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Ambrosia India Cafe
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
Cannery Row625 Cannery Row
Ste 104
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 324-4852
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
47 reviews for Ambrosia India Cafe
Review Highlights
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"I had the chicken curry and butter chicken." In 10 reviews -
"...is the tikka masala chicken, fish curry and the garlic naan." In 3 reviews -
"...for them to get their tandoori oven so they can add their..." In 5 reviews
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47 reviews in English
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Review from Meghan B.
Monterey, CA
4/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love Ambrosia India Bistro in downtown Monterey so a few weeks ago while on Cannery Row for my weekly tuesday shift at the Monterey Bay Aquarium I wanted a change for lunch and went for indian. I was certainly surprised and delighted by the food. I ended up getting the two entree lunch with an order of garlic naan for a dollar. I ended up with the butter chicken and the chana masala (chick peas) with saffron rice and it was fabulous. I almost couldn't finish both of them because their portions are so large. I will be definitely be going back there given the chance.
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Review from Francis F.
Monterey Park, CA
2/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Not bad. Came here for lunch and had their Ambrosia wrap with Butter Chicken and rice.
The Butter Chicken is pretty similar to Chicken Tikka Masala, a little sweet, very tangy, and a little spice. It was very good but it could've been a bit more flavorful. The wrap itself was like a thicker Naan, and tasted great. It was like an Indian Burrito, haha. They had a few other curries/meats that you can place in your wrap. I also saw samosas for sale.
Their menu isn't that extensive but it's not a bad place to swing by for lunch if you're in the area. I'd come here again if I was craving Indian food. -
Review from William A.
Monterey, CA
1/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great Naan!
curries are ok and there a re pretty decent portions. the prices were also ok but could be a bit cheaper for the quality of food served.
The food is right out on the counter, similar to Panda Express, which makes it easy to choose what you want.
overall best choice for quick and inexpensive Indian food. -
Review from Bhanu K.
San Jose, CA
3/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
Food is really awesome. tried paneer with butter naan.
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Review from Tyrone V.
Elk Grove, CA
11/13/2011
The owner is a friendly dude, and I like the easy Panda Express-like ordering process (ambrosia bowl, 2-entree plate, or 3-entree plate). A two-entree plate with naan is more than enough food for two people.
The Butter Chicken is probably the best I've had in a while, and even has a spicy kick to it that only serves to wake you up even more to the delicious flavors. The basmati rice is cooked perfectly, though it is difficult, for the most part, to mess up basmati rice.
Subtracted a star for the caraway seeds on the naan; it ruined what really was an otherwise good basket of naan. As a quick aside, there is an odd smell in the front nook area of the restaurant. Don't know if that was more of a one-off kind of a smell, but still note-worthy nonetheless, as it made my girlfriend and I sit on the other side of the restaurant. -
Review from Nicole D.
Monterey, CA
Updated - 8/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Just had Ambrosia take out again and it was soooo good!! We hadn't had Ambrosia for a record two weeks so it made our time with our last Ambrosia meal so poignant :-)
Bumping Ambrosia Cafe up to 5 stars because everything was superb. Fresh cheese naan made from their tandoori oven, chicken tikka masala, chicken curry and the oh-so-unforgettable palak paneer. My boyfriend said it's close to one of his favorite restaurants of all-time -- The Copper Chimney in Bahrain. I like to think he's a well-traveled guy with discerning tastes lol.
Neil, our kind server, threw in a 20% coupon, which was much appreciated :-) Thanks for many years of excellent service and commitment to fresh, authentic Indian cuisine, Ambrosia!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/31/2011
I'm a huge fan of Ambrosia Bistro and Ambrosia Cafe. I've become quite an avid Indian food fan in… Read more »
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Review from Minh D.
Indian cuisine located on Cannery Row. It looks really small inside. Walking in, the owner greeted us. He was extremely friendly and chatty. I like friendly service, I'm sick of grumpy restaurant employees with their pissed off facial expressions.
