Amber

I was there last weekend after not going for a couple of months, not good. Lets just say the crowd has totally changed and I felt slightly afraid for my life. Amber was a fancy and fun bar. Id meet up with the girls quite frequently there. But now I don't think I will be going back. The place has always been a good spot to meet guys, now its a good spot to get grabbed and violated! So sad! I hope they can turn it around... time to tighten up security or something

Pros: it was a good bachelorette place, or place to meet up

Cons: a thug gangster hangout and I feel like I coulda got shot

Posted 07/23/09

The good part is at least there is a hotdog vendor within a block or two of this place. Hooray for that! This place is a bit of a meat market at times. It's too busy at times with limited seating. I may have outgrown this place but I remember when it was Axis and although there was limited room, I liked it better. Sure this place is nice to look at so you're not in the ghe tto as far as decor but sometimes it feels as if you could get mugged outside. I'd rather go to Seesound Lounge around the corner, but I don't go out often. At. All. Definitely don't try to throw a party here... unless it's a pity party of one.

Pros: Easy to pop in and leave to go elsewhere if you must

Cons: Too busy, pretentious crowd

Posted 07/23/09

Went here for happy hour with a few girlfriends and had a great experience! I've been here twice now and have had a positive experience every time! Great ambiance, good service and wonderful drinks and food. The bartender was very attentive and kept the good drinks flowing.
As some other reviewers have said, the bouncers were a little rigid and provided a little less-than-friendly welcome, but they ARE bouncers who are responsible for working with tons of people and maintaining security so I don't ever expect to become best friends with them, nor will I let an experience with a bouncer ruin my evening or opinion of such a great establishment.
I would highly recommend this place if you're headed to Belltown and want good drinks and music without being accosted by gross men. This place is about as classy as you get in Belltown.

Pros: Great bartenders, good happy hour food

Cons: Parking in Belltown is always bad

Posted 06/23/09

I never found such a big concentration of pretentious people. Furthermore, the stuff has no manners and doesn't know how to treat clients. Go under your own risk.

Pros: Not really

Cons: Pricy drinks, bad food and even worst stuff

Posted 06/08/09

I had my birthday party at Amber last week and I had a sensational time. The staff was so courteous, they really pulled out all the stops for me and my group - and the food... delish! (I had a glorious mixed grill dish off of their weekly fresh sheet). Between great friends, tasty food, awesome staff and potent cocktails, I really couldn't have had a better time.

Pros: great atmosphere, great staff

Cons: a lil busy for my taste, but I know some people love that

Posted 04/14/09

I went to Amber live tonight, Mycle Wastman played and they are great!! The mojitos are bomb, you can even get a pitcher of them! Food is awesome, definitely a must try! Will go every Thursday!

Pros: Great live music every Thursday!!

Cons: Really busy--get there early!

Posted 03/25/09

WE HAD VARIETY OF SMALL PLATES, WHICH IS A GOOD WAY TO GO.CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THE BBQ RIBS,CLAM CHOWDER AND DUNGENESS CRAB CAKES! FOR ENTREES THE ROASTED CORN AND CHILI RAVIOLI WAS AMAZING. OR FOR THE MEAT LOVERS-THE RIBEYE STEAK.WOW! LATER ON WE SAMPLED THE KAHLUA AND CARAMEL CHEESECAKE, SO DECADENT. DEFINITELY GOING BACK!

Pros: AWESOME FOOD AND DRINKS .GREAT DATE SPOT!!!

Cons: CROWDED ON THE WEEKENDS, GET THERE EARLY!!!

Posted 03/24/09

I WENT TO AMBER THIS WEEKEND WITH A COUPLE OF MY FRIENDS AND WE HAD AN AWESOME TIME!! THERE WERE A TON OF HOT GIRLS, THE DRINKS WERE GREAT AND NOW THEY HAVE A NEW DJ EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT!! MY FRIENDS AND I WILL BE GOING BACK EVERY WEEKEND! THAT PLACE IS AWESOME! THE BEST BAR IN BELLTOWN BAR BY FAR!!

Pros: HOT GIRLS, GREAT DRINKS

Posted 03/24/09

Hey, look ... the owner/staff of the bar went online to publish a bunch of fake 5 star reviews of itself after my actual post. The "pepple" are not very nice, trust me.

