Ambrose

I rarely give 5 stars to a restaurant but this hidden gem truly deserves it, from the architecture to the interior design, plus the customer service and of course THE FOOD, Ambrose excells at everything, they understand fine dinning is not just a nice place and good food but a true life changing experience! I cannot wait to come back!

wonderful delicious dinner, tapas style dinner; the 4 of us loved the small plates and shared with all -- an amazing experience for a lovely Saturday evening dinner; the dining room atmosphere was cozy in an 1800 built new england B&B;the service was A+; the food was more than sufficient when we decided to share every plate with the 4 of us; it was encouraging to see the portion size to be more European-like than the gargantuan American portion -- the highlight of each plate was the freshness of the ingredients and the subtle tastes -- imagine a date wrapped with bacon and cooked just right? We left this gem of a restaurant in Exeter New Hampshire with smiles and satisfaction of a nice experienced meal.

What a unique spot with a truly thoughtful menu. Smaller size portions of delicious creations of the chef. Highly recommend the asparagus salad and Halibut, as well as tuna poke. Out of 7 plates that were ordered, not a single one disappointed. Great service as well.

This dish is a stunning example of fine dining artistry. The plating is immaculate—each element thoughtfully arranged to create a visual symphony of color and texture. The perfectly seared halibut boasts a golden, crisp exterior that promises a tender, succulent bite. It’s elegantly perched on a bed of pearl couscous, whose delicate chew complements the creamy, vibrant yellow purée beneath. The garnish of fresh radish slices, cherry tomatoes, and microgreens adds a refreshing crunch and a burst of natural sweetness, while the artfully placed roasted mushroom lends an earthy depth. The delicate salmon roe on top delivers a gentle pop of briny richness, tying the ocean and garden together in one harmonious plate. From the drizzle of herb oil to the precise balance of flavors, this creation doesn’t just feed the body—it captivates the senses. Truly a plate worthy of the finest tables in the world. I definitely can’t wait to go back and try the other dishes this amazing place has to offer.

Wonderful dining experience. I was actually planning to grab a bowl of soup at another very different but still as exellent spot across the street, but at the last minute, I decided to step things up a bit—and no regrets. The atmosphere here is perfect for a romantic dinner or something along those lines—definitely not a business dinner vibe, though. They also have a charming summer patio that I’m looking forward to trying out.

Ambrose never disappoints! Dinner last night on their gorgeous outdoor patio was perfect! Our gracious and engaging host Jaime was so welcoming and helpful throughout our entire “unrushed” evening - as usual! Chef Stanley also provided his usual friendly service along with his outstanding, delicious food offerings. And let’s not forget Jack! Yes he’s new but this young gentleman worked tirelessly all evening (a “Jack of all trades” you might say - pun intended!) and was equally polite and helpful. You simply MUST try Ambrose! The ambiance, the food and especially the wonderful people there are second to none! Thank you Jaime and Stanley (and Jack) for another amazing evening!

We dined at Ambrose last evening with friends. The overall experience was extremely unsatisfying. We were on time (even a bit early) for our early reservation. No one was at the outdoor hostess stand for some time. After being seated it took some time for our drink order to be taken and even much more time for the drinks to come. From the 4 main dishes on the menu I ordered the steak only for the waitress to come back some time later to say that it was not available. It seemed that the waitress did not know this when we ordered and worse that the restaurant was out of 25% of its main menu items before 7:00. The worst part was yet to come as the main courses were not served until more than 2 hours after we arrived. The seating area where we were seated was basically a sidewalk that parallels the side of the building. This is not a fault however it seems that in trying to seat more diners the restaurant has overwhelmed its staff and planning abilities. We were given a free dessert and some apology however it seemed to all unfairly fall on the shoulders of our waitress as she was hostess, waitress and apologist in chief as well. The quality of the food was quite good however the rest of the experience, especially considering the cost, was extremely irritating.

Exeter has become a destination town for great restaurants. Ambrose is in the same inn as Otis which is another superb restaurant. Ambrose is tapas style. We had six dishes which was a little much, we both thought that five would have been enough. Of the six I enjoyed the shrimp the most.

