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Amber Indian Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
23 reviews for Amber Indian Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"...back to visit family in wilkes-barre (from philly) I MUST..." In 3 reviews -
"the mango/rose ice cream is pretty rad." In 4 reviews -
"the buffet rules,bc not everything is amazing, but the good..." In 7 reviews
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Michelle L.
Manhattan, NY
5/16/2012
Indian buffet! And not everything was all mushy foods (is that bad to say?)
But seriously, the food was delicious and it wasn't all just soupy dishes. There was goat and okra that added some substance and variation, several chicken dishes with varying ranges of spicy kicks, and lots of naan to soak up the juice.
I tried everything including all of the sauces. Not once did I get sick of the taste or feel like my stomach was about to erupt. Solid Indian place in the area.
Also - complimentary glasses of champagne. Can't beat that. -
Review from Kevin H.
Hazleton, PA
3/10/2012
Worst place we have ever ate at!
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Review from Joe P.
Wyoming, PA
2/27/2012
Made a reservation for Valentine's Day, but probably didn't need it since the place was half empty. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. The food came out fast, but was underwhelming. The chicken pakoras seemed pre-made and a bit flat and the butter chicken was bland and rather small portion-wise. The mango lassi was good. Having no other Indian places around, Amber gets a recommendation by default.
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Review from Mike Z.
Wilkes-Barre, PA
2/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
The staff are so friendly and attentive; by far my favorite restaurant in the area, love the spicy food, pleasant service and nice ambiance.
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Review from Colin P.
Stratford, CT
3/16/2011
After a long (eight year) hiatus from Indian food, my taste for curry has been rekindled as of late. It jumpstarted with the Wegmans Indian food bar followed by Tandoor Palace in Tannersville, which left me with very mixed feelings. With the help of a certificate from a certain restaurant website, I decided it was high time to revisit Amber.
We started off with "Thums Up," an Indian cola that was quite refreshing, and a tasty tandoori appetizer sampler. Wanting to try a little bit of everything, the non-vegetarian combination dinner made my choice of entreé easy. It consisted of five or six small dishes and overall was a bit larger than the size of two normal sized entreés. I do not remember the specific names of the dishes that were included, but all were good, and two were exceptional.
My dining companion ordered "Chicken Madras" but was presented with "Chana Masala" by accident, I imagine they look identical when written down quickly. When this was pointed out, the ordered dish was brought out with blazing speed and the first dish was free of charge. This may seem like common sense to most, but just browsing this website will demonstrate that resolving a service issue isn't always this simple.
We sampled two types of naan - traditional garlic (good, but needed more garlic) and another with cherries, raisins and almonds, a fascinating flavor combination that was almost strangely reminiscent of... well, pizza. I also had rose (hard) ice cream, which was very dense with a subtle flavor. I prefer the rose soft-serve that I tried in the past.
Service was friendly, attentive and efficient, and the entire restaurant was completely spotless. I'm more than happy to have rediscovered Amber.
They also have much to offer those of the vegetarian persuasion. -
Review from Katie H.
Clarks Summit, PA
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
Don't let the outside of the building fool you. The food is very good. It comes out fast and they have a HUGE menu. Waiters and waitresses are polite and constantly making sure your drink is full.
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Review from Anjali G.
Queens, NY
9/21/2011
This is NOT a place for Indians to eat Indian food - the food has devolved to what Americans think Indian food should taste like. That being said, in a pinch, we have ordered Chole-Bhature here (esp. for the kids) and it has been fine. Thank goodness there is something that can not be messed up - or can it? last time we went here even the chole (chickpeas) was served right out of the can... If I wanted plain chickpeas ... well, you get the idea.
I have also had a fight with the chef/staff here (yes, really), for telling him that his CTM (chicken tikka masala) was basically boiled chicken dumped in bottled curry paste - and we've never been back. Perhaps I should start an Indian restaurant myself hmmmmm.... -
Review from Frank T.
Wilkes-Barre, PA
12/28/2010 1 Check-in Here
Great to know there's a quality Indian buffet in the Wyoming Valley area! Plus the Tandoori Chicken ISN'T dried out like at 90% of the places I've been. As my girlfriend's 7-year-old daughter says, "succulent!" If she can find something to enjoy here, then anyone can!
