We did the ayce dinner and shared plates such as Sujuk Flatbread, Balkan Salad, Steak Tartare, Crispy Corn Ribs, Brussel Sprouts, Wild Mushrooms, Cauliflower, Pork Belly Stuffed Cabbage, Grilled Shrimp, Roasted Lamb, Lamb Medallions, etc. I can't speak to authenticity of Balkan food but can only confirm the overall quality and portions are very well worth $55. Nothing was bad but there are weaker and favorite dishes. Favorites were cauliflower, stuffed cabbage, corn ribs, Balkan kebab, and both lamb dishes. Brussel sprouts and mushrooms were cooked right but weaker in flavor. Sujuk flatbread was literally a tasty pepperoni pizza...idk if you want to order that for the sake of stomach space. To each their own. Service was good. Ambience was classy and relaxing. read more

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My experience at AMBAR was truly outstanding. Everything including the food, service, and atmosphere was amazing. I came with my family to get the unlimited dinner option, and this far exceeded our expectations. At $55 a person, the unlimited menu is certainly worth it. The food at AMBAR is spectacular. With the unlimited dinner menu, this was great value for high quality food. We ordered a large variety of appetizers and entrees, and every dish we ordered was delicious. The cheese pie, meat pie, and lamb flatbread are nice appetizer options. The pies were flaky and crispy while having a flavorful filling. For entrees, the shrimp, mussels, steak, Balkan kebabs, and beef goulash were outstanding. We thought the meats were cooked to perfection. Moreover, the flavor of the sauce for the mussels was rich and creamy. This place is awesome because you can try everything on the menu and order more of your favorite dishes. However, some of the dishes were served in very small quantities, but this isn't a huge problem since you can just order more. The unlimited option truly is unlimited, and the staff had no problem when we ordered multiple portions of the same dish. Our waitress Francis was incredible as well. She came by frequently to take our orders so we didn't have to wait too long. After we ordered, the food came out fairly quickly, allowing us to try many things throughout the meal. The other staff members also cleaned our table often. Other reviews said the food orders took a long time, but this was the opposite of what I experienced. Overall, the unlimited AMBAR dining experience is amazing. The extensive menu options allow everyone to find dishes they like and try a variety of unique flavors. The atmosphere is Ambar is great, and I look forward to coming back again! read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Chicago - Desserts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Went for Brunch on Sunday and do A La Carte brunch instead of the AYCE. We got seated and no one came to our table with water until 10 minutes later. Once our order was taken one of our plates came and the other one didn't come until 25 minutes later. By the time the other plate came, the initial plate was cold and the second dish that came out wasn't even hot. Felt like they forgot about it. Our waiter barely came by our table to check on anything. Food was just okay. Kind of disappointed since I had seen good things about it. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Chicago - Kebab pita - Desserts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR AYCE BRUNCH I'm disappointed in my experience here. Overall beautiful restaurant. Faux florals everywhere which makes it IG-worthy to post but the food and service were very mediocre. I like the idea of ayce for a set price. It's fun and allows you to try a bunch of things. They should set a minimum of items ordered depending on your party size so servers don't have to keep scrambling around taking multiple orders at once. Or just a better ordering system cause service was very slow and we barely saw our waiter. He seemed stressed and not very enthusiastic about being there. The food at brunch was nothing special. The only dish I really enjoyed was the shrimp and grits. Skip the mushroom pilav! It was so flavorless I couldn't even finish it. I heard dinner service is better but this was just my experience. read more

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The concept is good for the unlimited food and drinks for 2 hours at $77 ($55 if not drinking). Food is good overall and there's no harm in trying it all since it's included. Timing can be a bit awkward with nothing coming out or everything at once. I think that's just the nature of the beast, but if you pace the ordering better it probably works smoothly. You'll have to get a reservation or have dinner at a very non-peak time and it's quite busy. Our server wasn't particularly friendly but did the job. We stayed under the 2 hour window but somehow ended up with a much more expensive bill, so watch out/ask specifically when the dessert menu comes. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Chicago - Dessert selection - Desserts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had this place on my list for a while. It didn't live up to the hype. I'll keep it short as I don't like to be rude especially to small businesses. I felt the food was greasy and way too heavy. I ordered a good handful of dishes. In general, I felt they seasoned very lightly and they overused the yogurt sauce. Felt like it was slathered on every dish I got. Also the salmon I ordered came raw. The brownie dessert was like sand. 75 dollars for an experimental experience? Hard pass. They also charged me for still water so you can guarantee that I took that bottle! read more

