Had such a lovely lunch here! Sat with a friend at a cozy table in back - enjoyed the yummy risotto and a glass of recommended Italian blend wine. My friend has severe dietary restrictions and our waiter could not have been kinder helping her cobble something together from what was on the menu. Can't wait to return! read more

amazing!!! Expensive but worth the splurge. Has the most kind waitress. Spaghetti was perfection and the focaccia is out of this world!!!!! read more

Sant Ambroeus Madison - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Very rude manager. We were kept outside and not allowed to go in. It's open from 7am according to Yelp, but the manager denied it.

There isn't one minute of every day that I do not miss the flavor of Saint Ambroeus. The service here is breezy and attentive. Before you even order, you are presented with the bread that has the best texture in town. The Spaghetti Carbonara is seductively creamy, with Parmigiano Reggiano's perfume enhanced by fresh black pepper soaked in aromatic pancetta. A further otherworldly appetizing dish is Risotto Frutti di Mare, with a perfect balance of calamari, mussels and scallops in a light tomato sauce. Almost certainly, few Italian restaurants could make a more palatable risotto on this planet. read more

This is my favorite restaurant. I can eat three meals a day here. The food is great but the best part of Sant Ambroeus is the staff. The people that work there give world class service and creat a unique dining experience. read more

I'm the type of person that finds places like these while wandering the streets of NYC. I'm not from Manhattan, but commute there on a daily basis. I was walking back to the train station, and caught a glimpse of this place during a late afternoon. I was in the MET the whole day; and after trying to explore every corner i decided to go home. I stepped inside this place and was aroused by their decorative atmosphere; the chandeliers that hang in the bar, the mosaic tapestry that hangs underneath the counter, the slow burning candles in each table, and the dim lighting that soothe your time inside this enchanting restaurant. Got a scoop of ice cream, and stepped out with a warm feeling that places like this exist. Never went back; too expensive. But I hope others can find this place, just like I did. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and plan to keep it that way. read more

You can get more polished service at Chipotle This rating is for today only, we have been several times an had never witnessed such horrid behavior from staff. While trying to enjoy a quick bite on our holiday, we had to overhear a loud argument between a waitress and a barista about "their responsibilities". Our waitress was embarrassed and apologized. I would be remiss if I didn't address this. On our way out, I politely walked over and told them how their behavior made us uncomfortable. To my surprise, the waitress said: "it's life!" And laughed, and somehow I was at fault. When I said would bring this up to management the barista asked for MY name, what was he thinking? Who goes to Madison ave or to any restaurant to see this type of behavior? Unprofessional and unbecoming altogether. Is their role to make customers uncomfortable and blame them for expecting some semblance of quality service? read more

Was meeting my friends for afternoon tea but they wouldn't let us have a table for coffee/tea and cake. Said we had to stand at the bar. We left and went around the corner to Lady M instead. Lady M has much better cakes and is less uptight than Sant Ambroeus. read more

mediocre food and service at best, at exorbitant prices. clams were low tide, pasta and "heated" dessert pastry both came cold. wine steward poured us a "nice" red, to try, without disclosing price, and charged us $29 a glass. sneaky, will take advantage. caveat emptor. read more

Enjoyable lunch right near the Carlyle Hotel. Excellent choice of salads and pastas. I enjoyed the cauliflower soup which is vegan, a real bonus. I will come back. The wait staff is very attentive. read more

This place has a super EuroFancy vibe. I brought my Florentine friend Emanuele who said (loosely translated from the Italian): "Emily. Is so funny--you have snob people here in America who are looking identical to snob people in Italy!" Yes, Ema, yes. Sant Ambroeus is filled with those types. So not really my scene, HOWEVER, let's talk gelato, because it's all I had. It's good, people! I had pistachio, mint and coffee. Gelato starts at like 9 bucks for three flavas, which is absurd, but I knew going into it it was going to be that way. It was good, pretty much like your standard Italian gelateria. I wouldn't go out of my way for this gelato, mind you, but if you have a european friend visiting and you're touring upper east side museums, why not go there. Also, if you kind of want to trick said friend for a little bit and act like all restaurants here are like this, do it..I just wanted to see whether he'd be like "wow, America actually is so similar to Italy!" or whether he'd notice that it was an American joint trying its darndest to capture Italian chic. He got distracted and started talking about his search for "basic american chinos", so I never found out. I think the W. Village branch of this place will probably be more my speed. read more

