and confronted me on why I had sent the item back. I quietly explained my experience the previous month. He raised his voice and told me "I've been here 13 years and it's never been served like that." Umm..the customer is always right and why are you arguing with me loudly and in front of other customers? The "manager" tried very hard to get me to purchase a different entree and pushed hard to place me on the defensive. I stood firm and paid my check (to include a $5.00 tip for less than stellar service). Did I mention I spent over $65.00 to have a "manager" harass me and tell me I was wrong? Live and learn. I won't be back. For the owner: Please train your staff on the menu Get you "manager" some people skills Develop menu consistency between chefs read more

Outstanding service and wonderful food inside a beautiful restaurant! I was recently visiting Eugene on business and stopped into Ambrosia for dinner. They offer all the classic Italian dishes, as well as a variety of nightly special items like steak and halibut. Extensive and interesting drink list and huge selection of wines. The interior has an antique motif and is comfortable and very classy. I had crab stuffed mushrooms, the seafood pasta special and vanilla creme brûlée - all were excellent. Also had a few of their special drinks, which were great. Prices are quite fair, especially considering the quality of food. I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a nice dinner in the area. I will stop by next time I am in town! read more

Stopped in for drinks and hors d'oeuvres last night - Wednesday. Food and atmosphere were nice. But for the second time, we were chastised for not having reservations. Really? It was 5pm. The place was EMPTY and continued to be so for the next hour! We left around 7 and the restaurant was still not packed. In fact, we were making jokes most of the time about how loud it was in the vacant area in which we were seated. Not the way to treat your paying customers, Ambrosia! read more

Ambrosia is simply outstanding. Wonderful service and a great menu with excellent weekend specials. Best calzone in Oregon. During my most recent visit, I ordered the filet mignon. Grilled to perfection by Chef Erik, served with a rich demi glacé with Yukon potatoes and steamed veggies that still had some crispness. My waiter, Justin, was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Justin also serves as a bartender some nights and makes a perfect margarita. I continue to receive good feedback from friends and out of town business colleagues I send to Ambrosia. I'll be back soon! read more

Had a fantastic graduation meal last Monday evening. Food was excellent but the service was even better. I would highly recommend Ambrosia in Eugene! read more

Quick service on a weeknight about 5PM, antique/garage sale decor. lasagna was cold in the middle, sent it back and had my first lasagna soup. Paid $43 for Chef Boyardee food, and the waiter took it back uneaten without a word. We did enjoy the bread and dip for an hour, while waiting. Go to Mazzi's on Amazon, even Olive Garden for Italian. Go across the street for Thai or pizza, and grab a Starbucks. Be warned. read more

Ambrosia has the best Chicken Sandwich in town. I love their chocolate mousse. I have lunch there at least once a week. Great service and a friendly atmosphere. read more

Ambrosia used to be known (probably still is) as "the Closer," because when recruiters brought candidates to town, they'd wine-and-dine 'em at Ambrosia. And the candidates would conclude that, yeah, they could eat here more often, could even live here. The food is terrific, lunch or dinner, and the ambiance unmatched for the romantic warmth of surrounding antiques. The wine list is exceptional, award-winning. read more

We took our california friends to dinner at Ambrosia on friday night. We were seated immediately at a table in the very back, which ususally means poor service in most restaurants, this was not the case at Ambrosia. I can't remember a time we had better service. Our table was perfect. It was quiet, we could visit and enjoy our conversation, wine and dinner, which was stellar. We all ordered specials and they were no less than scrumptious. Our friends were delighted. The price makes it possible dine here often, and we do. read more

