As much as I love the food , I am beyond disappointed that their garden outdoor area does NOT ALLOWED dogs After a long morning of hiking we were rejected to go sit in their outdoor space with our baby puppy. Just saying that in a city of many many dog owners this outdoor space that once used to be a neighborhood fav is now anti-animals . Not cool and I won't be endorsing it though I am a huge fan of their food . Disappointing beyond words . read more

The taste of the food really average but the portion is small. They have three stars because the surrounding is very nice specially at night time. read more

Hostess was friendly. Service was attentive. GM Jason walked around to introduce himself. All made you feel welcomed. Everything we ordered was delicious. Portions were small especially the side dishes. Prices were expensive for the area but the interior of the restaurant is very nicely done. Knocked down one star for the prices. read more

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I visited for lunch with a friend and was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful interior, lovely view of the small river, and the food was well balanced and delicious. Highly recommend. read more

Came with a couple of friends, and while a beautiful setting and attentive service, we left a bit disappointed. Plates are expensive for what you get, value is really not there. Sides are incredibly small! We shared the branzino, lamb and chicken. Had similar comments to a previous review where part of the chicken was still very pink. They claimed it was the marinade and the method of cooking but it only was part of the chicken. They offered to cook it more but my friend declined. It was very flavorful. Branzino was a small serving, it was well cooked but wouldn't order again. Lamb chops were nicely cooked, not gamey and a nice bright sauce to accompany. Desserts were good! Labneh cheesecake and baklava sundae were delicious. For me probably best part of the meal. I'm glad to have experienced it, but we all agreed we weren't sure if we would come back. read more

Great ambience friendly staff beautiful remodeled restaurant. We sat at the bar for a drink and just ordered small plates. Food was good we had the BBQ Lamb and White Hummus. read more

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So so good. We had: branzino, bbq lamb, sweet corn stuffed bread, sautéed okra, and caramelized eggplant. The restaurant decor is unmatched in Belmont/San Carlos/San Mateo. Ambient sound is perfect (matters a lot to me). Tables a "little too close together" for my liking...so ask for a corner table, if you reserve. Already telling friends to go. read more

Amazing food, great service and lovely ambience! We had the steak, the beef kebabs, and the salmon. Everything was excellent.

SUPER nice staff Great food Lovely environment My only observation is it is not very friendly for solo dining in the complete absence of any internet in the venue ... and yes, of course I would've brought a magazine, had I known. (probably also problematic for social events where people want to share information in real time.) The staff was nice about it when I closed out my tab to convert my solo experience to to-go order. I must admit to being disappointed because I was looking forward to my fine dining alone time without kids . But still .. it's 2015 (oh wait...) read more

Let's start by saying that the restaurant is beautiful inside and out. We celebrated my husband's birthday there, and we had a great time with tasty food as well as service. JAMES was exceptional! His service was beyond our expectations. He was attentive, suggested excellent menu options and engaging with us. James your service will make us come back, and hopefully we are lucky again to have you as our waiter. Thank you for making our first experience at Amara so lovely. read more

Really.......mediocre. The remodel of a frequently revolving storefront was nice. However, Amara aspires to be a destination restaurant but doesn't deliver. The food is forgettable, and there are far superior Mediterranean restaurants on the Peninsula that serve delicious food. Where Amara really fails is the oddly disjointed service and poorly trained staff. Food took forever to reach the table, with long waits between courses (the restaurant was about a third full on a Saturday night), dirty dishes weren't changed out, wait staff didn't inform us of the cause for the long delays. Our server just seemed to disappear mid-meal. The servers are pleasant, but poorly trained. I wish the restaurant the best, and I had high hopes, but we won't be returning. read more

Was promised a seat at or near a window by a hostess. Window was important to us, this evening. Waited 10-15m until another hostess started leading us elsewhere. When we again requested the window and said we were told to wait again so we left and never ate. Especially for a Friday night at ~730 the energy was barely above dead and about half of the tables were empty. Not surprisingly, no families or kids were anywhere around, maybe due to the menu choices, reviews of portion size and price. Don't plan to try again. read more

Amara has a great upscale atmosphere with beautiful aesthetics meticulously designed throughout the property. The food and service was exceptional as well. A much needed addition to Belmont and San Mateo county as a whole. This will be a new go-to for when friends and family visit the Bay Area! Highly recommend!! read more

A great place with great service and wonderful food. The ambiance is very cozy and inviting. The outside seating is wonderful.