I decided to order the Chili Garlic Basa. Basa is a type of catfish from SE Asia. I also had a bottle of this Indian lychee drink which was delicious! We sat down and waited for our food, which took an unusually long time. It's because everything was made to order, which is why it was very fresh and hot.
The basa was coated with a chili garlic sauce and sitting on a bed of onion slices. There were also a few pieces of Indian potato wedges. My spicy tolerance is weak, so the basa was very hot. But it was so tender and flavorful I managed to finish everything. It was very very good fish!
http://s3-media4.px.ye...
The table by the window had a good view of Cannery Row and tourists walking by. It sure hits the spot looking at fish all day at the aquarium. -
Review from Sarah A.
After spending a totally fun-filled afternoon at the nearby aquarium, we were starting to get hungry. Decided to walk down Cannery Row and find something that both excited us in terms of food. Came across a couple of different options, but nothing that moved us to actually walk into the restaurants. Crossing the street we saw this cafe with a pretty simple menu in their window. Looked it over and decided this is the place we want to try.
The owner was very welcoming and made us feel like we were old friends he hasnt seen for awhile.
Placing our order, I got a Chicken Shawarma Wrap combo-marinated chicken breast thinly sliced and rolled in a warm nann bread with tahini sauce, tomato and sliced cucumber, served with potato wedges.
After paying for our meal, the owner suggested we take the table closest to the window so we had a view of the ocean and when our food was ready he would bring it out to us.
The view was pretty along with people watching (im sensing a trend here). There was only one other customer ahead of us waiting for her order, but it seems like it took a really long time to get our two simple orders out to us. I guess maybe it was because they only have one cook doing everything in the kitchen.
When our food finally arrived at our table, we were totally happy to see it!
Didnt realize just how hungry i was!! Took a couple of bites of the nann bread. It was tasty but a little dry in some parts which made me not really want to eat the whole thing. So instead i cracked open the wrap and ate the insides. The owner came around a couple of minutes after to make sure everything was okay, he took one look at how i was eating the wrap and said that i needed to eat it whole to get the full taste. How can i explain to such a sweet man that i didnt want to over carb myself out and i wanted the protein more!! So i sweetly smiled and said thats what i was planning on doing as soon as i was finished rearranging my wrap.
The chicken was pretty good, there could have been a little bit more sauce inside the wrap, other wise it was worth getting just for the simple fact of getting your protein and veggies on!!
Im totally sad to say that the serving of wedges wasnt grand, instead there were about 6 pieces given. Was kind of looking forward to having alittle bit more. But after eating most of my wrap i was starting to get full.
This place is great if you want to just chill and hang out. Its not loud inside, and the food is pretty darn tasty!!Listed in: Bay Area Happiness!!!!
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Review from Elisa G.
Pacific Grove, CA
2/7/2012
If I had it my way, I'd eat here once a week. They have the best Chikken Tikka Masala on the peninsula. The prices are right and the service is great. (I planned a birthday party here once and it turned out great.)
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Review from Arlen H.
Phoenix, AZ
1/28/2012
Good chai and naan at a great price.
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Review from mellisa t.
Monterey, CA
8/1/2011
This chef actually is one of the best Indian chefs in California.
I truly LOVE his food every single time (at least every other week I go).
Beautiful atmosphere, perfect music. And for an Indian restaurant really attentive service (if that sound racist, you're not being honest). -
Review from Robin Y.
Carmel, CA
7/30/2011
Ambrosia India Cafe on Cannery Row is our family and friends' favorite "Go To" place for the freshest and best tasting Indian food in Monterey primarily because of the chef's attentiveness to details. Even though the cafe is tucked away on busy, tourist-filled Cannery Row, we locals will brave the traffic to park and put money in the meter, just to have the delicious specialties of the house. We love their freshly baked cheese-filled and garlic nan, the butter chicken (save the gravy to dip your nan in) bass fish curry, tender tandoori chicken, barbecued lamb and so much more. Did I mention that they have Nepalese beer?