An absolutely outstanding dinning experience! My wife & I are from Portland and were in Eugene as "taxi' service bringing the kids to a Rap concert. While the kids stood in a crammed arena, in the rain, we went in search of dinner, boy did we ever get the best of that deal! While we were told that there was a 45 minute delay, we were glad that we chose to sit at the bar for our meal. I am mystified by the negative reviews as every point that has been listed as a negative experience, we experienced the exact opposite. I guess "One man's meat is another man's poison" as the saying goes. Our experience was that the staff were amazing, friendly, helpful and efficient, made us feel very welcome, like having dinner with friends. The food, well, we have never tasted pizza like that, and the roasted crab stuffed mushrooms were excellent! My wife said the Margarita was the best she has had. Lovely atmosphere, rustic and quaint, made us feel comfortable and at home. I imagine people will be rolling their eyes and muttering that it could never be that good, well, for us it really was. We cannot recommend Ambrosia highly enough and will definitely call again when in Eugene. read more

We had reservations for a party of 15. We waited 20 mins for someone to come take drink orders. Then another 20 mins for the drinks and to place a food order. The kids were starving and we had to finally ask for their food to come. Our total time in the restaurant was over 2 hours. And, the restaurant was half empty. Then they said they could only take one credit card for our group and we were not told in advance so not all of us had $100+ cash on hand. The food was good, but overall my experience was soured and I will not return.. read more

They have a great bar and make great classic cocktails. Usually we sit in the front of the restaurant or upstairs, which is better than in the back of the restaurant. Wait staff is friendly and service is efficient. We usually get the daily specials - last time it was a filet with a bacon sauce. hello! read more

We went last night. Waited 5 min for the hostess to come, we were told the bartender would be over to take our drink order while we were waiting and despite asking again no one ever took our order. We were seated back by the kitchen in a hallway all by ourselves and when my aunt asked about it we were told other people would be seated in our vacant area but this also mysteriously never happened either. It took 5-10 min before our waiter ever showed up, the bus boy showed up and talked to us before he did and told us about the Seafood Pasta special which I ordered. When our waiter did show up to ask what we wanted to order we informed him we hadn't been told of the specials yet and a gal who was hostessing, managing and bartending all while we were there told us about the specials. Our "don't bother me with these people" waiter wanted her to tell us the specials since he states he was busy getting his table of 9 order out and DISAPPEARED. I asked for a drink that wasn't available and when I asked for suggestions he had none "there a lot of possibilities but we could be here for days unless you know what you want". I should have gotten up and walked out. He brought us our salad and 10 minutes later the entrée showed up. So we felt really rushed to get out of there despite sitting in a room all by ourselves. It was a good dish I ordered but everything was a fiasco. NOT impressed and the waiter could have care less about serving us read more

Oh, where do I start??? Well, I used to come to this restaurant after first moving to Eugene area about 5 years ago. It was good. We would meet after work for drinks and dinner/lunch time meals...always good, loved the place. My cousin was visiting this past October so I said, let's meet at Ambrosia, great atmosphere and really good food, so we did. We had a wonderful wait person, sorry don't remember his name, we sat in the front of the house. We order apps and wine and it was very nice. When our entrees arrived they were both very good. Now, this is where the trouble starts. I had not seen my cousin in 25 years, I told the manager that when I made reservations as well as our waiter. I was assured by both of these people that was great and we would be taken care of. After dinner we were finishing our wine and the BARTENDER walked into our room and said, "I need you to leave, it's almost midnight".......um........what? So I said to my cousin, how can it be that late? Our reservations were for 8:00 pm. Well, guess what....we walked out into the bar area and looked at the clock, 10:45 pm. I looked at the bartender and said, excuse me, it's 10:45. He said, "oh yeah, I guess I didn't look at the clock right." Being kicked out of a restaurant when 1. it's a Wednesday night. 2. there wasn't anyone there except us. and 3. the bartender is drinking beer and watching the game with other "patrons" at the bar is completely unacceptable. ESPECIALLY when the bartender takes it upon his self to tell us to leave and our waiter had no idea he had done so. Sorry Ambrosia, never again, good luck. read more

