IF you want good food, and GREAT service and you find yourself in front of this place, walk across the street to cafe Zenon, they know how to make a night out enjoyable for customers, and have quality food and professional servers. Â
Food is merely ok at Ambrosia. Â The pizzas were the best dishes but not impressive. Â The service was terrible though. Â I tried this place on a groupon deal, which I am thankful for, b/c I would have been super angry had I paid so much for a dinner and gotten the horrible service that I got.
IF you have KIDS-- DON'T GO THERE!, not a kid friendly vibe at all. Â It is not what I would call a formal place in any way whatsoever, it is very casual, but I was heart broken to see my 3 year old who is very social try to engage the indifferent server. Â
The service clearly is lacking in the restaurant from the top down, Our server (who was terrible) was the manager. Â So Clearly there is no room for hope. Â If you want good italian in Eugene, I recommend the Ox & Fin, if you dont mind spending a little extra, and Beppe and Gianni's Trattoria off 19th is awesome.
Ambrosia has been in Eugene longer than I have, I believe, and I've been here since '83 and I have always enjoyed my dinners there. Â I am somewhat surprised by the the one and two star reviews, Â and the bad service or unwillingness to correct a bad dish just doesn't seem to flow with my experiences.
Having been thinking of Italian food for a couple days, my wife and I decided Ambrosia would be our destination after hiking Silver Falls! Eugene is definitely a town where dress code does not really seam to matter to most folks, and  we were dusty and certainly not dressed for a special occasion, however, we were greeted and seated with in minutes of arriving.  Our server, Kyle, gave us a few minutes to peruse the menu then asked if he could share the specials.  He gave us detailed information on the various specials, one of which was a seafood fettuccine which sparked my interest.  Now here is the reason for FIVE STARS:  I asked if they would be willing to modify it and make it with Cajun spices.  The response came back, "how spicy would you like it?"  We then went on to discuss some wine ideas and once again Kyle was very knowledgeable on the wines.  It seems these days, more often than not, the servers do not know diddly about their wines.  We followed Kyle's recommendation and it was excellent, paring well with both my wife's FRESH halibut and my fettuccine. Â
Everyone we had contact with was very pleasant, and even though we were served quicker than expected, it was not to busy. Â The chef's at Ambrosia are not turning out a Whopper of chicken fingers, the food is serious so maybe you have to wait a bit and if you do, I think you will find it worth the time and effort. Â Hat's off to a stellar dinner.
I wanted to love this place, I REALLY did, but unfortunately, we weren't given then chance. We went in on a busy Friday night. We were told the wait would be 5 minutes. I am not opposed to waiting at all, but 20 minutes later, we were still sitting there and a party of 2 as well as another party of 4, all of which came in after us, had been seated. My husband went up there and the hostess was nothing short of rude telling us we would be seated next with quite the hotty totty attitude.. I will wait for good food, but don't tell me 5 minutes when it's really over 20 minutes then act like we are bothering you! She spent more time playing with her hair than she did "hostessing". We left and went to Beppe and Gianni's. Go there, the people at Ambrosia are rude!
Review Source:Italian not really, let's just say not classic, good though. Sea food pasta was good. Grilled tuna was ok, over cooked and a bit dry. Sides were meager and uninspiring. Overall meal was fine, but kind of pricy for what you get, which is nothing special. Â Extra star for the location, easy parking and really fun interior.
Review Source:Yew-Jean, I Love You
But you're bringing me down
Yew-Jean, I Love You
But you're freaking me out
Like a death of the heart
Jesus, where do I start?
...
But you're still the one pool
Where I'd happily drown
--LCD Soundsystem, 'New York, I Love you' (adapted for my hometown)
Ambrosia is Eugene at its finest. Prime, downtown real estate. Beautiful building, dripping with history. Case in point, I was sitting on the shores of Swan Lake (NW Montana) one summer and ended up in a conversation with an 85+ year-old gentleman who used to work downtown, at the Hardware store in the Quackenbush building. At that time, both he and I had been away from Eugene for awhile...and the sparkles in our eyes as we talked about E. Broadway were real, and deeply felt.