Cons: Angry servers/bouncers

Posted 12/25/08

I was showing 3 out-of-towners around Seattle on a recent, snowy Friday night & we stopped in at Amber for an after-dinner drink. Our ages were mid 30's to mid 40's, yet the 20-something bouncer insisted on ID from everybody. One of the women didn't have any, and we were (politely) refused entry. I understand that many places in town cater to just-21'ers who need to be challenged for ID. But while there of course are laws against minors being allowed in, there is NO LAW stating anybody without ID must be refused entry to a bar (if you think there is, look it up). So it is a completely arbitrary decision for management to set their policy otherwise, and this is a huge indicator to me of an establishment's utter lack of class.

Pros: Just average in all ways

Cons: Just average in all ways

Posted 12/19/08

This bar is (partially) owned by the madam of Seattle. That's great news for guys looking to score - for a price. Other than that, terrible service, blah food. Great location in the heart of Belltown.

Pros: great Belltown location

Cons: Professioanl paid women galore

Posted 08/27/08

Bouncer's are extremely rude and outspoken. Single men are especially targeted and hated upon so expect this sort of treatment. Appears as though the Owner must not be concerned with the negative image that 'pushy' and 'egotistical' bouncers can create as he/they are rarely present and is unresponsive to this. Customer service skills are simply not there and the Bouncer's are convinced that they own the establishment in whole. Amber's needs to remember that MEN are primarily responsible for the weekend revenue, not our lovely female customers or overaged staff!

In addition, the Staff also seems to love making passes at their female customers as they seem to consider this a part of their job freedom. If you're a single male, be cognizant of the fact that you are at the mercy of whatever mood the Bouncers are in that night and ultimately, this place will sour your evening. If you don't like it, the facts are that they can throw you out at the drop of a dime, so be prepared to accept whatever cr*p or orders they throw at you. It will become ridiculous!

Overall, a decent amount of single women congregate here on the weekends but it's just plain not worth the hassle. The staff turnover doesn't exist (because they have such free reign to be jerks) so that means that a year from now, the SAME people will be working there.

Posted 08/03/08

I've been here for both a laid-back Saturday afternoon sandwich and lively holiday weekend, and left unimpressed each time. On the Saturday, I ordered a pretty good sandwich from the happy hour menu -- it was only menu I had, and I made a point that I was there for cheap eats. The server asked me if I wanted side A or side B and I chose B (some kind of potatoes) with it. When the bill came I was charged full menu price for the sandwich. When I pointed out the mistake, the server basically said, "too bad the happy hour price is for the sandwich only." On the evening of July 3, I went back with a group I had just met. The place was filled with wannabes, but nobody went out of their way to bother me, which was cool. But once we did leave, an odd thing happened. While waiting next door (outside the bounds of the Amber property) some Amber bouncer starting mouthing off to us/me. Good reason not to go back!

Posted 07/06/08

all I can say is go someplace else in Bell Town, Service / Management / and specificly the Bouncers are extremely RUDE and Aggressive. I've never been treated this bad from any bar / club ever in belltown. Ambers Bouncers need to remember they are there to keep the peace and make sure everyone is safe and having a good time, not bully the bar patrons. I will never go to amber again, and hope you won't either if you do not want to be pushed around by the Bouncers.

Pros: in Bell Town

Cons: Aggressive and Rude Bouncers, poor Customer Service

Posted 07/04/08

Ill make this short, sweet and to the point-as I am not a restaurant connoisseur and am not much for the happy hour scene. It was new years and a large group of friends-myself included were headed to amber. Love the look of the place-large enough for a new year?s party with an appeal of a quiet night for a drink. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, however the staff is clearly under-trained, unprofessional and poorly managed. I gave my coat to the woman manning the coat check (who I later found out later was equally as drunk as fellow new year?s party goers behind the hostess stand) and she handed me a number. Cool that it was complimentary to the guests. When I went back to the "coat check" there was no one responsible behind the counter. Bottom line, I had the number that she gave me with NO coats on the hangers at 1:15am. I would have rather have paid to know that my coat was going to be there when I was ready to leave. The place was a zoo, the bouncers seem to be overpaid d@uche bags and the coat checkers are trashy bar fly?s who don't seem to understand what it means to have a VERY SIMPLE JOB. Hang on to your jacket and don't rely on the service.