Great food at fair prices, clean place and efficient, gracious service.
Ambrosia is our number one favorite ethnic restaurant in Monterey -
Review from Beth W.
Pacifica, CA
3/17/2012
We were in Monterey for an anniversary weekend, going 1st class for accommodations and 2 dinners. But after a visit to the Aquarium we wanted just a bite to tide us over before a big dinner that evening. We popped in to Ambrosia, and it didn't look like much. But we were greeted warmly by the staff, and decided to give it a try. Glad we did! Since we were just up for a "snack" we ordered vegetable biryani and chicken tikka kebab to share. We were told the kebabs were cooked to order and we'd need to wait 15 minutes, and we said o.k. They came in less than 15 minutes, and were the best we've had (and we've eaten Indian all over the world) -- juicy & succulent, not overcooked & dry. There were many other interesting choices available, will have to go back & try those later. Our expectations were surpassed by far. Prices very reasonable.
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Review from Alex M.
Sunnyvale, CA
4/20/2011
This place is awesome, never mind the fast food appearance.
All the food is made fresh to your order, and the taste is great. Try their fish curry or grilled fish, you won't be able to tell the difference from best Indian food restaurants.
Other pluses: you do get the ocean view through the door, there is no line, the prices make you feel comfortable, and if the staff remembers you, then you don't have to remember your favorite dishes!
Given that almost all other restaurants serve mostly clam chowder, this is a great choice. Go there for lunch, and you'll return! -
Review from Pawankumar H.
Folsom, CA
9/29/2011
Food was good. The price was reasonable.We struggled with parking since it was downtown.But the thing that pisses you off is thebperson rudely told us they have only two curries and if we don't like it we cank leave the place. Such haughtiness would not be seen even if you are in north Korea.
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Review from Tim H.
Updated - 2/8/2011
After my initial review back in 2009, I did return a month or so later and had a similar experience.
Since then, I've had many other opportunities to eat Indian food in other locations, but it's been a few weeks since I've enjoyed Indian food and tonight I was craving it, so decided it was time to give this place another visit.
It took a while to attract anyone's attention as the only person in the front of the store was busy crimping and frying samosas. After I managed to attract his attention, he explained that the 2 item, 3 item scenario doesn't exist in the evening - everything is 'a la carte', but is quick to be cooked.
I went for the Chicken Tikka Masala (which is what I was craving) - it came with rice and I was able to add fresh naan for $1. The chicken came from a tub, and looked like it was mainly pre-cooked, added to a pan and then the sauce was done fresh and added to the mix, the naan started out as a lump of dough that was soon flattened and added to the bread oven thingy, and the rice was already cooked and was sitting in a rice cooker.
So, some re-heating and some actually cooked fresh. I took it all to go and it was very tasty when I got home.
Price was comparable with the totally pre-cooked (and tasty) Indian food you can find at the local farmer's market, so it's great value for money given the seemingly fresher nature of this place.
Although the food here is not as good as the Indian food up around the Silicon Valley area, given that any vaguely ethnic food in Monterey is not as good as its equivalent further north, this place is both good and tasty.
And they have beers on tap, but not the Long Hammer the neon sign in their window advertises. One of the on tap beers is Kingfisher, which immediately reminded me of late night trips to Indian restaurants back in the homeland.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/14/2009 First to Review
This place just opened (opposite the El Torito).
I assume (though I didn't ask) that it's a spin off… Read more »
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Review from Maddie M.
Charlotte, NC
7/5/2011
After spending half the day at the aquarium, we decided to grab some Indian food at this place. It looked pretty good and the Yelp reviews suggested it was a good place to eat at so we scooted in for some late lunch. I got the palak paneer and curry chicken and my friend got the chhole (chick peas) and butter chicken and we had some mango lassi and samosas. Everything except the mango lassi and the curry chicken was pretty average or below average. The palak paneer had very less salt. The butter chicken was extremely average and the samosas were terrible with dripping oil and a bland filling.