But, Ambrosia. The magic ends there for me. Please, PLEASE start sourcing better product, bring back Spaghetti Athena, and cater to a downtown lunch crowd ($10 and under specials, anyone? Anyone?). If you were in any other city/town, people would have stopped talking about you long ago. I'm sorry, I know it hurts. But I say it because I love.
My last meal here a couple of weeks ago was a DEFINITE one-star affair. But, I'm leaving my rating at two-stars because I found hope on this last visit...a glimmer, a promise of some change. You see, the restaurant has started a "1st Wednesday wine tasting" (next one set for 6/1/11: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ambrosiarestaurant.com%2Fevents&s=848a89b560225a7422d34a0bd19015dcc902ac3ee7a44e8a428b51f861da839e" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.ambrosiaresta…</a>). Patrons will be able to taste 10 wines, and will be fed light appetizers from 5:30 - 7pm for a mere $15 per person. Now this seems like a good direction, Ambrosia. Their wine lists here are extensive, and should be showcased.
So, c'mon, friend. Keep moving in the right direction. You'll always keep your true loyal followers...but the rest of us might find reason to officially "move on," without some re-invention here.
Sorry to say but this place is a disappointment.
$20 meals should be cooked properly. (overdone pasta, way underdone eggplant)
Ravioli should be homemade, not frozen.
Blue cheese dressing had the consistency of watery bird doo.
Wine tasted like it had been left out a few days too many.
The server was fine, seemed to have the profession down, but was robot-like.
The hostess had bad customer service skills.
Otherwise, the ambiance was nice!
One word to describe this place: OVERRATED!
My experience here was pleasant, but nothing worth going out of your way to dine. Â We were first told that a table for two would be a 15-min wait, but it ended being a lil over 45 min. Â They blamed it on the lack of servers, but that doesn't excuse the fact that you suck at estimating time. Â When we finally got seated, our server was awkward and there were a lot of little things that bothered me, but not worth mentioning. Â The food (the bread, the pastas, the drinks) was just OK, it definitely didn't impress me one bit. Â Next time I want to eat around the area, I'm seriously going to go across the street.
I won't be choosing to ear here in the future.
I think I would give Ambrosia 3.5 stars, but I'm erring on the side of nice with this 4-star review.
The ambiance is lovely, although it seems the happy hour scene is a little rowdy for what I think this restaurant is looking to achieve. Â
Our server was pleasant, but didn't seem to know any of the specials off the top of her head. Â It looked like she was reading from sort of cue card, which isn't wrong or bad but it was just a bit tacky. Â I feel that she could have been a bit more on top of her game. Â (I did like her necklace very much, so that works in her favor.)
I ordered the special of the evening: a swordfish dish with a soy and ginger marinade. Â It was good and not what I'd expect from an Italian restaurant. Â Two of my companions had the seafood penne pasta (another special of the evening) which they seemed to enjoy. Â The 4th dish was something that presently escapes my mind, but no matter. Â Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals. Â
I'd definitely go back, especially because it's different from a lot of the restaurants in the Eugene area.
I give Ambrosia 4 stars because I've only been once and want an excuse to go a second time and confirm its holiness. The atmosphere is great, they have about a million different types of wine, and the food is both delectable and reasonably priced.
The menu is Italian. You know, pasta, calzones, pizza, and fair share of seafood. I ordered Halibut that was seared and served over pasta with sauteed vegetables on the side. Makes me hungry even thinking about it again.
If you live in Eugene and haven't been here yet, go already!
If you are just passing through Eugene and want a nice place to pick up pasta, or just grab a glass of wine, I can't suggest a more centrally  located and aesthetically pleasing venue.
Great restaurant. Simple, good, great menu selection. Service is good, atmosphere is nice and quiet. One of Eugene's only nicer restaurants next to Adam's place which has now been downgraded to Adam's Sustainable Table and the fancy aspect has been taken away, leaving Ambrosia at 5 stars. Had almost everything on the menu and am not disappointed with anything.