Pros: had a great time-pre the lack of party control

Cons: really bad ending as I did not walk home with the coat I wore to the place

Posted 01/01/08

This place is getting worse every weekend. Everyone is rude, service is poor and crowd is getting worse. It was cool when it just opened, but now it has turned into such sh*t. The personnel is extremely rude. Everyone-waitresses, bartenders, but mostly the bouncers. Bouncers are there for a reason, but it is not an exuse to treat people as if they were sh*t. I don't go there mainly because I can not stand people that work there.

Pros: location

Cons: rude staff

Posted 11/01/07

I was not allowed into this bar on Halloween because I had a military ID... I cannot even stomach how sick this made me, I will never, ever, ever set foot in this establishment again, and I will make it my personal mission to let as many people as I can know my story, SHAME ON YOU Amber, first for being a crappy bar, second for discriminating against war veterans... By the way, I was not drunk, I had just gotten off work, it was the start of my night, support war veterans, DO NOT GO TO AMBER!!!

Pros: Nothing

Cons: Has something against War veterans...

Posted 10/31/07

The hostess had absolutely no class and had no business running the door. It took us sooo long to be seated and there were so many empty tables. The waitress was slow and overworked. It probably wasn't her fault that we had crappy service...the management should have ad more people working on a Friday night.

The food and decor was good, but the service SUCKED.

Pros: great food

Cons: the place is filled with annoying people

Posted 06/30/07

BULLSH*T service anyone???

What a night of dumb bullsh*t service.

First at amber, dinner party for 3 birthdays, at least 25+ guests at the table. They had one waitress for the entire party, she had a sh*tty attitude and even worse service. I arrived at 7:15 and had to wait 20 minutes to order cocktails then another 30 minutes to get my first one. Ordering food and drinks, delivery, refills on water etc? Everything took forever! We were there till 845 and I only was able to order two drinks.

Naturally I?m irritated, I ask for my check and she refuses to separate my bill from the other 25+ people at the party. So I spot the manager and launch my complaint very politely. He asks me when I arrived and I informed him that I arrived after the initial group showed up and he had the audacity to try and justify and excuse the poor service because I showed up to the party 45 minutes after it started. Several others in the group inform him of sh*t service from the moment it the party started and he continued to defend his bullsh*t waitress.

We take off from amber, head to bell town billiards. Hung out for a bit, had a couple drinks and then headed to level 5. got more crappy treatment at level five so we went to venom, the rest of our party met us, we celebrated birthdays and home comings and we ended up spending nearly 1k on drinks and having a great time.

What a shame about amber and level 5. Both of these venues set a standard for service and both failed to live up to it. I won't be planning any events at either of these venues any time soon.
Huge disappointment!!

Posted 05/12/07

Me and about 15 other girls were here on Saturday for a bachelorette party and we had the BEST time! Our server was friendly and prompt and the food was wonderful! I love coming here because the atmosphere is great and you just want to have a good time when you're there! Not to mention the drinks were fabulous! I always have a good time so I highly recommend it!

Posted 05/06/07

Went there early Monday evening for cocktails and dinner. When we got there, we were the only ones at the bar with about 8 people at tables. At no point during our evening were there more than 20 in the entire bar. The bartender was very friendly and engaged us right off the bat. That was great. But we had to flag him down for everything after that first round. Started with happy hour apps. The prawn cocktail tasted like nothing. The steak bites were overcooked and chewy. Umm... come get our plates? And while you're there, ask if we want another drink. Flag him down again. Another round and dinner menus please? A barback brought out my meal but not hers. A couple minutes later I had to tell the bartender we'd like to eat together. He said "Who served you only one plate? I'll talk to him!" There are only 6 of us at the bar. Why didn't you notice? The crab cakes weren't bad. But the ribs matched the prawns. Bland. I don't even think they added any spice to the meal. And no salt nearby. I found the pepper mill myself. We hadn't touched our plates in 10 minutes and I had some leftovers. I asked for a box. He gave the request to the barback. But he forgets. 3 times!! OK. The place looks great and the bartender was nice and friendly. Just slow on the draw. The cocktail server was gorgeous and seemed to be doing a great job. The barback stunk (maybe he was even a later shift bartender?). I can understand slow service on busy nights, but this clearly wasn't. So just fix a few little things: 1) The bartender is in control of the bar even if he deligates some duties. 2) Watch the customers at the bar to see if everything is right. 3)Offer everything you have to everyone seated at the bar, every time! ... another round? dinner menus? are you done? Do you need me to box anything? 4)The menu looks great but falls FAR short of tasty. Could've been an off night so I'll give it another shot. These are easy fixes.