Elegant setting indoor or out outdoor Delightful vibe when walking in the door. Service was as white glove as possible. Wine list amazing and reasonable price. Each dish was impeccably prepared with distinctive flavors combined perfectly. Tapas were generous Craft cocktails...Alice in Wonderland. Can't wait to go back

We had an amazing experience at Ambrose in Exeter, NH! Our servers--Chris, Jamie, and Lidet--were absolutely outstanding. They were attentive, friendly, and handled our large party with ease. Stanley, the cook, even came out to say hello and check in, which made the night feel extra special. We ordered a spread of dishes including the gnocchi, pollo Pablo, spanakopita, short rib, and hamachi crudo, and every single person at the table went home raving about how delicious everything was. Truly exceptional food and service. We left completely satisfied--can't wait to come back!

Finally, we found a place that indulges your urge to order half the menu! I love that this is a tapas-style restaurant, so you really can try a bite of almost everything. We ended up ordering 6 plates amongst the 2 of us and wow everything was amazing! Our absolute favorite was the prosciutto and burrata plate- the toasts come with a bit of drizzles honey and there's a sprinkling of slivered almonds, and the whole combination was just beyond delicious. The gnocchi was also outstanding, as was the short rib- this was melt in your mouth short rib with delicious veggies. The only plate that fell flat was the bao buns, somehow these were stale, or at least on the tough side, and they were more like mini sloppy joes instead of bao. The service was wonderful, and it was too cold to be out on the patio, but that looks super cute, I can't wait to come back in the summer!

What happens when a talented cook from El Salvador works his way up through the best hotels and restaurants in Boston, then decides to strike out on his own? Answer: you get a place with an imaginative, eclectic menu and superb food fit for a very satisfying special occasion! Ambrose is just such a place in Exeter, NH! Ambrose serves exquisitely conceived and prepared small plates in a sedately tasteful environment. Four of these will feed a couple. Five or six of them will sate even the most gluttonous couples. Each plate stands on its own. You decide the combination. The waitstaff knows the cuisine and can help you make an intelligent choice. If not, the personable chef will himself be at your table. Ambrose has a wine list that includes selections from Mexico and other unconventional terroirs with which to improve your taste and your mind. Background music is relatively soft and, unless another table is raucous, the sound level in the interior dining areas is moderate. Most nights, there is parking around the Bandstand opposite the restaurant. Highly recommended for service, atmosphere, and convenience but, above all, for its cuisine.

A true hidden gem, tucked into the Hotel at the Bandstand, and next door to another great restaurant, "Otis". Exeter is certainly having a fine dining moment with yet another great venue. The inside dining room looks a bit small, but the outdoor patio is beautiful. Service was good with the host keeping a close eye on the operation as well as the chef making the rounds to check how we were enjoying our food. Cocktails were mixed perfectly. The menu is a variety of small and medium sized plates, that I will describe as world cuisine. The chef is from El Salvador, and one the best dishes we tried was the Pollo en Chica, which we are told is a popular Salvadoran dish. The plates were all beautiful and very very tasty. They seem to still be running a bit under the radar, and a website with menu would be helpful. I'm confident that this restaurant will mature and be another great option for Exeter dining.

Hidden Gem! Absolutely the #1 restaurant in the Seacoast. Nothing compares (similar to Central Provisions in Portland, ME) The restaurant is inside the Inn by the Bandstand 2 people should be satisfied with 5 tapas. The service is 5 stars and each dish is cooked with passion. The chef is from El Salvador and infuses the central American flavors in his original recipes. Reservations are required You will not regret your visit...enjoy!!!

The dining experience is always top notch at Ambrose. We enjoyed a relaxing meal in their backyard oasis on a beautiful summer night. Jaime, Stanley, and new server Jack were all so personable and accommodating. The food is absolutely amazing, always! They are small plates meant to be shared. We put in our whole order at the beginning, the plates were spaced out nicely, and I never felt rushed. It's always such a relaxing experience there. We had a 7pm reservation, and we were closing the place down a bit after 9pm on a Wednesday. We never felt like we were being rushed out. Jack brought us over a complementary 10 year old port after we finished our dessert. It's the little touches that make all the difference! Maybe it's a good thing we don't live closer, because we'd be there all the time!