Beautiful restaurant, great food, and 5-star service. Don't let the mini-mall location fool you. This is the type of restaurant that the Peninsula needs. The owners also own Rasa in Burlingame. I recommend this restaurant--best to go with more than 2 people to sample more of the food. read more

absolutely amazing experience! the dessert was to die for, 10/10. don't sleep on the olive oil cake!

Unimpressed in comparison to previous owners. Water dog Tavern wasn't great, but at least it was semi affordable and comfortable, especially for happy hour. This place is a similar vibe as to the previous restaurants, however out at a significant price up with out a significant increase in quality. $100+ for four cocktails off their menu that were not special other than their name. Multiple folks I know who live in the area have also dinned in with similar experiences (and haven't posted) sharing that there isn't a desire to step down from their medium quality food to event allows for take out, not that there would be anything left with the small portions serviced. You're in a strip mall trying to charge Michelin star prices. Step down multiple rungs and adjust literally anything. read more

I had been hesitant to try Amara, as some of the reviews made it sound overpriced. Fortunately, it seems that they have made some adjustments to the menu. It still feels like a special occasion kind of place, but there are now more choices on the menu- lots of small plates (fun to share) at fair prices. Favorites included the eggplant dishes and the salmon crudo. We tried two of the larger entrees on separate visits- the grilled fish and the half chicken. Both were very moist and delicious! And the pita is so fluffy! The servers were very capable and friendly, as was the owner who stopped by the table to see how we were doing. The dining room is beautiful with a great view of the outside garden areas. The vibe is celebratory. This is a great addition to Belmont. read more

Delicious food , excellent, attentive service, inviting ambiance. Two stars off since the owner was very picky about the lighting on our table and kept coming and dimming it when we had elderly people on the table who needed a bright light to read the menu. Great to be obsessive compulsive for your restaurant but not for the particular table where customers are paying for it. read more

This place was quite cool. The location is awesome and the service was great. Food was very good; one of the better Mediterranean restaurants around here and there are a lot of good ones. Drinks were also cool and their special with a bartender from San Francisco was a pleasant surprise read more

My experience at Amara was so lovely. The staff was so welcoming and attentive throughout my meal. My girlfriend and I got the Muhummara, which was such a rich balance of flavors- love the pomegranates! The pita and hummus was also divine. For our entrees, we got the BBQ lamb small plate which was fantastic, roasted cauliflower, and the half chicken large plate. My girlfriend has a dairy allergy so we were happy that the staff was so accommodating to adjust the dishes as needed. Cannot recommend this restaurant enough, we will be back as soon as we can!!! read more

What a great experience and amazing food. SUMMARY You don't eat and run from here. EXPERIENCE I asked for an outlet to plug into while awaiting my friends and the hostess found one for me. When I left my jacket behind, the hostess put it in safe storage for me and presented me with the ticket at the table. I'm not a fan of knowing the waitstaff names, but they were great: asked how everything was just once, didn't hover. FOOD The sparkling rose was outstanding, left a clean palate. Oysters, warm olives, quail small plate, and pomegranate syrup on a white-shelled cheesecake roll were totally scrumptious. read more

Unique flavors, and the best cheesecake of my lifetime! Appreciate that the staff didn't hover.