Pros: Atmosphere. Beautiful people. Trendy

Cons: Service and food is about as bland as you can get

Posted 04/30/07

I would say this place is what it is = a meat market with decent food and drinks. Why would you be going there for anything else anyway? I thought the place was a cool establishment with good drinks. I didn't have the food but the menu looked good. I would recommend this place to others.

Posted 04/06/07

This place is a fun place to meet people. It's got a pretty relaxed atmosphere. You can definitely expect your weekends to be packed and you'll be waiting for drinks while you're inside, and it can be a hassle if you want to get your drinks quick, but that's what happens at busy places. The service is friendly and while there is a long list of drinks, they are definitely a lot of the "froo-froo" sweet drinks. This place brings to mind Joey's, in a way, in that it's more about one of those places to be than the stiff-drink locales. It's a fun place, but it wouldn't really be one of the first places I'd recommend to someone.

Pros: It's busy

Cons: It's busy

Posted 04/02/07

Amber seems to be more of a place to be seen. And by that, I mean you should be expecting to be seen by a lot of business-types who want to keep networking long after work is over. I went there for about the 6th time last night, and still could not find a reason to rave about the place. Most conversations I've had with friends from out of town that I've brought there have said something to the effect that it seems very stuffy and pretentious. I'm all about having a good time and enjoying yourself but it seems like this place attracts a lot of men that aren't very good at either: a) talking to women, or b) talking about things other than work. It may be your speed, and the drinks aren't too shabby...so give it a try and prove me wrong.

Pros: clean, pretty good drinks, food options

Cons: attracts a different crowd, often very crowded

Posted 03/30/07

I went on a rainy Wednesday night and had the best time relaxing in front of one of their fireplaces, the inside was glowing and so inviting! The drink menu was like a book- and the waitress was very knowledgeable and helpful. This place is great on weeknights for a quiet, relaxed date.

Pros: drinks, service, ambiance

Cons: hard to find a table

Posted 11/15/06

Althought the line was really long, went there on a saturday night and waited. Ordered a Mojito and it was truly amazing, not too much mint and not too much sugar! Finding a Mojito that is just right is hard if you arent in Cuba so i was very satisfied!

Posted 11/05/06

People have taken up a lot of space writing reviews about how they had to wait for a drink for ten minutes, or wait in line outside for ten minutes at Amber, etc etc. Why did they have to wait in line for ten minutes? Because there were other people in front of them. Why did they have to wait for a drink for ten mintues? Because there were other people in front of them. Why were there other people in front of them? Because it's an incredibly busy bar. Why did the authors get all dressed up and come down to Amber on a busy night? Because they wanted to go to an incredibly busy bar (as in: already filled with other people) to see and be seen. They wanted to arrive fashionably late but then self-importantly expected to be the first at the bar for no apparent reason (at least obviously not apparent to anyone else). If you're so desparate for a drink that you can't wait, go to an unpopular spot. Or better yet, stay home and pour yourself a Michelob ultra. At home, you're always a VIP.

Posted 10/22/06

I was up in Seattle for the weekend and I wanted to fit in the scene and have a good night out. So I grabbed my favorite old Soundgarden t-shirt, flannel shirt, cup of coffee and my angst and headed out. Boy, what an idiot I am. Its all blazers all the time in Seattle now. Welcome to San Francisco-Lite. Seriously, really fun City and this place was packed. Lots of talent at Amber so you have to expect there will be plenty of foofy chick drinks on the menu (and there were). The girls were hot and were really down-to-earth. This was definitely not L.A. The guy working the door was pretty funny - very witty - with a faux British accent. He was cool and handled the door well even if some of the girls were cracking jokes at his expense. Overall, this place is fun and worth visiting . . . just make sure you take a couple extra blasts of cologne before you enter so you can be sure to fit in.