Review Source:Having had consistently excellent food and service at Ambrosia's since 1997, I can't believe I always forget it's there: Â It is an odd location, squeezed between the Greyhound station and seedy bars, and the business area that shuts down at 5PM ... but it's also the one great choice in this area, in the early dinner hours.
The fifth star is because the atmosphere and service make it such a welcoming place, regardless of the time of day, the budget, or what you're wearing when you walk in. Â I've been here in heels as part of a company holiday party, and in dusty sweaty jeans & ballcap after a nasty day of travel, and never feel out of place or am made to feel out of place by differences in service. Â Here, the Eugene "we'll take you as you are" thing really shines. Â
I've not only never had a bad meal at Ambrosia's, but have never had a meal that didn't make me go "WOW" ... whether it's spending under $10 per person on calzones, salads, or happy hour lasagna ... or spending above $30 per person for a seafood specialty with wine and dessert. Â
The ambience is unique and delightful, with mixed-up antique tables and chairs, warm lighting, and classy jazz music. Â Loud, raucous parties can be had in their rooms for big groups, without the intimately chatting couple in the front even knowing a party room exists. Â
The wait staff understands service, and a friend and I were shocked to have a server remember what we drank on our second visit, 2 months after our first visit.  Small things like offering freshly ground parmesean, yet grating it into a little cup (so you can dose your own, and not have somebody leaning over people awkwardly), or asking "do you want me to take your plate" instead of  "are you finished" do not go unnoticed.
I had my first "official" drink here when I turned 21, so I have a fond memory of the place in that respect. It proved to be a wise choice. They have house infused vodka's that are pretty tasty. They also have quite a good wine list. I would recommend the place for some classy drinking. Their food is just ok though, so go get drunk.
Review Source:The setting is great: cool old downtown building (and there aren't many of those left in Eugene--better get there while you can!) , exposed brick, grand old bar. I always get annoyed first, because you never--and I mean never--can walk in and just get seated, even if there is no one else there. I've watched, and it's true. It's like some badge of honor--or strain of sadism-- that they can keep you sitting there on the hard benches, even when there is no evident reason for the delay. Service is often slow, and less than enthusiastic. (Actually, the one time I got stellar service was when Zenon would not honor my call ahead for a late evening group a few years ago. I told the host at Ambrosia how hacked off I was over it, and they took us in, seated us immediately, and treated  us like royalty. Badmouth Zenon if you want a better than average Ambrosia experience.) Then there's the flatwear. Something in me resists when I order a $26 entree and am expected to eat it with a fork that feels like the flimsy stuff I ate with in my junior high cafeteria. The pizza's pretty good, and there is some kind of incongruous Thai shrimp salad on the lunch menu that I have enjoyed, but more often than not the seafood dinner special is some utterly tasteless halibut dish or other, and they're not giving it away.
Review Source:Nice looking place. The menu offers great promise (though "fine dining" and "pizza" is an odd combo). I've eaten there a few times, the experience has ranged from OK to truly awful. "Truly awful" was waiting (I'm not kidding) two hours for our meal and then getting burned food. Pointed that out to the waiter, she apologized and offered us free coffee. Free coffee?!?!?!? C'mon, Denny's does better than that. We dropped $150 for three people's dinner, it sucked, and you offered us a 50 cent cup of coffee....should have comped the entire meal.
Is there ANY good food in Eugene? Maybe I'm a big city snob, but really, is there?
I love the ambiance of this restaurant. Â Located in downtown Eugene- you find yourself entering a very classy and hip establishment. Â Two levels of seating- my favorite being upstairs or up at the front of the restaurant- where you overlook Broadway St. Â Italian cuisine is what you'll find on Ambrosia's menu. Â
Ambrosia offers a very social atmosphere and is definitely a great place to gather and celebrate with friends over dinner and drinks. Â Dinner plates range between $13-30. Â Drinks are standard. Â They also offer a lunch menu. Â When your done with dinner- you can always walk to one of the dance clubs nearby- nothing too fabulous- but a fun night with friends in Eugene.
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