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Tried today for Birthday brunch. We were sat immediately in a small area just outside the main dining room. The room was not as decorated or lively as the main area but it was OK. Our server explained how to order and we ordered quite a few dishes. To start the spreads, olives, veggies and bread are bought out. You order as much as you want of any brunch items. The steak was really good as well as the chicken sandwich and the flatbread. The grits fell short as they were unseasoned and very gritty in texture, also the Ambar slider could have used a sauce or seasoning. Overall it was a good time with lots of options. It is definitely a must try! read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Chicago - Starter Breads - Desserts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Tyler was my mom and I's cutie waiter! He was great, kind, apologetic and attentive! We came in for brunch this time and had a great experience! We were able to walk in on a Saturday which was nice! Beautiful ambiance with so many florals! I'm going to host my next work HH here and I hope we get Tyler again ! Great food, great unlimited mimosa deal, great service ! My mom really enjoyed! read more

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We came again for dinner and this time was much better! The first time was restaurant week which also lowers service and food quality imo The space itself is so cute too, with flowers hanging everywhere and tons of natural light. It's also surprisingly spacious, which I loved. It's a great deal for what you get, $55 for dinner, and you can add bottomless drinks for $22 more. You have a 2-hour window, but honestly that was more than enough time for us to get completely full. They start you off with a tray of dips, veggies, and pita (the spicy feta was a standout), and then you can really go all in ordering from the menu. Some of our favorites were the NY strip, crispy corn ribs, steak tartare, and the Balkan salad. The portions are perfect, just enough to enjoy each dish while still being able to try a ton of different things. Service was fast and attentive, and our server did a great job walking us through the menu. We can't wait to come back, such a perfect date night spot! read more

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I have been wanting to try this place for months and so glad I finally got the chance to with a bigger group because it was a great experience compared to some of the other all you can eat restaurants. The outside patio is really cute if you can get a spot there. Our waitress was nice and started us off with a couple of items but everything went pretty quickly from there. None of the dishes really wowed me but all of them tasted very good and could she ate multiple of. My personal favorite were the lamb medallions and the halloumi. Come with a big group to do the all you can eat and it is 100% worth it! read more

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Yes yes yes!!!!! Had our monthly girls night and Ámbar had been on the top of all of our lists!! In typical us fashion, we went out on a rainy Thursday night! (You know the night we had tornado warnings! Yeah that night!) We were able to find parking around the corner and then were told they validated parking at a garage down the street! Call the restaurant and get the address! We all did the Ambar experience! For $55 you get bottomless plates and for an additional $22, we got unlimited drinks!! Now I'm not sure if we were all drunk/buzzed from two drinks because most of us had a light lunch or if it's because the drinks were STRONG!! Haha I didn't finish my third drink because it was too strong, a small hint! All the food was amazing! I'd say the most disappointing was the pork belly cabbage roll, and it wasn't bad at all!! The brownie Sunday is a must, if you love chocolate! Otherwise the baklava is amazing!!! (Dessert is also included in the experience!) In conclusion, go here, eat your little heart out!! read more

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Such a great place! It is huge!! Everything comes outs very fast. I wish the tables were a bit bigger as they were very tight with all the food coming out. I think this would be a great spot before going out with all you can drink! Some of my favorites were the corns ribs, ny strip and the almond chicken! These were all very flavorful! So many good options to try! read more

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Ambar was great! I sat at the bar here on a Saturday night and had no problem getting a seat. The bartenders were very friendly as well. The portions here were pretty small, but also very affordable which was great. I got a beat salad and hummus and pita and was able to eat both myself. The inside was fun & seems like a good place to come back with a group of friends. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Chicago - Beat salad - Desserts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Another Gem! We're really appreciating the convenience & taste! Really close to our VRBO too! read more

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This was great!! We went for lunch which is much cheaper than dinner for almost the same food. You order different dishes at a time and it comes made to order. I would definitely recommend coming hungry as we left completely stuffed. If you're vegetarian, this is a great place as there are lots of non-meat based options. We tried as much as we could from each section. Our favorites were the dips, bread, cevapi, and roast veggies. I wish there was something that showed you how big the portion of each dish was before you order. There's definitely a huge variety so sometimes you get a dish that's more than what you can eat. I would definitely recommend coming here to try it out, especially for lunch! read more