I would give this five stars as a coffee/dessert place and one star as a lunch/dinner place. Lets start with the dessert- it was exceptional. Had this hazelnut mousse thing and a pistachio/espresso profiterole. They were incredible and reasonably priced I would argue. I have not had a dessert that good in a long time. Now, as for the rest of the place: They have waay to many staff and way too few minimally intelligent staff. The many waiters and waitresses we had were rude, dense, and unable to communicate. They don't need a 3:1 customer:waiter ratio, but they do need to make sure the staff is paying attention, knows the menu, and has some kind of personality. They literally have heads like a rock (all of them)- go there and you will know exactly what I mean. The food is mediocre to moderately good depending on what you order. The octopus was pretty good, but the halibut and pastas were very weak. The prices are ridiculous for what you are getting. If you want to go there just to be a part of the "scene" or whatever is motivating you (certainly not the food), then just go for coffee or dessert (which is legitimately great). You will save hundreds of dollars and not feel like an idiot when the food isn't special. read more

Damn, talk about class divides...this place -- not just the fellow patrons but also the staffers -- makes you feel egregiously underfunded with the crazy prices and underdressed with the seemingly formal dress code and unintelligent with the haphazard layout. Really average gelato to boot. read more

Drop in for the pastries but skip the restaurant. Our waiter refused to make a change from poached eggs to scrambled on the menu for our 7 year old, then proceeded to forget my drink order, forget to bring one dish and then brought the wrong thing. No apology and accountability. A high priced menu such as theirs, $12.00 for oatmeal, (not steel cut) should come with good service. read more

Hadn't been in many years. Was excited to be back. Everything looks so delicious. Service was so rude that I will never go back in there again. read more

We had Daniel as our waiter. He was very rude, snobby and never there to assist. I asked for cafe au lait and rudely said in demeaning way that it is a Spanish drink. He was rude when taking orders. He gave us a chipped cup for coffee and when didn't even pour the coffee. We had seek another waiters assistance. The whole service was TERRIBLE!!! The Dessert tasted great though. I complained to the manager. What a birthday.... read more

Ya, I've reviewed Sant Ambroeus before. Yes, my reviews were predominantly negative. Why then would I ever return? Well, when you live a block away from a joint, sometimes you find yourself there even if you know what you're in for. In my case, I get dragged there by other locals who don't want to walk more than a block, or unknowing out-of-towners who liked the coffee thus assume the food is acceptable. I'm not going to rehash in detail the flaws of this place. I will, however, rescind a previous exception I offered to the mediocrity of this place from a previous review by saying that my compliment of the saffron risotto was misplace - it should have read "they got the saffron risotto right...once, but the next time, even the manager was stunned by the mess that came out of the kitchen and offered, sheepishly, to replace it". For this review, I am going to make it real simple. I took a photo. I ordered an omelette. I don't like my omelette runny. So my exact order, verbatim, was "an omelette, please, mushroom and cheddar, cooked through." The photo (I believe you will have to go above and scroll through the photos to find it) is of the omelette delivered. When I pointed out to the waiter that the omelette was burnt to a crisp, he said "that's what you ordered...well done!" Of course, I told him I asked for it cooked through, not well done, and that well done is not the same as burnt anyway...but to no avail. So included is the image of my twenty-some-odd-dollar omelette. Enough said..... read more

Sant Ambroeus Madison - "A omelette please, mushroom and cheddar...cooked through..." Ta da! Burnt to a crisp. Seriously? - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Rude and unhelpful. Would not even answer a basic question about my order without getting defensive. I've been in busier places with more polite staff. I would not recommend ordering at the bar at all. I would have to assume sit down service is better, but I wouldn't count on it. read more

i'd read others' reviews of this italian cafe and figured, i must never have had a real cappucino before, since they never sent me to heaven. surprise! i have. they just don't do heaven. sant ambroeus' cappucinos are certainly fine, but celestial ecstasy? nope. just like a trip back to italy? nope. still you have to love this place. the people! the facelifts! the "work"! how can anyone resist? it's better than a museum. seriously, the little guys in uniforms and expensive eyeglasses that seat and serve flow effortlessly from snooty to cloying. both are fun! the little sandwiches are truly delectable and the vibe is just weird if you come from downtown. i have to say, bring a date and have a ball. we had the best time, for sure. the place is its own conversation piece, and if you get bored, just check out the people sitting next to you. you'll be giggling in no time flat. read more