I ate at Ambrosia last week (9/21) for lunch with my family. We were in town dropping my sister off for her first year at U of O and were exploring downtown area when we came across the restaurant. Since it was lunch time on a Friday the restaurant was not very busy and our party of 6 was seated right away. Everything was going great (they even had some gluten free options for me!) until my mom found a LIVE caterpillar in her salad. We were obviously in shock and told our waiter immediately! He didn't seem as phased by the situation as we were and said that this "mishap" probably occurred because the restaurant uses organic lettuce for their salads. Ummm??? Shouldn't the lettuce still be cleaned before it is put on the plate?? It was such a horrible excuse!! The waiter had my mom's meal remade while the rest of us stopped eating because we were so grossed out! When it was time to pay our bill our waiter informed us that he had comped 50% of my mom's meal. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Her meal should have been free! In fact, our WHOLE meal should have been free! There was a live bug in my mom's salad. The restaurant is totally disgusting and I will NEVER go back! I would also never recommend this place to anyone. Everyone should avoid this place at all costs! read more

We came here on a Saturday night after our dinner plans fell through. I was unimpressed with the food and service at Ambrosia. My husband and I arrived for dinner at 5:00 without a reservation and waited a short while for a table (we were told 30 minutes but it was less than that). While waiting, we watched the female wait staff walking through. Most were dressed in very revealing attire--incredibly inappropriate for a dining establishment. It gave the restaurant more of a club or bar-type atmosphere. While being seated, we were repeatedly greeted as "guys:" "Hey, you guys;" "here ya go, guys;" "right over here, guys." (A hospitality service should not refer to their guests familiarly as "guys.") The area in which we were seated was noticeably empty of customers, but filled with empty tables. Why were we asked to wait, then? After we ordered, the waiter returned to tell us that the antipasti plate that we'd ordered was not available due to a large party having ordered several of these. I have to say, my experience was really ruined with that announcement, it could've been phrased a little less carelessly. I didn't think to ask until later: did the management not order enough charcuterie and olives? How does an Italian restaurant run out of antipasti options? Was the kitchen not staffed to prepare our antipasti plate and theirs'? I found the rest of the meal unsatisfactory for our trouble. I really felt as though we were an afterthought for the remainder of our meal although my impression was that it was less a waiter error than a management issue. The staff seemed busy with other parties, we had been seated at a thoroughfaire and had a number of other guests and staff whisking past us to attend to a private party in another room. Our salads seemed overdressed, my manicotti was good but very salty. My husband had the ravioli and thought everything was "fine." Not good enough to warrant the price, I think. We could've easily been happy elsewhere. I was surprised to learn that Ambrosia had been in business for a long time! They seem still in the process of figuring it all out. After reading other reviews, I notice a pattern and other patrons have had somewhat similar experinces, but most have still rated the food highly. While the restaurant seems to be responding to the poorer reviews, I wonder if they have changed anything? I wouldn't see any reason to return here. There are so many other options in downtown Eugene. read more

Tonight was suppose to be a Birthday dinner for my wife. We visit Ambrosia about twice a year and the service and food Was always top notch. But something has changed. Last year the owner or manager said they always have the filet minion and proceeded to explain the meat coming from Rattlesnake ranch, etc. Melts in your mouth. Tonight I was told that the specials always change? (been getting the filets for years) So I ordered the scallops and my wife the lamb. We received very under cooked vegetables and my spaghetti was like cheap pasta no seasoning nothing. And then the scallops - what a waste of some very nice scallop meats. No flavor and the sauce was non existent. I could not eat any of it and had it returned. The 2 saving graces was the chef agreeing with me and the lamb was very good. It had just the right amount of mint to have it linger gently after each bite. And I can not blame the waiter - why else would I tip 25%. But for me, not being charged for the meal that I could not eat, was not offer enough to warrant a return. So sadly, along with our numerous recommendations for this place, we will not be returning. Sad read more