Visited this spot last weekend on a whim. We were really looking for a good cocktail and light snack but we will be back again to enjoy dinner! We ordered the oysters and lamb kebob appetizers. Both were quite tasty, the kebob had some kick! Cocktails were a generous pour with great presentation. Our server was quite friendly, knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. Can't wait to wait to come back! read more

Soft opening, but everything we had was super yummy. Octopus was tender and steak cooked perfectly. The kibbeh was delicate and I appreciated the whole pine nuts inside. Branzino was nice and flaky with crispy skin. Potatoes were crunchy and seasoned well. The staff amazing and attentive. read more

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The prices are very high and it seems out of place in small city, family oriented Belmont. It doesn'tseem like a good fit for the community. The shopping center could have used a place close to the original Hola's. Previous places have failed for a similar reason. I like mediterranean food though, just seems like the wrong price point. I think the crowd they are looking for are going to sf still and higher price point cities south of here. read more

Amara is a beautiful restaurant, no doubt. However, we could not justify their prices for the quality of food and portions that you get.

Absolutely creative and enjoyable dishes and drinks. Very attentive services. The desserts are on a league of their own, breaking through my imagination of what's possible with desserts. read more

I was really hoping the restaurant would live up to the hype. Unfortunately, my experience was OK. The menu is very limited and extremely expensive for a lot of the items. Was just OK. Honestly, the flavor profiles didn't suit us very well. read more

I was so excited to find this amazing restaurant. The ambience was just so relaxing, the service way beyond attentive and the food "wow"as a non-dairy allergy, I could not believe I could have everything on the menu, including the most extraordinary dessert. We had seven different items on the menu and every single one of them was cooked perfectly. Every flavor came shining through with its spices. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone. read more

While the restaurant has an appealing, welcoming feel, attentive service staff, and upscale plate presentation, the food and drinks were surprisingly unremarkable. Especially for the price. The cocktails had exotic and interesting sounding descriptions and price tags upwards of twenty dollars but fell flat in the taste arena. Likewise, the food options were varied, and the menu does a great job of setting the table for an enticing meal. We tried some bites, the black hummus spread, and several small plates. All looked great when they arrived but were bland at best. I would rate five stars for service and ambiance but only two-and-a-half for flavor. read more

We tried Amara for the first time last night and it was wonderful. I rarely write reviews but felt our experience was worthwhile to share. Great, high touch service. Lovely decor. The food was outstanding with very interesting flavors but recognizable at the same time. They tout their cuisine as Mediterranean but I see some Indian flavors too. The owners own the highly regarded Rasa in Burlingame (Michelin starred) and Saffron in San Carlos. This is a real gem in the mid-Pen suburbs, worthy of a restaurant in SF. They plan to open their beautiful outdoor space in a couple of months in time for the good weather. I highly recommend trying Amara--best with four people so you can try different dishes for sharing. (Amara occupies the space that was formally the casual brew-pub type restaurant "Waterdog Tavern.") read more

4 of us went to dinner at Amara on Sunday. We all had an amazing time. The food was delicious. The service was perfect. I had the rack of lamb which was cooked to perfection. My wife had the Branzino with crispy skin and loved it. The dessert, the dessert, wow, wow wow. I had the filo tart which still blows my mind. We tried a few of them and all are off the charts. Definitely going back. read more

As a Belmont resident it's nice to see a qualiry restaurant finally opening up in the same spot where others failed. With 2 other restaurants owned by same individuals locally I'm sure this one will last. I wouldn't rate it 5 stars but hopefully one day I will. Went the other night as I heard it's still their soft opening. We ordered 2 appetizers to start. The (4) oysters which were very small and quite pricey plus we ordered the pomegranate spread which was tasteful and included a small roll. Wife ordered the branding and I ordered the lamb rack. They brought out my lamb 1st and it say for a good 5+ minutes as my wife's branding wasn't served together. Her branding was just 4 small filled with no sides or nothing. You'd think it would come with something. Yes they have sides but her plate seemed sad. My lamb eventually was cold cause I had to wait for wife's entree. Even my entree seemed plain with this very tiny garnish of greens. I think we had 6 different employees at our table making sure everything was OK. Even the Owners stopped to chat. I'm no restaurant pro but we eat at many. I'd offer more to each entree such as a vegetable or something. The restaurant is pretty pricey as we had 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 desserts and 2 drinks and it was close to $300.00. Hoping things change a bit here. read more

