We were trying to find a place close to home (we live downtown) with good drinks. We split the meatloaf after a disappointing chips and queso the meatloaf was very good. The crème brûlée was very good too.
Claudya M.
I heard good things about Ambler and we were excited to celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday there. Can't review the food and drinks because we did not get a chance to try it. Called to make a reservation a week in advance and was told they would reserve an area in the lobby for us before our 8pm dinner reservation to enjoy the Mariachi while we wait. Unfortunately my 8pm reservation was switched to 8:15, when I called to confirm if this was true I was told no now it would be 8:30. A couple hours before we are to show up I was called and told that there was no lobby reservation available and that now my dinner time was 9pm. Everyone I spoke to was extremely unprofessional, no phone etiquette and could care less about any of my questions. A restaurant can have the best food and drinks but if you can't get good professional employees you will lose business. Will definitely not give it try again.
Zachary M.
Our waitress, Bellamy, was incredible! The ribeye and New York strip was cooked perfect and tasted amazing! The outside seating area has gorgeous views of the Riverwalk as well! Definitely coming back!
Veronica Pagán B.
The Ambler is absolutely beautiful and I'm so glad I discovered it! My husband and I enjoyed some small bites off of the happy hour menu, which is really impressive! We tried the deviled eggs which were amazing! I got the wine old fashion and oh my goodness, absent delicious, and STRONG!! and an excellent price! The chips with salsa, queso, and guacamole was not as impressive but everything else was so fabulous I'll act like it didn't happen ;-) The guacamole was brown in one side and had too much red onion. All in all, it was such a fun happy hour and the location is so beautiful, we will definitely make this a regular.
TomK
The experience at Ambler at the Hotel Contessa was outstanding. The hotel provided free valet parking. We requested to be seated outside and the view of the riverwalk was beautiful. Our server was Bellamy and she was incredibly knowledgeable of the menu and responsive. The food and presentation was excellent.
Joanna B.
We were looking for a spot to grab breakfast on our last day in San Antonio. We were greeted by Gabe who invited us to eat at Ambler. It was so nice because we were able to enjoy our wonderful breakfast outside along the riverwalk. The food was amazing and our waiter (Francisco) was the best! Thank you so much Gabe and Francisco for an awesome experience. We will recommend you both every chance we get!
Natasha K.
A must go! Hotel Contessa is absolutely gorgeous! Food from the Ambler was out of this world! Tried a lot! From TX Akaushi Tomahawk Steak (melt in your mouth), blackened gulf red snapper, slow smoked ribs, vaquero street corn, fried quail diablos, the house jumbo chipotle shrimp and house donuts! All were amazing!
Jordan Cooper
My husband and I came here for date night excited about the menu but left so disappointed. First I let our waitress know I have celiacs and she didn’t know what that meant but thankfully the chef was at the next table so she had him come over. To our surprise, he also didn’t know what that meant. Anyone in the service industry should understand dietary restrictions. We ordered the chargrilled oysters to start and they were hardly grilled at all. We made some substitutions to my meal where I got the crispy Brussel sprouts and grilled chicken. The sauce they put on the sprouts that wasn’t listed on the menu was cold and bland and made them soggy. Then my grilled chicken had clearly been sitting there for a long time and was actually cold when brought to me. I never send things back but had to send both back. Our waitress and management both knew our issues and dismissed it as nothing. Our dinner ended up with me still getting incredibly sick bc we were served something with gluten because no one obviously understood what that meant. We still paid full price for our dinner which was around $250 for one of the worst meals we both ever had. Honestly, steer clear of this place. Over priced for cold and disgusting food and people who clearly are not equipped to handle dietary restrictionsDietary restrictions: Gluten free
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Maryalice Olivarri
Attended Fiesta event 4/18/2024 thought everything was amazing food great Bar drinks on point and our server Eric was super I will go back if I can get Eric he is friendly and professional loved his spirit thank you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Texas Style Guac & Queso
Bill T.
Probably a 4.5. we went there for lunch to escape the crowds along other parts of the riverwalk. Their umbrella covered patio is right on the riverwalk-part of hotel Contessa with beautiful a atmosphere. The place was empty and we had to look around to find a waitress/hostess to seat us. From that point on the service was good. We had been walking for hours and were very thirsty. Unfortunately their beer selection was very limited and 2 out of 5 of the draft beers were out. Otherwise the meals were superb and amazingly well priced. I had the blackened red snapper tacos--lots of delicious fish, and priced less than the suboptimal ones we had eaten the day before at a touristy riverwalk spot. My wife had a cobb salad with shrimp. The shrimp were so large, I just ate the meat in the discarded tails and got more meat than the shrimp tacos we had the day before, and the price was excellent for the quality/quantity. I highly recommend Ambler above the touristy tex-Mex joints on the riverwalk.
Great food and better service ... and the wonderful ambience made a memorable night and it was extra special in the outdoor seating area .
Jesus Garza
Food was okay. Our server Bellamy was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. Bartender (Max or Matt?) seemed like he didn’t want to be there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs
John Fowler
Decent restaurant in a soaring hotel lobby.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Kanetra Tillotson
The breakfast was really good and the service just as good. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe W.
I rarely give out one star reviews because I've worked in restaurants and I know how hard it is, this place earned their one star. They messed up every single aspect of our order, and it was inedible. My wife ordered the tortilla soup and it was so thick that she almost threw up. It had clearly been sitting for a long time. We ordered two steaks medium and the picture I have attached is what we received. We left shortly after. It's a beautiful space, but it's a clear River Walk tourist trap, and should be avoided.
