Lacto
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Indian
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Beer/Wine
Take-out
Asian
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Middle Eastern
Gluten-free
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. South-Asian-inspired tapas and cocktails. Vegan options include chickpea fritters, lentil doughnuts, wok-fried string beans, spicy cauliflower, gluten-free flatbread, pineapple-cucumber salad, and a blackberry icebox cake. Open Mon-Thu 4:00pm-10:00pm, Fri-Sat 4:00pm-11:00pm. Closed Sun.


Venue map for Amba
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4 Reviews

First Review by AlyssaEckles

varunshetty00

Points +104

Vegan
01 Oct 2023

Fantastic cocktails, great food with several vegan options

This Indian inspired small-plate restaurant gets a lot of things right. They put their own spin on Indian dishes and the result is some pretty delicious food. They have several vegan options- my favorites being lentil donuts (a spin on Indian vada) with coconut chutney which is so close to the real thing but they make it their own. What I have mixed feelings about is the vegetarian crispy puri (a spin on Indian pani puri). While it is good, it doesn’t come close to be as good as the real thing. Pani Puri is a fully realized dish- it’s an explosion of flavor. While I applaud their experimentation I think they could do better by simply recreating pani puri. I liked the naan a lot. I also liked the eggplant dish though it wasn’t my favorite. I wish they had a few more vegan options or veg options that could be made vegan. For example, the crushed samosas have eggs and milk in them and aren’t really as good as the real thing. Originally samosas are naturally vegan.
When it came to drinks, their vodka cumin cocktail was phenomenal- on par with some of the best cocktails I’ve had in Mumbai.
This restaurant has a wonderful vibe and is happening. Definitely a must-try.

Pros: Lentil donut, Cocktails, Ambience

Cons: Needs more vegan options

VeganUSA

Points +8267

Vegan
14 Jun 2023

Innovative dining via shared plates

We have been hoping, for quite some time, to visit Amba, located in the Hingetown section of Ohio city.

After finally making it to this establishment, we were not disappointed For three people, five shared plates, and one dessert were quite filling. There were so many vegan choices, and more to try for a future visit.

Our favorite shared plate were the lentil donuts. We also liked the cauliflower shared plate as well as the string beans shared plate. The accompanying side sauces were delicious. The dishes that were intended to be spiced, were highly spiced; good for us, as we welcome hot foods, but possibly too much for a sensitive palate.

Service was excellent. Staff were hardworking.

Accessibility concerns: it takes a little while to get used to the extremely low-lit setting. It’s like entering a darkened movie theater. Also, be prepared that the sound system may be loud as it was during our visit Think steady, pounding pulsating music throughout the experience. In spite of the noise, it was well worth coming here.
Another obstacle is parking, but this is to be expected in a thriving hipster neighborhood. We had to drive to find a spot, even though it was only 5 PM on a weekday night; side streets were packed with cars. We walked back several blocks to the restaurant itself.

Pros: Delicious shared plates , Extensive vegan options , Unique presentation

Cons: Loud, pulsating sound system , Dark, low lighting, Locating on-street parking

SFRobbie

Points +1102

Vegan
25 May 2023

Vegan tasting menu!

Incredibly hip spot on the near West side that is no doubt one of the most vegan friendly hot spots in the Midwest. Local celebrity chef Doug Katz told us the menu was created to please the entire spectrum, from gluten free to carnivorous to full-on vegan, and our table of seven vegans was more than happy to prove him right! This is a date night or celebrate night kind of place, with a gorgeous, sleek interior, and great service. The food seemed like it had pan-Asian influences, heaviest on the South Asian bent. Everything was delicious, with special kudos to the pineapple cucumber salad (sounds odd but was awesome), wok fried string beans (spicy), spicy cauliflower, and roasted eggplant, all accompanied by grilled flatbread and chutney. Even what sounds like a mundane dish, "warm cashews" took cashews to a whole other level of deliciousness. For dessert we had a melt-in-your-mouth blackberry icebox cake. If we were allowed to give 5 stars to a non-vegan place on Happy Cow, this would be the place!

Updated from previous review on 2023-05-25

Cons: No reservations accepted

AlyssaEckles

Points +132

Mostly Veg
01 Feb 2023

Marvelous experience

Amba may be one of my new favorite restaurants. The menu features 10-12 clearly marked vegan shareable plates, with another 5-8 vegetarian options. The spicy cauliflower was unbelievably good, the lentil doughnuts were astounding, the wok fried string beans were spicy and delicious, and the flatbread was so fluffy and a great option for cutting through the heat. The cocktail menu is exceptional, and the blackberry icebox cake was the perfect sweet ending to the meal. With three diners, we shared 8 items, and we didn't even finish everything.

Highly recommend for a date night or when you really want to impress someone with how high-end vegan food can be.

Pros: lots of vegan options, shareable plates, spicy!

Cons: low lighting, no reservations, serves meat




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