A bright, casual atmosphere with a wine & cocktails list that invites me back for happy hour. My GF's only suggestion is to not only list the names of the dishes, but some of the ingredients and preparation. Yeah, I've never seen THAT before, but Amber's could take that idea and be a trend-setter!
We'll definitely be back. -
Review from Kunal P.
6/4/2011
Over the years, I have been to this place a dozen or so times. That too, because its the only indian restaurant in town. Being indian, we usually went there for random celebrations. But, I gotta say, if there were other options, I would definitely not recommend this place.
Last few times, I went there (during 2010), I got sick for few days. And, being indian, having been to countless number of indian restaurants, that speaks volume.
a previous reviewer mentioned tandoor palace in tannersvile. If you don't mind the drive and also want to kill two birds with one stone by going shopping at the crossings, I would recommend that over this - if you are craving indian food.
Over the years, we found the wait staff to be just as unfriendly as always. There has been no improvement in this department.
The food quality has declined if at all changed over the years as well.
During its early days, I took a lot of my non-indian friends and colleagues to this restaurant to introduce them to indian food. But, these days, I go out of my way to tell those in my inner circle to avoid this place.
If you are looking for a great indian food experience, just spend some extra effort to drive to Philly or Edison/Jersey City in NJ. -
Review from elizabeth d.
Philadelphia, PA
8/9/2011
I have eaten Indian food in NYC, Philly, even turkey, and haven't found a paneer this good. The paneer machine (unsure of the spelling here) is out of this world. I get mine mild and my fiance' gets his spicy. They are always willing to prepare it exactly how you ask. The cheese is to die for, and the sauce gives me chills just thinking about the complexity of flavors (theres defiantly fenugreek, cashews, and tons of other spices just fighting for your taste buds attention)! I have never been left down by any of their starters, and I think the drink selection while not vast is also not over priced. Every time I come back to visit family in wilkes-barre (from philly) I MUST eat here. The service is really relaxed and friendly. I hate to sit in a restaurant and feel like the server is waiting to pounce on me, i like being able to take my time with ordering, and eating, and even sitting and talking. This is the case at the Amber, wait staff is friendly but not pushy. This is a nice date spot, because sharing dishes is so easy and fun.
if you find yourself in NEPA, give the Amber a shot, you won't regret it. -
Review from Christine N.
Scranton, PA
1/18/2012
Good price for weekend buffet. Food is good enough to satisfy my cravings for Indian food once in a while, but definitely not the best Indian food I've ever had.
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Review from pete x.
Brooklyn, NY
7/24/2008
The only game in town, other than my lame home-cooked curried lentils. Luckily they do a good job.
The lunch buffet is a good deal. (Has never tasted anything like dishwater to me, as other review stated.) But, a la carte as usual *is* better prepared. Food is tasty and not too heavy. The buffet includes rose and/or mango soft ice cream for dessert, a nice plus.
The staff is friendly and has always corrected any mistakes without question. -
Review from Justin S.
Kingston, PA
8/22/2011
Eaten here many times. I have brought several people who have loved it and now eat here often too. It's just as good as any of the other ethnic restaurants around and the service is great.
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Review from tom D.
Clarks Summit, PA
11/16/2008
A great place for those who want American bastardized Indian food. I have eaten at many Indian restaurants across the country (even in the Czech Republic) and would have to say this is number 2 on the worst Indian food list for me. The first is in Harrisburg.
I thought that bland, dry Indian food was not possible until I went to the Amber, but yes, it is true! They are probably fortunate because they have the market covered as the only one in the Scranton area. If there were others of at least average quality, I am not sure how long they would be in business. -
Review from Kevin P.
Scranton, PA
9/28/2010
This is some great Indian food. We ordered take out and were very happy with our order.
We ordered and extra hot chicken vindaloo and a mild chicken tikka masalla plus some plain and garlic naan. The vindaloo was terrific, not too spicy and very flavorful. The chicken tikka was a little lacking in flavor, but I think it should have been spicier. The naan bread was terrific as well, although the garlic naan did not have a strong flavor. The infused rice was delicious as well.
When I picked up the order, I looked around the restaurant. They have a decent bar and very nice dinning area. -
Review from Matt N.