The hostess was VERY RUDE. I hope the management team cares to improve their service I came in after a great run in the morning, and went in for brunch. We walked-in without a reservation, and so she told us to wait by the door. A different couple (also, a party of two) came in, started talking to the hostess in Spanish, the hostess starts chatting (starting to get very excited) and lets them into a cafe area (by the window). Other people who came after us were taken to the restaurant area by another hostess, and so I asked her, "why are they being seated before us?" She rolls her eyes, and tells me, "that area is for people who have reservations, you can go inside check with him yourself". 1. If the cafe area is for people who are walking-in, why was that couple seated before us? 2. No people whom I was referring to did not have reservations. I heard people telling the other hostess "we are a party of 2" as they were coming in, so apparently they DID NOT have a reservation. Ruined my Sunday brunch. Do not intend to come back to this location, ever. read more

The reason for 3 stars is the Maitre de stated " you do not have a reservation and will need to leave by 2:00pm." We arrived at 1pm. Tables were not filled and we remained until we were ready to leave at approx 3pm ( BTW there we're empty tables when we arrived and when we left) . The fact that we were 4 women vs a couple ...may have led him to say what he did. The service and food was excellent yet pricey. read more

Hey! This is my first review and I am honored to start it off with this spectacular establishment. Well where do I start, how about... WOW!! GO THERE!!! This review will be on my two visits to this restaurant, and the reason I decided to get on yelp. So lets begin... When I was invited to dine here, I completely had no clue this place would be this good. At first glance online, the only thing that caught my eye was that this was a cafe that specializes in desert, but let me tell you my friends, It is much more than expected. Absolutely beautiful restaurant with excellent service, and trust me I know service. When first walking in, you enter to a small bar with bartender on the front end and a barista on the other. On the opposite side was a large glass fridge display with a nice selection of gelato and delicate little deserts. When walking past all that, we entered the larger dining area and were immediately greeted by the Matre'd and the lovely hostess. Dining room was very classy and clean, not very noise and had a great ambiance. The wait staff seemed very knowledgeable, persistent and professional. Most of them even spoke Italian. The menu is indeed on the expensive side, with most appetizers starting in the $20 range. I ordered a special appetizer on my first visit which was a cold sushi like fish plate with caviar and ginger if not mistaken. Portions was not very large, but it was packed with delicious flavor with every savory bite. I ordered the Lasagna verde as my main entree as I was not extremely hungry but also did not want to leave hungry. Might I say, it was absolutely delicious. The plating was clean and beautifully presented. Portion of the lasagna was just right and was packed with flavor. Meanwhile, the staff was always checking up and did work swiftly. I absolutely loved the experience and wanted to come back. And so i did. On the next visit, I got to try some different Dishes. I started with the Vitello Tonnato, which is thinly sliced veal with a tuna mousse topping it. Plated beautifully, the veal was superb and the dish was overall refreshing. My main entree however, I wasn't very pleased with. It was quite funny, because as an old server, if i didn't like something on the menu, I tried to steer the customer away from it. My server attempted something very similar by recommend an entirely different dish, but I chose to stick with the one I initially picked, which was the Ravioli stuffed with braised short ribs. Needless to say, the plating looked great and mouth watering. It gave off an aroma of fresh sage (which I love) and of cheese. The ravioli had nice thickness of the dough and were cooked slightly Al-Dente. The stuffing could have been better. My only disappointment was that it was on the overly salty side for my taste buds. Oh well, Now came the dessert.. and Boy!! was it good. I had the hazelnut Gelato... ummm.. It took me to heaven, let me high five and angel, and brought me back with every bite. They have a chocolate covered desert that has that same gelato inside, so I highly recommend you ask your server about it. While Im on the subject of deserts, all of their pastries looked really incredible, Will be back to try them all. This place deserves a 4.8/5 Stars... A Must Visit and a Must Try!!! You wont be disappointed. Oh and I forgot to add... When you ask for cheese, They come by your table a grate fresh cheese into your plate by hand. I was very impressed by that idea. I can't say I was ever a fan of dry, slate parmesan cheese thats added a hard and rubbery texture to your dish. Keep up the good work!!!! read more

Great coffee, great food. In one word: Excellent! I would give the restaurant six review stars but there are only five.