I think AMBAR needs to properly advertise how their menu works. We saw the menu online and were excited cz of the many vegetarian options and decided to give ambar a try. Upon arriving there, the server informed that the items on the top were a part of the unlimited food menu which is for $55 per person and consists of small plates. There is a separate section for a la carte items which didn't have many vegetarian options. We had to go with the $55 pp option even though we weren't that hungry. Keeping this confusion aside, the service, ambience and the food were good. We got the Mac and cheese, the white flatbread, the cheese sliders, tomato soup, chicken slider, salad, etc. I will be back but only when I am hungry enough to reap the benefits of the $55 pp menu. read more

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Had a wonderful first visit to Ambar! We stopped in for the unlimited brunch. Now to clarify, we are talking unlimited FOOD. Now that's my kind of brunch! Our fave item overall was the Benedict with very delicious and tender pork, and we actually also loved the spreads that started off our meal. The plate that the waffle came on was such a nice and cute touch - shoutout to our server Carly for this awesome detail! Also we loved the mango mule N/a drink -- we can't wait to return for cocktails and dinner next time! read more

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Went to Ambar last night to kick off Chicago Restaurant Week and ordered the tasting menu. Usually, $55 with dessert included, we paid $45 for the unlimited dinner menu. You have the ENTIRE menu at your disposal for two hours, and everything on it comes out tapas-style with light bites to share (but because you do have the whole menu at play, you will get full rather quickly). I have not been to a place that does Balkan tapas, and so I was super excited about that unique offering! We started with the spreads with freshly made pita, which were a good palate cleanser. Though, might I suggest you just start ordering next dishes from the jump because we ended up waiting like 40 minutes between the spreads and the next time we saw our server (which felt super European style - but just err on the side of caution and order more with your spreads). From that point on, dishes came out constantly as we continued to order more. We ordered the steak tartare, Ambar burger, grilled halloumi, meat pie, cheese pie, balkan caesar (which came out wedge style), balkan kebab, beef goulash, pork belly stuffed cabbage, potato wedges, and brussels sprouts. To say we were full at the end of it all was an understatement, but it was all very good, authentic, and flavorful. My better half, who is from Albania, particularly said that the goulash brought back fond memories of childhood. I loved the tartare and the stuffed cabbage the most. The kebabs were extremely flavorful as well, and I loved the cheese pie, which was super similar to burek. We ended the night with the krempita dessert (very creamy, very good!) and turkish coffee, which came with a bit of turkish delight. Over the last few years, I have come to LOVE Balkan food, and Ambar was exceptional in that regard. The interior of the restaurant was also super cool, with cool lighting and an amazing playlist that elevated everything to a very vibey level. Will be back! read more

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Visited during restaurant week. Had an amazing lunch. Ambiance was amazing, even the music was spot on. Service was fairly quick, and everyone working was very pleasant. I love the concept of trying a little bit of everything. Very nice to get another Balkan restaurant in the community to introduce more people to the wonderful cuisine. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Chicago - Desserts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great restaurant showcasing a wide menu of Balkan and Mediterranean staples as well as some more unique dishes, all for a reasonable price in their all-you-can-order menus! Went here for the restaurant week lunch which was basically $5 off the normal $35/person price for the all you can order lunch menu, and thought it was a great deal. The menu is pretty large with a wide selection of salad/soups, flatbreads, dips, handhelds/sandwiches, and a nice assortment of meat and seafood plate. The overall taste and presentation of the dishes were great, and for the size of the menu, they didn't skimp on the taste or effort put into any of the dishes. They offered a dip/pickle sampler which included some of the bean hummus, spicy feta dip, and beet salad. The cheese pita was rich and tasty although would've been nice if it was a bit warmer and flakier. The steak tartar was excellent, complemented by a delicious smoky aioli, I could've eaten a bunch more of this but wanted to try more of the menu before I got too full. The cevapi (Balkan finger size sausages) were delicious, juicy, with a nice grilled flavor and pretty close to the cevapi I had during my trip to Serbia! The almond fried chicken was crispy but not too heavy and complemented nicely by the apple slaw, and the mussels had a slightly salty but still delicious garlicky white wine cream sauce, my only issue with that dish is not having more toast to soak up the sauce. The lamb shoulder was roasted nicely but didn't have quite the level of flavor the other dishes had. Overall, while some dishes had a bit better execution than others, the food was tasty and with the all you can eat menu, it's more than worth a visit. Whether you're familiar with or never had Balkan cuisine before, there's enough to please everyone. Hoping to come back to try even more of the menu! read more