The food was good but I wouldn't say that it completely knocked my socks off. That could be biased by the bill. The waitress suggested 2-3 tapas plates per person. We got 5 for 2 people and a cocktail each. The bill was $170. We could have gotten away with 4 plates but it still would have been $140. So, it was good but not really better than a handful of local places where I could walk away with half the bill. The main disappointment was that my gin martini was shaken with shards of ice and quite watered down. Ambiance was nice, eating in a 6 table dining room with fireplace of the early 19th century federal style inn. In short, it's worth checking out if you don't mind getting punched in the pockets every once in a while.

We have been wanting to stop in here and finally hit it on a perfect evening. We'd already eaten, but we sat on the back patio surrounded by blooming roses and had lovely, delicious, creative cocktails. The food getting delivered around us looked amazing, everyone was happy. The atmosphere is so beautiful and inviting, the servers were very courteous, friendly, and attentive. It didn't feel like you were downtown Exeter. I can't wait to return to try the food!

Best food we've had on our trip to Exeter/Portsmouth by far! We chose Ambrose thanks to a recommendation from a local friend. Since it was a very warm and sunny day I was a little uncertain when they suggested we be seated in the patio area, but it worked out great - at 7 PM it was completely shaded and it's gorgeous (see photo). We chose 4 of the tapas plates for the 2 of us and it was just right: dates wrapped in bacon, burratini salad, cod en papillote, and pollo en chicha. All were terrific, but if you pressed me I would say the cod was my favorite.

Absolutely the best restaurant in the Exeter area. From the moment you step inside, you are greeted with warmth and hospitality that feels like a hug from an old friend. The ambiance is charming and intimate, with soft lighting and tasteful decor that sets the stage for an unforgettable dining experience. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply craving a delicious meal, this place never disappoints. Every aspect of the dining experience is impeccable. Each bite is a symphony of flavors, and the dedication of the staff shines through in every detail. We love dining at Ambrose all year long, however our most recent meal in their oasis of a garden, made for one truly remarkable dinner during the warmer months.

Jaime, Chef Stanley and the team provided our family with a one-of-a-kind private event for an intimate family celebration. I called Ambrose desperately in need of a last minute 19-person dinner and not only was Jaime incredibly communicative and quick in providing options, they were able to make magic happen in less than one week to accommodate us. They closed half of the restaurant for our private, two table dinner. The food was exceptional and the menu was well balanced with approachable dishes and creative, unique plates, exceeding the expectations of everyone at the dinner. The staff was very attentive with drinks and the timing of the food arriving was thoughtful and very well executed. Our family hasn't stopped gushing over how wonderfully delish the dinner and dessert was that night. I don't think there could have been a more intimate and perfectly crafted evening and dinner for our family's celebration!

d, hostess, waitress-not sure what her role was, spoiled what could have been a wonderful experience. Outdoor ambiance-excellent, food-excellent, price-a little pricey but worth it. There were 4 of us. One in this group didn't get their meal until 30 minutes after the other 3. Instead of apologizing for what was clearly an error, she attempted to blame us for not understanding how they serve courses. She was pretty pretentious. We won't be back.

I love this hidden oasis in Exeter! The back patio is a wonderful spot for a lovely tapas dinner with fabulous cocktails. Perfect spot to meet up in Exeter for an elevated experience.

Awesome dining experience on the back patio! Food was outstanding and the beet salad was phenomenal in presentation and taste mixed with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds. Also had the sautéed shrimp as well as the clams and everything was so tasty! Timing was great between each dish to enjoy the weather and drinks. Definitely a place to relax and eat with friends and enjoy an actual discussion if your not worried about time. A perfect way to unwind after work! Also loved watching the owner and staff making sure everyone was taken care of, which is tough these days with limited staffing. Great job and will definitely be back!!!

Amazing place. The food, ambiance, the waitstaff, and chef are all top notch. Worth stopping in. Make a reservation as it is small. Take your time if you go and soak it in. The food comes out as it becomes ready so it's an event. Thank you Ambrose for a great impromptu date night.

Ambrose is phenomenal! The chef, Stanley, is quite hospitable and he stopped by our table several times to serve and explain his unique dishes. He puts an El Salvadoran spin on tapas and injects his own creative twists. He shops for the best ingredients in Boston. On top of his 5 start dishes, Chef Stanley has also concocted some wonderful mixed cocktails. The aviation is delicious!! I can't emphasize enough how outstanding Ambrose is, you will be surprised. We were told to expect some Portuguese recipes on the menu this summer. They have an outside dog friendly patio which will open soon. I can't wait.

