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    Restaurant Ambra

    4.8 (71 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndItalian
    Closed 6:15 pm - 10:00 PM

    Restaurant Ambra Italian Restaurant Photos

    RESTAURANT AMBRA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Romantic
    Intimate
    Classy

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    Recommended Reviews - Restaurant Ambra

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    William M.

    Ambra remains a shiny beacon of great, careful, & thoughtful food in this city. I would say even more so now than when we visited pre-pandemic. Each dish comes with loads of backstory if you want it, and an insane level of technical know-how. The wine pairings are fantastic, and we were lucky to have an extra glass or two of some fairly unique bottles. Sitting in the kitchen watching food preparation for both Southwark and Ambra was exhilarating and certainly worth doing for date nights, or just spending quality time with a friend. Just don't take any photos of the actual kitchen (it's a rule!). The dishes were well rounded and fulfilling - however I can't help but feel the plating and / or combinations could be even more inspired. They're clearly striving to do some of the best culinary work in this city, and are succeeding, but some dishes could use a tad more oomph. The pasta could have used a bit more acid (more lemon perhaps), and the sauce for the brined fish (I don't recall if it was mackerel) was a tad too light. The radicchio was less bitter than usual but still a chore to eat. We could have used regular bread for that course to mop up the oil / butter - but what I really wanted was for all of it to be grassier. The sauce had very little taste considering it's vibrancy. We recently had a dessert dish at Story in London that was almond and dill prepared in various ways. The dill oil looked similar, but was miles more flavorful. I wonder if the oil needs to be worked on - because the fish was outstanding. It might be that the kitchen has mixed focused on Ambra since they're having to do Southwark plating as well...but I expected a few more surprises. Breaking the structure of a tasting menu since we were literally in the kitchen would've been nice. A surprise taste of some extra thing that they whipped up, even if that thing was for Southwark. I'll tell you one thing, we left quite confident we need to come back and try Southwark after seeing the chefs make those lower priced dishes. Very exact and professional work from this kitchen. A solid choice for a very consistently good dining experience...though not quite as ground breaking as I know they have the skill and passion to be. I just noticed they totally listened to (or at least intuited) the concerns from my previous review on Google maps. Ambra now leaves you with a bag of something to take home. For us it was granola, the most delightful house-smoked almonds, two scones, and lemon curd. A VERY lovely reminder of the wonderful night we shared in the kitchen. Thank you for being in Philly and striving for excellence.

    Ambra's Chef table was incredible! The food and the the experience was nothing short of amazing

    Everything was fantastic! It was such an amazing experience. The food was what we went for and it was worthy of the of all accolades! The experience added so much. If you can get a reservation; RUN

    Vincent G.

    This is hands down, one of the most top notch culinary and fine dining experiences you can find in the city. The elephant in the room is, the plates are small, so do not expect to head there and indulge in one big heart plate. It is a prix fix menu though, so you will get a lot of small dishes, and they are adventurously plated. We loved our time there, tried a lot of new things and the service and knowledge provided by the wait staff is unparalleled. They really heighten the experience, and guide you through each plate, explaining all of the details and providing suggestions. The menu is ever changing, so nice to know you can go back and try to new things. This is a very intimate setting, perfect for a date night. They also have a wine pairing option to go with the meals. We didnt get this, but if you are willing to spend on it, it seems like it would make for an even better experience.

    Emiliano T.

    We were confused by the fact that every Yelp reviewer gave Ambra 5 stars but Craig Laban gave them only two bells. In this case, we agree with Laban. The positives: 1) The service was impeccable and it's nice and quiet in there. Waiters were informative and well paced without being overbearing. 2) The desserts, especially the panna cota were delicious, original and seasonal. 3) Plating was beautiful 4) the homemade pasta textures were perfect The negatives: 1) Except for the pasta and ox tail ragú, everything was under-seasoned. The ragú was so salty we had to send it back (which they promptly remade and was perfect). 2) Some elements in some dishes were just flavorless or disappointing For example, the burrata and nettle pasta (which sounded and looked so good), ended up being monotonous in flavor and a let-down 3) Several dishes were hard to understand: they worked when you combined all the elements together but were plated in a way that suggested eating them separately. For example the fish with crema foam and endive. For $320 (with a shared wine pairing and 20% tip), we would likely not go back. We feel that if the dishes had a little more "pop" to the flavors instead of being so monotone, this would have been much better.

    Personalized menu!
    Kimberly D.

