Amba

One of the best restaurants in Cleveland, serving Indian-inspired small plates! We were a group of four and ordered 8 small plates, all of which were amazing. The spinach dip with the clay bread may have been my favorite, but everything we tried was delicious. They also had a great selection of rotating cocktails!They do not take reservations, so be prepared to wait on the weekends. We waited about two hours on a Saturday. But they take your name and number so you can leave while you wait! There are plenty of bars nearby to grab a drink before the meal.

Amba is a great date spot or spot to come with friends. Everything about it is sexy, beautiful, and vibey. The interior decor is easily a 10/10 at Amba. The cocktails are also pretty good, but they like to serve what is on the menu. If you try to order an off-menu cocktail I wish you good luck. However, there are some great options on the menu, none are extremely over the top, but most go quite well with the food. The service does lack luster. Our server was great, and nearly every main server I've had when going to Amba has been as well, but some of the food runners feel lazy and or confused. I've had people spill sauces and drinks on the table, or sauces into drinks. It's as if the food runners don't feel a personal connection to those folks at the table the same way the server does. I wish that would change.The food is really quite good, and very well priced. There are some clear winners and some rooms for opportunity. I really wish they had lamb chops on the menu instead of the lamb kofta, which is fine, but not great. On the opposite end of the spectrum they have amazing shrimp, stellar chicken, really great raita, and some stellar eggplant. None of the desserts hit home for me. But don't leave without getting both the tikka chicken and the popcorn chicken, and the Paneer is definitely a hit. The more things you can try the better it'll be, I truly believe that. I have had everything on this menu at least once. I do wish they added some spicier items and maybe some more large format meats.

We came to Amba for my fiancé's birthday on a Wednesday night, it was pretty empty at 5:30 but was almost filled up by 7pmDrinks:Gypsum and flint: almost too savory and spice heavyVerbena and root: the flavors were good but I wish they were stronger. Food:Cucumber salad: my favorite thing on the menu, but tastes more Chinese than IndianPopcorn chicken: again tastes like a Thai basil and bird eye chili fried chicken, no hint of Indian twistLamb keema sloppy Joe's: flavors were quite muted, also needs a lot more heatNaan: looks exactly like the Stonefire naan I buy from CostcoI would say overall the flavors were muted for cocktails and food, and I would say if you go in with the expectation that you're getting international fusion instead of Indian food, you may be less disappointed than us.Overall 3/5

Ambiance is romantic. The concept needs to be better explained. Can cause confusion. Our group were sat at different tables but everyone was placed on one bill. The food and drinks are amazing. I am planning to give them another chance.

I can't say enough about this restaurant. Each dish is out of this world delicious. The restaurant itself has a cozy sexy atmosphere. The service is outstanding. We will be returning to enjoy often. I highly recommend it here.

It is pitch black in here. No public WiFi.On the plus side, the food is delicious. It mostly comes in shareable plates aka entree size lol. The wok fired green beans are delicious with sesame saltiness and some light acid from the chunks of sunchoke throughout. Nice and greasy and super flavorful with the char from the wok. The chicken tikka masala is super greasy and rich. Oh my god is the chicken super tender and delicious. Wow. It is truly not dry in the tiniest bit and the sauce is extremely flavorful. Tons of spice with a bit of acidity to balance it out. Even lightly sweet. Really wonderful. Nothing here is made particularly healthfully, but if you want a night to treat yourself to super rich Indian fusion food in a dark as night atmosphere over a solid cocktail and a friend or two, this is your place!

Every time I visit Amba is better than the last visit. This was no exception. Every dish was absolutely phenomenal. It was a nice day, so my friend and I decided to sit outside although the near pitch black interior was tempting. I started with the lentil donuts. They were warm and perfectly cooked. These were probably the freshest I've ever had them and it definitely made a difference. I thought about those donuts for days. I also shared the warm spinach dip, paneer, and venison and goat sloppy joe keens with clay bread. The warm spinach dip is always tasty. It's not served super hot, but it's good and the small kettle holds alot of dip. I'd never tried the paneer but absolutely loved it. The cheese was toasted on the outside and soft on the inside. I especially loved the curry leaf and mustard seed spread that was underneath. I initially thought it was a lentil spread. Very flavorful and really could have been its own dish. My favorite item this visit was definitely the spicy sloppy Joe keema. It really was just a big bowl of venison and goat meat with curry spices, Serrano chili and green onions in a tomato sauce. I loved the spice amidst the tomato sauce. All of the Mediterranean and Indian spices mixed so well together, I kept going back for more. There was so much in the bowl, I felt like my friend and I didn't make a dent in it. Luckily, I was able to take some home and ate it for breakfast the next morning with eggs. The perfect Shakshuka.

I am still dreaming of this meal. I've heard nothing but good things about Amba, and finally got the chance to dine here. The menu features a wide variety of shareable plates and is described as a modern twist on traditional Indian food. We decided to get one of the chef curated menus, the Amba Favorites to be specific. It features six of their most popular dishes: crispy puris (basically a fried potato ball), wok fired string beans, ghee basted shrimp, popcorn chicken, clay bread (naan), and herbed raita (very similar to tzatziki). We also ordered the smashed pea samosas. Everything was incredible. It was hard to choose a favorite dish, but if I absolutely had to, it would be the crispy puris and the herbed raita on the clay bread. Just thinking about this meal now has got me craving it again. Not only was the meal great, but so was the service and atmosphere. Our server was very helpful in explaining the concept and what each dish consisted of. The dining room is beautiful and sleek. The lighting was dim and cozy but just the right amount. The music was a vibe for sure (it sounded like deep house music to me- love). I would absolutely recommend coming here.

AMBA must be short for ambiance because this spot was New York City sexiness! ambiance 5/5: dimly lit, modern aesthetic that would be perfect for an evening date. Unfortunately, there were a lot of fruit flies and several landed in our wines food and drinks 3/5: average at best... The modern take on Indian is cool but not as flavourful or authentic as you would hope. Would not come back for the food alone. Got a bottle of wine to share for 55$, average service 5/5: Sara was a great server, super friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. Definitely made it a much better experience for us! Tips:- bring a fly swatted- if you're looking to get lucky, go to the back room as it offers a much more intimate, date space - shareable menu so best you are comfortable with the people you are eating with

I absolutely loved Amba. We chose to visit on our anniversary and it did not disappoint. They have a small patio to the side and a large dining room. It is dimly lit and feels very cozy. We arrived earlier on a Monday evening and were seated right away. As we ate the dining room started to fill. I imagine on the weekends it is a long wait for a table. They do not take reservations. They are also located near City Goods, so there is somewhere to walk around while you wait.The menu has many vegan options. We ordered the curated vegan tasting menu and it was perfect. Everything was delicious but the stand out for us was the pineapple cucumber salad. There were six small plates included and we ended up with some to take home.The cocktails were amazing as well. I have never had lemon cumin soda and will be ordering it again. My partner ordered the Gypsum and Flint. His cocktail was not for the faint of heart, but was delicious. It was strong and spicy just as described.We finished the meal with the vegan blackberry icebox cake. We shared the dessert and it was the perfect end to the meal. The icebox cake was slightly sweet and had a soft texture. You could very much taste the cashews and the coconut. We are already planning a return trip!