But the weirdest thing was that this Indian place did not have its own wash basin!! Indian food, which demands eating with your hands, did not have a provision to wash your hands! When I asked one of the servers (there were only two guys there), he told me I could use the kitchen sink and then promptly took back his words when the other guy denied.
Also, people who came in to order a-la-carte were told they would have to wait 45 minutes and hence were forced to order from the buffet-style vessels so that the restaurant owners could conveniently finish off the lunch leftovers.
All in all, a pretty disappointing experience. I wouldn't want to go back unless all I'm craving is mango lassi and curry chicken -
Review from Allen B.
Reno, NV
11/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
popped in for take-out. I had the chicken curry and butter chicken. Both were great! And the price was under $10 for more than enough.
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Review from Holly C.
La Jolla, CA
10/12/2011
Fantastic place. Great people, great food, great lunch special. I used to work down the street and really wish I still did. I'm considering stopping on my drive home for the holidays!
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Review from Jeff K.
Morro Bay, CA
10/3/2011
After the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I wanted some quick lunch. I'm not a huge Indian food fan, but tried it based upon previous Yelp ratings. I had a Chicken Biryani and my wife tried Lamb. We were very satisfied. Good flavor, not too hot, and very reasonably priced. Not fancy, but very good food!
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Review from Merissa H.
Monterey, CA
6/30/2010
I love Ambrosia's restuarant, so when I found out they had a cafe, I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack I was so excited. They always have my favorite (Palak Paneer) or are always willing to make it for me. When I'm in a hurry, or don't feel like making dinner myself, I always stop by and pick something up. This place is also perfect for a great lunch on Cannery Row. A great ocean view is just outside!
It gets 5 stars for fast and friendly service, good food, good location, and good price. -
Review from Sameen G.
Monterey, CA
8/10/2009
Oh, Ambrosia, it's about time you had a cute little bastard child.
This place is good. It's fast, the people are nice, they offer a discount for locals, and as soon as they get that tandoori oven going, I know the naan will make it all perfect. Us brown people like to eat with our hands, after all. They don't have a huge selection of food (compared to Ambrosia India Bistro) but it's great for a quick fix when you're feeling like Indian on your lunch hour.
I was disappointed that all the flatware/silverware was disposable, it just seems like such a waste. However, it was nice to see that the to-go containers were eco-friendly. My way around the excessive disposables is to just order my dine-in food in a to-go container. The portions are plentiful so leftovers are inevitable :)
~My first review is dedicated to one Raul "pudding cup" N., the biggest food critic (well, critic period) I know. -
Review from buggy c.
San Francisco, CA
7/27/2011 3 photos
If Yelp has more than 5 stars, I would have added a couple more!
I've tried so many Indian food in the bay area, nothing comes close to this one. The place is small, looks more like a fast food type. We got there kinda early for dinner, but we were hungry. We ordered curry and naans. The food was so good, we finished them all. But the guy that was serving us gave us extra more for FREE! that was very generous of him. At first, i thought he was the owner, he just worked there. My kids loved that place.
So, the next day(our last day in monterey), we came back for one more time. The same guy who served us was so happy to see us back. He gave us free drinks this time (mango smoothie).He said he could give us free soda if the kids want it. But i told him I didnt want to take advantage of his generosity. I think he has done enough. I really appreciate it. Later the chef came out, my friend took some video of him while they were making naan. My favorite is the tikka masala chicken, fish curry and the garlic naan. Cannery Row Ambrosia is my top Indian place!!! I will miss it so much!!! -
Review from Regina S.
8/24/2010
I spent my morning on the 17 Mile Drive and at the Monterey Aquarium so I wanted to eat something satisfying for my already high activity day. I Yelped for restaurants around the area, and this place came up along with other high rated areas. Indian food, I love Indian food---so why not eat it now?