    I had the pleasure of dining at Ambra with my husband last night. It was a special occasion and they wrote us a little welcome message on top of the menu - very nice personalized touch, and we plan to keep it :) The restaurant is tiny, only five tables, but it's elegant and beautiful with rustic elements that tie everything together. It was a 4-course prix-fixe with optional wine pairing (we decided to go for it), and each course had two options. Between hubby and myself, we tried everything offered because we didn't get any of the same dishes. The wine pairings were incredible and Michael was a wonderful waiter and sommelier - equal parts knowledgable, funny, and quirky. He told us not only about the wines but about the wineries, the towns they come from, what the grapes' names mean, and why they were selected as the pairing for the course :) Did I mention that they started us off with some sparkling wine and refilled it multiple times before the meal truly began? Rob was our other server -- we saw him a little less than Michael, but he was also very friendly and informative. Before our actual first course, we were offered THREE different amuse bouche courses, which I thought was an amazing idea, and they were delicious. We started with a chicken liver, apricot jam and savory pizzelle, then a smoked salmon on fennel cracker, and finally an eggplant parm bite. All were fantastic. Then they brought out two more dishes: a plate of olives, anchovies, and charred escarole, and a focaccia that was amazing. THEN the first courses were brought out! I chose the house-made burrata, which had an amazing amazing (x2!) basil pesto, while hubby chose the veal/tuna/egg/beet dish. I think the burrata dish was one of my favorite appetizers ever. So amazingly fresh and the smell of that basil was SO DELICIOUS. For our second courses, I chose the lobster fazzoletti (pasta) which was served with fresh Maine lobster, lobster mushrooms, and fava beans. It was unbelievable. My hubby's smoked spaghetti with zucchini was out of this world, too. Then we got a surprise course! It was house-made cavatelli with a lamb ragu that reminded me of my Italian grandmother's cooking. The lamb was so tender, the flavors were unbelievable and the pasta just melted in your mouth. I think this may have been my favorite dish and it wasn't even on the menu. For our entrees hubby had the pork loin, which was served with a polenta-stuffed pepper, pork belly, onion and green beans. I had the salmon which was served with corn, chanterelle mushrooms and squid. This was probably my least favorite -- I love salmon and I love squid but together I think the combo was a little too fishy, especially with the squid ink accompaniment. Least favorite doesn't mean bad though... I still ate and enjoyed it :) Dessert for me was an amazing chamomile panna cotta, which was served with fresh strawberries and a delicious CANDIED SOURDOUGH crumble. So yummy!!! Hubby had a blueberry olive oil torta with a rosemary sformato and lemon curd. Both desserts were great. Afterward, we we served a rabarbaro digestif (an amaro made from rhubarb), which was extremely bitter but grew less so as you sipped. This was served with two little bites: a hazelnut cannoli and... a tiny gelatinous cube coated in sugar that I now forget what it is... Marina (manager?/owner) and Chris (chef/owner) are super friendly and fun you get the chance to talk to them. We found out that our little handwritten message on our menu was from Chris himself! I'd highly recommend dining here if you're in the Philly area, or going next door to their sister property, Southwark (we had some drinks there after dinner). An amazing meal!

    Rima A.

    This was such an interesting experience. I think it's a must for anyone who's into modern cuisine. Dinner is served "omakase" style, kind of like in Japanese places where the menu is preset and portions are rather small but there's a lot of courses. Their food was really good! I've attached the menu for anyone who wants to see what they serve. We couldn't finish the last dessert .. there was so much food. You could also choose wine pairing for around $55/person and they brought a different glass of wine for each course. Highly recommend!

    Tasting menu
    Brantley H.

    Love this restaurant and have returned for their top of the line tasting menu for each of the last two years while on business trips in Philadelphia. The restaurant seats no more than than 12 but is very spacious (unlike any restaurant in NYC that would have such limited seating!). Service is very friendly and courteous. Each course is rolled out to you in perfectly sized portions so that you're not overly stuffed but are definitely satisfied by the end of the meal. I will continue to make it a point to get my spot at ambra whenever I'm in town in the future!

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Best meal in Philly. Service was impeccable as was Chef Chris explaining each dish with humor and grace. Such a fun dining experience!!

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    10/10, if u want a place to celebrate a special occasion, this is the place. One of the best dining experiences in Philadelphia.