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We did the all you can eat for $55 (2 hrs) where you order anything off the menu and it comes out tapas style. I would recommend this because a single dish is already about $20. I never had Balkan cuisine before so this was a great way to sample everything. It was a really fun experience. The atmosphere is very pretty, especially with the dim lighting during dinner. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Chicago - Desserts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My friend and I came here for lunch on a Monday which does an all you can eat for $35. Since it was only two of us, we didn't want to order too much where we feel uncomfortable and need a nap even though we need to go back to work. We ordered a few items but our favorite out of everything was the mussels. We would come back just to order a bunch of mussels. The sauce was delicious. We also enjoyed the branzino, corn ribs, and lamb flatbread. We liked that there was a variety of options from veggies, meat, and seafood. It is great for people who have dietary restrictions. read more

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This is THE stop. Such a wide array of foods. The atmosphere is delightful and the service is absolutely outstanding. Just is so nice and welcoming. All you can eat $55, all you can drink $22. Shout out to Marko!!! He's the best. Thank you for the encouragement on trying stuff we normally would not have. read more

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A great way to experience Balkan food. The service was good, the place had great decor, and the food was good. I think we tried most of the options. Our waiter was kind to highlight that certain items took longer, so make sure to ask. We ordered the steak at the beginning of the meal and it took about a half hour to come out. Everything is shareable, so if you really think you would enjoy a dish then you may want to order multiple. I think my favorite dish was actually the Sujuk Flatbread followed by the Pulled Pork Benedict. read more

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Great spread of dishes! The beef kebabs, beef goulash, roasted lamb, grilled shrimp are must gets in my opinion. Their freshly made pitas are also fantastic with the eggplant spreads, hummus and pickles. We also went with the unlimited drinks! I tried almost all of their cocktails and each one was refreshing and delicious. My personal favorite was the kiwi smash but the sangria was a crowd favorite across the table! Definitely come hungry! read more

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Beet Tzatziki - 5/5 Clotted cream - 5/5 Beef Ghoulash - 5/5 Chicken skewers - 3/5 Balkan Kebab - 5/5 Halloumi - 3/5 Vitamin Salad - 5/5 White bean hummus - 3/5 Spiced feta - 5/5 Beet salad - 5/5 Piquillo croquette - 4/5 Cauliflower - 5/5 Tomato Soup - 3/5 Veal soup - 4/5 Steak & Frites - 2/5 Lamb medallions - 5/5 Roasted pepper spread - 4/5 Marinated olives in pickled vegetables - 5/5 Crispy corn ribs - 5/5 Pork Belly Stuffed cabbage - 5/5 Honey raika - 5/5 Service (Carly) - 5/5 Ambiance (decor, lighting, spaciousness, music) - 5/5 read more

Shared food with a friend....hummus was not what I expected and we both did not care for the flavor. We've had much better elsewhere. Beet salad, same. We did enjoy the lamb medallions, moist and tasty. read more

My friend hosted her birthday brunch here and we had amazing time. We opted for unlimited brunch option with me going for cocktail inclusion. The food was outstanding - really enjoyed the flavors. The service was also very good. The inside of restaurant appeared to be very welcoming and artistic. I would recommend brunches very much to try out their menu items as sampler and you would feel full. read more

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This restaurant was an amazing all you can eat restaurant in river north! Being Michelin guide recognized, ambar offer a wide selection of tapas style items for an opportunity to try everything, or a la carte option is available if ayce isn't your choice. Everything was so tasty with flavorful sides paired with quality protein. My favorite is the Balkan kabob (it was truly amazing), mussels, halloumi () and fried chicken that is served with apple salad. The service was super attentive to detail and good is served very fast. The restaurant itself is super cute and nicely decorated. Great for celebration or parties. read more

Honestly enjoyed everything about this and you truly cannot beat their prices for all you can eat! Everything was flavorful and 100% would go back. Went for their dinner, and would love to check out their brunch menu. read more

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Wow wow wow! Thank you Yelp for this amazing recommendation! We had no idea about this place until we searched for buffets in Chicago. It seemed unique and we were so glad we gave it a try. The decor and the service were amazing! The server stated that she normally worked the bar but we were glad she had our table. She kept everything clean and coming out. The servers here all worked together efficiently which was nice. The small plates and ability to try so many different flavors is such a win! I was really impressed with the sauces and dips. Nothing was too spicy but it all had great flavor. I enjoyed the fresh bread, olives, the vitamin salad, and the cheese. The mushroom dish tasted like a side at thanksgiving time. The fruit yogurt dish for dessert was fresh and clean tasting without being overly sweet. My pictures don't do the flavor justice. I have nothing but positive things to say about this restaurant. If I was a local I'd be here 2-3 times a month easily. read more