This is a wonderful place and so authentic that you forget you are in NYC and think you are somewhere in Milan or Turin. All the Italian expats in NYC come here for their coffee, croissant, or lunch fix. The ambiance is elegant and it's expensive, but so worth it. The patisserie is sophisticated and you should see the gelato bar. The staff is impeccable. Bonus: walking distance from the MET read more

Sant Ambreus is famous in NYC for its food quality. Indeed, it is one of the best Italian restaurants in town. I have been to it a few times and have always eaten well. Last Saturday I went back with my daughter and should have left before we were seated. The host was so unpleasant and unfriendly that I still regret not leaving the place. A pity because the food is very good and the atmosphere too. The restaurant should pay attention to the service. read more

Excellent. Duck carpaccio was great. Very quaint. Veal was Perfect. Highly recommend

While the pastries, coffee, and some of the entrees are fine, the restaurant is outrageously expensive for salads-their version of a salad nicoise was greasy canned tuna with fine bits of eggs chopped into it and inedible --hard as a rock--unrippened cherry tomato halves and bits of uncooked string beans the size of peas. Hardly any lettuce --the concoction was served as if it were a crudo of salmon with a few sprigs of lettuce atop it. I could not eat any of their bread as all there breads have milk in it, so the waiter was kind enough to bring me a plate for a multigrain roll I had purchased at Dean and Deluca! The only way I could eat this was with my multigrain roll as the salad was far to oily. The price of this greasy unappetizing mess was 27 dollars. I asked for the manager and he would not consider making an adjustment--I had left all the tomatoes. They would not. The salade neptuno -- king crab, fennel and some salad is 37--a better bet if you want to spend that much. I am not a regular but I do go there when I am at the Met Museum, but I will not go back. 4.19.2018 read more

i've been slowly (but surely) reading donna tartt's "the goldfinch" (i'm reading it so slowly, because i don't want it to end!) and she's great about using actual NYC locations as scenes in the book. sant ambroeus is one of them. after some research, i realized that i had actually been to this madison avenue location once before, when i was oblivious to the majestic history of this place or, at least, oblivious to the majesty that ms. tartt, in her well-written novel, so wonderfully, eloquently describes. i recalled having an amazing cappuccino during my first sant ambroeus visit and was eager to bring my boyfriend in . . . especially since he's italian. so, this past weekend, on our way to the met, we stopped by this adorably classy spot and we each had a cappuccino along with a biscotti or two. lemme just say - the froth is pure perfection. the place, for as lovely as it is, does not come off as pretentious as one might imagine. in fact, one of the barkeeps asked my boyfriend where he got his super kitschy penfield jacket from. friendly. sweet. classy. not too touristy - in fact, very local. we can't wait to return for a meal! read more

Overpriced, confusing and dated. Live in the neighborhood and always walk by. Door says no strollers - but yet there are toddlers sitting in the booths being disruptive. I'm a mom, but know that a toddler can't sit still without a high chair. It appears they would prefer not to seat children. Front of the house is coffee and to go. Well with the ripoff price of $7 for a coffee, I'm not sure who is stopping by. Back of the house is a dated dining room. Needs a face lift to save some reputation. read more

4 Star cookies, $$$ price and less than A-Ok service: My mom has always treated herself to cookies from this place, ever since I was a little kid (for about 30 years now). The cookies always come all wrapped up on a little golden (paper) tray because "they're soooooo fan-cy" (sang in Iggy Azalea voice). My mom would always have to hide the tray in her book bag (mom bag) to preserve the cookies from being inhaled by me and my three siblings. She would carefully parse them out. So, yeah we go way back with this place. One thing you should know about the Sant Ambroeus cookie counter is that it is "VERY LOUD AND CLEAR" an upscale patisserie type of place. The cookies are very classic and heavy with the (ALMIGHTY) butter. They are delicious but the price tag is semi-steep and atmosphere can be bit oppressive because of the noticeable "putting on of airs." Anyway, with that said, I am giving them 4 stars because of the quality of the cookies ALONE. but I would be too lazy to write a review just based on delicious, 4 star cookies. No, the REAL REASON why I am writing this review is because of the off-putting interaction, or complete lack thereof with the cookie server. The woman who served us the cookies (on Saturday, 1-7-17) was remarkably sullen and she served the cookies in the most perfunctory way imaginable, not a word exchanged (not even a "hello" or "ok"). Nope, she was completely terse (except for the fact that she was angrily conversing with her co-worker, in Spanish the whole time). She never smiled. And when we asked questions about the parcels, she said nothing (but we knew she could understand us because she DID do what was requested). Anyway, I felt compelled to yelp this because when you go to a place that charges $30 for cookies, it would be nice to have it accompanied with a civil (maybe even friendly?) human interaction. read more