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    Trattoria Carina - Cacio e pepe and chicken parm

    Trattoria Carina

    4.4(443 reviews)
    1.6 miFitler Square, Rittenhouse Square
    $$

    okay, yes. over one-year later, i finally came back to try the chicken parmesan and it was so good…read more definitely better than whatever i had last time. my boyfriend and i shared the caesar salad, the fried mozzarella, and the chicken parmesan, and it was honestly a good amount of food for the both of us (though we did get ice cream before lol). i like that they have outdoor seating, which is perfect for our dog. it was a warm day, so sitting outside was perfect, but i do believe they have heat lamps for when it gets a little chilly. we didn't have a reservation, but they were so accommodating and able to squeeze us in after a short 5-minute wait around 8p. definitely worth the hype, very cute neighborhood spot!

    I originally made a reservation for 2:30 PM thinking they offered a lunch menu, but if you're…read morecoming for the pasta, make sure to come after 4:30 PM. We actually had to leave and come back later & I'm so glad we did! The food was absolutely fantastic. The service was 10/10 from start to finish. We ordered the chicken Milanese, which was perfectly crispy and fresh. All of the pastas were seasoned beautifully and cooked to perfection. My favorite dishes were the cavatelli and the chicken cutlet!! both were incredible. I'll definitely be coming back, especially to try the chicken parm. This place has officially earned a special spot in my heart.

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    Trattoria Carina
    Trattoria Carina - Cannoli Budino

    Cannoli Budino

    Trattoria Carina - October 2024

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    October 2024

    La Sera Italiana

    La Sera Italiana

    4.6(53 reviews)
    1.1 miRittenhouse Square

    Stopped by last night with a large and rowdy (lol) party and the staff was so lovely and…read moreaccommodating. An extra person ended up joining us early on in the meal, and the team was so great about expanding the table and making us comfortable. Our food was so great, from the apps to the entrees everyone loved what they got. The portions are huge and most of us ended up taking some of our meals home. We had a party of 8, and our bill was only about 350 bucks, which is a great price for a large Italian dinner here in the city. From the staff to the space to the food, everything was lovely! Will definitely be back soon!

    An excellent way to celebrate our office holiday meal. Boss man treated us to a late lunch here…read moreduring a weekday. Bonus of a late lunch - we were the only ones here and we could actually have a conversation at our long table and hear each other! We started off with several baskets of complimentary Italian sliced loaves served warm with a dipping sauce. Our appetizers shared among us were the calarmari (excellent, though I wish there were tentacles, I loves me some calamari tentacles), gorgeous bruschetta (though a small serviing for $9, just 2 pieces if I remember correctly) and an anti pasto platter. Note that with the lunch menu, appetizers are not on the menu, but because we were eating later and because maybe of our party size, they let us order anything from the dinner menu as well. I chose the fettucine alfredo with chicken. Oh so generous of a serving, and had to bring home half. Simply made, so so good. I loved how the linguine had some bite to it. Lovely service and we were well looked after.

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    La Sera Italiana
    La Sera Italiana
    La Sera Italiana

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    Giuseppe & Sons

    Giuseppe & Sons

    4.1(673 reviews)
    1.2 miPenn Center, Rittenhouse Square
    $$

    Giuseppe's is fantastic! My husband and I had an amazing Sunday dinner a few weeks ago there. From…read morethe speakeasy vibe of the restaurant to its South Philly culinary inspiration, it was an amazing meal that we'll always remember. We ordered a number of things to share family style - - The Artichoke Francaise appetizer was something we'd never seen before on a menu, so we wanted to try. It was so good and I'm still trying to dupe it at home for my vegetarian hubs. - My husband is a eggplant parm connoisseur, so we also ordered their Eggplant 'Parmigiana' appetizer. He said it was good. - Ricotta Tortelloni was delicious and our favorite savory dish. The aged balsamic cuts through all the richness of the cheeses perfectly. It was so good! - To round off the meal, we ordered dessert and ordered the tiramisu. Glad we did because Giuseppe's & Son's has the BEST tiramisu that either of us has ever tasted. Ava was our waiter that evening. She was the best! When I mentioned my husband was vegetarian, she made sure to clear with him if certain ingredients in the dishes were ok with him. It's a big relief whenever that happens when we dine out. Plus, she was friendly and convivial. The tables at either side of us liked her too. That quality is important and adds to the overall experience for diners. Just had to shout out. Giuseppe's is hands-down a wonderful place and a gem. We highly recommend it if you're looking for something truly special.