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Utter perfection! Recently tried the AYCE Brunch with unlimited premium drinks. The food was delicious! The drinks were delicious! The only thing that wasn't 100% exceptional was the Mac and cheese (TO ME). I'm from the south and not used to Mac and cheese as liquidy as these. The taste was good...but I'm set in my ways! The service from Mia was WONDERFUL! She was on top of my drinks and took additional orders frequently. I have nothing but great things to say about her. The restaurant is also beautiful. The decorations are just fun and beautiful and really add to the great experience. read more

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Perfect spot to celebrate! I came here for my birthday and got the Unlimited Food/Drink menu option. Note: everyone at the table also has to get the Unlimited Food/Drink option and it's a two hour limit! We got the chicken skewers, spicy feta, meat pie, crisy corn ribs, and sujuk flatbread. We made multiple orders of some because we were 6 people. Meat pie was the highlight of the night, definitely recommend everyone tries this! All the drinks were delicious and each of us had around 3-4. Our server was attentive and friendly. I loved the dark ambiance. You should try Ambar if you like Balkan cuisine or are thinking of trying something new! read more

We visited Ámbar for brunch and they have great brunch options. They have an all you eat and drink option. They have a lot of great small plate options which is great to share with somebody. A rustic and chic vibe to the interior with great service. Definitely a spot I would go to again and checkout the dinner menu. read more

AMBAR Restaurant, Chicago - Desserts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went during restaurant week. Did their try everything on the menu for $30. It was awesome. Plates are small but more than enough food. I ordered close to 20 different dishes. Plus, I got a happy hour $8 sangria. Anyway, an assortment of meats, salads, veggies, potatoes, more meats, spreads and bread made this experience unbeatable. Lots of pics taken, but on many of them, I had already started eating the food. Since I tried virtually everything they had, I can say the good, service and ambiance is fantastic. read more

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Food was great. Place was decorated super cutesy too. I liked the portions for the tasting, portion is enough so you have room to try a lot for unlimited tasting. The only thing is it would take a while for server to come and also take a little bit for food to be delivered. It was very busy on the Tuesday night we came for restaurant week. Definitely not the staff's fault though they were most likely understaffed. Other than that everything else was great. read more

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Finally got to experience the hype around Ambar for brunch, and honestly, it lives up to the buzz online. The space itself is so inviting, beautifully decorated, and really sets a great tone. We opted for the all-you-can-eat brunch with the bottomless premium cocktails, the mango hibiscus mimosa was a total standout! We kicked things off with the mezze, and the olives, hummus, dips, and warm, fluffy pita bread were just perfect. For our mains, we dove into the New York steak, a yummy cheese pie, the salmon benny, some tasty sliders, and even got in a vitamin salad. We were so stuffed we couldn't even make room for waffles, which says a lot about how much we enjoyed everything. Beyond the fantastic food and drinks, the service was truly amazing. We had such a great day there. Highly recommend for a lively and delicious brunch experience! read more

I loved this place. It was an all you can eat brunch spot that was amazing for $35. The food was so tasty and flavorful. The service was great, a bit slow but understandable since there was a lot of people. The place had such a chill brunch vibe. Can't wait to come back! read more

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It was such a snowy day, but packed by the time we left lunch. The service was excellent from the hostess, waiter, to the team bussing food and clearing the table. We tried the brunch for Restaurant Week. The pita bread was warm and I ate too much of it. Most of the table preferred the Smoked Salmon benedict, shrimp and grits, the NY strip steak, and the beef kabab. They do a very consistent job with the poached egg. We ordered a little bit of everything to try, but they gave us 2 of each so we filled up pretty quickly. Among the waffles, the strawberry waffle was the most popular at the table. This is definitely a great value. The whole family had a lot of fun ordering whatever each wants. read more

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I saw this place when I went to DC last year, but missed the opportunity to try it. What a surprise when I found they opened in Chicago's DT, so I had to make some time and try it. This belkan restaurant is set up on an AYCE set up and it have a lot of dishes to try, I like that the style is set up as a Tapas/Dim Sum style, where they bring you small dishes of anything you are ordering on the menu to try and you can ask to repeat if you want to. The dippings were amazing to get with the pita breads (that also were so fluffly and freshly maded), all the veggies dishes I tried were fantastic, my favorite were the asparagus, the corn rib and the baby carrots. On the meat side I loved the lamb, it had a lot of flavor and pairs well with the pita breads. On the seafood, all of them were my favorites, and repeated all of them lol. I would suggest to go for lunch time during week so you can get the most of the experience and wouldn't be so packed. Out of that, I'm happy I tried finally this place read more

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