Pros: Crowded, hot chicks, long bar

Cons: spendy drinks, dudes doused in cologne

Posted 09/25/06

Sure there are pages and pages of specialty drinks, but they're all sugar-syrupy and seem like sorority-girl cocktails. The food is not particularly great and it's priced like the best Belltown restaurants. And on weekend nights it becomes a meat market. I've ended up here too many nights to mention, and am not a big fan.

Posted 09/17/06

I LOVE IT! Its a great place to meet people...food is excellent! Atomosphere-beautiful! Yah its busy....but thats why you go out! If you wanna be at the POPPIN bar..it'll be busy! Seems to attract good lookin people, that's a Plus! Drinks: Love the flirtini! Food: Salmon or Halibut dishes.. great! And of course dessert....HAVE TO HAVE...chocolate mousse! Satisfied customer!

Pros: Worth the Wait!

Cons: Parking in belltown...self explanitory...

Posted 08/29/06

The bouncers at Amber will have 30 people waiting outside and let people cut to the front of the line. You can get away with that stuff in LA, but not in Seattle. Also, they're not enforcing the smoking ban on the patio, or near the doorway, so if you're a non-smoker, you're likely to get a mouthful of smoke with your dinner or drinks and a hefty dry-cleaning bill.

Pros: location, ambience

Cons: smoking, bouncers, long lines

Posted 08/22/06

Had a party of 10 for dinner and only 6 showed up, the floor manager Mike try to charge us $50 for table fee. He said it was company policy but never told the girl who made the reservation and no sign what so ever about this policy. Then he complained about what we had for dinner. Three of us had the most expensive dinner available but Mike was complaining that we did not order what was expected. During the night all the people from the bar placed their drinks on our table. Would NOT come back and would NOT recommend them to any one.

Pros: Just location

Cons: RUDE MANAGER

Posted 07/28/06

This place is much better than Axis. The bar is expanded making it easier to get drinks and it's great for people watching and meeting people.

Posted 07/27/06

I went a few weekends ago on a Saturday. My friend and I waited for 10 minutes standing at the bar for a drink. It was impossible to catch the bartenders eye for service. We left without a drink and went elsewhere where we were promptly served. I would not go here unless you don't mind battling your way to the bar only to wait, and wait, and wait...

Pros: Trendy and crowded

Posted 07/25/06

After waiting in line for half an hour to get into Amber on a Friday night, my friends and I stood at the front of the line and watched as the bouncer let a number of squelling half-dressed girls in ahead of us. After watching 10-12 people walk in ahead of us, we decided to leave. We came back another time, and actually were able to get in this time. However, getting a drink is a complete and total nightmare- if you're female and you happen to be trying to get a drink from the female bartenders. The bartender bypassed myself and my friends in order to serve the GUYS who came up to the bar- finally, we realized that in order to be served we had to get our male friends to order our drinks for us. This worked to get our drink order taken- however, it did take 10 minutes for her to open two beers and make one martini because she was so busy flirting with several men sitting at the bar.
DO NOT GO HERE- the drinks are WAY overpriced, the service is TERRIBLE- slow and snooty. I would recommend any other bar in Belltown or Seattle or anywhere on the planet Earth over Amber.

Pros: Decor

Cons: Slow, snooty service, rude bouncer

Posted 07/10/06

The waitress was horrible, rude and offensive!! She said our party made her "nervous and that she didnt trust us" because some of our party was getting up and missing.(Me and my friend had gotten up and used the bathroom) The drinks are over priced for what you get. I wouldn't go back if it were the only bar in Seattle!!!

Pros: Leaving

Cons: SERVICE, drink prices

Posted 06/23/06

Service is slow and inexperienced, the menu is limited to touristy and boring choices, and the food and drinks expensive and unimpressive. For the price, there are plenty of more appetizing and well-run choices nearby.

Pros: Good outdoor seating area

Cons: Overpriced with poor service and menu

Posted 06/19/06

good place to go people watch, dance or relax in the upstairs lounge. no dress code, no cover which is pretty nice for a bar/lounge/restaurant in Belltown on the weekend

Posted 06/15/06

Had one of the worst meals of my life in this place. And the only thing worse than the food is the service. I'm sure they can get away with it in Belltown. But I wish Seattle had better taste than that.

Posted 06/13/06