    Genuinely impressed with Giuseppe and Sons. Other Italian restaurants in Philly can be overhyped we…read morewent in here for dinner for 4 - food was great. We got the calamari, shrimp scampi to share. We also got the Branzino, Bolognese and found it to be throughly enjoyable. The service was quick, efficient - without being hasty. The star of the show was the carrot cake though - so good! Overall ambience was nice, old school Italian - not too loud but also very cozy. Would come back!

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    Giuseppe & Sons - Ambiance

    Ambiance

    Giuseppe & Sons - House made ricotta cheese

    House made ricotta cheese

    Giuseppe & Sons - Love the pictures hung along this hallway

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    Love the pictures hung along this hallway

    Dante & Luigi's

    Dante & Luigi's

    4.3(599 reviews)
    0.5 miBella Vista
    $$

    Steve and Frank are the best .....food is excellent service is extraordinary…read more We will return every two weeks for family Sunday dinner .....

    We actually reside an hour north of Philadelphia, but my wife and I truly LOVE dining at Dante and…read moreLuigi's, on 10th Street in Philadelphia. So we travel that distance to my very favorite of all restaurants, with some frequency. This past Saturday evening, as it was our son's 53rd birthday, we took him, and his family, out to dinner at this outstanding restaurant. All of us truly loved every aspect of our dining experience. Every dish was made to order, as everything at Dante and Luigi's is fresh and made from scratch. The service is also excellent, and there are additional important benefits to dining there. For example, you have the opportunity to valet your car, and thereby not spend a considerable amount of time seeking a parking place. In addition, at the conclusion of your excellent dining experience, if you decide to pay your bill with CASH, you actually are provided a 10% reduction in the entirety of your total bill, which is usually a considerable savings for most of us. Our son and his family recently moved to Delaware from Florida, and now our son, like his father, fully agrees with my having always often stated, over and again, during the past 25 years, why Dante and Luigi's is my very favorite restaurant anywhere in the nation, [and I have literally been in every state.] Dante and Luigi's is simply outstanding, and I, therefore, urge all who are anywhere near Philadelphia to consider dining there when you next plan to go out for dinner. Rich Sternberg, Flemington, NJ

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    Dante & Luigi's - Dante & Luigi's Back Dining Area

    Dante & Luigi's Back Dining Area

    Dante & Luigi's
    Dante & Luigi's - Exterior

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    Exterior

    Prunella - Still looking scrumptious 7 hours and 1000 miles later

    Prunella

    4.2(327 reviews)
    1.0 miAvenue of the Arts South
    $$

    Great Italian food with on this double date. Our waiter Devon made us feel comfortable by walking…read moreus through the menu and the place. We order so much food and all the food that was eaten by us was well prepared and high quality. The octopus was no chewy, the gnocchi was like chewing on a cloud, and the dough for the pizza has the nice black spots on the bottom and a nice chew. The pizza is also not greasy and will not hurt your digestion system. All the dessert are to die for. Prunella is legit and you should check it out!!!

    Girl dinner, but make it cozy, delicious, and elevated. My friends and I have made a tradition of…read morevisiting Prunella every January for restaurant week - you truly cannot beat the amount of delicious food you get! I recommend a party of 3-4 to really maximize your experience. However, this year, we just weren't as hungry, so we did some girl math and decided it would be cheaper to do ala cart. We ordered two of the famous spicy caesar salads (must order!!), a ricotta toast, a White Claw pizza, and a finished off our meal sharing two chocolate budinos. The White Claw is a pretty classic white pizza, mozzarella and swirls of basil pesto; the crust is amazing! It pairs perfectly with the salad. The ricotta toast is decadent and addicting, but a little bit goes a long way. The chocolate budino was outstanding - sweet, with hints of espresso. We won't talk about how I ended up with some of it on my white turtleneck... Service was friendly and QUICK! We ordered, and I swear we had our first dishes in less than 10 minutes. The server was a doll, though I can't recall his name. Downside of Prunella, like anywhere in Center City, is there is no parking. Upside, is you're just a short walk from the 13th St. Septa Station, and you're literally equidistant from Broad and Market streets. Pro-tip: Killer happy hour specials, but only at the bar. Good selection of beverages, if you're into that type of thing. Come hungry, leave happy, and maybe don't wear white.

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    Prunella - Pizza oven

    Pizza oven

    Prunella - Whipped Ricotta

    Whipped Ricotta

    Prunella - Cool little bar

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    Cool little bar

    Restaurant Ambra - italian - Updated May 2026

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