We were trying to find a place close to home (we live downtown) with good drinks. We split the meatloaf after a disappointing chips and queso the meatloaf was very good. The crème brûlée was very good too.
I heard good things about Ambler and we were excited to celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday there. Can't review the food and drinks because we did not get a chance to try it. Called to make a reservation a week in advance and was told they would reserve an area in the lobby for us before our 8pm dinner reservation to enjoy the Mariachi while we wait. Unfortunately my 8pm reservation was switched to 8:15, when I called to confirm if this was true I was told no now it would be 8:30. A couple hours before we are to show up I was called and told that there was no lobby reservation available and that now my dinner time was 9pm. Everyone I spoke to was extremely unprofessional, no phone etiquette and could care less about any of my questions. A restaurant can have the best food and drinks but if you can't get good professional employees you will lose business. Will definitely not give it try again.
Our waitress, Bellamy, was incredible! The ribeye and New York strip was cooked perfect and tasted amazing! The outside seating area has gorgeous views of the Riverwalk as well! Definitely coming back!
The Ambler is absolutely beautiful and I'm so glad I discovered it! My husband and I enjoyed some small bites off of the happy hour menu, which is really impressive! We tried the deviled eggs which were amazing! I got the wine old fashion and oh my goodness, absent delicious, and STRONG!! and an excellent price! The chips with salsa, queso, and guacamole was not as impressive but everything else was so fabulous I'll act like it didn't happen ;-) The guacamole was brown in one side and had too much red onion. All in all, it was such a fun happy hour and the location is so beautiful, we will definitely make this a regular.
The experience at Ambler at the Hotel Contessa was outstanding. The hotel provided free valet parking. We requested to be seated outside and the view of the riverwalk was beautiful. Our server was Bellamy and she was incredibly knowledgeable of the menu and responsive. The food and presentation was excellent.
We were looking for a spot to grab breakfast on our last day in San Antonio. We were greeted by Gabe who invited us to eat at Ambler. It was so nice because we were able to enjoy our wonderful breakfast outside along the riverwalk. The food was amazing and our waiter (Francisco) was the best! Thank you so much Gabe and Francisco for an awesome experience. We will recommend you both every chance we get!
A must go! Hotel Contessa is absolutely gorgeous! Food from the Ambler was out of this world! Tried a lot! From TX Akaushi Tomahawk Steak (melt in your mouth), blackened gulf red snapper, slow smoked ribs, vaquero street corn, fried quail diablos, the house jumbo chipotle shrimp and house donuts! All were amazing!
My husband and I came here for date night excited about the menu but left so disappointed. First I let our waitress know I have celiacs and she didn’t know what that meant but thankfully the chef was at the next table so she had him come over. To our surprise, he also didn’t know what that meant. Anyone in the service industry should understand dietary restrictions. We ordered the chargrilled oysters to start and they were hardly grilled at all. We made some substitutions to my meal where I got the crispy Brussel sprouts and grilled chicken. The sauce they put on the sprouts that wasn’t listed on the menu was cold and bland and made them soggy. Then my grilled chicken had clearly been sitting there for a long time and was actually cold when brought to me. I never send things back but had to send both back. Our waitress and management both knew our issues and dismissed it as nothing. Our dinner ended up with me still getting incredibly sick bc we were served something with gluten because no one obviously understood what that meant. We still paid full price for our dinner which was around $250 for one of the worst meals we both ever had. Honestly, steer clear of this place. Over priced for cold and disgusting food and people who clearly are not equipped to handle dietary restrictionsDietary restrictions: Gluten free
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Attended Fiesta event 4/18/2024 thought everything was amazing food great Bar drinks on point and our server Eric was super I will go back if I can get Eric he is friendly and professional loved his spirit thank you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Texas Style Guac & Queso
Probably a 4.5. we went there for lunch to escape the crowds along other parts of the riverwalk. Their umbrella covered patio is right on the riverwalk-part of hotel Contessa with beautiful a atmosphere. The place was empty and we had to look around to find a waitress/hostess to seat us. From that point on the service was good. We had been walking for hours and were very thirsty. Unfortunately their beer selection was very limited and 2 out of 5 of the draft beers were out. Otherwise the meals were superb and amazingly well priced. I had the blackened red snapper tacos--lots of delicious fish, and priced less than the suboptimal ones we had eaten the day before at a touristy riverwalk spot. My wife had a cobb salad with shrimp. The shrimp were so large, I just ate the meat in the discarded tails and got more meat than the shrimp tacos we had the day before, and the price was excellent for the quality/quantity. I highly recommend Ambler above the touristy tex-Mex joints on the riverwalk.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food and better service ... and the wonderful ambience made a memorable night and it was extra special in the outdoor seating area .
Food was okay. Our server Bellamy was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. Bartender (Max or Matt?) seemed like he didn’t want to be there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs
Decent restaurant in a soaring hotel lobby.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The breakfast was really good and the service just as good. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I rarely give out one star reviews because I've worked in restaurants and I know how hard it is, this place earned their one star. They messed up every single aspect of our order, and it was inedible. My wife ordered the tortilla soup and it was so thick that she almost threw up. It had clearly been sitting for a long time. We ordered two steaks medium and the picture I have attached is what we received. We left shortly after. It's a beautiful space, but it's a clear River Walk tourist trap, and should be avoided.