We were really looking forward to the food, but left unimpressed. The manager came over to ask if we had put our order in and when we said we had not, he just left to get another server which took far too long. The ambiance on the patio was comfortable, though the music choice a bit odd. What was really off-putting was having two dogs running throughout the outside patio and then sitting next to the table begging for food. We are dog lovers, but when paying their prices I would expect a little more professionalism from management.

Had heard great things as local resident and I went tonight to try. Beautiful hotel and beautiful outdoor restaurant ambience. We originally requested indoor seating thinking it might be too hot but when we got there we were pretty much forced into the outdoor seating despite our request. Never got a chance to see the indoor dining room but it ended up being a beautiful evening and outdoor seating was perfect all told, although having an option would have been a bit nicer. The seating and weather ended up being perfect so zero complaints there. We're told it was a "small plate" restaurant and most parties of 2 would share in general 4-6 plates. Plates generally averaged between $16-26$. It was a tapas-style menu. The dishes were generally decent, but extremely small, appetizer portions that were advertised as shareable but for the exorbitant price per plate would barely serve as an appetizer for one. One $24 dish of clams in a small bowl of broth came with 1 piece of tiny 1/4 inch baguette toast per diner. I requested more bread too our waiter, who I found out was Jaime' who owns the Exeter Inn that the restaurant is housed in. He did not return to our table for the rest of the evening. After 15 minutes I requested once again a little more bread because we received almost none for our dish. We were given 4 small pieces of sliced baguette. We ordered 5 extremely small dishes in total. The gnocchi dish was the best and flavors were solid but we were still extremely hungry. At the end we finished with a $150 bill, not including tip, having purchased 5 courses and 2 drinks. We were charged an extra $5 for "ciabatta" for 4 tiny slices of bread which were not ciabatta and our request from Jaime for more bread was seemingly purposefully ignored. Overall, the flavors were solid and the outdoor dining experience was nice. I am not a diner that needs huge portions but these were excessively small. If you love paying 18-$24 per tiny appetizer portion to share with your loved one, enjoy having your requests ignored by what I found out was the owner, and charged for baguette, this is your place. I can't say it's worth it at all and overall disappointed with the price for what you get and some significant service issues as well as being charged extra for nominal portions of bread which should not have been "extra". In addition I ordered a "classic" old fashioned cocktail which came with muddled orange, maybe orange juice as well in it and was more reminiscent of a college bar than the authentic type of Old Fashioned I would get at a more high end restaurant/bar.

We found Ambrose when looking for a restaurant for our anniversary dinner that was: 1) closer to home than Portsmouth and, 2) not the typical New Hampshire "fine" dining spot. We were very glad that we found this charming little restaurant. We were greeted warmly by chef Stanley and seated in the elegant 6 table dining room (reservations are strongly suggested), there is an outdoor patio which was closed for the season. As this was our first visit, chef Stanley explained that Ambrose has a seasonal tapas menu and that each person usually selects 2-3 dishes to share, with the first 3 dishes on the menu sized as 'individual' servings. What followed was, hands down, the best New Hampshire restaurant meal in our nearly 30 years of living here. We began with two excellent craft cocktails, expertly concocted by Chef Stanley and then shared 4 dishes and a dessert. We started with the Farm Salad and Dates wrapped in bacon (one of the smaller plates). The salad was fresh and tasty with a delicious honey vinaigrette dressing and was enough for the two of us to share. The Dates consisted of 4 bacon wrapped dates, stuffed with an almond and baked with spiced butter and served over a sour chili cream, they were warm and delicious. Our remaining shared 'entrees' were equally delicious. We had the Bacalao (salted cod) served with potato and gruyere and crostini, and the Braised Beef Short Rib served over parsnip puree and roasted delicata squash. We finished our excellent meal with the Autumn Cloud dessert and an espresso. The owner of the Inn, Jaime, stopped by and we had a pleasant conversation about Ambrose (it has been open for 2 years), the Inn and the dining experience. We are definitely looking forward to returning to Ambrose to try the other dishes that caught our eye and to see what dishes chef Stanley creates on his next seasonal menu.

The food was excellent and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The patio is beautiful.