I ordered the 2 item Ambrosia Special and boy was it enough for two. I did add Rita and naan---so delicious! I was a little disppointed that they didn't have goat curry, so one less star. When I got there wasn't many people, but when I left people were waiting in line to grab their lunch. And it was a Saturday so that means many people had to travel there.
In any case, they had some of the best chutney sauces that I've ever had. Ever! I want some right now... -
Review from angela l.
Sacramento, CA
7/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
I wasn't very hungry and just wanted a snack. I got the garlic naan, samosas and mango lhassi. I did not like the naan. It was too chewy and a bit burnt. The samosas were so-so. The filling consisted of potatoes and peas. The red chutney was what saved the dish. It was some kind of fruit sauce? The green chutney however did not taste all that. The mango lhassi was a bit too thick for me also.
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Review from Kris I.
Pacific Grove, CA
8/20/2009
Fresh, delicious Indian food! Don't let the steam table frighten you, the vegetables were crisp and the chicken was tender. I had the two item combo: butter curry tofu and the broccoli & green beans with basmati rice. They made me sample everything first, I could have walked out full without even ordering. I found the lamb curry especially tasty.
Inexpensive! They offer a Cannery Row employee discount, which made this an affordable lunch spot. Even without the discount, it's still pretty cheap.
Quick! and polite service. Nils was very friendly and chatted with us for a bit about his home in the Himalayas.
Please patronize this place so they stay afloat. We need more affordable restaurants in this town. -
Review from mitsuki T.
Monterey, CA
4/27/2011
I was never a fan of trying something new, but base on my experience in cannery Row after having to taste a wonderful one of a kind meal at Ambrosia i was hooked. The butter chicken was heaven, the saffron rice was excellent and naan was yummy and best of all the service was awesome both gentlemen was very friendly and polite! I would highly recommend this place to every one i know.
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Review from Cindy T.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2009
Coming from Bay Area and originally from Indonesia, we can't help to right away compared this with the one at Emeryville Public Market. Same style buffet, where we can see the food or have a trial bite., but the one in Emeryville is way soooo much better in everything compared to this one. I wonder if the original Ambrosia is the same,...
My daughter had butter chicken and I had lamb curry. They're good, but the Daal and Spinach needs improvement badly !!
There usually pieces of potatoes on the spinach that I know about Indian food, or cheese.
It is a take out restaurant. Which suits me fine. But for the price of $7.99 for 2 item entrees, is a bit much, Maybe if it was tasty I wouldn't mind,.... Lol..
I have been to many Indian Cafe buffet style, I was excited, but then disappointed... ah well... -
Review from Ami S.
6/18/2010
We came here almost as a last resort b/c we were starving and it was nearby the aquarium. Many of the other places in the area seemed like big seafood type restaurants and after walking around for about 15-20 min we just decided to try this.
For Indian food it was pretty bland. We ordered the chicken kabob type thing that came with rice I forgot the name of the actual entree). It tasted very healthy, grilled breast with some lemon flavor but not much seasoning. I must say, the garlic naan here was delicious, freshly made in front of you.
The restaurant is pretty expensive for sorta a quick order and sit down type of place. -
Review from Raul N.
After closing for some remodeling, Ambrosia Cafe on Cannery Row is back in business--and this time with a tandoori oven! You know what that means--naan! Finally! As before, you choose either a one-, two- or three-item from a selection of entrees, now with the option to add naan bread for a dollar more. (You can also order naan a la carte, including garlic or cheese naan for $2.) I picked up the garlic naan, thin and crispy with a nice touch of garlic.
A few new items also grace Ambrosia's menu--wraps and samosas are now available. The samosas (three per order) were freshly fried when we dropped by, and were quite tasty. I'm definitely going to try one of those wraps next time.
Unfortunately they're still using disposable plates and cutlery here, so next time I'll need to bring my own. But it's a small price to pay for cheap, delicious Indian food so close to my office.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/28/2009
I first heard rumors of an extension of the popular Ambrosia Restaurant on Cannery Row last week,… Read more »
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Review from Sara Y.
