Ambar Shaw - Washington, District of Columbia

Kabinan Tharmalingam

Cadre agréable serveur toujours là pour les questions ou demandes. Niveau cuisine tout était bon, peut-être laisser un peu plus mijoter le goulash de bœuf pour qu’il soit plus tendre. Si on prend plus de 3 verres l’offre à 28$ vaut la peine. Petit conseil réservez si vous venez le week-end ?

Connie Godjikian

The total experience from the ambiance to the food to the waitstaff was extraordinary. The unlimited option at brunch coupled with small plates gave my friend and I the chance to try several dishes. We sat at the bar and had attentive service with our orders of food and drink quickly fulfilled. I commented on the great teamwork and happy faces and was told the staff was like family. Manager, Pete, was charming and interested in hearing our impressions. If I lived closer this would be a favorite spot. Since I live across the country, this will be a fond memory.

Heather Polk

Of all the restaurants I've tried around DC, Ambar Shaw is my whole family's favorite choice by far! For the adults and children alike, Ambar Shaw had a variety of foods to please everyone at the table. Make sure to try their full Balkan experience, where you can try as many small dishes as your heart and stomach desire. Their first floor decor makes for a great brunch atmosphere, but be sure to find an upstairs table for dinner! The second floor is gorgeous! We visited during Cherry Blossom season. It is well worth the visit simply for the beautiful atmosphere alone.

To top off the experience, the staff welcomed us like family and provided great conversation and knowledge of the menu. You could tell the entire crew have a passion for what they do-- that passion is intertwined into their words, body language, and expressions. Shout out to our server Rosa, who feels like a friend from the first introduction!

Bridge The Gap

We are in town for a conference and we're eager to try food not available in our area. This place was suggested so we decided to give it a shot.

We made a reservation since it was suggested. The restaurant was very welcoming and we loved the decor....very swanky.

It was still happy hour so we decided to try a few small plates.

Being that we had no concept of what Balkan food consisted of, we had no expectations.

I loved the tastings, cauliflower, fries and lamb sliders. The sauce on the fries was magnificent. The Kebabs were good as well but I'm not a big sausage fan. I didnt try the chicken sliders.

We also ordered adult drinks and they were strong...

Overall, it was a great experience.

Thrisha Mohan

Went for restaurant week in the summer and this was a great deal. The unlimited plates were so delicious, service was wonderful and the restaurant is so pretty. Highlights for us were the prawns, the mushroom flatbread, the beet salad and the cauliflower but honestly everything was amazing. Also great options even as a vegetarian which I was so enthused by!

Caresse Duru

My friends and I loved brunch AND Rosa was the sweetest!!! Brunch is unlimited tapas style so you can try everything you want as well as share with the table. We ordered so many things that I couldn’t keep up but it was all so good.

N B L

Our party consisted of two guests for brunch at 1030am on Saturday, September 28. There were only two other parties when we checked in for our reservation on the main floor downstairs. But the host was going to seat us in the middle of the floor after I requested a different seat. The host said a large party was coming in and would be in that section. Interesting to say the least, because the larger party was never placed at the table I initially requested. Nor was the table I requested ever moved or adjusted to accommodate the larger party. It's funny how a party of two came in and was placed at the same table I requested with minimal effort. A table for two is a table for two regardless of where it is located.

I am a little torn by the flavor of dishes. The spreads came out first, and they were pleasing. The hummus was the best. However, it went down from there. The majority of the dishes that came out were luke warm or salty. The salmon on the salmon Benedict was not chilled, it was also salty. We didn't receive the beef kabob until after we brought it to the attention of our server, it too was salty.

The protein on the sliders was cold. The steak was tasteless, and the chimmichuri was greasy. The bacon on the grits was very unappealing because it was very cold and hard, not crunchy. The best part was the server and the peach lavender mimosas. I am not sure that I would try this restaurant again. I am not sure what flavor profile the brunch is intended to be.

Nina Marinov

The experience felt like a step between a buffet and a curated chef's menu, but it lacked clarity in its identity. It seems they’re trying to be too many things at once: fine dining, yet affordable, but not too cheap or too fancy, which ultimately results in something that doesn't quite hit the mark. I left feeling a bit unsure of what they were aiming for.

The food: an extensive menu with solid, yet mostly average dishes. The spreads and charcuterie were definitely the standouts. The lamb soup was underwhelming, and the vegetables were hit or miss—Brussels sprouts were overcooked and mushy, while the cauliflower was decent. Eggplant moussaka was okay, and the mushroom pilaf was surprisingly good, though it leaned more toward risotto than traditional pilaf. The root vegetables in it gave bold flavors, simple yet effective.

The meats, like the sausage and lamb medallions, outshined the vegetables, though the stuffed cabbage could have used a little more meat. The wild mushroom crêpe was perhaps the biggest letdown. I questioned how "wild" the mushrooms were, as the whole dish felt like it had been frozen and reheated.

The pacing of the meal was chaotic, with dishes arriving at random intervals and random order ("as the kitchen sends them"), which added to the rushed feeling of the experience.

Service was alright but didn’t feel super genuine.

Overall, it’s not a bad place if you manage your expectations.