Ambrosia Reviews

Dinner here the weekend of the Philadelphia Marathon. It was delicious. Great service, delicious food. Easy 5 star.

Wonderful dinner in a nice neighborhood restaurant! Service was quick and food came out of the kitchen very quickly. We love that it is BYOB. Our wine is way better then most restaurants. I enjoyed the fresh homemade pasta with soft shell crab, and my husband enjoyed the short rib ragu over pappardelle. Tiramisu at the end was a good choice!

I’ve reviewed this place before with nice reviews. Just a few additions. I ordered the salmon belly appetizer to start. It was unbelievably good. I then had the octopus which was just as good. My new favorites. My husband ordered the mussels which he enjoyed. He also ordered the pasta with short ribs. It was very salty despite the fact we asked for no added salt. Service was perfect.

We had the duck, the pasta special and the chicken Milanese (that was a bit dry). The service was attentive. Because it is small and was crowded the night we there it was too noisy for us to hear.

Firstly it mentions BYOB which you can bring your own but they also have a wine list which we were happy to find out as we didn’t know where to buy wine. The food was delicious Brussels Sprouts starter was delicious, crunchy Brussels sprouts, smooth labneh and pomegranate seeds all worked together. Mains we had chicken Milanese & Caico e peppe - both were great. Finished with pistachio panna cotta which was unusual but very tasty. Staff were very friendly & attentive I would definitely return if I was In Philadelphia again.

Very good food, well prepared and in generous portions. Ambrosia is located in a very pleasant, quiet residential area a short way from Center City. In addition to dining indoors, there are outside tables as well as tables in enclosed cabins. We were 5 people and were directed to the last cabin away from the check-in desk. It had a ceiling fan and sliding glass panels to provide cross ventilation. Although it was a warm summer evening we were very comfortable.

I have been to Ambrosia many times but never on Restaurant Week. I was pleased to find that the food and service to be excellent as usual. The food portions were generous and delicious. The BYOB policy is appreciated given the escalating wine prices in restaurants. Ambrosia is a Philly gem.

We ate outdoors very comfortably in a heated cubicle. We shared grilled octopus and arugula salad first. The octopus was excellent, in a wonderful sauce. Both dishes were a bit salty for our taste. My wife had the squash ravioli, good but more pasta than filling. I had squid ink pasta with shellfish in a tomato sauce. I wonder what this would have been like with a milder sauce.

Six women were celebrating a birthday, and the birthday girl chose Ambrosia. While not thrilled to drive into the city, I can now say it was worth the trip. We shared three appetizers…. Octopus, Crispy Brussels Sprouts and artichokes.. each was better than the one before. Three of us had the bronzino … perfectly cooked with crispy skin over a corn relish, and the vegetarians had excellent pasta choices. It was a BYO, but they also had drinks on the menu. We ate outdoors in a little enclosure; each outdoor table had its own, and the high-powered fan kept things comfortable. We didn’t see the inside at all, the price all in..tax, tip, a few deserts and coffees was under @60 pp

Food is excellent at this new place that we have been waiting for. I had a seafood and pasta that was a special....with crabmeat and a one soft shell crab in a lovely sauce with fava beans. My husband had the salmon. the place is charming. Small. Very efficient with hands-on management and quality cooking. We are pleased they are open and running. Just dinner for now but plans to open for lunch sometime soon.

Went here for dinner one night after passed it however many times and was very pleased with our experience. The service was great and we were seated in the garden area for our special night and it was really nice. The food was very good and we loved the foccacia bread they gave us. I would absolutely come back.

Excellent food, service, drinks and atmosphere! We have dined at Ambrosia at least a dozen times and it never disappoints. The food combinations are exquisite. I am a vegetarian and love the brussel sprouts, crispy gnocchi and all of the salads options (beet, arugula and caesar). My husband prefers meat and seafood and he loves the octopus, salmon belly. and filet. My sons eat a variety of foods and they both love the lamb neck tacos. The menu is diverse and the food is high quality every single time. During our last visit my husband declared his steak to be the most tender meat he’s ever eaten, which is truly saying a lot because he complains about his steak regardless of where we dine, even when it costs him $175. The 7 layer cake (a special) and banana pudding are divine. It really doesn’t get any better than this. Ambrosia is our #1 restaurant choice in Philadelphia. If you haven’t tried it you are truly missing out!