We had an amazing upscale dining experience during their soft opening. The lamb was fork tender and delicious, plus the cocktails were festive. The freshly made pita was our favorite served with white hummus, a unique touch. As parents, we appreciate places where we can bring the kids, but this spot is perfect for a classy night out to savor the food and drinks. I wish we had a chance to try out their sommelier and wine selection, perhaps the next time - because we'll be back for certain! read more

We went for dinner on the opening night on December 27th. Seeing as we already love Saffron and Rasa, we had high expectations for Amara. Amara surpassed those expectations! The whole menu is meant to be shareable. They have small bites, spreads, small plates and large plates. For 2 people, we ordered 1 spread, 3 small plates, 1 large plate and 1 side, and we were stuffed by the end of it. The portion sizes are good for fine dine. Now for the food: Black hummus spread - 5/5. Smooth, creamy, with black garlic giving it a distinct flavor. Served with a warm pita. I could've licked the bowl clean! Roasted Quail with basmati rice small plate - 5/5. Perfectly seasoned and roasted quail, juicy and sliding off the bone so easy. The rice complemented the quail very well, with its mildly spiced flavors. Parsnip Soup small plate- 4/5. Very smooth and creamy, it was delicious. The pomegranate seeds give each bite of the soup a nice crunch, and mildly tangy notes. Only thing was the it was served at room temperature, barely even warm. I would've loved it more if it were to be served hot. Lobster small plate- 4/5. Very tender and buttery. Paired with a red peppery sauce, which balanced the flavors really well. But something seemed missing. Would've been great if it could've been served with a crisp element on the side like tortilla chips or potato crisps. Smoked lamb tajine large plate- 5/5. This was the star of the show for me! Very tender and melt in your mouth chunks of lamb in a mildly spicy sauce/juice with chickpeas. If I closed my eyes, I could've easily imagined being in Morocco eating this! We paired this with Zaatar spiced fingerling potatoes, which were also great. The servers were very attentive, made recommendations without being pushy. The ambiance is great, with low lighting. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, one that I look forward to repeating! read more

Our first time here and sat at the bar which was empty on a Saturday night. It's a nice large bar with good selections and it should have been more full. Service at the bar was good. Oscar was very helpful with menu descriptions and drinks were very good. We had small plates only and the one standout from those was the pea flatbread. Would definitely have it again. Our other choices were white hummus which i enjoyed but husband thought it too lemony, the pan fried petrale with tomato sauce - which we would not order again as the sauce was over powering. It would have been good with arancini or some other dish but not this dish. We also had the smoked lamb ribs. I thought it was missing the lamb flavor but husband liked it more than I did. The dessert was amazing. Special addition for the night - a fruit with a creamy base and meringue. Wish I could describe it better. Will go back and try other things read more

Horrible, slow service. Restaurant adorable and food was good. We came right when it opened and there was only 1 other table at the time. Manager(?) welcomed us and gave us a lengthy overview of menu which has apps, small, large, and sides (appreciated but could have been shorter). Then proceeded to say we had to order everything at once. OK. Then waiter came and took our order. We said, "we'll start with that and order more if necessary since we are unsure of portion size." His response, "you must order everything at once, otherwise you go to the end of the line if you add something." OK - odd. We get our apps in normal timeframe. Then....as we watch now 10-15 tables come in and get their food, we are still waiting for the remainder of our meal. We waited over 1 hour between app and our next service. The waiter came by at one point and said, "oh sorry, let me check on your order." Then we waited another 20 minutes until it arrived which was delivered by runners, not the waiter. One hour 40 minutes from when we sat at table until we received our completed order. So unacceptable, especially since we ordered everything in advance (as we were told by 2 people we must do), while seeing every other table get their food. The waiter acted as if nothing was amiss. I was frustrated but husband didn't want me to say anything. The waiter knew as I saw him looking at our table multiple times while we sat there waiting and waiting. It's a shame. Their menu is nice, the restaurant is cute. But I cannot go back knowing the service was so poor. read more