Ambar Capitol Hill - Calumet-Norvelt

It was extremely busy and I selected indoors since the summer heat was unbearable. It took about 10 mins to be seated but they do not necessarily have an actual lobby area which made it very uncomfortable having to shuffle around back and forth. Once I was finally seated upstairs it took about 10 mins to be serviced. It was only one bartender working a full bar, which does not make sense. He very nice, friendy and efficient but you can tell he needed help with the full bar. Food came out very staggered which was unexpected. It was extremely hot upstairs, same downstairs. I chose indoors to avoid this, but it felt like no AC was on at all. Several people at the bar were sweating (literally). I am not sure if there was an AC problem or because of the skylight that was upstairs generating more heat. Overall it was okay. Not sure I would go back.

Fantastic. Every dish was incredible and the portions were perfect for trying as much as possible. We had 16 different plates so definitely got our money's worth with the Ambar Experience. A great place for an occasion or date night. Will be coming back and taking people that are visiting DC! My only complaint was that it was very warm upstairs, I was sweating all of dinner but the quality of the food made up for it.

Reservations for 5 pm. Ambar signage says they open at 4 pm for dinner. Arrived at 4:45 pm and we were told they were closed and to come back at 5 pm. Hostess was weirdly rude. Wicker chairs in upstairs dining room are uncomfortable to sit on, and it's hot up there, and loud, too. Other option is to sit in a narrow booth. No thanks. Flatware not clean. Given lukewarm tap water on a 99F degree day. No ice offered. No serving spoon offered with the dishes, so we kept using the same serving spoon that we snagged at the beginning of the meal. Baby carrot dish tasty, but came out late. Would prefer to be offered an occasional clean tapas plate. Dishes were interesting, but in the end all seem to taste the same (lots of cheese). Service felt rushed. Server forgot our second round of drinks. Would not return, nor would I recommend. Sorry.

Second time dining at Ambar while visiting my son in DC we were not disappointed. The food was absolutely amazing we did the tasting menu and shared a bottle of Croatian wine. I highly recommend dining here if you're in DC.

Best experience at Ambar for the unlimited brunch! We sat on the third floor and the environment was beautiful pink cherry blossom trees decorated the walls and ceiling. Very cute for photos if you're into that. The food itself was hot, fresh, and delicious. The drinks were 10/10!! The red sangria was my favorite. Overall, if you're looking to try a new restaurant or dip into a new cuisine, Ambar is a great place to start.