What: Balkan style food in a cozy, beautifully designed space!
Style: Ambar showcases the best dishes from the Balkan Peninsula with a modern twist as well as a highly selective regional list of wines. Ambar is also home to Washington’s first Rakia Bar, and serves over 52 different varieties. Rakia is an alcoholic beverage produced by the distillation of fermented fruit and it is a popular beverage throughout the Balkans. Rakia is considered to be the national drink of Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey.
What we loved: We absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere. The first thing that’s easy to notice is the attention to detail and carefully curated décor. Both the indoor and outdoor bars are the perfect size for some mingling over a Rakia or a specialty cocktail. We also loved the Balkan style food and impeccable service with a heavy focus on hospitality which is one of their four core values.
Decor: Highly stylish, elegant but also feels very homey and comfortable. The indoor bar is sexy and sophisticated and the back bar is intimate and romantic which makes it perfect for a date or a private party.
Meal: Our absolute favorite menu items were the small plates such as the steak tartar, meat mezze, roasted mushroom crepes (a must try!), chicken kebabs, stuffed sour cabbage, drunken mussels, and mixed grille. We also got to taste the lunch special open face sandwiches which were delicious. A Balkan experience is not complete without a Rakia tasting and Balkan regional wines. And of course if there is a spicy drink on the menu, that’s a must try. The Dunja is made with quince rakia, spicy red pepper sauce, lime, and maraschino liqueur.
Pro tip: If you want to try a little bit of everything (like we did), available all evening, seven days a week, the restaurant offers two package options under their Balkan Experience dinner menu: unlimited small plates and unlimited drinks for $49 per person (excluding tax and gratuity), or unlimited small plates and Balkan specialties with unlimited drinks for $59 per person (excluding tax and gratuity). This may just be one of the best deals in town!
Specials:
Happy Hour: Monday through Friday 4 PM to 7 PM. Guests can enjoy beer, wine, cocktails or small plates priced at just $4 per item.
Saturday and Sunday: $39 unlimited brunch
Sundays: half price rakia or rakia flight from 4 PM to Close
Mondays: half price wines available from 4 PM to Close
Wednesdays: half price specialty cocktails from 4 PM to Close
Photography by: Goran Kosanovic
Ambar: 523 8th Street Southeast, Washington, D.C 20003-2835
Call. 202 813 3039
Email. info@ambarrestaurant.com
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