Scranton, PA
I've eaten at the Amber a few times, and am perfectly satisfied with it. It is, as others have posted, the only game in town for Indian food and fills the roll fine. (btw, there are Indian joints 30 minutes away in the Poconos which DON'T stack up well against the Amber) I've been to a few Indian restaurants and is this the most 'Indian' restaurant in PA? No. Does it matter? NO!
The food is well prepared, the restaurant is clean, the staff is pleasant, and I LOVE to introduce friends to Indian food by taking them to the buffet so they can sort of ease themselves into a new cuisine, and am currently 3 for 3 in 'converting' people.
If you want a pleasant dining experience at reasonable prices, try the Amber. -
Review from Vinay S.
Bellerose, NY
1/13/2011
I went there with my colleagues a few nights ago. None of us liked the food, I got the Malai Kofta, medium spicy. Thats not how i received it, it was sweet like if I was eating a sweet. My colleagues didn't like their food either.
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Review from Aaron D.
Nanticoke, PA
7/24/2011
If you don't know what Indian is supposed to taste like, this place is for you. The dishes were bland and the portions small. What taste the food did have was all heat. Indian is spicy, not hot, and even though we waited for a good length of time, it was clear to me that they must have had a big vat of our respective entree sauces ( which they mixed up) bubbling away. The experience was pretty gross. Do yourself a favor if you like Indian, by cooking it yourself. There are a multitude of great cookbooks out there. Grab a few. Go to the A-1 Subzhi Mandi (sp) grocery store behind the Dunkin donuts across from the Kmart in wilkes barre. They have everything you need. For the exotic meats, try the George Street Deli in Parsons. Or just stick with vegetarian. Most Indian is vegetarian and that is why diners think they are getting such a good deal at this restaurant. Cooking Indian from scratch does require a good chunk of time but is worth every minute. Please do not form an opinion about what Indian is supposed to be like from dining here, and better yet please just skip this place. Bland, prepackaged, bleh.
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Review from Mark K.
Beechhurst, NY
1/30/2011
Great place if you have a large appetite and don't want to burn a hole in your pocket. Food was great especially since it was only 10 bucks for all you can eat lunch special!!!
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Review from Christiana B.
West Wyoming, PA
11/25/2008
As the only Indian restaurant (that I know of) in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, I was not one bit let down from the quality and taste of the food at this restaurant. I took my family there and they had never had Indian before. They were first reluctant and confused about the menu, but with a little guidance from our waiter, they ordered what they were in the mood for and not one of us was let down. Quite the contrary actually. I've had a lot of Indian food all over the country, and while I've had some Indian that was a bit more authentic than this restaurant, I would definitely not say this place was bland or dry as stated below (I only ordered off the menu though, so I cannot vouch for the buffet).
The chicken was absolutely not below average quality as stated below. I am an EXTREMELY picky eater when it comes to meat, it can't have veins, fat or anything else on the meat that ISN'T meat, or I won't eat it at all. But I ordered the chicken tikka masala anyway and I was absolutely pleased at how lean and clean the chicken was.
My family loved the garlic naan bread also... along with each of the entrees that they ordered. Like I said, this was my family's first time eating Indian and they loved it. Keep in mind that my family is only Italian and have grown up on traditional Italian food. I'd say mission accomplished!
For being the only Indian restaurant in this area, I'd say this is definitely a restaurant to check out. -
Review from me m.
Pittston, PA
5/1/2008
As far as I know, Amber is the only Indian restaurant in the Scranton area. You can order from the menu or go with the buffet. The buffet should be avoided unless you enjoy really bland Indian food (which to me is not only a sin, but an oxymoron). Order from the menu; you'll pay more, but the food won't taste like yesterday's dishwater. Also, stick with vegetarian food here, because the chicken is below average quality.
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Review from Mr. P.
Savannah, GA
1/17/2011
I've been eating at Amber for years and have never been disappointed (except for the time when the buffet's mango/rose ice cream machine was broken!). Amber is not the only Indian restaurant in the valley, but it is the only one that has stayed in business. Order everything "Indian Spicy" if you're there for dinner, but I recommend the buffet! One of the best places in the area for vegetarians.
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Review from Brian L.
Scranton, PA
4/27/2010
the buffet rules,bc not everything is amazing, but the good stuff is great! the mango/rose ice cream is pretty rad.