My favorite espresso and cookies. Great place to go for a snack late in the day. Wonderful soups. The minestrone is so flavorful you will think that you are in a trattoria in Italy. Also all the vegetarian soups are very tasty. The sunflower seed bread is also so good. I often run in and take out the small tuna and tomato sandwiches on brioche. They also have turkey with mozzarella. It's a wonderful quick lunch when you are on the go. The dinner is expensive but occasionally worth the splurge. read more

This place is very cute and cozy. I only came for dessert and drinks around 10pm. with a friend. I would recommend it as an after-dinner date place. read more

Great service, great meal. Three choices of bread before the meal: white, muligrain, sunflower seed. Once you choose, you get 2-3 slices of bread. When you are finished with the bread and still waiting for your food, you are offered more bread. I ordered the Risotto al Parmigiano with AGED balsamic and it was VERY good, super cheesy with a burst of sweetness and acidity from the balsamic. Then, for dessert, I ordered the Mille Feuille (although i think the server called it a Napoleon) and it was one of the BEST desserts I've ever had. And do not take that statement lightly--I'm someone who gets dessert every time she dines! Of course this place has very NYC-nice-restaurant prices, but it's totally worth going for a special occasion (or if you don't mind spending around $40-50 per person, and that would be with no desserts ordered). read more

I always come here for lunch. Today, after spending $50 for lunch, I sat down with my cappuccino in the front and the manager said you can't sit there because you are not eating lunch. I was sitting down for 10 minutes, yet this man tells me to stand at the bar. I probably had spent more in 10 minutes then the people already sitting down had in an hour. read more

My favorite Italian place on the UES for coffee and dessert. I love this place because it's a mix of locals and Europeans. Owners and management are super friendly. I've eaten breakfast here too. I would stick with dessert and coffee. The counter is divine. I can stare at the desserts all day. Beautiful during Christmas. read more

I thought my breakfast adventures here bode well for the food in general and my instincts were right. The food here is exquisite, well prepared and delicous. Our group ordered first courses and appetizers and sides for lunch..the polenta was cooked to perfection, the brussels sprouts amazing, the lobster salad fantastic, the seafood pasta superb, the celery salad a delight, the spinach scrumptious. Yelpers were right..the coffee here is divine, and the pastries, well, they didn't last long enough to be rated. We devoured everything. The food here merits the big bucks and accolades, as do the well trained and well heeled waitstaff. Sant Ambroseus is cozy elegance with excellent food. But be forewarned if you only carry cash.. second courses at lunchtime were all priced over $50. read more

Ok so funny story time. I'm a tourist from Houston. My friend who is also a tourist, but from Baltimore, decided to pick this restaurant for brunch even though it has 3 $$$. We get into realize that it is one fancy fancy FANCY place. Definitely way out of my med student budget fancy. There was a Maître d'hotel in a suit! I was worried that since it was such an elegant place the waiters would be snooty and judge us for only ordering one item. However, we were pleasantly surprised by how genuinely kind and accommodating the entire waitstaff were. We ordered Carpaccio di Filetto to share and had THE MOST DELICIOUS sunflower bread on the planet. I've always liked bread but I never knew it could be that amazing. I also didn't know sunflower bread even existed before this. I've been so deprived! I cannot wait to come back here one day as full fledged doctor try more of their foods and be pampered by the fantastic waitstaff again. We also grabbed some gelato on the way out. Our waiter was kind enough to point out while handing us our dark chocolate and bill that it would be cheaper to order gelato to go than to eat it in the restaurant. I wish I had gotten his name now but at least we have a photo ^_^ If you go to NYC and are around Central Park definitely come here to be wowed. read more

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Expensive, but delicious. Go for lots of the little sandwiches and a delicious iced latte. You can grab it to go and have a picnic in the park. A little bright spot on the culinary wasteland of Madison Ave in the 70s. read more

Ok, here's a random- the lighting at dinner is sublime. Food excellent, service was well intentioned...

Great place with an extremely fun atmoshpere. Seems like a place that would be in the heart of Little Italy, but it's luckily plopped into Upper East Side's dessert wasteland. read more