Not quite traditional Balkan cuisine, as they've added their own thoughtful twists with flavors that differed from what I expected—and that's not a bad thing at all. In fact, it was a very pleasant surprise. Their tapas-style approach is quite brilliant; it makes you want to try everything. The all-you-can-eat option is the perfect way to do just that. The staff was friendly, attentive, and accommodating throughout. I would absolutely recommend it—this place is a must-try.
Natasha
What an amazing experience! We took advantage of the unlimited tasting menu. You literally can try anything from the main menu. The service was so fast and everyone was so attentive. Our waitress, Tamara, guided us through the entire experience. The background music was perfect giving off a club vibe without being obnoxiously loud. We'll definitely be going back soon.
Caline
Really enjoyable experience overall. The small plates are perfect for sharing and everything we tried was delicious. Great value for the quality, with a beautifully designed space that adds to the experience. Service was attentive and friendly. Worth checking out.
Randall
Fun concept with entire menu available with all you can eat concept. Food came out quickly and the majority of dishes were very good. The room is attractive and service was excellent.
Eunice
Such a great experience! Food came in fast, tapas style, generous portions for the $55 buffet syle, amazing food quality! One thing they could improve is the dessert menu, more options, balkans do have better desserts than what was featured. We need to come back soon! Telling all our friends about this! 5 star experience!
Bud
Loved the experience of the $55 per person all you can eat offer. Loved trying many of the small plate offerings. Delicious and fun. Our waitress was wonderful too.
Harsh
The food is delicious. The unlimited dinner is what we chose and it was the right choice. The dishes are sized so that we were able to enjoy more of their menu options culminating in a couple of delectable desserts. I highly recommend a trip for dinner to Ambar.
Marko
Ambar provided an amazing experience! The food tasted amazing and the wait time for each dish was very short. The servers are extremely knowledgable about the entire menu and will make sure you don't order too little or too much. Their kajmak was something that stood out to me as it is typically very hard to find authentic tasting kajmak in the states compared to Serbia and other Balkan countries. 10/10 recommend you come with an empty stomach!
Annette
This was our first Thanksgiving at a restaurant and the experience couldn't have been better. The ambiance was great- lights were neither too bright nor too dark; without excess noise. We could converse easily with our normal voices. The food was exquisite- dishes weren't tiny but just right for tasting-style. I recommend the $55 option, which includes unlimited dishes. For a Thanksgiving option included in the main menu, I tried only the pumpkin pie, which had a flaky phyllo crust in the eastern European tradition. The standard offerings are generally Balkan, with most from Serbia. They use very unique and distinctive cheese, sausage (as an option), & fresh vegetables. Carly's service was great and we appreciated her checking in with us but not too often (perfect!). The whole staff was very welcoming. It's an open kitchen and I could tell the chefs were experienced pros. They don't cut corners; everything is fresh, but wait times were very reasonable. They didn't jack up the price because of the holiday. I'm glad I made reservations well in advance. The dining room was full. I consider Ambar a precious gem of Chicago.
Elizabeth
I've been to Ambar locations in DC and now also the one in Chicago. Overall, it's a beautiful restaurant and the food is pretty good. I experienced slower service in Chicago than in DC, but it wasn't bad and everyone was friendly. You can't beat the unlimited food and drink packages. I recommend checking it out!
The menu is tough to manage with at least 40 choices. Our server was EXCELLENT guiding us thru dinner. Most of the plates that we ordered were good to very good. The music is loud. we complained twice, and I think they turned it down a bit. Although the food was good to very good (not excellent), the noise level was such that it is unlikely that I'll return. I think the dinner is a very good value. One can order as many plates as desired. That makes it easy to try different dishes.
Rita
The restaurant is lovely and the menu looked interesting, however our brunch left us underwhelmed. We chose the unlimited brunch option per person and glad we did so. Love the small plates. We tried most of the menu and the taste was hit and miss. For instance, the kebabs looked delicious, but were so bland, the shrimp in the shrimp and grits was overcooked but the grits were delicious, the poached egg was hard so my Benedict was disappointing, but they use wild salmon which I love. Not sure we'll return.
Steven
The food is wonderful. We were greeted and seated promptly. We tried a few plates, and it was all terrific. It's a comfortable setting and we will be back. However, the menu is confusing and too “busy.” We were aware of the fixed-price offers but did not think we'd be eating enough for that to be a good deal. The server was confusing with explanations and not helpful with recommendations. We were constantly interrupted by staff needing to take things from the table, seemingly more than at most restaurants. When the bill came, we were surprised to be charged the fixed-price but thought perhaps we did eat enough and that was the better deal. My wife insisted on the a la carte pricing and that turned out to be a bit less, so the server switched to that and offered us free drinks. An overall enjoyable experience but still, the billing part felt funny.
Annabel E. Rockelle
Had a wonderful get together here with my sis and friends last week. The food was exceptional and the flatbread was truly unforgettable 😋 The service was flawless and the atmosphere felt elegant and relaxing ✨ I look forward to returning for another memorable experience 🌸🤍
Jigar
Went there for happy hour — perfect amount of plates and food options. Delicious food! Drinks were on point and the decor and vibe is excellent. Will come back!
