Amba Cambridge
Mediterranean restaurant · Cambridge ·
Rotisserie chicken, pastries, La Colombe coffee, wines, beers
Rotisserie chicken, pastries, La Colombe coffee, wines, beers
"I opened Amba in 2024 at a local farmers market in Cambridge as a Mediterranean-inspired fast-casual spot, and in its first year it almost tripled daily sales. As a James Beard Award semifinalist and founder of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group, I structured service so we don’t overstack staff during peaks: one person opens the line for breakfast, with additional cooks added at 10:30 a.m. and noon to handle up to about 400 items across catering, in-house orders, and delivery. To keep the queue moving we encourage online ordering through our website and Square site, and we have two self-service kiosks inside with a sign that says, “Don’t want to wait in line, use this kiosk right here.” From a production standpoint, we chose to buy high-quality pita and hummus rather than make them in-house—paying a premium that saves roughly five hours of labor daily. Menu prices are kept accessible (nothing over $20), and I’ve focused on measured expansion by choosing locations with the right foot traffic and parking while avoiding high-rent, VC-driven spaces; that approach helped the concept connect with nearby offices and residents very quickly." - Sam Nelson
"Acclaimed Puritan & Co. chef Will Gilson’s first fast-casual venture, Amba, is a sunny, welcoming cafe located among the new developments in East Cambridge. If breakfast at lunch is up your alley, they serve an all-day breakfast menu with eggy pitas and wraps; other lunchtime fare includes hummus bowls, pea and herb falafel in a pita (or added to a rice bowl), or a cheeseburger with lettuce, a tomato jam, harissa aioli, and pickled vegetables tucked into a pita." - Erika Adams
"When Amba opened in July in East Cambridge, it immediately elevated the lunch and takeout game in the neighborhood beyond your typical grab-and-go grinder. Amba is a downright dreamy all-day cafe from the people behind Puritan and Co., with tufted pink booths and a string of bar seats along the street-level windows. The Mediterranean-ish menu is extremely shareable, so bring a friend or two to cover the most ground. Start with the silken, garlicky hummus topped with a hearty amount of savory lamb and served with warm housemade pita. Follow that up with the arayes, a crunchier, crispy pita with ground spiced lamb smashed into it, doused with housemade Greek yogurt and a healthy drizzle of tomato jam. Add a side of shawarma fries—spiced crinkle cuts topped with pickled veggies and sweet white sauce—and lunch is in the bag." - tanya edwards, megan zhang, dan secatore, catherine smart, jonathan smith
"An all-day cafe from acclaimed Cambridge chef Will Gilson that I noted as one of the newcomers in the area joining the new food-and-beverage activity around CanalSide." - Erika Adams
"When Amba opened in July in East Cambridge, it immediately elevated the lunch and takeout game in the neighborhood beyond your typical grab-and-go grinder. Amba is a downright dreamy all-day cafe from the people behind Puritan and Co., with tufted pink booths and a string of bar seats along the street-level windows. The Mediterranean-ish menu is extremely shareable, so bring a friend or two to cover the most ground. Start with the silken, garlicky hummus topped with a hearty amount of savory lamb and served with warm housemade pita. Follow that up with the arayes, a crunchier, crispy pita with ground spiced lamb smashed into it, doused with housemade Greek yogurt and a healthy drizzle of tomato jam. Add a side of shawarma fries—spiced crinkle cuts topped with pickled veggies and sweet white sauce—and lunch is in the bag." - tanya edwards