This tiny little hidden gem has big flavorful Italian food. The staff is super friendly even though they are super busy. They have a smaller menu with all freshly made pastas and other dishes. This grilled octopus was fantastic, along with all the short rib dishes, pasta dishes and the steak was to die for. The best part is it is a BYOB. I would suggest reservations because the place is tiny and gets packed. They do have awesome outdoor seating for when the weather is nice.

Great experience with nice home-made pasta, great wine and awesome desserts! Highly recommend. Cool to sit both inside and outside

We had a very delicious lunch at this excellent neighborhood establishment. The service was outstanding and our waitress was very knowledgeable. The restaurant is also very clean. Everything was very good and I especially enjoyed the pork Ragu. There are also excellent vegetarian options. We look forward to going back.

We are visiting Philadelphia and this restaurant was nearby. This is our 3rd visit. The first 2 visits were good. Today’s visit was poor, The napkin had dirt spots, the Merlot was flat and the waiter was stoic.

This overhyped restaurant was a real disappointment. We waited FOREVER for service, growing hungrier and thirstier and having to remind the staff multiple times to bring me my drink. The pastas may have been homemade, but that didn't make them good; my ravioli had barely any filling, not really any sauce and not much taste. My daughter's pasta with pesto also had very little taste. Mom liked her crispy gnocchi and my husband's branzino was fine, but for $170 with just one cocktail, it was disappointingly mediocre.

This was our first night visiting Philadelphia and it was our best dinner during the trip. The pasta was fresh and delicious. The service was prompt and friendly. All in all a great experience and we would go again.

This is a small neighborhood restaurant that has recently reopened as Ambrosia. We arrived on-time as a group of 4 and were seated right away. We were quickly greeted by Noel with an introduction and the specials. He is a dynamic floor manager who has things running very smoothly and was a pleasure to work with all night! Food came-out hot, perfectly seasoned and every appetizer and entree was delicious. The octopus starter was tender and delicious, the grilled artichoke hearts uniquely served on 4 small pieced of delicious toast, and the tomato salad was to die for! We realized after ordering our entrees that no one in our group ordered a pasta dish, so we had Noel put in an order of papardelle that we put in the middle of the table and all shared it. It was delicious, simple marinara and perfectly al dente! My only complaint if there was anything evenly slightly askew was my NY strip was slightly overdone, but the seasoning and accompanying stilton cheese made me forget about it very quickly! We have a wonderful meal and will be back very soon!

We had a nice early dinner for four here. Very good pasta dishes and BYOB is always a good thing though they do have a liquor license.

Perfect setting for dining and celebrating with our young adults. BYOB, great food and very good service. The outdoor structure was very creative. A series of separate heated spaces was created using sliding patio doors. Each "room" holds 4-5 people. The effect was lovely. All glass enclosure made for a quiet, private, warm, outdoor experience. The menu was also creative, providing multiple choices in each category. Our group shared the artichoke, octopus and marrow appetizers as well as the fried gnocchi, duck, veal and pappardelle short rib selections. Overall, lovely evening and we are sure to go back to this neighborhood delight.

Good food. Good service. Not amazing. Hoping to give it another shot. Cocktails were quick and delicious. As I said, not the best but room for improvement. Prove me wrong next time we try it out!!

There are many things to like about Ambrosia. We sat in an enclosed outdoor booth, which was quite cozy for the six of us. The menu was diverse, and the service was excellent. The food was pretty good, but not at the highest level. For example, duck breast was beautifully prepared, but not as tasty as we would have hoped. Other dishes were kinda the same. Don'tr get me wrong. It was all fine, but not good enough for a fifth star. I would return here eventually, but I'm not rushing back.

Loud, crowded and delicious. Not a destination restaurant but a fine choice if you are in the neighborhood. Limited bar but it is also BYOB. Food is spectacular and service is on point. They added room last year to become a brick walled, charming date spot. Plan on waiting but it is worth it! Prices are reasonable. Solid choice for friends and family

We came to this restaurant with our 10 month old twins. We are both doctors at children’s hospital and Philadelphia natives. We love these kinds of small neighborhood restaurants and we had heard good things about ambrosia. However, we were very disappointed. The babies were very well behaved - didn’t cry once. We were offered a table at the very end of the outside seating area next to the kitchen door, with people coming in and out constantly. We tried to make polite conversation with the restaurant manager and he was very rude. Pretends to smile and be polite but with any further discussion turns condescending and short. We felt as though we were rushed through our meal and then the manager at the end asked, “you don’t want dessert, do you?” He seemed to hope that we would not stay for dessert. The food was only average at best, definitely not worth the money. So many better restaurants around. Not a place we will return to...