Not quite traditional Balkan cuisine, as they've added their own thoughtful twists with flavors that differed from what I expected—and that's not a bad thing at all. In fact, it was a very pleasant surprise. Their tapas-style approach is quite brilliant; it makes you want to try everything. The all-you-can-eat option is the perfect way to do just that. The staff was friendly, attentive, and accommodating throughout. I would absolutely recommend it—this place is a must-try.
What an amazing experience! We took advantage of the unlimited tasting menu. You literally can try anything from the main menu. The service was so fast and everyone was so attentive. Our waitress, Tamara, guided us through the entire experience. The background music was perfect giving off a club vibe without being obnoxiously loud. We'll definitely be going back soon.
Really enjoyable experience overall. The small plates are perfect for sharing and everything we tried was delicious. Great value for the quality, with a beautifully designed space that adds to the experience. Service was attentive and friendly. Worth checking out.
Fun concept with entire menu available with all you can eat concept. Food came out quickly and the majority of dishes were very good. The room is attractive and service was excellent.
Such a great experience! Food came in fast, tapas style, generous portions for the $55 buffet syle, amazing food quality! One thing they could improve is the dessert menu, more options, balkans do have better desserts than what was featured. We need to come back soon! Telling all our friends about this! 5 star experience!
Loved the experience of the $55 per person all you can eat offer. Loved trying many of the small plate offerings. Delicious and fun. Our waitress was wonderful too.
The food is delicious. The unlimited dinner is what we chose and it was the right choice. The dishes are sized so that we were able to enjoy more of their menu options culminating in a couple of delectable desserts. I highly recommend a trip for dinner to Ambar.
Ambar provided an amazing experience! The food tasted amazing and the wait time for each dish was very short. The servers are extremely knowledgable about the entire menu and will make sure you don't order too little or too much. Their kajmak was something that stood out to me as it is typically very hard to find authentic tasting kajmak in the states compared to Serbia and other Balkan countries. 10/10 recommend you come with an empty stomach!
This was our first Thanksgiving at a restaurant and the experience couldn't have been better. The ambiance was great- lights were neither too bright nor too dark; without excess noise. We could converse easily with our normal voices. The food was exquisite- dishes weren't tiny but just right for tasting-style. I recommend the $55 option, which includes unlimited dishes. For a Thanksgiving option included in the main menu, I tried only the pumpkin pie, which had a flaky phyllo crust in the eastern European tradition. The standard offerings are generally Balkan, with most from Serbia. They use very unique and distinctive cheese, sausage (as an option), & fresh vegetables. Carly's service was great and we appreciated her checking in with us but not too often (perfect!). The whole staff was very welcoming. It's an open kitchen and I could tell the chefs were experienced pros. They don't cut corners; everything is fresh, but wait times were very reasonable. They didn't jack up the price because of the holiday. I'm glad I made reservations well in advance. The dining room was full. I consider Ambar a precious gem of Chicago.
I've been to Ambar locations in DC and now also the one in Chicago. Overall, it's a beautiful restaurant and the food is pretty good. I experienced slower service in Chicago than in DC, but it wasn't bad and everyone was friendly. You can't beat the unlimited food and drink packages. I recommend checking it out!
Restaurantji Recommends
The menu is tough to manage with at least 40 choices. Our server was EXCELLENT guiding us thru dinner. Most of the plates that we ordered were good to very good. The music is loud. we complained twice, and I think they turned it down a bit. Although the food was good to very good (not excellent), the noise level was such that it is unlikely that I'll return. I think the dinner is a very good value. One can order as many plates as desired. That makes it easy to try different dishes.
The restaurant is lovely and the menu looked interesting, however our brunch left us underwhelmed. We chose the unlimited brunch option per person and glad we did so. Love the small plates. We tried most of the menu and the taste was hit and miss. For instance, the kebabs looked delicious, but were so bland, the shrimp in the shrimp and grits was overcooked but the grits were delicious, the poached egg was hard so my Benedict was disappointing, but they use wild salmon which I love. Not sure we'll return.
The food is wonderful. We were greeted and seated promptly. We tried a few plates, and it was all terrific. It's a comfortable setting and we will be back. However, the menu is confusing and too “busy.” We were aware of the fixed-price offers but did not think we'd be eating enough for that to be a good deal. The server was confusing with explanations and not helpful with recommendations. We were constantly interrupted by staff needing to take things from the table, seemingly more than at most restaurants. When the bill came, we were surprised to be charged the fixed-price but thought perhaps we did eat enough and that was the better deal. My wife insisted on the a la carte pricing and that turned out to be a bit less, so the server switched to that and offered us free drinks. An overall enjoyable experience but still, the billing part felt funny.
Had a wonderful get together here with my sis and friends last week. The food was exceptional and the flatbread was truly unforgettable 😋 The service was flawless and the atmosphere felt elegant and relaxing ✨ I look forward to returning for another memorable experience 🌸🤍
Went there for happy hour — perfect amount of plates and food options. Delicious food! Drinks were on point and the decor and vibe is excellent. Will come back!
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