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    Ambrosia Taverna

    3.5 (50 reviews)
    Open • 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

    Ambrosia Taverna Photos

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    AMBROSIA TAVERNA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Upscale
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Ambrosia Taverna

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    Octopus
    Jamie C.

    Jenny provides the best bar service! Really quite an authentic place which Greek drinks and food! If you go here I strongly suggest trying the octopus as an appetizer!

    Gyros Ambrosia
    Remy G.

    PROS: - Pretty exterior with intricate cast iron designs - Cool interior ceiling tiles at the entrance - Onion soup was tasty (though may be a tad salty for those who are salt-sensitive) - Free parking downtown on Sundays - Affordable prices - Tzatziki sauce was light and full of Greek yogurt flavor CONS: - It took a while to be seated even though we were the only ones waiting to be seated and had a reservation - The thermostat was set to 54°F (outside was 27°F). All the patrons kept their jackets on - The wait for our entrees took over 1 hour even though there were only four other tables and two wait staff with no explanation - The Gyros Ambrosia plate used lamb tips instead of lamb gyro meat, which made the gyro a bit tough to chew. Additionally, the cucumbers should be chopped into smaller pieces so that bites are more balanced TIPS: - Be prepared to wait - Bring cash for a faster checkout - Bring a warm coat OVERALL: - Room for improvement

    Lollipop lamb chops
    Melinda P.

    The atmosphere was cozy and elegant. The service a little slow being there was only 3 tables know one was monitoring the front entrance. The server Roman was very nice and helpful. We ordered calamari for appetizer, they were lukewarm and fried a little too hard for my liking. I ordered the lollipop lamb chops they were tender and delicious. My husband ordered the grilled fish that was also amazing. Overall it was okay maybe ask for the calamari not to be fried hard. I will be back.

    I tried to capture the wall decorations, the tables, blue chairs,
    Terra C.

    I am so glad this restaurant was on my Facebook feed. I made reservations for Sunday brunch through Resy. The moment you step inside, it's so beautiful, breathtaking. You're not in any ordinary place. The Greek decorations are on point. Welcoming, warm. The bar, oh my, full display, the traditional blue and white, artfully, tastefully done. My party was 3 persons. I just realized , I didn't take a picture of the Citrus Salmon Salad, nor my Low Country Crab Egg Benedict served over the fried green tomatoes. This is a must. I already told my friends, I want to come back and try the other dishes. Our server, greeter, everyone was top notch. You must go. They're open for brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 400pm.

    Moussaka was vegetarian but hearty and filling
    Scott H.

    Some of the 2 star reviews on here are just silly because we had a really nice time here. We had the phillo sampler as an appetizer which was fun and delicious, and then she had the moussaka and I had the prime NY strip. We shared our entrees with each other. The steak was perfectly cooked and had a nice grill char and was amazingly tender. The fries that came with it were plentiful and tasty. My wife's moussaka was vegetarian yet hearty and filling. I enjoyed it a lot and I'm a big meat eater. We had the baklava for desert which was the best baklava I've had.

    Poshest bar on main
    Kristin P.

    Met a few coworkers at Ambrosia Taverna on Main Street, an upscale Greek restaurant on N. Main. The cocktails were a show in and of themselves. Interior ambiance was tantalizing upon opening the doors I felt like I was immediately swept away to the Grecian isles. Waiters were jovial and knowledgeable about menu items but could have been a bit more attentive. Looking forward to returning for dinner.

    the menu of the ambrosia
    Ron V.