Totally delightful Sunday lunch. Arugula salad, tortellini, and creme brulee. All were excellent (especially the creme brulee - perfectly carmelized and just delicious. Service was superior!! Literally a 1 block walk off the Schuykil Trail at Walnut St.

This is arguably the perfect neighborhood restaurant. We had no reservation, but they found us a table quickly. It's BYOB, so bring your wine (we didn't know, or we would have. We left a super loud place and found this.) Attentive, quick but not hurried service. Moderate noise, but that's to be expected, and I noted they are taking some acoustical efforts to tamp it down. Every dish that came out had me wondering, and wishing, I knew what it was. We had a cold cucumber soup, redolent of dill, crepe fraiche, and yogurt. Wow. The bread basket was simple, not overwrought, garlicky and spicy, crunchy with a little baked in oil. Daughter had tagliatelle with rage, off the menu, perfectly fish, but not overly so, and not a tiny portion. I had the pasta special, with favs beans, crab, and many, many small clams in their shells. A superb, low key, thoroughly satisfying experience.

This spot is a great place for casual dining. We went there on a snowy night with our son and daughter-in-law to celebrate a birthday and an anniversary. The wait staff was friendly, took our order promptly, answered questions, and the food arrived as expected and soon after we placed our orders. In spite of the weather, lots of people were there. The vibe was friendly, and we could hear conversation well. I would return.

We have been to Ambrosia four or five times, and it has always been great. From the mushroom risotto to the veal or chicken to any of the pasta entrees, we have always had phenomenal meals here. The service has been attentive, and they have always been able to seat us at the time of our reservation. But it is the food that keeps bring us back. The menu has choices, and there are changing specials, with the prices very reasonable for the quality and creativity -- even ore so considering that it is a BYOB. We had to keep changing the size of our party for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and they were very understanding. It is hard to think how the experience could be better.

I am French, i have been invited for dinner to Ambrosia and I have been positively surprised with dishes we ordered. Fried calamari were different from what I have eaten and were accommodate with a very good tomato sauce, the fried octopus was also very excellent. I was such impressed that I thanked the chef who is from Albania. I recommend highly this restaurant.

We had a fantastic dinner. We shared the marrow special appetizer and an amazing salad with gem lettuces. Our mains were bronzino and salmon with gnocchi as a side. Dessert was tiramisu. Everything was delicious. The service was excellent. BYOB. Very fairly priced at $130

We came here for dinner on 04/15/22. We were seated right away choosing the table we preferred. We brought wine and non-alcoholic beer, not realizing they had a liquor license. It was no problem with them. We started with beef carpaccio and calamari. My beef carpaccio was excellent. The presentation was very nice and it was a generous portion size. My husband liked the calamari. For entrees I had the octopus, and my husband had the veal medallions. The octopus was perfectly cooked and the accompaniments were delicious. My husband’s veal looked great, and he said it tasted very good. Our side of fingerling potatoes were fried and dried out. They were difficult to eat, and I gave up after one. Both deserts were great: the tiramisu and crème brûlée. Nice portion sizes as well. Overall service was great. We can’t wait to visit again.

Loved the experience! Great service and large menu! Our large group ordered a feast, so I got to taste a few of their menu items. Some hits include the Crispy Gnocchi, Pappardelle, and Octopus! the gnocchi and pappardelle were large portions, and great for lunch the next day. I I would pass on the Salmon Belly. It was light and refreshing, but not a very large plate to share. It was about $50 per couple (we had two appetizers and two entrees). What a gem in this neighborhood!

Octopus was delicious, as was the scallops entree. I must admit, however, that the 3 scallops per entree special, at $35.00,seemed a bit meager in portion, although artfully and deliciously prepared. The service was quite attentive, but rushed. Our entrees appeared well before we finished our appetizers. If hospitality is the game, perhaps a bit more attention to flow and fair pricing might be suggested. Host George and staff were charming.

Neighborhood gem with great food. I had the chicken Milanese and short rib pappardelle. The burrata appetizer was so good. Dessert was a warm banana bread with gelato . They have outside sitting but a lot of it is uncovered so go on a nice night.

Went with another couple who had been there before. The food was wonderful. I had the duck which was very tasty. It was cooked perfectly and had great flavor from the carrot puree. Two of our party had the monkfish and raved about it as well. The octopus appitizer was also a big hit. The unexpected surprise was the beet salad. Definitely will come back.