We went to Ambar which specializes in Serbian and Balkans cuisine on a Thursday night to celebrate my partners birthday. They offer a great deal on a fixed price all-you-can-eat small plates menu that includes a selection of drinks including both cocktails and wine for $49. The selection of small plates is quite extensive with both meat, vegetarian, and seafood dishes, many quite tasty. We certainly had our fill and staggered home that night (we live nearby and walked). I would recommend this for groups especially those who like to eat a lot.

We came here for my friends birthday and had an amazing time. The food was wonderful! We started with the white flat bread which was wonderful, had the grilled asparagus and ambar fries (ok but I would not get again), the almond crusted chicken my friends loved (I am allergic to nuts so did not have), the chicken kebab which was my favorite, the drunken mussels and calamari which were great as well. The plates here are small and great for sharing so you can taste a broad range of foods.

Here’s another one of those places that after looking at the menu you wish you could eat more!

The “Balkan Experience” potentially brings the entire menu slowly to your table along with unlimited (certain) drinks for only $49. After speaking to our fantastic server Snjezana, she suggested we start out with at least 4 entrees (total for the 2 of us). So based on her recommendations we chose:

A creamy Smoked Trout spread with pickled jalapeno and bread.

The absolutely delicious Stuffed Sour Cabbage, something that I would never have thought to order and which turned out to be our favorite entrée.

The beef & pork Balkan Kebab with marinated onions.

and the Cheese Pie, which I found to be on the heavy-side, expecting a light fluffy interior.

Now this doesn’t necessarily sound like a lot of food but it was just the right amount for us.

As a birthday gift, I was treated by the restaurant to one of the most unusual & interesting desserts we’ve ever had – the Forest Gnocchi. It came in a heavy stone bowl containing beautifully arranged chocolate mousse/bitter orange cake/ground chocolate/ orange gelee/tarragon gnocchi and passion fruit. Over this was poured a creamy black tea sauce. Before eating it, you stir it all together – it was fantastic !

With 2 drinks, before tip, the bill came to around $60 I know what you are thinking – for an additional $40 or so we could have had so much more – if only that were true but we can only eat so much ! We left way more than satisfied.

We went there for brunch and although there are many really good brunch spots in DC, I think this is my favorite. The food is just so, so good. It's also unique. I don't know of any other Balkan restaurants around.

My favorite thing was their savory "bread pudding". You can order it as a starter, and it also comes on the side with a lot of the main dishes. Even commonplace brunch items, like a ham omelet are made uniquely here. The ham is cubed really small and it's topped with a pesto. Seriously, everything we had was delicious. I didn't want it to be over.

The menu is also reasonably priced for the area. They have an unlimited $39/person brunch menu (mimosas & bloody marys included) that is totally worth it. Otherwise, items are between $5-$15. Mimosas are $7. Would definitely recommend this place and would definitely go back.

Make sure to visit the top floor patio as well as the first two floors. Beautiful. The food is unique and very good. My go to place when I have friends come visit.