    Quite an experience. I've lived in Columbia since 2003, moving here from the Chicago suburbs. One of my biggest complaints is that we don't have a really good Greek restaurant. Grecian Gardens has been our go-to for Greek and we've tried Zorba's and a couple of others. I've been looking for a nice Greek Restaurant that served the flaming saganaki at your table, the great braised lamb shanks and Greek Chicken. So when I heard that we were getting an upscale restaurant on Main Street I was really excited to see how it was. I must say, the decor is great. They've remodeled the existing restaurant and it really is nice looking inside. A mixture of tables....high tops, many communal type tables with a bench seat along the walls with chairs on the outside. I wish they have more regular tables/with chairs. You can select the type of table you want when you make reservations on RESY. I had asked for a two top table, not the high table or communal style. We were seated in one of the bench style tables. My wife was on the bench and I had the chair. She mentioned that the bench was high...and when you looked at the height of the bench, it is higher than the chair. I don't mean to knit pick, but it was noticeable to her immediately. Now...the food. I'd craved for the Saganaki. If you've been to a nice greek restaurant, you know that Sananaki is almost always a square of Kayseri cheese flamed on your plate. It's great to have the waiter come to your table, flame the plate and then put it out with lemon. Everyone always yells Oopa! This isn't happening at Ambrosia. It isn't really Saganaki. They need to call it Saganaki Fondue! They don't use Kasseri cheese, but have a mixture of feta/burrata and some other cheeses, melted in a bowl and flamed as it is being carried to your table. It's served with pita bread. The cheese fondue is so thin it doesn't stick to the pita. Heavy sherry taste, but good. The taste of the fondue is good and almost goes better with the bread that they serve than with the pita. I can see how folks will possibly like this, but if it's real saganaki you're looking for, this is not it. Price $17 (Price at the Greek Islands in Chicago for true Saganaki is $8.95) My wife ordered the Greek Half Chicken. We usually order this at Grecian Gardens and it's great, so she wanted to try it here. It was served over vegetables...some largely diced potatoes, eggplants and vegetables. The Chicken was okay but the potatoes and veggies were luke warm, not hot. She said the eggplant was almost cold. Price on the Chicken $28. Compare that to Grecian Gardens (which BTW is $13.95 with really good greek potatoes). Every time I went to Greek Town in Chicago I'd order whatever Lamb they had on the menu. Unfortunately, Grecian Gardens has never had anything like that, so I was really looking forward to the Braised Lamb here. They also have the Lamb Lollipops, which are great. My Braised Lamb Shank came in a small bowl on top of diced potatoes and veggies with the sauce/juices. My first bite of the potatoes and veggies surprised me. It also was warm, not hot. I did tell the waitress to send it back and have it microwaved, which she did. It's amazing that both of our entrees (chicken and lamb) were hot, but the veggies served with them were luke warm and not hot at all. My vegetables also had a pretty good hot spicy taste to them. I like a bit of spice, but this wasn't like any greek flavor I've had. I told my wife that she may find it too spicy, so she tried it and immediately grabbed her water! Price on the Lamb Shank was $34.00. Our wait staff was good....came and checked on us twice throughout the meal. I understand the restaurant is new (they had workers actually making noise pounding in one of the rooms while we were eating...but it was 6PM and early). I guess they have valet parking on weekends, didn't have it last night but that was no problem. Decor and atmosphere is 5 stars. Table seating 3 Stars, but the food being brought to the table being cold and the so-called Saganki "Fondue" was not up to par. I can understand $34 for Lamb, but the half chicken pricing is not right. I doubt if I'll try it again. I've posted their menu with pricing since their website doesn't list pricing.

    We went for brunch, several items including grits were not available waffle maker wasn't working. We had to wait for waffles to be gotten from their sister restaurant. Also, there was no beef or shrimp available. It took forever 45-60 minutes to get our food. Bread was only brought after we had been waiting over 30 minutes. The manager, Rachel, finally brought out a waffle and a side of waffles. She never apologized, other wait staff had. Our waitress asked if the manager had said anything about taking off the waffle, a whole $5.99. I had asked a young college student to lunch as we could walk from our church, as well as another couple from church. I had encouraged my husband to go to Ambrosia. This was embarrassing! I was late to a meeting, interestingly, the lady I was meeting had the same experience.

    Shrimp and Scallops Pasta
    Mary Beth G.

    This is a gem of a restaurant tucked on the north end of Main Street. Although they seemed a little shortstaffed on my visit, the service was attentive and right on time. I got the shrimp and scallop pasta and fried haloumi starter (a must!), and both were delicious! Although the portion seems slight, it was just enough without being overly filling. The ambience is lovely nod to Greece, and offers a quiet atmosphere for date night.

    Lamb chops, mashed potatoes

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    2 years ago

    Great atmosphere , great design and interior. Great for date night with nice music. Staff is friendly and nice with recommendations

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    3 years ago

    This is literallyyyyy by far the BEST food I've had in town! I highly recommend!

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    Mediterranean Tea Room

    Mediterranean Tea Room

    4.4(104 reviews)
    1.9 mi•Shandon
    •$$

    For years I've heard my sister rave about her absolute favorite restaurant and in Columbia. And…read moreafter years of never being able to catch the Mediterranean Tea Room during its open hours the day finally came to see if the hype was worth it. And update: it totally was. We came in a bit later in their dinner service and had no issue being sat and were even able to park in their small adjoined parking lot rather than hunting for street parking. I went with the grilled chicken kebabplate and subbed the Greek Salad for a small side of pita and hummus instead. I also wanted to try the kofta so was able to order one piece à la carte to try. It didn't take long for the generously portioned meal to come out....and it also didn't take long for my plate to be scraped clean. Everything was fresh, tasted excellence and seasoned to perfection. I preferred the chicken to the kofta but was glad I tried both. Pro tip - make sure to ask for a side of the yummy salad dressing to mix into your rice to really lake the flavor over the board with the chicken! Between the great food and service I see what the hype is a about for this little Columbia long-time staple.

    Wow, this is my new favorite Mediterranean spot! Went on a Friday night, and the parking lot was…read morepacked, so had to find street parking. There was a slight wait, but everyone was very friendly. Started with the baba ganoush and tried the kofta medallion entree. Absolutely loved everything. Tasted fresh made. Kofta was super juicy and had a nice chargrilled scent. The yellow rice sopped up the seasoned meat juices. Salad was crisp and plenty. Best part was how affordable everything was! Bang for your buck! Definitely a hidden gem.

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    Mediterranean Tea Room
    Mediterranean Tea Room
    Mediterranean Tea Room - Grilled Chicken Breast Platter

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    Grilled Chicken Breast Platter

    Ambrosia Taverna - mediterranean - Updated October 2026

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