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The Ambeli

4 star rating
8 reviews

Cuisine: A La Carte, Mediterranean, European, Italian

18 Majoribanks St
Mt Victoria
Wellington City
04-385 7577
 
CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR BUSINESS RELOCATION!

Exciting times ahead for The Ambeli, while host Shae…

Announced 2 months ago

Hours:

  • Tue – Sun 6pm – Late
  • Facilities/Features:
    • Business Dining
    • Conference Facilities
    • Private Dining Room
    • Private Functions
    • Private Parties
    • Romantic Dining
    • Wedding Functions
  • Payment Types: EFTPOS, Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Diners
  • Price Range: Splurge, Above $35
  • Dress Code: Smart casual
  • Alcohol: Beer, Wine, Spirits
  • Seating for: Private Functions up to 35, a la carte up to 10
  • BYO/Corkage: No BYO
  • Parking: Free On-Street
  • Good For Groups: Yes
  • Good For Children: No
  • Takeaways: No
  • Takes Reservations: Yes
  • Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free
  • Wheelchair Accessible: No
  • Outdoor Seating: No
  • Meals: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Dessert
  • Wi-Fi: Free

OUR MISSION
~
To share the enthusiasm & authenticity of our food & wine world, ingredient by ingredient, bottle by bottle. That is the EXPERIENCE: For you to leave feeling uplifted & part of something wonderful.
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WARM & ORIGINAL
~
The vision & quirky enthusiasm at Ambeli has a strong point of difference: where other FIVE STAR venues affect a “casual” appeal to soften the formality of their service, Ambeli is so homely & heartwarming they attentively serve a generous slice of added satisfaction by listening & truly delivering.
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SMART, SEASONAL, ORGANIC CUISINE
~
Descended from Sicilian farmers who settled on d’Urville Island, a reverence & understanding of all things epicurean is in Ambeli’s DNA. Ambeli operates under a broad “Mediterranean” theme, with much weight placed on local & organic produce. There is a dynamism & sense of adventure at play, perfectly pitched – with an award-winning sense of ease & reassurance.
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AWARD WINNING BEER & WINE MATCHES
~
Cuisine Restaurant of the Year Awards 2010
“Best Neighbourhood Restaurant”
“Shae Moleta: Best Personality”;

Cuisine Restaurant of the Year Awards 2011
“Best Smart Dining Metropolitan” – runner up
“FIVE STARS” for all encompassing excellence & authenticity.
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LUNCHES available with a reservation
Daily Menu Available (Same menu as dinner time)

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8 Reviews for The Ambeli

Tony M.

5

6th November 2012
2 star rating
I went to The Ambeli on Saturday night and left feeling hungry and light in the wallet. The tastes were great but the portion sizes were very small.

Entree

I had three oysters for $18, the oysters were no larger that a teaspoon.

Main Course

I had the fish which was snapper which was nice but only 75mm square in size with small seafood condiments.

In summary I looked up the restaurant which was highly rated and had a great menu. My experience was that there was a fixed menu that didn’t relate to the web menu displayed and I left hungry after paying $240.

I also had to poor my own wine and ask for water, not the great romantic evening and experience that I had planned.

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Frank

2

10th October 2012
5 star rating
Went to The Ambeli a few months back with my fiance.
The food, delicious!
The service, flawless!
My best fine dining experience yet. the front of house were very well trained and well informed on food, the owner was clearly extremely passionate about his job.

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Dianne M.

1

23rd June 2012
2 star rating
Very disappointing. Went with a group of friends recently. I ordered crumbed sweetbreads ($24) for an entree. Arrived cold and tasted as if deep fried a week ago. My main was pork belly which was very small (about the size of a cigarette packet), tepid, very average and very expensive ($40). My dessert was tamarillo crumble which was mediocre and did not resemble a crumble. My friends’ meals were of disappointingly similar quality and size. Overall, the food was poor, too expensive and the portions too small. Restaurants like Logan Brown and Capitol leave this place for dead. Avoid.

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Natalie

1

8th May 2012
5 star rating
My husband and I had fantastic meals here last Saturday night. We were looking for a restaurant on par with other Wellington greats like Logan Brown, Martin Bosley’s, The White House etc and we weren’t disappointed – in fact, I loved the intimate atmosphere of Ambeli very similar to the White House and the food was definitely on par. The staff were very attentive, helpful and friendly. The food was amazing. Would definitely go back there again in a heartbeat!

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Danny W.

2

28th September 2011
5 star rating
A group of four of us were thoroughly impressed with our 8-course degustation with wine matching. The menu and wine list were specially designed. Each dish was intricately and rather brilliantly conceived and prepared. The service struck a good balance between formality and conviviality. Three of the courses were sweet, and these were absolutely top notch too. The Ambeli makes a valuable contribution to a town where menus frequently resort to tired ‘classics’ and clichés. Innovation was in this case happily balanced with a comforting, intimate quality that avoids the unsatisfying frippery of purely avante-garde fare. Absolutely superb, really.

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s a.

1

8th April 2010
5 star rating
I was looking for somewhere to take my parents on our last night in Wellington (over from the UK) and found Ambeli featured on this website. We had a terrific evening: the food was delicious — imaginative and sensitive taste combinations without being too far over the top for my parents’ tastes. The quality of ingredients (emphasised on the website) was obvious, and the wine list was thoughtfully chosen (and individual wines recommended by knowledgeable staff). The service was impeccable: attentive without being overbearing. We’ll look forward to dining here again on our next visit — if we can get a table!

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sara

3

17th December 2008
5 star rating
Service was outstanding, wine list extensive, food incredible!!! The restaurant had wonderful ambience and though I had no experience with spanish wine the waiter recommended something perfect. The foods presentation was beautiful and tasted devine. Would recommend to anyone!

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Katy O.

1

22nd August 2007
4 star rating
We went to The Ambeli on a Saturday night to celebrate my husbands birthday, there was a group of 6 of us. It was fantastic. The restaurant was full but you never felt rushed at all, the staff were all amazingly attentive and the food delicious. Everybody loved their meals, there were no disappointments at all. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, the decor very tasteful. It wasn’t a cheap night out but it was worth every $ in my opinion. By the way, the haloumi as an entree was so yummy!

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