San Diego, CA
Updated - 10/3/2009
I haven't gotten a chance to go back and give this place another go...the management did write me a nice, personalized email apologizing for the saltiness of the dishes that day and offering a complimentary meal next time I come by. I just have a week left here in the area so not sure if I'll get there any time soon, but it is a nice thought and shows they care about customer satisfaction.
Tips: ASK for samples if they don't offer (though they should)...and hopefully they have their license for an oven or whatever they need soon for the naan bread...1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/26/2009
Could've just been what was on the menu today (I ate with Karin L if you want a nice full story of… Read more »
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Review from j d.
Santa Cruz, CA
7/21/2011
I'm a bit late posting so can't remember all of the details, but hope this helps.
Location - great ! Food - great ! Price - great !
We chose the 3 item lunch plate and my friend a fish wrap. We could not eat everything and had to take half of each home. Good value for under $10 per person ! The butter chicken was soooooo good !
We ate at the buffet at their older sister restaurant and was not so impressed - the food was bland; here, at the cafe, the food had a lot of flavor.
Very friendly staff and great mango lassi ! -
Review from meera h.
Santa Clara, CA
3/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
it's ok...went there with family...long day and we were too late for lunch...
styrofoam plates...buffet...so so food...but saved our life that day so thanks! -
Review from Nicole D.
Augusta, GA
9/14/2010
I absolutely love Ambrosia but unfortunately parking is such a huge problem at this location that I have never been to this one. The other location has a wonderful lunch buffet that is super affordable! I'll just continue to visit that location but if you're a tourist in the Cannery Row area, I would highly recommend having Ambrosia it is out if this world delicious!! If there was better parking in the area of this location I would give them 5 stars!!
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Review from Denise A.
Salinas, CA
5/11/2011
I've been to Ambrosia on Abrego and was surprised and delighted to see that they had an establishment on Cannery Row! I went with my friend during our lunch break but had already eaten but I ended up picking at her food because it looked and smelled delicious! The place is pretty small and kind of tucked away but the people who worked there were really nice.
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Review from Brian S.
Northridge, CA
4/19/2011
Terrific food and great service at reasonable prices. I had the chicken tikka masala and it was excellent. The spices were unique and the butter naan was also a treat.
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Review from Jason R.
Morgan Hill, CA
1/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not an expert on Indian food but it was definitely good eats.
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Review from pardees p.
San Jose, CA
12/9/2009
Not the type of food I expected to eat in Monterey, but we were short on time. I didn't leave this place regretting my decision to eat Indian food, so they're doing something better than the competition. Sauces weren't overly sweet or fatty, but still rich and delicious. I liked both the lamb curry and the butter chicken.
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Review from Jen C.
San Diego, CA
7/26/2009
I'm so excited to see Ambrosia down on Cannery Row! Although the cafe just opened, my coworkers and I have already been twice and all of us have agreed that it's quite good. Unlike their location in downtown Monterey, the food isn't served buffet style, but instead the diner can pick either one, two, or three items and all plates include rice. All of us have found their portions to be quite large and even though three items sounds like a fantastic idea because it's hard to limit yourself with so many yummy options, it's just too much food. I will most definitely be returning and I can't wait for them to get their tandoori oven so they can add their amazing naan bread to the menu.
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Review from Karin L.
San Jose, CA
Updated - 10/5/2009
I haven't had a chance to go back, but I did receive a personalized email from the owner. He apologized for the sodium levels that day and promised it would never happen again, went over customer service with his employees to ensure good service, and offered me a complimentary meal. I have never received a comment back from management before and I really appreciate their concern, attempts to rectify the situation, and their dedication to customer satisfaction. It also shows that they stand by their product and that hopefully next time it will pleasantly surprise me.
Anyhow, given that they're moderately priced in comparison to a lot of the stuff in the area. Give them a taste test first and go for it. Price to quantity was good and it will fill you up.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/26/2009
You have got to be kidding me...four stars?
So we walk in, the steam trays scared me a bit but I went… Read more »
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