I came here quite often thirty years ago with my first wife. It was one of our favorite restaurants, we'd even get their pizzas, Ceasar salads, and the blissful chocolate mousses to go. The marriage ended and time passed, I am now remarried and brought her to Ambrosia tonight. We made reservations as we drove there, no problem at all. On our arrival we were greeted by the daughter of an old friend - she is somehow old enough to be the bartender, how does that happen??? The hostess took over and brought us to our table immediately. Our server was VERY attentive, knowledgable, friendly, AND arranged for a pizza no longer on the menu to be made for me. Her "bar back," a young woman responsible for water refills and such, was also very aware and responsive, happy to leave a carafe of water, give us more bread, etc. Dessert (which we somehow managed to save room) for was the chocolate mousse.....still as melty good as ever. It was a wonderful night out and the two of us will be back. And some day, if they're REALLY good, we'll share it with the four step-kids... read more

This was our first visit here in years, because we received a Groupon for Ambrosia as a gift. Overall it was a pleasant and tasty dinner. We were seated promptly and the host poured water for us. We then waited a little too long for a server to appear and take an order. He had been there only a week, he said, and didn't know he had a table. So now the food. To begin with we split a small Caesar salad, which was good and plenty for two, and the olive appetizer, which was different, being a small bowl of olives "roasted," i.e., served hot with some herbs. I found the olives just a bit too salty tasting in this presentation. There was also some good bread, albeit cold, with the ubiquitous olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. A plus was a nice pile of minced garlic next to the olive oil. I still prefer butter on my bread, and I'm sure it would have been provided if I had asked, but I didn't bother. We then waited just a tad too long for our dinners to appear. My wife had the chicken fettuccine Davide, which I thought was a bit bland, but which she enjoyed very much. It was quite a large serving, with enough for her to share with me and still take some home. I had the lobster ravioli, which I found delicious (I would be interested in other pasta options using the same sauce), although the portion was about half the size of my wife's fettuccine. Another two or three raviolis in the dish would have left me feeling more satisfied with my serving. We had a little more left on our Groupon so we wanted to ordered dessert. We again waited too long for our server to reappear and take a dessert and coffee order and then a bit of wait again for the coffee and dessert to appear. The coffee was good and my wife's chocolate torte was delicious. My Crème Brule was very good, but not enough sugar had been flamed and melted, so there was only a paper thin "crust" on the top, not the nice, crackling top of a perfect Crème Brule. Another little wait for our check and for the server to return with the receipt to be signed. The Groupon was cheerfully accepted and handled correctly. So the only real negative about it all was the slow and absent server. We believe this was a management rather than server issue, because it appeared he had far too many tables to cover, and, though we can't be sure, tables both upstairs and downstairs. All through the meal the bus people were very attentive, keeping water glasses full, used dishes cleared, etc. It was the actual meal service that was lacking, but not, as I said, at the fault of the server, but of a management which was overworking him. The server was very personable, helpful and friendly when present. In any case, the slowness was not enough to ruin the meal, although it might have been a problem if we had been headed for a show that evening as others around us clearly were. We felt we got good value for the gift that had been given us and had a very nice evening. One other note, the trek to the upstairs seating area is a pretty good flight of stairs, something older diners like us note and which might be annoying to some. In regard to the menu, there are not really any simple meat or fish entrees, but these were offered in specials (grilled salmon or a filet mignon) that were a bit pricier than any of the entrees on the menu. We were happy with our pasta. We may be back for another special occasion. read more

The food was actually pretty good but the service not so much. We didn't have a problem being waited on but when it came time to pay our bill it turned into a circus. We had a group of 21 and we were seated at two tables, ten at one and eleven at the second table. We were expecting separate checks but received two, one for each table. It became so confusing as there was also an 18% gratuity added to the totals. We asked if we could please get individual checks but were told that was not possible as the computer was not set up to do that. We were a group of seniors running late for a play we were going to see. The waiter, David, would not let us leave because he was not getting the right total. It was a chaotic mess, if you can picture a bunch of seniors getting out their calculators and David madly counting money which was placed all over the table. Our group leader had to end up paying an extra $52.00 between the two tables! If we would have received individual checks this would not have happened. We were running late so we could not stay to figure it all out. How could we possibly be off $52.00?! Very bad experience to say the least. read more